Yan Si did not go directly to the publisher with the manuscript.
He turned around and went to Sixth Division Squad Barracks first.
Squad Barracks Shinigami, who was on duty in front of the door, recognized him and his attitude was quite respectful.
But after hearing Yan Si's purpose, the guard showed a troubled look on his face.
"I'm very sorry. Fifth Seat Yan Si. Kuchiki Third Seat and Captain Kuchiki went out early in the morning. They seemed to be dealing with urgent matters. And..." the guard lowered his voice.
"Everyone in the team has been very busy recently. It's hard to say when I will be back."
Yan Si nodded to express understanding, turned around and left without asking any more questions.
He originally planned to give the manuscript to Kuchiki Kyōka for review first. After all, it involves the other party's personal experience and image. If there is something that he feels is inappropriate or needs to be modified, it is better to communicate and revise it in advance than to cause trouble after publication.
Now it seems that the impact and intensity of the "civil strife" in the Nobles circle are more serious than he expected.
Even the core security teams like Sixth Division and Nobles have entered a busy state.
But why is there no obvious change in the overall atmosphere at Ninth Division, except for the captain's remarks that day?
On the Captain-General Yamamoto side, are you really determined to sit on the sidelines for the time being and leave it entirely to Nobless to solve it themselves?
Thinking about this in his mind, Yan Si walked towards Ninth Division Squad Barracks, and naturally turned a corner halfway, turning towards the Maple Pavilion Tavern of Runlin An.
When the curtains were opened, the familiar smell of alcohol and slight noise rushed into my face.
I glanced around and saw two familiar figures in the back compartment.
Hirako Shinji was leaning forward, looking boneless and lazy, talking to Kyōraku Shunsui across from him.
Kyōraku Shunsui was holding a wine glass with a somewhat unpredictable smile on his face.
The "noble gentleman" coldness on Yan Si's face melted away almost the moment he stepped into Tavern.
He walked over quickly, sat down on the empty seat unceremoniously, and started complaining familiarly:
"Brother Shunsui, brother Hirako, you two don't call me when you're drinking? Do you think I'm not a good drinking buddy and can't catch your eye?"
Hirako Shinji glanced sideways at him and twitched the corner of his mouth:
"You guy, you can only call "brother" in a place like Tavern.
As soon as I walked out, I immediately heard "Captain Kyōraku" and "Captain Hirako", who didn't regard whom as a friend?"
He rolled his eyes, but there wasn't much real anger in his tone.
Kyōraku Shunsui poured wine into Yan Si's empty glass with a smile and said slowly:
"Brother Hirako, brother Yan Si, this is how you understand the rules. You must know that in Seireitei, people who "don't understand the rules" often don't have a comfortable life."
His words seemed to mean something, his smile was gentle, but his eyes flickered slightly.
Yan Si did not answer the question, his attention fell on the wine bottle and wine glass on the table.
He reached for the wine bottle and weighed it, then sniffed it closer, and then snorted coldly:
"Tsk, the two captains, the leaders of Thirteenth Division and Fifth Division, are sitting here drinking "Aoba"?"
Aoba is considered a mid-range wine, priced at 1,800 ring. It is much better than the cheapest White Burn, but it is still far from a truly good wine, such as "Spiritual Intoxication".
Hirako Shinji heard this and slapped his hand on the table, causing the cups to ring softly:
"Do you think the captain's salary is very high?! I work very hard for a month and deal with so many bad things, and I only get hundreds of thousands of rings! If I drink Spiritual Intoxication all the time, I will have to go to Rukongai to beg for food in the second half of the month!"
The more he talked, the angrier he became, and he pointed at Yan Si, "You don't look like you! You just write and draw, and the royalties for a book are hundreds of thousands! It's totally unreasonable!"
As he spoke, he rolled his eyes, the anger on his face dissipated, and he leaned forward with a smile:
"By the way! I heard that you are going to write about that boy Kuchiki Kyōka next? What do you think, do you want to write about me too?
I provide exclusive material! As long as... 30% of the manuscript fee will be used as a "story providing fee"! Interesting, right?"
Yan Si ignored him and turned towards the counter and shouted, "Shopkeeper, two pots of Spiritual Intoxication, charge it to my account."
Then he turned around and pouted:
"I just started writing, and I haven't even finished the first draft. Brother Hirako's information is a little too well-informed."
"Nonsense!" Hirako Shinji said with an expression of "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"That day in Kuchiki family's backyard, Kuchiki Kyōka reported to Kuchiki Ginrei immediately after returning.
The rest of us were standing nearby and could hear clearly. He wants to use your pen to become famous, and you want to use his business to make money. We each get what we need."
He stretched out his hand again, spread his fingers, and took back two more, "Thirty percent is too much? Then 20%! I only want 20% of the final royalties! Is that enough of a friendship price?"
Yan Si took the Spiritual Intoxication sent by Shopkeeper, skillfully opened the mud seal, and filled the empty cups in front of Hirako Shinji and Kyōraku Shunsui.
The mellow aroma of wine immediately filled the air, overpowering the previous Aoba smell.
Only then did he speak slowly, with a bit of impatience in his tone:
"The core of Kuchiki Kyōka's story is that "a commoner genius won the favor of Princess Kuchiki family by virtue of his own ability and character. In the end, the carp jumped over the dragon gate and became a member of the top Nobles."
Needless to say, the story is legendary, inspirational, and attractive to the masses of civilians and ordinary Shinigami. Sales are absolutely guaranteed."
He raised his eyes and looked at Hirako Shinji, "Brother Hirako, do you have any... particularly exciting and selling points in your past? Tell me about it?"
"Hahaha," Kyōraku Shunsui took a sip of Spiritual Intoxication, sighed contentedly, and echoed with a smile.
"Brother Yan Si is right. Kuchiki Kyōka's story is enough to arouse imagination and discussion even in the Nobles circle."
Hirako Shinji was choked and shouted unconvincingly:
"I am also a civilian. I am now the captain. He Kuchiki Kyōka is just a Third Seat. My experience of climbing up is not more exciting than his?"
Yan Si poured himself a glass and asked in a calm tone:
"In Thirteen Court Guard Squads, there are quite a few captains from civilian backgrounds, including Captain-General Yamamoto, right? What makes your experience special? What are your advantages?"
"Uh..." Hirako Shinji opened his mouth and was speechless for a moment.
Indeed, Captain-General Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni is the biggest example of a civilian background, and there are also civilian captains in other divisions.
His experience is really not that special in the circle of captains.
Seeing that Hirako Mako had nothing to say, Kotondera picked up the wine glass and took a sip, letting the unique warm spiritual power of Rezui melt in his throat.
He turned his head slightly, as if mentioning it casually, and looked at Kyōraku Shunsui:
"By the way, brother Shunsui. Isn't Nobles's side... quite uneasy recently?
A while ago I went to Sixth Division Squad Barracks, looking for Kuchiki Kyōka to check the manuscript, and the guard said he followed Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Sōjun went out to do errands, and I haven't returned to Squad Barracks for several days. Is even Sixth Division so busy?"
"Huh," Hirako Shinji seemed to be still a little unhappy about not being able to "sell the story", so he took the opportunity to retort.
"You guy, all you care about is writing books and drinking, and you don't care about what's going on outside the window, right?"
Yan Si ignored his complaint, his eyes still fell on Kyōraku Shunsui.
Kyōraku Shunsui swung the wine in the glass, and the usual smile on his face became weaker, but still gentle.
He spoke slowly, "Brother Yan Si, there is something wrong... I am first of all a disciple of teacher Yamamoto, and secondly a member of the Kyōraku family.
So what exactly is going on in Noble Council and what the fuss is about, as long as it doesn't affect Thirteen Court Guard Squads's fundamental responsibilities, it has little to do with the Kyōraku family or myself."
He paused and looked up at Yan Si, with a meaningful reminder in his eyes:
"Instead of asking this half-hearted Nobles like me, you might as well... ask your "good friend", Captain Shunko. From where she stands, what she sees may be more direct."
Yan Si's fingers holding the wine glass tightened slightly, then relaxed.
He nodded, did not ask any more questions, put a smile on his face again, and raised his glass.
"Come! The wine is here, drink!"
"Drink!"
"Tsk, the taste of this Spiritual Intoxication... is indeed expensive for a reason."
Hirako Shinji also temporarily put aside his depression, raised his head and drank the wine in the glass.