Chapter 140: Underworld Plenary Assembly (Part 2)

One hour.

Before the Ghost Gate, every seat was taken.

There were no actual chairs; the nether spirits in the front rows sat cross-legged on the ground, those behind squatted, and the ones in the very back stood... packed tightly together like a rising tide, completely surrounding the Ghost Gate until not a single drop of water could leak through.

In just one hour, all the nether spirits had arrived. Even those operating the heavy machinery had shut down their engines, and countless people craned their necks in eager anticipation.

Right at the entrance of the Ghost Gate, seven department heads were directing the spirits of the Underworld Construction Division to build a main stage. It was rudimentary, pieced together simply from timber, decorated with some black Manjushaxa flowers and red leaves—materials gathered right on the spot. Yet, this in no way dampened the enthusiasm of the nether citizens.

Excited whispers mingled with animated, loud discussions, rising and falling like the tide, but not a single pair of eyes drifted away from the main stage. Are days of sleeping until you naturally wake up good? Of course they are, but definitely not under circumstances like this!

No one urged them on. An hour and a half later, the main stage was completed. Two hours later, following a sky-shattering shout of "Silence!" from Arthes, the entire venue quickly quieted down.

Amidst the convergence of all gazes, Qin Ye and Arthes, having manifested their forms as Underworld Envoys, walked up to the front of the main stage alongside the seven department heads and Su Dongxue.

Everyone else took their seats, but Qin Ye alone slowly walked up to the center of the stage. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked down at the vast sea of nether spirits below, and his voice rang out in the air like thunder.

"Today is a day worth remembering." Skipping any superfluous nonsense, Qin Ye went straight to the point: "This day will be commemorated here with a monument in the future. Because today, right now, we have determined the future trajectory of the Underworld."

Originally, he had only intended to speak off the cuff. But for some reason, looking at the pairs of expectant eyes below, looking at the machinery parked in the distance, looking at the forest pushed back by a kilometer—he, who had never given a speech before, suddenly felt a chord resonate within him.

Tell them.

Tell them everything he thought, everything he pondered.

The audience before him were no longer human, yet they were still human. Their flesh might be gone, but their spirits remained. He believed everyone would understand what he wanted to convey.

"When I took over, the Underworld was still utterly barren. I thought about giving up, but in the end, I accepted this mission."

"With no money and no manpower, I walked forward step by step. I also know that you all are unaccustomed to this. Yes... no matter who is suddenly thrust from a convenient modern society back into a tedious ancient society, no one would find it easy to get used to."

"There is no internet here, no TV or movies, no cell phones—only an endless black canopy. There is only a gloomy, ghostly aura. But everyone... this is the place where we will stay forever from now on. I rule the new Underworld, and I have the obligation to make it better!"

Silence.

A few seconds later, scattered applause rang out, quickly transforming into a continuous wave of applause.

Qin Ye's chest heaved slightly. At this moment, he truly felt the weight of the two words: "responsibility."

A true man has things he must do, and things he must not do.

He was neither some great hero nor an ambitious overlord, but since one lives in this world, no matter how humble, one has responsibilities and obligations.

The expectations of tens of thousands of people weighed heavily.

He continued: "Therefore, we, the remnants who miraculously survived the collapse of the previous Underworld, have specially formulated a development policy. I lived in the mortal world for nearly a hundred years, and I know that high-sounding principles are useless. Therefore, let's get straight to the point."

Arthes understood the unspoken cue. The moment Qin Ye nodded toward her, she flicked her finger gently. In an instant, all the nether spirits dropped their jaws in an "O" shape, staring up at the sky in shock.

Right there, an antique scroll unrolled quietly, easily a hundred meters wide and fifty meters high. And inside... were pavilions, terraces, and towers, so exquisitely and meticulously carved that one simply could not tear their eyes away!

First was an encircling ancient-style pavilion.

Four stories high, its length unknown but exceeding a thousand meters, and its width over a hundred meters, it featured vermilion timber and black tiles. Chinese knots hung beneath the eaves, and a string of red lanterns adorned every single doorway. At that moment, they all lit up simultaneously, presenting a scene of utmost splendor.

The windows were carved hollow-out glass windows; the doors were typical ancient Huaxia folding and sliding screens, engraved with delicate patterns—some depicting lotus ponds with ripples, others magpies welcoming spring. Apricot-yellow palace lanterns hung at the doorways, their house numbers outlined in vigorous, bold calligraphy.

Through the broad and spacious gates, the entryway featured a screen depicting ink-wash mountains and rivers. However, it was not a painting, but a nearly transparent piece of Su embroidery. Behind it, objects appeared hazy and indistinct; various intricately shaped paper-cut colored lanterns and kites hung from the ceiling of the community lobby, brimming with deep Huaxia charm.

It was not something concocted by modern designers to superficially pander to Huaxia, but rather the cultural essence deeply engraved in the bones of the Huaxia people. At a single glance, one would think: Ah... we are all descendants of Yan and Huang.

Outside the vermilion building with its standing pillars and hanging lanterns, two stone-carved Diting beasts crouched, guarded by a towering vermilion archway and white walls that completely isolated this realm.

In the center enclosed by the building was a courtyard with three ponds in the middle, each two to three hundred meters wide. On the water's surface, nether-flowers—pinkish-red with a faint green fire dancing upon them—swayed gently. Next to them stood clusters of trees resembling weeping willows, yet their leaves fluttered in shades of red.

By the ponds were rows of ancient-style chairs, square antique tea tables, and paths paved with small stone piers leading to a water pavilion some dozen meters wide in the center of the lake. Delicate gauze fluttered on all sides, and a censer drifted with faint, secluded incense. It was truly a scene of high pavilion doors veiled in lingering twilight, with peach blossoms in deep shade and willow catkins flying.

Under Arthes's spellcasting, this breathtakingly beautiful architecture was presented to absolute perfection, far more effective than any architectural rendering!

So effective that every single nether spirit present stared dumbfounded at the massive scroll, the entire venue plunged into absolute silence.

A dead silence.

"Is this... a residential area? An office zone?" An elderly man reached out with trembling hands, as if wanting to touch the scroll. "Can we... live in a place like this in the future?"

"This is the genuine Huaxia flavor. Living in a place like this... feels so crisp and refreshing," murmured a man in his seventies, stroking his beard while wearing a traditional white double-breasted jacket.

"So authentic... Is this a residential compound? I heard people from the Underworld Construction Division mention it before, and it really is!" "This is definitely a high-end compound! Holy cow! When I was alive in the mortal world, a place like this was completely unimaginable!" "It's easily worth nearly a hundred thousand per square meter... Is this what they're building right now? I'm so looking forward to it!"

From murmurs to an uproar, it took less than ten seconds. Ten seconds later, the entire audience erupted!

"Silence." The sense of fulfillment and accomplishment in Qin Ye's heart was about to burst, but he kept his expression completely composed. "This is the very first goal of our Underworld Construction Division."

This time, obviously, everyone's eyes lit up. They stared fixedly at Qin Ye.

Cut the crap! Hurry up and spit it out! How are high-end compounds like this going to be distributed? Do we need to sell our bodies to you? Give us a clear hint already!

Qin Ye put on airs to the fullest, speaking unhurriedly: "First of all, I must tell you all that this building can only accommodate twenty thousand households. This is the Underworld Construction Division's first mid-to-high-end real estate project, but it is by no means the last."

"As you all know, the Underworld is also a world. There is wind, rain, and even hail here. Although this poses no threat to your lives, it can be quite uncomfortable. The Underworld government thinks what the nether citizens think, and worries about what the nether citizens worry about. The very first project we are launching is right here: Phase I of Qin Garden."

He acted like a manipulator of the atmosphere. From the moment he started speaking, every nether spirit pricked up their ears, not missing a single word.

Tangible welfare, housing distribution, folks... The first thing delivered down here is welfare, not forced labor. This government isn't bad at all, is it?

"Of course, the financial system of the new Underworld has not yet been established. Therefore, the distribution method for Phase I of Qin Garden will be based on contributions made to the Underworld Construction Division and official ranks. There's no need to rush, and panicking won't help anyway. Once the first phase is completed, the second phase will follow. Eventually, every nether spirit in the Underworld will have a place to sleep at night and food to eat by day."

Nether spirits didn't strictly need to sleep or eat, but it was a form of enjoyment.

Since you're immortal, what else are you waiting for if not to enjoy yourself?

"Currently, the Underworld Construction Division has eight thousand four hundred and seventy-two active members. After the meeting concludes, those of you who aspire to participate in the Underworld reconstruction project, please go to the seven department heads to register. Bao'an City is only the first city; in the future, there will be a second and a third! Until the entire territorial map of Huaxia's Underworld is reclaimed!"

"The next five years will be the most crucial development phase for the Underworld, and the entirety of Fengdu will be slowly reconstructed. Whatever you had in the mortal world, the Underworld will have as well! Very well, we will now have a ten-minute Q&A session. Ten minutes from now, the first ever Nether Citizens Assembly will officially conclude."

The moment his voice fell, hands shot up all across the crowd in a flurry.

Qin Ye casually pointed to a female nether spirit. It was a white-collar office worker who immediately stood up and excitedly blurted out: "My Lord, will things like cafes, spas, and beauty salons appear here in the future?"

Your question has some spiritual depth to it, doesn't it?

Qin Ye suddenly found himself dumbfounded. How was he supposed to answer a question like this?

This... was completely outside his scope of operations and considerations... Weren't you thinking a bit too far ahead?

"As long as the mortal world has it, the Underworld will do it even better!" But at a time like this, he could only grit his teeth and answer, immediately pointing to the next person.

"My Lord!" This was a middle-aged man wearing a crisp, tailored suit. "Then, will the top luxury goods of the mortal world exist in the Underworld in the future? Furthermore, what about items related to our daily lives as nether citizens, such as gyms, card rooms... oh, even bridge tournaments? What about basketball leagues, soccer leagues, things like that?"

What the heck...

I've half a mind to fly over and kick you!

Qin Ye forcefully suppressed the urge to kick the guy flying. Not bad at all... your imagination is even wilder than mine. Can we focus on the present and look to the future?

"They will exist! Before the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Eighteen Levels of Hell, the Naihe Bridge, and the Three-Life Stone are built, reincarnation is impossible. What we must do right now is offset the sins of this lifetime while simultaneously raising the overall quality of the populace, striving for a good rebirth in our next lives. Moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education must be developed in an all-round way. Once the Underworld develops to a certain stage, this official will immediately set about implementing them."