Back at home.
"Now that it's just the two of us, can you tell me? What exactly is your method?"
At this moment, Yoshimura Eto pressed Uchiha Byakuya for an answer.
"Actually, it's the 'Dragon' of the underground world. Once the Washuu Clan awakens it, the dragon toxin it releases will allow half-humans to gain the same lifespan as humans."
Byakuya explained.
"So that's how it is..."
Eto nodded in understanding.
She didn't even bother questioning how Byakuya knew that dragon toxin had this effect, after all, in her eyes, Byakuya knew plenty of things far more absurd than this.
Now, she was finally completely at ease.
A night passed.
When Byakuya woke up and looked in the mirror, sure enough; his hair had turned completely white.
Without hesitation, he immediately opened the system shop and purchased a "Low-Grade Longevity Pill" from the Tier 1 Shop interface.
[Ding! Host has successfully purchased "Low-Grade Longevity Pill."]
[Attribute points -10]
[Current attribute points: 1540]
After purchasing the pill, Byakuya swallowed it immediately to prevent further aging of his body.
As a result, his lifespan increased by one year, and at the same time, his appearance became frozen at this state and his body would not continue to age for the next year.
At that moment, Byakuya thought that since he had plenty of attribute points, he might as well buy a few more at once.
[Ding! Host has successfully purchased "Low-Grade Longevity Pill."]
[Attribute points -10]
[Current attribute points: 1530]
[Ding! Host has successfully purchased "Low-Grade Longevity Pill."]
[Attribute points -10]
[Current attribute points: 1520]
[...]
Byakuya bought four more Longevity Pills, leaving himself with 1,500 attribute points remaining.
"Byakuya, what's that in your hand?"
Noticing the candy-like objects in Byakuya's hand, Eto immediately asked.
She had just woken up feeling the lack of a pillow, and at the same time, she also noticed that Byakuya's hair had completely turned white.
"This is a special medicine that increases one's lifespan."
Facing Eto, Byakuya didn't completely hide the truth.
However, he also didn't go into too much detail, after all; when it came to the system, if there was no need to reveal it, then it was best left undisclosed.
"A special medicine that increases someone's lifespan actually exists?"
Eto was instantly astonished.
"You really always manage to come up with the most unbelievable things."
Byakuya smiled faintly, but didn't say much more.
He swallowed three of the Longevity Pills, leaving just one remaining, one which he intended to save for Arima Kishou.
As for Eto, she didn't need a Longevity Pill just yet.
Since her body wasn't fully developed, taking a Longevity Pill would actually do more harm than good.
"By the way, should Aogiri Tree continue expanding as usual?"
Now that she no longer had to worry about Byakuya's lifespan, Eto changed the topic.
"Yes. The goal is to develop Aogiri Tree into the CCG of the ghoul world, protecting weaker ghouls while restraining those who refuse to behave."
Byakuya nodded in agreement.
"That's certainly a good plan. Then, let's set our next goal as taking over all of Tokyo."
Eto said.
"Oh, and by the way, a special food that ghouls can eat has already been successfully developed. The first batch will soon go into production and distribution, so the food shortage for ghouls will finally be solved."
Byakuya spoke to Eto.
"This is your doing again, isn't it?"
Eto didn't even need to guess—she already knew that this was definitely related to Byakuya.
"You could say that. The main reason it took so long was that the Washuu Clan had been secretly obstructing this research all along. Otherwise, it would have been developed much sooner."
Byakuya didn't mention the system at all, but his explanation still sounded entirely reasonable.
"As expected… In that case, the most critical food problem is finally solved."
Eto's tone carried a hint of emotion.
To prepare for the impending revival of the underground "Dragon," Byakuya, in his capacity as the CCG's Chairman, planned to meet with the Prime Minister of Japan.
Although his original position was Director, the Chairman's seat was his for the taking, if he wanted it; he could simply sit on it.
Within Japan, the CCG Chairman's status was roughly equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister.
And that was just on the surface, in truth, the Washuu Clan, wielding the strongest military force, had been the ones truly controlling everything from the shadows.
Even the Prime Minister (i.e., the Head of the Cabinet) had no choice but to give face to the CCG's Chairman.
"Chairman Uchiha..."
The Prime Minister was already aware of everything that had transpired between the CCG and the Washuu Clan.
As the leader of the government, how could he possibly not know the Washuu Clan's secrets?
Rather, he himself, along with the entire Cabinet had conspired with the Washuu Clan.
"Profit"; that single word was enough to explain everything.
Thus, he harbored a deep sense of wariness toward Uchiha Byakuya.
"I'll get straight to the point, you should know about the Washuu Clan's 'First One-Eyed King,' correct?"
Byakuya cut right to the chase.
"..."
The Prime Minister's expression turned grave, but he did not answer.
He had to be extremely cautious with his words, every single sentence could become a weapon in the opponent's hands.
If he admitted to knowing about the "First One-Eyed King," it would most likely become a weakness that the other party could exploit.
Byakuya could see through the Prime Minister's concerns, but he didn't care. Instead, he simply continued speaking:
"The First One-Eyed King became the ruler of the underground and, after undergoing 'Draconization,' fell into a long slumber beneath the earth. But now, the Washuu Clan is about to awaken the underground 'Dragon.'"
Byakuya looked straight at the Prime Minister as he continued, "When that happens, Tokyo will once again face catastrophe, only this time, it will be far worse than before. After all, the First One-Eyed King was already quite merciful back then."
Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister's eyes trembled slightly.
Clearly, he too understood the devastating consequences that would follow if the underground 'Dragon' reemerged into the world.
"So, what I want to discuss with you is organizing a temporary evacuation for all civilians out of Tokyo."
Byakuya revealed his true intent.
"... I understand."
After a brief silence, the Prime Minister gave a slight nod.
Although he didn't fully believe Byakuya's words, he knew that if the Washuu Clan really had gone underground, they were indeed capable of awakening the 'Dragon.'
That was not a gamble he was willing to take.
If he bet wrong, he would be finished as well.
Meanwhile, as Byakuya negotiated with the Prime Minister, Washuu Tsuneyoshi and Washuu Yoshitoki had no idea what was happening.
After all, Byakuya had confined them within the Washuu Clan's estate, there was no way he would allow them to roam freely.
Washuu Tsuneyoshi, however, remained rather obedient.
Because he was waiting; waiting for his clan members who had entered the underground world to awaken the Dragon.
Now that there was no one left underground to interfere, it was likely only a matter of time before they succeeded!