Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

"So, when the young master of the Phoenix House asked me to help him out with a little trouble, I agreed without even thinking about it. This kind of thing is all too common."

"Although the Phoenix Inu family is considered our financial backer, in reality, we have a cooperative relationship."

Uesugi gave a cold laugh.

"Ha, it seems that in the eyes of those tycoon magnates, we are not their partners."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa, perhaps suffering from a relapse of an old injury and wincing in pain, frowned upon hearing this and said, "You mean they want to kill us?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi swung his sleeve and clenched his fist tightly.

"Is there even a question? Just take them in and treat them like dogs."

His expression was extremely sarcastic, but not unexpected.

His mindset has changed somewhat. After all, he was the uncrowned king of Kanto, the former lord of a hundred demons, and a figure whose sword could suppress Heian-kyo. Although his territory was somewhat insignificant, he was still a feudal lord.

He is good at thinking from the perspective of those in positions of authority.

As mentioned earlier, Japan is a country dominated by zaibatsu (financial conglomerates).

The top six chaebols control more than 90 percent of the country's wealth.

They stand at the very top of this country's pyramid.

That's how it was originally.

But let's imagine it.

This is not an ordinary world like Uesugi Kiyoshi's previous life, a world without supernatural powers.

Here, the "extraordinary" exists.

This extraordinary quality is a threshold that ordinary people find difficult to cross, an insurmountable barrier that neither wealth nor power can easily overcome.

Practitioners, linkers, and those who possess true knowledge all require a certain level of qualifications, but those who practice esoteric rituals are always associated with madness and despair, and it is not a clear path.

Under these circumstances, even those born with a silver spoon in their mouths, the chosen ones, will never reach the pinnacle of extraordinary talent if they lack the corresponding abilities.

This is not a cause for celebration. In fact, under the pressure of these rules, the conflict between superhumans and humans is inevitably brewing.

With nothing else to do, Uesugi spent his time in Li Fuyao's Hundred Tales Hall and the Collectors Association's intelligence database. He was no longer the novice he once was when it came to the history of the extraordinary.

Putting everything else aside, just looking at Japanese history, from the Heian period to the Sengoku period, there was a long period of peace.

Although this period of history cannot be described as a time of peace and prosperity, there are few traces of extraordinary times left in the historical records, and there is no scene of demons running rampant in the Heian period.

However, some new trends emerged during the Warring States period.

Some ruthless and cunning individuals have reappeared in the world, carving out their own territories and ruling independently, plunging the people into war and causing widespread suffering.

During this time, ghosts, gods, and monsters began to stir, causing turmoil.

Fortunately, this chaotic period did not last long, and what followed was the long rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

In Uesugi Kiyoshi's view, there seems to be a "breakout point" in the timeline.

The "trigger point" for the reappearance of ghosts and gods in the world.

From the Heian period to the Sengoku period, it lasted approximately five hundred years.

The Warring States period is now about 500 years old.

Just like the information Uesugi Kiyoshi received.

In recent years, Japan has been far from peaceful, with various supernatural disasters occurring one after another, leading to the emergence of organizations for superhumans. However, this is not a fundamental solution.

Therefore, the conglomerates that had never been disturbed by ghosts or gods and had always held a dominant position suddenly underwent a change in their thinking.

They discovered that beyond the world they knew, there were many more terrifying things coveting this time. They were like helpless little animals, fish on a chopping board in the face of ghosts and gods, completely at their mercy.

Neither money nor power can save them.

At that point, their mindset will definitely change.

Nobody likes having their life in someone else's hands.

Using the resources at hand to create a path for ordinary people to become "extraordinary" is an idea that Uesugi Kiyoshi could easily come up with.

Besides, even extraordinary individuals are still human.

Humans always have weaknesses.

So why not exploit those weaknesses and turn superhumans into lackeys?

Those conglomerates are the best at doing this kind of thing.

Uesugi Kiyoshi believed that what Akutagawa Ryunosuke encountered was probably just a test.

They are testing the Collectors' Association's reaction, testing the organization's bottom line.

The Phoenix Inu family is familiar with the Collectors Association, as they are considered partners. Therefore, compared to those large, long-established organizations rooted in Kyoto, the Collectors Association, which rose up in the cracks and is still relatively immature, is a good target because they know its background well.

If we swallow our anger this time, things will likely escalate even further.

Having figured all this out, Uesugi Kiyoshi's face turned ashen.

He gave a cold laugh and muttered to himself.

"Are they taking advantage of us because we're easy to bully, picking on the weak?"

"You're not squeezing a persimmon, you're squeezing a stone!"

"Watch out, or I'll smash your head open!"

Chapter 296 Ideological Conflict

Ryunosuke Akutagawa was stunned.

In just a couple of sentences, this guy started spouting threats.

However, he wasn't stupid. Uesugi Kiyoshi had figured it out, and he could vaguely sense it as well.

However, he simply refused to believe it.

Unlike Uesugi Kiyoshi, Ryunosuke Akutagawa was a very traditional Japanese man. In his eyes, the zaibatsu (financial conglomerates) were of paramount importance.

Even if you become a superhuman, you cannot escape this limitation. No matter how powerful you are, if you offend a tycoon, you will find it difficult to move an inch.

You need to eat, drink, have clothes, food, shelter, and transportation, and you have relatives and friends, right?

Even if you are exceptionally strong, can you be completely without any weaknesses?

That's the truth.

However, it is clear that Uesugi Kiyoshi does not think so.

He fundamentally lacked any respect for chaebols.

The tycoon tricked him, and he provoked some thugs on the street; in his eyes, it was all the same thing.

They all have to be fought back.

"Phoenix Institute, is that so? I understand. Tell me the name of the person who commissioned you, and I'll go settle accounts with him."

"You should just focus on recovering."

"Leave this to me, don't worry. Those who do the work and those behind the scenes, none of them will escape."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa covered his head, looking somewhat helpless.

"I'm afraid of this move of yours, Uesugi. You'll get into trouble if you do this. Not to mention that you'll offend the Phoenix Inu family to death and there's no benefit to it, if you act recklessly in Kyoto, you're very likely to attract the attention of those superhuman organizations."

"This is disrupting someone else's territory. If an outsider came to Tokyo and acted arrogantly, what would you do?"

"It's not that simple!"

"What I mean is, with you here, I feel more confident in negotiating with them. I'll go and negotiate."

Before he could finish speaking, Uesugi Kiyoshi waved his hand to interrupt him.

He looked at Ryunosuke Akutagawa with disbelief and utter bewilderment.

"Dazai was beaten so badly and paralyzed in bed while protecting you, suffering so much."

"Several of your agents were killed and wounded in an attack while on a mission for you."

"Now you're telling me you're going to negotiate?"

"Are you crazy or am I?"

Ryunosuke Akutagawa was speechless after being rebuked, his face flushed red, and he remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh.

"Let's prioritize the bigger picture. Uesugi, the Collectors Association is the culmination of my many years of hard work, and I really can't bear to put it at even the slightest risk."

Before Uesugi Kiyoshi could speak, there was a knock on the conference room door.

Both of them frowned simultaneously. Uesugi Kiyoshi didn't hesitate and said directly, "Please come in."

The door opened.

The person who entered was wearing the field uniform of the Collectors Association. He walked with a limp and had a scar on his face that even bandages couldn't cover. He was carrying a broken sword, a standard katana provided by the Collectors Association to investigators skilled in swordsmanship.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa scanned his memory, not expecting this person's name, and spoke with some displeasure and a stern tone.

"Who gave you permission to come here without permission?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi wasn't so aggressive. He waved his hand to stop Akutagawa Ryunosuke's questioning and looked thoughtfully at the person who came in.

"You are... Ono?"

"I remember you. You and Yamato are good friends. You came to Kyoto on a mission this time, right?"

"Is the injury serious? You must be exhausted. Did you come to see me? Is there something you need?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi could even be considered to be amiable.

He used to be passionate about practicing swordsmanship at the Collectors Association's training grounds. At that time, Dongwen's Sword Demon was famous and his reputation was unparalleled. Swordsmen within the Collectors Association's system all came to see him.

He wasn't exactly aloof; when people came to him for advice or to exchange ideas, he was willing to lower himself and was quite popular within the association.

He was quite familiar with Ono, who was a passionate kendo enthusiast. Perhaps because of his surname, he preferred the Ono Ittō-ryū style. In his spare time, Uesugi Kiyoshi had given him some pointers.

Ono looked sorrowful, glanced at Uesugi Kiyoshi, pursed his lips, and then bowed deeply with a thud.

"Lord Onikiri. Yamato, he's dead."