The Alchemist in Bleach

Such delusions are present in any living being capable of thought, but most living beings categorize them as mere daydreams and dismiss them from their minds.

But the Hogyoku won't...

Then the rabbit died....

Its essence is still that of a rabbit, and it simply cannot bear such a large span of evolution.

Therefore, compared to the Hogyoku with its evil consciousness, the Hogyoku with its consciousness sealed is even more terrifying, and to utilize this power, one naturally needs to prepare special methods.

Thus, this path of ghosts came into being.

Under Ichiro's control, the blue light representing the power of the Hogyoku gradually enveloped the damaged spiritual structure, and then, a miraculous scene unfolded...

Spiritual structure...

Nothing changed!

One minute...

Two minutes...

Three minutes...

Ten minutes passed gradually, and just as Ichiro was about to stop, a discovery made him ecstatic!

At the edge of the broken spiritual structure, the previously unchanging gap began to wriggle and grow slightly!

Although this slight increase is negligible in the overall picture.

But it meant something different to Ichiro!

For several years, they worked day and night to develop this spirit structure. Several other parallel research projects were almost completed, but this one was still making no progress!

The hardest and most precious thing in the world is taking that first step from 0 to 1, which means that this path can continue for the time being!

However, Ichiro has now put away the Hogyoku and has not continued to maintain it.

"Father?" Satoshi looked at Ichiro with a puzzled expression.

"It's only increased this much in ten minutes. How long do you plan to take to perfect it? Besides, with the Hogyoku at its current state, whether it can be further improved is another matter. First, record the data, organize it, analyze the reasons for the increase, and at the same time, draft a preliminary Hogyoku cultivation plan. As for the consumption... all of it!"

"All of them?" Zhi paused while recording, and the machine shook slightly to show his doubt.

"Yes, all of them. All resources are being poured into it! We've also stopped projects like the Extinction Star and the False Mask, leaving only projects funded by the team and the research on the Cross Star emblem commissioned by the Captain-Commander."

"Should we stop False Mask too? Wasn't this research you started for your work, Father? Now that you have an additional position in the Fifth Division, you should really need this. Should we pause it?"

"Pause, let's focus on solving this problem first. There's no need to deal with this toy for now; we have plenty of time."

"clear."

The False Mask is a kind of clone technology. After all, he now holds multiple positions, but a person's energy is limited, and he only has 24 hours a day, so there will always be some positions that he cannot take care of.

The Third Seat of the Fourth Division is alright; this is his own territory, and the world will also help him with things. The Kido Research Bureau hardly involves funding; on the contrary, the places that need funding are handled by those bigwigs. He only needs to bury himself in research and produce results from time to time. The only thing he needs to do all the time is to review the papers that have been screened from all over Soul Society. If they are suitable, he publishes them; if they are not suitable, he sends them back with his own insights and opinions.

This is easy to do; just take some time each evening. Anyway, watching more of it will benefit him.

But the other two positions are not so simple. The Technology Development Bureau is involved in the allocation of funds. Their mechanism can only operate on its own temporarily, but it cannot continue like this indefinitely, otherwise it will eventually crash and burn.

There's also the Riting team. Although the most troublesome intelligence gathering work has been taken over by Zhi, there are still other miscellaneous things that need to be handled by him. Before, Yoruichi handled these things, so he was basically just a henchman.

The situation is a bit different now. Soi Fon has only just taken office and her strength is still lacking. She has a lot of room for improvement. She is too busy to help him.

So, Ichiro originally planned to develop a clone device to help him with his work, but it seems he'll have to give up on that now.

This research is quite challenging, and he doesn't have the energy to dedicate to it right now. Of course, he'll also have to give up his positions as head of the Alchemy Department and captain of the Riting Team.

He originally took over as captain of the Riten Team out of respect for Yoruichi, and also to help her upgrade the intelligence system of the Secret Service. If it was almost done, it was time to hand over the position to the Shihouin family.

The same goes for the position of head of the Alchemy Department. His departure is a good thing for both him and the Technology Development Bureau. After all, it's necessary to give the people below him room for promotion. Moreover, with Ichiro leading the way all these years, his junior members have started to slack off. Now, they're even saying they're tired after working through the night for three consecutive days!

I can't understand it!

If this continues, he'll be ruined sooner or later!

Therefore, we must give those kids the motivation to strive!

In fact, the Technology Development Bureau has supported involution since its inception. After all, once scientific research gets going, the development can be rapid. That's why they set up a rule that, apart from the Research Department, Ghost Path Department, and Return Path Department, all other departments have an assessment mechanism. If a department fails the assessment, it will be disbanded!

At the same time, the same applies to the position of minister; they have always adhered to the principle of promoting the capable, letting the mediocre step aside, demoting the incompetent, and eliminating the inferior.

Anyway, Death has a very strong physique, and Curly is even healthier.

Undoubtedly, Ichiro's extraordinary strength has led the members of the Alchemy Club to gradually develop a "let it all go" mentality. Since they can't become the club president no matter what they do, why not make things easier for themselves?

Competition is not wrong; what's wrong is meaningless competition!

For the current members of the Alchemy Department, this is a meaningless competition. They compete with each other, but in the end, everyone is still a junior. The creation of a new department has much higher requirements, which cannot be accomplished by ordinary people.

Therefore, the only way for Ichiro to revitalize the stagnant alchemy department is to resign!

While giving them hope, we also put pressure on them!

The alchemy department is a money-burning place. Ichiro used to be in charge, which allowed them to focus on their research. But now that Ichiro is gone, that pressure falls on them.

However, it's too early to think about these things now. The selection of a new minister is not so easy, and Yeofu has only just taken office. Changing the minister again would only cause her more trouble.

Most importantly, Ichiro actually has a lot on his plate and doesn't have time to hand over the alchemy department's affairs. Urahara just packed up and left, leaving behind a mess for him to clean up—and that stuff is going to be a bit troublesome.

But for now, there's no need to think about it.

After Ichiro ended the spell, he sealed the Hogyoku away, otherwise the scene would have been too grotesque, and he didn't want to pollute his eyes again.

After sealing the Hōgyoku, Ichiro began to analyze the data from this experiment, intending to use it as a basis for optimizing the Hōgyoku and that special Kidō. At the same time, he also wanted to find out the reason for the restoration of the spirit particle structure and whether it could be artificially replicated outside the Hōgyoku.

Time passed by little by little. Ichiro remained immersed in his research until around 10 p.m., when a vibrating alarm clock woke him up.

"It's so late already? Want to work a little longer? Forget it, there's training tomorrow morning. If I slack off, the captain might really switch to a real sword." As if thinking of that bloody scene, Ichiro couldn't help but shudder. He immediately put away what he was holding and turned to leave.

"Zhi, check each seal, then shut down the laboratory."

"Yes, Father."

Back in the dormitory, Ichiro raised an eyebrow and noticed that Sekai was still processing some documents. He walked over, picked up a document, and discovered that Sekai was looking at a list of medicinal herbs purchased from Rukongai.

"Is this... a problem with Old Ghost's supply?"

"Yes, because of that battle, and the Captain-Commander activated his Bankai. Although he tried his best to control his power, he only managed to avoid direct injury. As the core location of the battle, Rukongai suffered heavy losses of various medicinal herbs and water sources."

"Tsk~ This is really troublesome. How many alternatives are there now?"

"Not much. Fortunately, we have a lot of supplies stored up to prepare for a war that could break out at any time, so there is no pressure for the time being, but it is only temporary."

"Okay, I understand. Place an order with the alchemy department and have them research alternatives for these herbs."

"These?" Sekai frowned as he looked at the herbs Ichiro had circled. "Are these feasible?"

"It's feasible, but the cost-effectiveness isn't high. However, given the current special circumstances, this is the only way."

"Okay, I'll let them know tomorrow."

"Hmm, is there still a lot? If there is, let's do it tomorrow, it's getting late."

"That's all." Sekai closed the file in his hand, looked up at Ichiro, and gave him a bright smile.

"Okay, then let's rest."

"Ah."

With that, the two lay down on the bed together and fell into a deep sleep, though it was somewhat beastly. However, given the previous example of the world turning into swords, Ichiro felt it was better to play it safe for now. While injuries could heal, the psychological trauma caused wouldn't be so easily healed...

So, if you're worse than a beast, then so be it!

Silent all night.

The next day, Ichiro got up early, covered Sekai with a blanket, washed up, and went to the training ground for training before heading to the Fifth Division to begin his day's work.

During this time, he also went to the Second Division and told Soi Fon about his plan to resign from his position as captain of the Riting Division. Although Soi Fon was surprised, she could understand after thinking about the many positions Ichiro was currently holding. Besides,

The reason Ichiro was appointed as the captain of the Ritsuka Team was because Yoruichi was the commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukido. With that relationship, they were very confident that Ichiro wouldn't have any ulterior motives. Or rather, Yoruichi trusted Ichiro very much, and all other opinions were forcibly rejected by Yoruichi.

Although Soi Fon also believed in Ichiro, she was not the head of the Shihouin family after all, and ultimately lacked Yoruichi's decisiveness. She couldn't protect Ichiro, so it was better to leave things as they were now than to tear things apart and forcibly take him back later.

After finishing his day's work, Ichiro went home for dinner with his friend, who was also an extra, as agreed. However, for some reason, Suzuran followed them. She really wasn't going to miss any opportunity to "win him over"!

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Chapter 278 Byakuya Kuchiki's Thoughts

The next day, on his way to the training ground, Ichiro was still a little puzzled about the dinner party the night before. His friend, who was playing a minor role, said that she was treating him to a meal to thank him, but why did he feel that the way her parents looked at him was a little strange?

His eyes were full of emotion, even showing a hint of hatred, like a fan-shaped diagram, but it didn't look like a look of gratitude...

Of course, if Ichiro had been married before, or had a girlfriend who had met his parents, they might have found out, but unfortunately, he hadn't...

While pondering, Ichiro arrived at the training ground, where the captain was already waiting. However, unlike before, Suzuran, Hiyun, and Isane were also there today.

"What are you doing..." Ichiro raised an eyebrow.

"** and Yuon are vice-captains now, but their skills are somewhat lacking, so I've been planning to train them for a while. Suzuran is about the same; she's focused on research these past few years, and her own skills have also fallen behind. So we'll train them together. Coincidentally, you also need training, so I'll train you as well."

"..." Ichiro looked at the captain speechlessly. What did he mean by "training him on the side"? He was the one who arrived first, okay?

Although he was very unwilling, what could he do when the captain said those words? Therefore, Ichiro could only obediently sit on the ground and begin practicing sword meditation, or rather, get whipped by the captain...

Of course, what's even more disheartening is that the captain hit him more often and harder today than he did the previous two days...

There's no way around it; with all the whispering and chatter in my ears, calming my mind has become even more difficult. I wasn't good at sword meditation to begin with, and now this is even worse.

Of course, Ichiro also wondered if this was a deliberate arrangement by the captain to increase the difficulty of his training.

But before Ichiro could think it through, he was slapped again...

Finally, the hour-and-a-half training session ended with six broken bamboo swords, temporarily halting the training.

Ichiro had initially planned to discuss with the captain about having her go easy on him, but seeing her eyes constantly lingering on the Zanpakuto at her waist, he immediately fell silent. Bamboo sword, very good.

After training, Ichiro and Mob's best friend did not go to the Fifth Division, but instead went with the captain to a place where a simple summary of the turmoil in Seireitei would be made, namely, the funeral ceremony for the former captains of the Seventh Division.

A team funeral is held when a member of the Thirteenth Team (especially important members such as the captain and vice-captain) dies in the line of duty. The member's body will be placed on a specially made wooden platform and cremated by several masked men carrying long torches.

To be honest, Ichiro was quite curious about this ceremony.

Because this funeral ceremony was very strange, extremely strange!

First, it is only for the Shinigami of the Thirteenth Division. This may seem normal at first glance, since it is called the Team Funeral Ceremony, so it is naturally for the members of the Thirteenth Division. Otherwise, why would it be called Team Funeral?