The Alchemist in Bleach

Well, perhaps Aizen could, that guy who supposedly even fooled Yhwach's omniscience and omnipotence, which is somewhat impressive, but Aizen at this moment definitely couldn't do that. (Omniscience and omnipotence is the name of an ability, not the omniscience and omnipotence of a god, so don't worry too much about it.)

So if the nobles of Soul Society could be more peaceful, like some of the nobles in my previous life who loved their people like their own children, that would be great.

Of course, if everyone acted like that, probably no one would cause trouble. Part of the reason why there are always troublemakers in Soul Society is that the establishment of the Seireitei wasn't actually that righteous...

For example, the dismembered Spirit King, and the highly suggestive incantations of the Demonic Path...

The latter, in particular, is so damn dark and brutal... He can understand the Binding Path and the Destruction Path to some extent, but the Return Path is a bit weird. Often, after he composes a new Return Path incantation, he has a "Holy crap" feeling, "Am I out of my mind? Why does it feel like I'm cursing someone?"

Thinking this, Ichiro, who was waiting for the head of the Shihōin family in the Shihōin family's reception room, sighed softly, and couldn't help but sigh again in his heart:

'This fucked-up world...'

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Chapter 145 A Win-Win Deal

Actually, if you want to find the head of the Shihōin family, the fastest way right now is to go directly to the Second Division. The entire Thirteen Divisions are almost frantically busy right now. Although the main operations are being carried out by those divisions, don't forget that the other divisions are obligated to cooperate with their operations, including but not limited to transporting supplies, transporting the wounded, and redeploying manpower.

As the captain of the Second Division, he has been extremely busy these past two days. He already has a lot to do, and he also has to help his daughter Yoruichi familiarize herself with the affairs of the Second Division. It is said that he has not been home since the day Ichiro and the others returned, and has been staying at the Second Division's barracks.

However, Ichiro has to come to the Shihōin family for this matter and cannot go to the Second Division.

It's very simple. The Shin-O Medical Center is under the jurisdiction of the five noble families. The head of the Shihōin family has the right to order the Shin-O Medical Center around, but the captain of the second division does not have this authority. Moreover, the Shihōin family has the hereditary position of leader of the Xingjun and the Onmitsukido, not the captain of the second division.

Therefore, this matter cannot be addressed to the Second Division Captain, Shihōin Seigaku; it must be addressed to the current head of the Shihōin family, Shihōin Seigaku. It may seem like taking off one's pants to fart, but in this aristocratic society, this procedure is necessary.

Ichiro sat in the reception room, slowly sipping his tea while looking at the furnishings outside. Ichiro had originally thought that the interior would be quite luxurious, after all, it was one of the five great noble families. However, upon entering, he discovered that while the training grounds were indeed luxurious, the living quarters and reception rooms for entertaining guests were rather ordinary.

No wonder Yoruichi doesn't have the airs of a high-ranking noble. It's a pity, if all the nobles in the Seireitei were like that, things would be so much easier...

Just as Ichiro was feeling sentimental, Shihouin Seigan finally arrived. Ichiro stood up, preparing to bow, when he suddenly paused, wondering why Yoruichi was here too.

Seeing Ichiro's confusion, Yoruichi smiled and said, "I'm currently learning from Father, so you'll have to rely on yourself this time."

"Congratulations." Ichiro offered his congratulations first. Judging from the situation, she would probably take over her father's series of positions after this matter was over. Then he continued, "It's nothing. If I needed your help, I would have come to you from the beginning."

"Looks like the Third Seat of Tenshin is quite confident~" Shihōin Seigan said with a smile as he watched Ichiro sit down, while Yoruichi stood behind Shihōin Seigan.

"It's alright," Ichiro said with a smile as he sat down.

"Then, may I ask what business the Three Seats of Tianxin have with me?"

"It's a small matter. The head of the Shihōin family has also taken on the role of captain of the second division. I suppose you know that the fighting on the front lines is quite intense, right?"

"Yes, although the first fifty Rukongai have been restored to peace thanks to the Eleventh Division's constant efforts to drive them away, the Rukongai behind them are still in chaos. Too many Hollows have rushed in, and Hollows still invade the first fifty Rukongai from time to time, causing considerable damage. Is the matter of the Tenshin Third Seat related to this?"

"Pretty much. To be frank, the Fourth Division's current drug inventory is insufficient; there's a significant shortage!"

"How could that be? As far as I know, the Fourth Division should always have a large stockpile of these drugs." Shihouin Seigan looked at Ichiro with suspicion.

What could Ichiro do? He could only manage a wry smile. If the warehouse hadn't given him the data, he wouldn't have known that the consumption was so great. The main problem was that too many Rukongai residents were injured, and the captain was the kind of person who would save anyone who was injured. So, in fact, the Fourth Division was also responsible for the treatment of the Rukongai residents.

This is the reason why the Fourth Division's drug inventory is insufficient. Seeing Ichiro's wry smile, Shihouin Seigan was initially puzzled, then smiled. Although the Second Division wasn't primarily responsible for intelligence gathering, their intelligence capabilities were still quite strong, so he was very clear about the situation at the front lines. After a moment's thought, he understood why the inventory was insufficient. After pondering for a moment, he said:

"So, you want to use me to get the Zhenyang Pharmacy to release its backlog of inventory to you, is that right?"

"Yes."

"What will we get in return? The Shihōin family can't be mobilized for something this important."

Upon hearing this, Ichiro smiled and said, "It's done."

"As far as I know, the purpose of the Shinigami Medical Center is to provide medical services to the upper-class nobles of Seireitei, right?"

“That’s right, so you should know how difficult it will be to get this batch of medicine from the nobles.”

"Yes, I understand, but what if we could provide technical exchanges for the Zhenyang Pharmacy Institute and help them improve their skills? Wouldn't that be more secure?"

Upon hearing this, Shihouin Seigen pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said, "It's not enough. The medical skills of the Shinigami Institute are indeed not as outstanding as those of the Fourth Division, but they are mainly good at health care and recuperation, while the Fourth Division is better at emergency treatment. Even if they are better than the Shinigami Institute in this aspect, they are not by much."

"What if it's my reply?"

Shihōin Seigan squinted at the smiling Ichirō and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Does the head of the Shihōin family know my incantation response?"

"I think everyone knows about this groundbreaking thing, but the Shin-O Pharmacy is also learning it. This is not a secret."

"Hmm, but how far have they progressed? Have they reached number 30? Our Fourth Division, apart from Captain Seinosuke and me, has reached as high as number 60. As for the Chanting Return, it is the culmination of all my Return techniques. It's no exaggeration to say that it encompasses almost all current Return techniques and concepts. In other words, Chanting Return can elevate the existing techniques of the Shin-O Medical Institute by one or two levels, and we can help them learn Chanting Return much faster."

After a moment of silence, Shihouin Kiyoshi sighed, "That's enough, but we can't convince those nobles. Not everyone can see the future."

"Tsk~ As expected~" Ichiro sighed. However, he had anticipated this situation before coming. Trying to get something for nothing was not so easy. So, Ichiro took out seven or eight potions of different colors and handed them to Shihouin Seigan. "With these, it should be enough."

"This is....."

"This is a secret medicine I developed. It can effectively regulate the body and also speed up cultivation. Hmm, it's about three times the amount of spiritual food used by nobles today. It can be mass-produced and has no side effects."

"What!?" Shihouin Seigan stood up from his chair in shock.

They also have things that can speed up cultivation. Spirit food with high spiritual particle content has this effect, which is why Urahara wasn't too surprised when he saw the spiritual food prepared by Ichiro.

However, such high efficiency is extremely rare. Nowadays, the spiritual food used by the Shihouin family is about twice as strong as that used by other noble families, but now, there is one that is three times stronger!

They also possess spiritual food of this caliber, and even more potent versions, but all have strong side effects and are typically reserved for assassins. However, the current version can be mass-produced, has no side effects, and is three times more potent...

This secret medicine alone is enough!

After a moment of silence, Shihouin Seigen slowly sat down and sighed, "The three seats of Tenshin have truly devoted themselves to Team Thirteen."

To be honest, if he had this thing, he would never have given it to the Thirteenth Squad in exchange for benefits. The Thirteenth Squad's things could belong to his Shihōin family, but the Shihōin family's things could only belong to the Shihōin family. This was basically the thinking of all nobles. Therefore, he really admired Ichirō.

However, in his shock, he didn't notice Yoruichi's strange expression behind him. A spirit food with triple the efficacy... as far as she knew, this was something Ichiro had discarded several years ago...

Because during their fifth rebirth, the spiritual food Ichiro gave them was already ten times more potent... and there was also a type of spiritual food that could directly increase spiritual pressure, similar to the one from Hikifune Kiryu, only much weaker, requiring long-term consumption to see noticeable effects. And all of these were things Ichiro had already mastered several years ago...

Seeing her father's beaming face, Yoruichi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This just goes to show how important intelligence is.

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Chapter 146 New Channels in the Soul Society

Half an hour later, Ichiro walked out of the Shihōin residence with a satisfied look on his face. The operation had come to a perfect end. Although he had sacrificed some spiritual medicines, it didn't matter. He had something even stronger. At their current level, this level of spiritual food was unlikely to have any effect on their cultivation.

Only the one that directly increases spiritual pressure is somewhat useful, but it requires long-term consumption. The only effect of these high-quality spiritual foods on them is to improve their mood...

Aside from that, it's not of much use, which is why Ichiro was willing to exchange it. Of course, this will inevitably affect the balance of power between the Thirteenth Division and the Nobles. So after this matter is over, the corresponding formula will be submitted to the First Division, which will then distribute it to the Thirteenth Division and the Shinigami Academy.

As for those with stronger effects, unless Ichiro takes action, they cannot be mass-produced and are therefore of little use.

After leaving the Shihōin residence, Ichirō put his hands on his hips and pondered for a moment before turning and walking towards Rukongai. He had originally planned to persuade several other families to cooperate with him for free through technical exchanges. If the Shihōin family wasn't enough, he would try several more.

But after thinking about it, I felt that this was a bit of a waste of time. It would be better to just make a final decision, since they were all unimportant technical aspects anyway.

Yes, it doesn't matter.

Because these were technologies they developed before going to Hueco Mundo, in other words, they had already been included in the Great Spiritual Library. And being included in the Great Spiritual Library meant that the Tsunayo family might have obtained them, so why keep them?

Therefore, the matter of the Shin-O Medical Center is now considered settled. However, given the captain's generous approach, Ichiro felt it was necessary to be on the safe side and simply resolve the supply issue for Rukongai as well.

The normal supply channels of Rukongai are definitely paralyzed now. The combat strength there is very average. Even a low-level Hollow can cause a great disturbance there, and it is difficult for them to even save their own lives.

However, this is the normal supply channel. In fact, there is another channel that can be used—the dark territories of Rukongai, some small forces composed of outlaws who have a strong need for food containing spirit particles, but for various reasons they have not joined the Seireitei or the Thirteen Divisions.

Therefore, they usually do petty theft, murder, and robbery. The former is more common in the earlier Rukongai, such as Rukia and her friends in the original work, who do this when they are pushed to the limit. Murder and robbery are done in the later Rukongai, such as Tensei Shiro before he entered the Rukongai.

Ichiro had some experience with this field before entering the Seireitei, mainly in order to find experimental materials, so he had some understanding of it.

After leaving Seireitei, Ichiro initially intended to go directly to the thief woman, but after some thought, he headed towards Rukongai No. 6. He wasn't after a small amount; such a large volume of transactions would result in high profits. Moreover, and most importantly, if he acted too intimately, his enemies might target the thief woman.

Just as they didn't want to involve Ichiro back then, Ichiro didn't want to involve them either.

As evening approached, Ichiro arrived at a two-story general store in Rukongai No. 6. This general store sold spirit food, which was specially supplied to spirits with spiritual power. Occasionally, some ordinary spirits would also come to buy it. After all, even if they were not hungry, they still had to improve their living standards, right?

In a sense, they were involved in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, selling a wide variety of items in large quantities. Ichiro used to collect specimens from the thief woman and then buy them in bulk from this guy, so his relationship with this guy was purely transactional.

However, perhaps due to the turmoil, the general store, which used to be wide open every day, was now locked up. Nevertheless, Ichiro went up and knocked on the door. He could sense that it was Old Dog, the owner of this general store, Shibaru.

Old Dog was originally his code name for underground transactions, but one time a fool called it out in public. Although he covered it up afterwards, the nickname Old Dog has been remembered by almost everyone in the neighborhood ever since.

"Squeak~"

After knocking on the door for a long time, there was no response from the main door, but the window on the second floor opened slightly, revealing the old dog's shiny, powerful hairstyle.

Ichiro looked up at the sound and saw it was Old Dog. He smiled and waved.

"Ten Shin Ichiro? Didn't he go to become a Grim Reaper? Why is he back?" Old Dog frowned, his eyebrowsless brows furrowing. For a moment, he thought that Ichiro might have come back to double-cross him, but the thought vanished in an instant.

Firstly, he and Ichiro had done business together more than once or twice. Although their relationship had always been distant, they still understood each other quite well. Secondly, he didn't think Ichiro would care about his small business. He hadn't cared about it before, and now that Ichiro had become a Grim Reaper, he would care even less.

So after hesitating for a moment, he went downstairs, opened a crack, let Ichiro in, and then immediately closed the door tightly.

This made Ichiro frown. He hadn't expected the situation here to be this tense, even Old Dog was being so cautious. Ichiro remembered that his strength was... well... now it seemed rather average...

"I have a feeling you're thinking about something rude?"

"Hehe~ No, no, huh? Why have you become so complicated?" Ichiro chuckled twice, preparing to change the subject, but when he saw the old dog's face, he exclaimed in surprise.

I didn't notice it just now, but now that I'm looking closer, I realize that the old dog's face, which could have been drawn in just a few strokes, is now complicated by a slanted scar. Paired with his dark blue kimono, it instantly transforms him from a minor character who could have been drawn in a few strokes into a minor character with some screen time.

"You mean the scar? The one I got from fighting with some kids a few years ago." The old dog asked, leading Ichiro into the house, "Didn't you go become a Grim Reaper? Why are you back? Grim Reapers don't retire, do they?"

"Yes, I didn't retire, but the result was similar. However, I came here for another matter." Ichiro picked up a few items from time to time and played with them. After more than ten years, there were more items here.

"What's up? You're so busy right now, how come you still have time to come out?"

"Heh~ That's why I came out—to discuss a big business deal with you."

"Oh? How big is it?" Walking into the inner room, the old dog sat down in the main seat and looked at Ichiro curiously.

"Well, that depends on how capable you are."

What do you need?

"Medicine, a lot of medicine! The kind that Rukongai usually supplies to Seireitei."

The old dog frowned: "Now?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I be looking for you?"

The old dog pondered for a moment, his brow still furrowed, and asked, "How much do you need?"

"I can take as much as you can offer, with no upper limit. I think you should know what that means."