I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

If a subordinate discovers that the pipe he is using is of a higher grade than that of his superior, he will immediately switch to a lower grade pipe overnight.

The pipes of wealthy businessmen, high-ranking officials, and other bigwigs from all walks of life are longer and more exquisite than the last.

Just like the pipe that Goro Ugaki is pulling out right now.

As he asked, "May I talk while I smoke?", Goro Ugaki pulled out a pipe, a bag of tobacco, a box of Western-made matches, and a pipe bowl specifically for holding cigarette ash from somewhere.

Ugaki Goro's pipe was entirely black, about half a meter long, and the pipe itself, including the nozzle and mouthpiece, was carved with intricate and ornate patterns.

It's obvious at a glance that this is a high-end product that ordinary people absolutely cannot afford.

That's normal.

After all, Ugaki Goro was the owner of a private money exchange, and one of the most famous private money exchanges in Edo.

Based on Ugaki Goro's previous tone, he should have lent Tachibana Takayuki 5000 taels of gold when Tachibana asked him for it.

He could lend out 5000 taels of gold so casually... Throughout Edo, there was no one with such generosity.

Qing Deng didn't know the exact amount of money Ugaki Goro had, but he was certain that the rulers of those small vassal states whose total koku was only tens of thousands of koku, or even only 1 or 2 koku, were probably not as wealthy as Ugaki Goro.

Although Qingdeng did not smoke, he did not have a strong aversion to the smell of smoke.

Therefore, he naturally didn't mind Ugaki Goro smoking.

However, besides Aoto and Ugaki Goro, there were other people present at this time and place—behind Aoto sat two girls, one older and one younger.

Therefore, in order to respect the opinions of the two women, Qing Deng turned his head to the side and asked Sanako and Souji for their opinions with his eyes.

The two women, like Qingdeng, do not smoke, but they do not object to others smoking.

So, when Qingdeng looked over, they all nodded slightly in unison.

"Mr. Ugaki, please make yourself at home."

Qingdeng raised his hand and gestured "please".

"Oh! Then I won't be polite!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ugaki Goro impatiently struck a match, lit his tobacco, and took a deep drag.

"Ah...that feels so good...taking a puff after a fight is better than being in heaven! Niou, want a few puffs too?"

"No, I don't smoke."

"Oh, that's a shame! Smoking is one of life's great pleasures! It would be such a waste not to try it!"

Ugaki Goro gave an exaggerated expression of regret, then straightened his back, removed his elbows, and sat up straight.

"The smoke fills my stomach, giving me boundless energy! I could talk to you for a whole day and night without any problem! Where were we? Oh! Right! Why did Longzhi borrow such a large sum of money from me? Actually, it's nothing, he just used the money to bribe others."

Bribery—upon hearing this word, Qingdeng's eyebrows twitched at the corners of his eyes, and he immediately perked up, listening intently.

Just then, Goro Ugaki adopted a strange tone.

"Niou, what follows... is all my own soliloquy."

"Whether what I say afterward is right or wrong, you can just ignore it and let it go in one ear and out the other."

"If I'm not mistaken... you're currently investigating the case that Takayuki pursued to the end, even at the cost of his life and honor, but ultimately failed to solve."

"You learned through some channel that I have a rather close bond with Ryuji, so you came here specifically to try to gather information about Ryuji from me."

"If that weren't the case, I really couldn't imagine what reason it would be for the famous King Ni to go to such lengths to visit my humble abode."

"Of course, as I just said—everything I just said was just my own personal monologue."

"Whether I'm right or wrong, you don't need to take it to heart, and I have no intention of prying into your secrets or inside stories."

Aoto remained expressionless throughout, seemingly unmoved by Ugaki Goro's earlier remarks.

In reality, all of this was thanks to the "art of emperors." He almost showed a look of astonishment, but he managed to keep his face straight and not reveal a trace of emotion thanks to the "art of emperors."

Ugaki Goro's prediction is basically correct.

Qingdeng was quite surprised by this.

At the same time, he gained a completely new understanding of Goro Ugaki.

Although he was called a "rabid dog" and his actions were far from those of ordinary people, he was surprisingly thoughtful.

Since there was no need to explain so much to the other party, Qingdeng did not speak.

He neither agreed with nor disagreed with Ugaki Goro's "talking to himself."

"Until Longzhi died, I still didn't know what he was investigating, braving the wind and rain and running around everywhere."

“Longzhi didn’t say much to me, and I didn’t ask any more questions.”

"All I know is that the case that Takashi is investigating involves the Shimizu clan."

"In order to gather more intelligence, he devised a bold and meticulous plan."

"First, he pretended to be addicted to gambling and spent his days going to various casinos under the Shimizu family."

"The casino is the core business of the Shimizu clan."

"It's no exaggeration to say that gambling is the foundation of the Shimizu clan."

"The casino's revenue alone accounts for 60% of the Shimizu family's total income."

"Therefore, if we want to gather information related to the Shimizu clan, it is most appropriate to make the major casinos bearing the Shimizu clan's name the core areas of our investigation."

"Furthermore, every large casino under the Shimizu Clan is overseen by a high-ranking official."

"Longzhi's goal is to gather intelligence while also identifying high-ranking members of the Shimizu clan whom he can win over, bribing them to extract clues and information from them."

"The 5000 taels of gold that Longzhi borrowed from me were used for this purpose."

At this point, Goro Ugaki adopted a deeply emotional expression.

“That kid Longzhi… on the surface he’s full of righteousness, but he’s not the kind of person who just blindly works hard.”

"His thoughts and methods are incredibly cunning!"

"As expected of a 'three-times' samurai who frequently deals with all sorts of people, he truly understands the principle that 'money can make the devil turn the millstone'!"

"With very few exceptions, the vast majority of Yakuza were the embodiment of words such as 'lawless,' 'arrogant,' 'ruthless,' and 'violent.'"

"Unless they're completely out of their minds, no ordinary citizen would dare to provoke the Yakuza."

"Over time, the general public developed unrealistic perceptions of the Yakuza."

"The Yakuza looked very imposing, even walking with a swagger and an air of great arrogance."

"But... to be honest, in the world of Yakuza, from the leader of a tribe to the ordinary underlings, everyone is walking on thin ice."

As soon as he finished speaking, a helpless expression mixed with a hint of reminiscence appeared on Ugaki Goro's cheeks.

The fact that Goro Ugaki said this made it all the more convincing.

Before going out on his own and opening a shunning shop, Goro Ugaki was a low-level member of a Yakuza group.

The Yakuza forces in Japan were all managed through a family system.

Therefore, the Yakuza Group is the organization that values ​​seniority and seniority the most, almost without exception.

Any group that places extreme importance on seniority and hierarchy will inevitably have an incredibly oppressive and suffocating atmosphere.

“The Yakuza always have things like ‘chivalry’ and ‘benevolence’ on their lips.”

"Hmph! What a load of rubbish about 'chivalry' and 'righteousness'!"

Ugaki Goro let out a heavy sneer, his expression and tone full of disdain.

"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain."

"They keep talking about 'chivalry' and 'benevolence,' but it's just so they can rob or cheat people more gracefully and convincingly."

"Everyone understands that if you get a tattoo, you will be treated differently by others."

"Tattooing is really painful. Even someone as tough as me had to yell 'stop' several times during my tattooing session because of the pain."

"The reason why the Yakuza are willing to endure this unspeakable pain is to earn a lot of money that they could not earn in a lifetime or even several lifetimes in the 'normal world'."

Ancient tattooing methods involved dipping long needles in ink and then piercing them deep into the skin—hence the term "tattoo."

Tattoo artists often need to insert thousands or even tens of thousands of needles to complete a single tattoo, a process that is extremely painful.

Besides proving that they are no ordinary people, another meaning behind the tattoos commonly worn by Yakuza is to show that they have the courage to endure excruciating pain and the determination to sever ties with the "normal world" even in the face of immense suffering.

"In the end, it all comes down to the word 'wealth'."

"When there's money to be made, everyone's friendly and calls each other brothers. 'Your business is my business,' 'If any blind bastard dares to harm you, I'll be the first to rush up and take the knife for you'... They bragged like crazy."

“When there’s no money to be made, let alone ‘sworn brothers’ or ‘sworn sisters’, you could even stab your own mother to death.”

"They die a violent death before they've earned much money—this is all too common in the world of the Yakuza."

"Or they were ambushed by rival gangs and died tragically in the streets."

"Or be betrayed by your own people and die a pathetic death in a woman's bed, or in some inconspicuous corner."

“5000 taels of gold—even a cadre of the Shimizu clan would not be able to take such a large sum of money in stride.”

"With such a large sum of money being spent, there is a real chance to bribe the cadres of the Qingshui clan."

“I have no past relationship with Longzhi.”

“If a stranger suddenly asks me to borrow such a large sum of money and can’t even provide any decent collateral, I certainly can’t lend him the money.”

"But... I don't know if Takashi knew my temperament well or if he simply wanted to 'appease me with reason and emotion,' but in any case, he told me directly that he was investigating a major case involving the Shimizu clan and urgently needed a huge sum of money to bribe the Shimizu clan's officials."

"Ha... A mere 'third-generation' samurai dares to provoke the Shimizu clan..."

“Niou, to be honest, when I heard Takayuki say those words, my first reaction was that I thought this guy was crazy.”

"Who do you think you are? Daring to challenge the Shimizu clan? Do you think you're Ogata Ittosai, the invincible master who can cut down even the shogunate's tens of thousands of troops?"

"However, although I think Longzhi is silly, I also think he is very brave."

"Fearless of power and undaunted by hardship, daring to confront the all-powerful Shimizu clan... truly a man of great courage!"

"Therefore, deeply admiring Longzhi's courage, I gave him 5000 taels of gold without missing a single coin."

"Anyway, 5000 taels of gold is not enough to 'crush me', so I'll just give it away."

"Besides, I also want to see how far Ryūji can go."