The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Looking down at his illusory body, which still retained its human form, he began to speculate in his mind.

However, before he could speculate for long, two pieces of wood pulp, which appeared out of nowhere, were thrown in front of him.

"Go row! Good luck, I believe in you!"

After uttering those words, the Grim Reaper comfortably lay down on the wooden boat.

"........."

So, who is the Grim Reaper between us?

He glanced at the Grim Reaper lying there with a slight twitch on his face, then helplessly picked up the oar.

He originally thought it would be a physically demanding task, but when he actually started rowing, he found that it was completely unnecessary, because even with gentle rowing, the boat would still move forward.

The wooden boat wasn't moving very fast. He originally thought it would take him at least several hours to cross the river, but just a few minutes later, he saw the other side.

—It was a beautiful sight made up of vibrant flowers covering the mountains and fields.

"Alright, everyone get off the ship. Someone will take you to where you need to go."

A certain Grim Reaper woke up at the exact moment, yawned, and then waved his hand as if shooing away flies, shooing them all off the ship.

"........."

...So this really is the Grim Reaper?

He glanced silently at the people who had disembarked from the ship with him.

However, unlike himself, who seemed unchanged, most of those who disembarked were in a daze, as if they had endured a long period of pain and torment in those short few minutes of boat ride.

Are the ferry times we experienced different? I only had five minutes, but these people experienced hours or even days... The time it takes to cross the river varies, which is why individual experiences differ.

He began to speculate in his mind.

Crossing the three paths, traversing the Hell, visiting the realms of life and death, questioning the cycle of reincarnation.

The world of the dead is filled with an order.

In the underworld, he saw many things.

However, as he accepted the bowl of murky soup from Meng Po, a thought flashed through his mind.

...Death is inevitable, and human lifespan is far too insignificant and short...so it's no different from nothing existing after death...

...If you lose all your memories and are reincarnated, will you really still be the same person you were before?

............................................................

"of course not."

Faced with the question posed by the loli ghost king, Shi Bai shook his head decisively after thinking for a moment.

"Death may represent new life, but after reincarnation, even if there are still some similarities in general, the person will never be the same person again."

"So, if you preserve your memories and reincarnate repeatedly, wouldn't that achieve a certain degree of immortality?"

After pouring herself a full bowl of sake, Ibuki Suika asked another question, somewhat dissatisfied.

"If that's the case, then it should be..."

"Then let me ask you a question too: what do you think represents the essential meaning of a person's existence?"

With one hand supporting his head, Shi Bai looked out at the bustling city and smiled.

"Memory, personality, or soul?"

"Memories can be altered, and personalities can change, but the soul shouldn't change, right?"

"Does the soul not change? Perhaps... Why, why am I suddenly interested in asking such a question?"

Then, looking at Ibuki Suika beside him, Shibai had a curious expression on his face.

"Your demon race has an incredibly long lifespan, so you shouldn't need to worry about this kind of thing, right?"

"Just a thought... You know, hell is where sinners are punished, right?"

Lying on the table, Suika Ibuki sighed, seemingly quite melancholy.

"Even though the earliest batch of evil spirits in hell have finished their punishment and can be reincarnated, some of them prefer to stay in hell and wait for their complete annihilation..."

"It's a normal thing, after all, for them, it's death no matter what."

Shi Bai laughed.

"But actually, there's no need..."

"...Those guys are taking up a lot of space in Hell, which puts a lot of financial pressure on Hell."

Suika Ibuki poured herself a sip of sake and sighed again.

"Uh……"

For some reason, a bead of cold sweat suddenly and unconsciously trickled down someone's forehead.

"In fact, due to the ever-increasing financial pressure and growing expenses, we have already begun preparing for a plan to lighten up Hell. The financial situation is just too difficult."

A certain loli demon king had a melancholy expression on her face.

Shi Bai: "..."

"Haha... I suddenly remembered it's time for work. I'll come find you for a drink another time!!"

Forcing a few smiles, Shi Bai reached for a decorative sickle and stood up decisively.

But just as he stood up, two hands suddenly patted his shoulders and pressed him back down. Then a voice that sounded like a half-smile rang in his ear.

"You've only been here a short time, why are you in such a hurry to leave? We haven't seen each other in ages, how about you join us for a drink?"

"........."

Speechless, he looked at Hoshiguma Yuugi and Gonkaira, who had appeared behind him at some point. His gaze then drifted to the open cabinet to the side, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

This is a capital city built by the Oni race in Hell, inhabited by a large number of monsters, and they are currently in the most luxurious restaurant in the city.

Even if Hoshiguma Yuugi and the others had received news of his appearance in Hell and rushed over, he would still have been able to escape in time. However, he never expected that these two guys would be completely shameless.

As the dignified Oni King, the one in charge of Hell, it was one thing for Ibuki Suika, this little girl, to take the initiative to invite him for a drink, but to do it even worse, she had no manners at all and hid in the counter of the restaurant beforehand, catching him red-handed...

So, should this be called the Immortal...Ghost King Jump?

......................................................

My name is Shi Bai, I am eighteen years old, and I live in the Baiyulou area in the northeast of the Hall of Right and Wrong in the Underworld. I am unmarried, but I have three fiancées.

I work as a qualified grim reaper on the Sanzu River in the underworld. Every day, I set off with my beloved little scythe and wooden boat to pick up guests, and I can only go home after working a full eight hours a day.

I don't smoke, but I often go to hell to find watermelons and drink to build rapport. When Xiao Siji works overtime at night, I go to her office to sleep. I make sure to get eight hours of sleep every day.

Before bed, I must drink a cup of light tea that Xiao Siji brews for me, and then listen to the other person teach me for twenty minutes. By the twenty-first minute of the teaching, I will definitely fall asleep and sleep soundly until dawn. I will never leave fatigue and stress to the next day. Heka said I am very abnormal.

At first, my work in the underworld was quite comfortable, pleasant, and enjoyable.

But later... it really became too difficult for me.

P.S.: Good afternoon!

Chapter Ten: The Inhuman Transformation

The existence of the underworld is generally composed of several parts.

The first part consists of the ghosts who are guided by the Grim Reaper to the other side to be judged by Yama. After crossing the Sanzu River through the Grim Reaper and undergoing a judgment that perfects evil, the guilty go to hell to receive punishment, while the innocent go to reincarnation to step into the next life.

Whether human, demon, or even a dead god, all are treated equally before the absolutely impartial Yama.

The second part consists of the Grim Reapers who are responsible for maintaining most of the work in the underworld.

The Grim Reaper selects from among the ghosts, and after being approved by many Yama (the demons of the underworld) and with the ghost's consent, they will remain in the underworld to work as Grim Reapers and will not go to the cycle of reincarnation.

The number of Grim Reapers is the largest in the underworld, and they are divided into many types. For example, there are the Grim Reapers who guide the dead on the Sanzu River, the Grim Reapers who supervise the punishment of evil spirits in hell, and the Grim Reapers who maintain the cycle of reincarnation... and so on.

In other words, Death is a general term for a profession in the underworld.

The third part consists of the Yama, who are responsible for judging ghosts and determining their past lives and future lives.

Although there are many Yama, their selection process is the most rigorous. They are designated and approved by all the gods of the underworld, and then they need to be reviewed and approved by Heca before they can take office.

Strictly speaking, each Yama is individually assigned to be responsible for the dead in a specific area, and each has their own designated area to oversee. If a large number of deaths occur in the area under a Yama's responsibility, then the Yama must work tirelessly overtime to complete her task.

Generally speaking, a Yama's subordinates will have one or more Shinigami as her subordinates to assist her in her work; this is the standard configuration.

Eiki Shiki, as the number one Enma in the Underworld, is the most powerful among all Enma. However, conversely, the number of Shinigami under her command is the smallest among all Enma.

Logically speaking, as the strongest Enma in the Underworld, Shiki Eiki should have the most Shinigami under her command of all Enma.

But the problem is... no Shinigami can withstand Shiki Eiki's attacks for a month.

The Shinigami who has served under Shiki Eiki for the longest time is Shiki Haku, who has persisted for almost a hundred years, and has thus become a legendary Shinigami in the Shinigami world.

The longest that Death God lasted besides him was... twenty-nine days.

Unless they are perfect saints, they will all have flaws, big or small, and Heca is no exception.

Even Heca couldn't stand Shiki Eiki's lectures and would run away whenever she saw her, let alone the Shinigami who had to work under Shiki Eiki for a long time.

Therefore, no Grim Reaper can endure the constant lecturing from his superior for long.

Generally, whenever a new Shinigami takes office, that Shinigami will definitely be tricked into working under Shiki Eiki. The longer they stay, the higher their evaluation will be in the eyes of the other Enma. This has almost become a tradition in the Underworld.

After undergoing comprehensive training by Shiki Eiki, that Shinigami will definitely be able to recognize and correct his own shortcomings in the shortest amount of time. He will be highly sought after among Enma's group, after all, who wouldn't want a capable subordinate?

Take Shi Bai for example. Known as a legendary Grim Reaper in the Grim Reaper world, he has already had many Enma (demon) trying to win him over.

After all, aside from a very small number of people, his public identity is just that of a newly arrived Grim Reaper.

To be honest, someone has wanted a capable maid for a long time, but unfortunately, Yagokoro Eirin, whom he had painstakingly trained, went to the Moon and later became the exclusive maid of a certain NEET princess. And the originally promising Baozi Fairy has disappeared... So his next target is a perfect and dashing head maid.

However, things always turn out the other way around. The only reason someone could endure being under the Four Seasons Demon King for so long, besides being capable, is that they are... completely unyielding and incorrigible.

For example, by now, someone has mastered the skill of falling fast asleep within twenty-one minutes of Xiao Siji's lecturing. After all, he's still her older brother, and Xiao Siji can't exactly pull his ear to wake him up...

So far, he is still the only Shinigami working under Eiki Shiki.

To be honest, this person did admire Rumachi a little. After all, even he could only last twenty minutes, while Rumachi had been able to last for who knows how many years. And Rumachi couldn't fall asleep during the lecture; if she did, she would inevitably be woken up by Shiki. She didn't receive the same treatment as him with Shiki…

The fourth type consists of people like Meng Po who have special jobs in the underworld.

Drinking the water of the River of Oblivion alone might make one forget the past, but to truly achieve the state of forgetting everything and going through reincarnation, one still needs Meng Po's soup, specially brewed with various ingredients by Meng Po and her ilk.

During the previous era of change, Heca practically traveled all over the world to develop the Underworld. There were special groups of people who readily agreed to settle in the Underworld, some who were destined to have special missions in the Underworld, and some creatures that had to live in the Underworld and were not allowed to interfere with the mortal world, such as demons... the list goes on and on.

These beings constitute the fourth type of species in the underworld.

The last category that constitutes the existence of the underworld consists of those gods who are basically not seen by others, namely the many gods of the underworld, with specific exceptions such as Hades, the god of the underworld.

These deities may briefly venture into the mortal world, but they must not linger, nor can they cause any disturbance to the mortal realm. Furthermore, they are bound by the rules of the underworld and cannot interfere with life and death.

As for Heca, a creator-level deity, that's a different matter.

These five types of beings together constitute the entire world of the underworld. Except for certain special cases, none of them can go to the world of the living.

This is the underworld.

Besides the underworld, there is another place closely connected to the underworld, and that is Hell.

The underworld and hell are actually complementary.

Beings in Hell cannot go to the Underworld, but beings in the Underworld can freely travel to and from Hell. If a being in Hell wants to go to the Underworld, it must die and become a dead person; otherwise, it is absolutely impossible to go to the world of the dead.

Hell is the place of punishment for evil spirits or vengeful spirits.

Originally, Hell was so dark that its entirety could not be seen, but after Heca, wanting to avoid trouble and wanting to solve the problem once and for all, chose to hand over Hell to Kinkara, and with the suggestions made by someone, Hell has been completely transformed.

The demon race are the rulers of hell.

Although the composition of the inhabitants of Hell is complex, it can actually be summarized in one sentence.

This is a society made up of all sorts of powerful monsters and vengeful spirits.

Hell is inhabited by all sorts of monsters. Some are sealed away because they possess forbidden powers, some seal themselves underground because they hate their own powers, and some stay at home because they have difficulty communicating with others... and so on.

Monsters and vengeful spirits undergoing punishment constitute hell.

The demons are specifically responsible for torturing vengeful spirits condemned to hell. They are appointed by the King of Demons, and the leaders of the demon clan in charge of these tasks are the Demon God Chiefs, each with several demons under their command.