books44 Chapter 124 The First Year After Transmigrating
Chapter 124 The First Year After Transmigrating
The soft rustling of pen and paper slowed down time; the night outside the French windows had already turned inky black, and before we knew it, the clock was about to begin its new cycle. A thin mist hung over the London suburbs, and occasionally, the restless howls of coyotes drifted from afar, bringing us back to reality from our busy lives.
Raising his hand to adjust his non-prescription glasses on the bridge of his nose, Kuromon Haruya dipped his quill pen into the ink bottle, made a few light taps, and calmly signed his current pseudonym.
thump.
Rum unloaded another stack of documents from the cart and exchanged them with the completed ones: "Boss, these are the matters that happened a few days ago during Christmas. Please take a look."
Kuromon Haruya picked up seven or eight documents with one hand, arranged them in a fan shape as if playing cards, glanced at them casually, and then wrote down shorthand notes:
"Stealing business, killing people, deliberately provoking the organization, killing a branch as a warning, is this... selling addictive products? Kill them all."
“We just signed a trade agreement with the Anglican Church, and we’ve recently been wreaking havoc. I’m afraid Scotland Yard will come after us. Moreover, the organization’s armed forces are currently occupied with the tasks you assigned them and cannot be mobilized for the time being.”
"Then I can go and stretch my arms and legs, right?"
With a frustrated sigh, Kuromon Haruya crossed her legs and propped them up on the desk, leaning back wearily in her chair and hiding her face behind a document. "I've been sitting here all day, and I still haven't finished reviewing the documents. And today's almost New Year's Eve! Rum, are you really doing your job properly for me?!"
“These are matters that require the leader’s decision. It would be overstepping my bounds for me, as the steward, to interfere.”
Serving up a steaming cup of Italian coffee, Rum, after a year of adjustment, had adapted well to Kurokawa Haruya's ways and was no longer surprised by the playboy's behavior.
Apart from their similar appearances, Kuromon Haruya and Karasuma Renya are completely different in terms of behavior, handwriting, and verbal tics; they are two entirely different beings.
Influenced by these differences, there were many speculations within the organization about the man's origins. Some guessed that he was indeed the patriarch or Rum's illegitimate son, some guessed that he was the incarnation of the devil, and others thought that he was a spy planted by the British MI6 during World War II.
It wasn't until recent months that this speculation was finally settled with the conclusion that "a puppet supported by a certain organization took the opportunity to break away from power."
Kuromon Haruya, who claims to have regained his youth by claiming to be Karasuma Renya, has never hidden this fact in the slightest. On the contrary, he has been showing it off even more blatantly.
But the more this was the case, the stronger Rum felt that he was Karasuma-sama himself!
Following the tragedy at the Twilight Villa a year ago, Boss, with the determination of a warrior cutting off his own arm, decisively transferred his assets to the Western world before the Japanese government could react, despite the opposition of many elders.
Those rabble who chose to stay in their own country still considered themselves clear-headed and mocked them for fleeing with their tails between their legs. However, in less than three months, all forces associated with the major families were purged and imprisoned by the Japanese government without exception, and all their assets were confiscated!
Rum recalled that when they heard the obituary, Boss simply chuckled and commented, "How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan? Only by plucking out its weak wings can it soar."
Strategically astute and composed in the face of adversity, he is the most physically capable member of the entire organization despite being its leader. In times of crisis, he single-handedly turns the tide, manipulating the development of global commerce with ease...
The only person in the world capable of doing this is Lord Karasuma!
If Kuromon Haruyo could read minds, Gao Di would have to take out a ruler to measure just how thick Rum's filter was for the original owner.
Unfortunately, he hasn't activated that skill yet, so he can only wave goodbye to the hereditary butler.
"So you've been promoted! As a reward for your year-end bonus, the UK branch is now yours. From now on, you're the organization's second-in-command!"
'I've pretty much established a foothold in London. Once my power is more consolidated in a few years, I'll find a chance to sneak off to the new China for a visit.'
"I'm sick of British fish and chips... I really want to go to China! Pan-fried buns, hot pot, Peking duck, and squirrel-shaped mandarin fish!"
Wiping the drool from his mouth, Kuromon Haruya opened a drawer and pulled out a pre-written letter from the deepest part:
"Let Pisco speed up the acquisition process and seize the Japanese auto industry market by next June. During this period, he can freely direct the personnel at the Tokyo headquarters without consulting me. If he fails to complete the task, he can commit suicide."
"Speaking of this, the Japanese side does indeed have something they need from you."
For some unknown reason, Rum hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and finally spoke:
"The incident at the annex had a significant impact. Although we and our government have been trying to conceal and downplay it, it has still attracted the attention and investigation of some people. We can threaten or eliminate others, but there is one person who is very troublesome—the female detective Kudo Sumi, who is renowned in our country as a logic cryptographer."
"Kudo?"
Upon hearing the surname, Kuromon Haruya immediately became interested, put down his legs and sat back down. "A descendant of the Fujiwara clan, is there anything special about this lady?"
"She is...she is the wife of Kuroba Hideyuki, the current head of the Kuroba clan."
Kuroba Clan!
Long-forgotten memories surfaced from his soul, and Kuromon Haruya finally understood Rum's attitude: "Is that so... He is a descendant of Renka, and how many generations has he been in so far?"
Rum looked at the dejected boss in front of him and lowered his head even further: "This one is the third generation."
Lianhua, the original owner's younger sister from the same parents, has black hair and blue eyes, and her appearance is seven or eight parts similar to her own.
In stark contrast to her rigid, autocratic older brother who bore the heavy responsibility of the entire family, she inherited the optimistic and clever side of the family genes and was a natural idealist.
After the original owner inherited the family business and became obsessed with immortality, she resolutely chose to change her surname to Hei Yu, separated from the family, and traveled far away, citing "resistance to the marriage arranged by the family," and never contacted the main family again. A few years later, she married into the family and, with the help of the inherited property, managed to run a successful business, thus establishing Hei Yu's position.
It wasn't until after her death that her descendants were willing to follow her will and return to the soil of Tottori Prefecture.
In Hei Men's view, this blood relative did have some foresight. To ensure his own position, the original owner was extremely wary of even the descendants of collateral relatives, let alone the descendants of this sister! Fleeing far away as soon as possible was actually a good opportunity to save his life.
Even so, blood is thicker than water. This younger sister, who married far away and never saw him again, was a wound that the original owner could never mention.
"Don't worry about them. Detectives are like sharks that swarm to the smell of blood. They'll be drawn away when a new mystery appears."
Kuromon Haruya picked up the warm ceramic coffee cup on the table and slowly drank it: "Regarding the Kuroba clan, we should lend a hand in this time of crisis. Their lineage has also been fraught with difficulties..."
Thump, thud, thump—
As the clock struck midnight, everything went black before Kuromon Haruya's eyes.
The coffee cup in my hand fell to the floor, shards and liquid flying everywhere, soaking my shoes and socks.
"Boss?!"
Rum's panicked voice brought him to his senses, and Kuromon Haruya suddenly covered his mouth, coughing violently.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Fresh blood, accompanied by a sweet, metallic smell, seeped from between his fingers, dripping onto the document on the desktop and splattering into a few bloody blooms.
"Boss, what's wrong? I'll call an emergency doctor right now!"
"No, no need. There are more important things to do now."
A blood-stained hand gripped Rum's shoulder tightly. Kuromon Haruya covered his face with one hand and couldn't help but let out a light, snickering laugh—this wasn't his blood, it was the blood of the demon, Nigredo, whom he hadn't fully digested yet!
In that instant when the point of transition just now, he experienced the entire year since he transmigrated into his mind again, and finally understood the current state of his body!
As a soul that had transmigrated from another world, no matter how weak his race was, he was not someone a lower-level being could devour. The moment Nigredo attempted to consume him, he was backfired by the difference in soul strength.
For Haruya Kuromon, digesting the demons will only be a matter of time.
As a final act of defiance before his death, the demon will replay his past memories at the turn of each year, attempting to erode his will as "Black Gate." As a reward for passing the trial, Black Gate Night will absorb a portion of the demon's original power for each year he successfully completes it.
"I suddenly realized that there are many loopholes in this year's plan."
Reaching the French windows, Yoruichi Kuromon unlatched them, and a crow affectionately landed on his shoulder.
"Immediately notify all staff members at the London branch; we need to work overtime urgently."