Chapter 20: Differential Treatment
"Slowly increasing spiritual pressure?"
Unohana Retsu found this hard to believe, but considering the potency of the Soul Medicine, it wasn't impossible that Su Xiao had developed the Spirit Particle Sphere.
This time, Su Xiao didn't give the Spirit Particle Sphere a grandiose name, as it was unnecessary. To a Shinigami, this thing was a panacea. Combined with the fact that he hadn't cut any corners, a Shinigami who swallowed a Spirit Particle Sphere would increase their rate of strengthening by at least 6% or so.
This was a cumulative effect. After swallowing the sphere, this effect would last for about a month.
Whether for nurturing Shinigami or for use by Captain-level Shinigami, it was a rare and valuable item.
Unohana Retsu hesitated for a moment, then her thin lips parted slightly, and she tossed the Spirit Particle Sphere into her mouth like a candy bean. As soon as it entered her mouth, her brow furrowed. This thing had a strange taste.
"This thing needs to be..."
Su Xiao turned around as he spoke, but he found that Unohana Retsu had already tossed the sphere into her mouth.
"What?"
Unohana Retsu didn't swallow the sphere immediately but waited for Su Xiao to finish his sentence.
"Since it's already in your mouth, then there's nothing to worry about."
"..."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Unohana Retsu's expression darkened. The implication was clear: that unfinished sentence of Su Xiao's should never be spoken aloud. She didn't want to hear it!
After swallowing the Spirit Particle Sphere, Unohana Retsu immediately felt a distinct sense of fullness. That's right, a feeling of being full.
The basic way for a Shinigami to replenish their spiritual energy was simple: through the food of Soul Society. The food in Soul Society contained biological-form Reishi, which was the same in nature as the Reishi Su Xiao had converted.
If the Reishi content of Soul Society's food was equivalent to bread, then the Spirit Particle Sphere was at the ginseng level. The 'nutritional' content was on a completely different tier.
The Seireitei publicly claimed that ordinary souls in Soul Society didn't need food, but that wasn't actually the case. In essence, there was no fundamental difference between a Shinigami and a wandering soul. If a Shinigami went without food for a long time, they would starve to death.
Wandering souls needed very little Reishi to replenish, but they also needed to regularly drink a special type of water—water containing Reishi. And this water was controlled by the Seireitei. This was one of the reasons the Rukongai was so stable.
"How many of these things called Spirit Particle Spheres can you make per day?"
Unohana Retsu placed one hand on her abdomen, sensing for any abnormalities within her body. From what she could feel now, there didn't seem to be any side effects. On the contrary, her abdomen felt a warm sensation.
"About... 100 per day."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, he found Unohana Retsu staring straight at him.
"There are over 20 here. Take them to 'that puddle of liquid' for testing first. If nothing unexpected happens, I can produce the remaining 80 before tonight."
The 'puddle of liquid' Su Xiao referred to was the 12th Division Captain, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. The two didn't get along. Originally, Su Xiao thought that as fellow researchers, he and Kurotsuchi Mayuri would have a decent private relationship. Unfortunately, Kurotsuchi Mayuri's greatest desire was to capture Su Xiao alive and then torture him for his alchemical techniques. This was the obsession of a 'scientist.'
"Thank you for your hard work."
Unohana Retsu didn't say much before leaving. As she left, she gave Su Xiao a meaningful look. In her eyes, Su Xiao had appeared too suddenly and had provided too many things to Soul Society for free. A person like this either had ulterior motives or harbored sinister intentions.
However, Unohana Retsu could no longer eliminate the threat. From the moment Su Xiao had produced the Soul Medicine, she couldn't, unless she had a justifiable reason.
This wasn't a scheme from Su Xiao; it was an open strategy. If the Seireitei had the backbone, they could imprison or expel him.
After Unohana Retsu left, Su Xiao checked the prompts from Reincarnation Paradise.
[You have gained 110 Seireitei Reputation.]
[You have gained 110 Seireitei Reputation.]
[You have gained 110 Seireitei Reputation.]
...
...
Preliminary calculations showed that Su Xiao had gained a total of 2400 Seireitei Reputation. Although this method of gaining Seireitei Reputation was faster, the risks were also higher.
Inside the laboratory, a wisp of azure-blue smoke swirled in Su Xiao's hand as he was creating Spirit Particle Spheres. Making a 50-purity sphere wasn't difficult; the hard part was making a 500-purity sphere, which was Su Xiao's limit.
If he condensed a 500-purity Spirit Particle Sphere, even if Old Man Yamamoto Genryusai swallowed it, it would be effective. But that would be a thankless task. So far, apart from Seireitei Reputation, Su Xiao hadn't received any other benefits.
The Seireitei Reputation wasn't a reward from the Gotei 13; it was a reward from Reincarnation Paradise. This meant Su Xiao was working for the Seireitei for free. From the current situation, it seemed the Seireitei intended to let him continue like this. The official way to put it was that Su Xiao was still in the observation phase.
...
The setting sun hung on the horizon, casting a hazy yellow glow over Soul Society.
Su Xiao walked along the streets of the Seireitei. He had already provided the remaining 70 Spirit Particle Spheres, bringing the total to 96. If things continued like this, he would be able to purchase all the items in the faction shop.
However, this was just an ideal outcome. The other contractors in Soul Society weren't just decorations. They were also rapidly gaining Seireitei Reputation, competing for the limited resources in the faction shop.
The last time Su Xiao had visited the faction shop, about a third of the items on the list had already been redeemed. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before everything in the faction shop was snapped up. It was a classic case of too many wolves and not enough meat.
Su Xiao had chosen to bear the unknown risk of providing the Spirit Particle Spheres precisely because the number of items in the faction shop was dwindling. He was certain that many people were eyeing the [Soul Remains] and saving up their Seireitei Reputation for it. Once the [Soul Remains] was redeemed, the faction shop would be cleaned out.
Now, Su Xiao had a whopping 11,500 Seireitei Reputation. He headed straight for the faction shop, located at the 6th Division headquarters.
When Su Xiao entered the faction shop, he found three contractors already there, redeeming items.
Seeing Su Xiao, the wizened old man behind the counter brightened up.
"Welcome."
The wizened old man stood up. He was very short, only a head taller than the counter. If it weren't for the elevated chair, he wouldn't have been visible sitting behind the counter.
The old man's proactive greeting and standing up startled the three contractors. When they had come, this old man had been completely indifferent. He hadn't even given them a smile, let alone a glance.
"Damn Charm-type builds. I thought faction shops were supposed to be absolutely neutral."
A long-legged mature woman muttered. In her view, the old man's behavior was almost certainly due to Su Xiao's Charm attribute.
"Beheading Night... a Charm-type?"
A burly man with a buzz cut twitched his mouth. He looked at the mature woman with a half-smile, as if to say, 'Are you trying to make me laugh to death so you can inherit the 2,530 Paradise Coins in my Reincarnation Mark?'
Su Xiao ignored these people. After greeting the wizened old man, he opened the item list and directly redeemed the [Soul Remains].
[You have consumed 10,000 Seireitei Reputation.]
[You have obtained Soul Remains.]
After redeeming the [Soul Remains], Su Xiao turned and left. The three contractors stared at him intently.