“Judgment pronounced! The lower-level noble Nakai Kyohei must pay 150,000 rings to his family for robbing the property of Higashi Rukongai’s third district Senjiru, causing the death of two people in Rukongai, and he must be banned from the clan for 15 years!”
The loud voice echoed in the magnificent hall, and a fat young man in the center showed a look of dissatisfaction and said nothing.
“Nakai Kyohei, can you obey the verdict?”
“Ah, yes!”
“Do you still have any objections?”
No one answered. The man in white robes in the center nodded slightly: "Then, this meeting is over and everyone can leave."
At the edge of the field, Ji Xing, who was also wearing a white aristocratic coat, put a notebook back into his arms, straightened his clothes, and turned around to leave.
At this time, his appearance has grown from a 16-year-old boy to about 17 years old, but it has actually been 10 years since he became a spirit body.
Time flies, and it has been eight years since Urahara Kisuke became the captain of the 12th Division and transformed the 12th Division into the Technology Development Bureau. During these eight years, Ji Xing has always served as the third seat of the 12th Division and lived a simple life.
On weekdays, the first team and the 12th team are basically on the same line. When the captain has time, he actively consults Hakuda Kendo. When he has no time, he tinkers with inventions in the 12th team and studies the giku together with Urahara Kisuke.
Occasionally, he would go out to chat with Ye Ye, or chat with Aizen who had sneaked into his house.
Other than that, I just come to attend the "Golden Seal Nobles Meeting" every once in a while.
The so-called Golden Seal Nobles' Meeting is a gathering exclusively for the heads of the noble families of the Seireitei. The content is usually to mediate disputes between nobles, or to judge young nobles who have committed crimes.
A head of the family like Ji Xing who is a member of the Gotei 13 Corps and has an official position does not need to come. The first time he came, the head of the Tsunayashiro family specially notified him.
He really checked Ji Xing's learning of noble etiquette, and luckily Ji Xing was not lazy.
When I came back later, it was Ji Xing who took the initiative, because it was quite interesting to listen to it occasionally.
For example, the aristocratic young man who was just tried ran his family's shop in the third district of Higashi Rukongai. He maliciously annexed similar shops, beat and killed the owners of similar shops who resisted, causing extremely bad effects, and was accused to the Golden Seal Nobility Meeting.
But in the final judgment, the compensation of 150,000 rings was basically the money to buy the shop, and the 15 years of grounding... was only a moment to the God of Death.
This is normal. There have been worse situations in the past, but the upper echelons of the Golden Seal Noble Council adhere to a tacit attitude—
Only killings between nobles of the same level can be punished by death. No matter what the nobles do to ordinary wandering souls, the most they can do is grounding and fines.
As for the severity of the punishment, it is decided by several higher-level noble directors of the Golden Seal Noble Meeting and the heads of the five noble families present at the meeting. Occasionally, when there is a dispute, all the nobles will be asked to vote by a show of hands.
The victim’s relatives disagree? This is a meeting of nobles, how can a wandering soul deserve to come in?
Only if the person being judged is dissatisfied.
“Ye Ye family master.”
“Three seats with the wild.”
“You still listened so carefully. I see you recorded a lot of things.”
The nobles who traveled with him were very enthusiastic about him. Ji Xing had always been very gregarious and said with a smile: "Unlike you, I have only been a noble for a few years. I have a lot to learn and I have accumulated it for the future."
“As expected of you…”
"Today's trial is a bit strict. I thought a 10-year ban would be enough."
“After all, it happened in the East Third District, which is quite prosperous, and the impact was very bad…”
Be polite and polite, and gradually disperse.
Of course, there are a few nobles who feel that the trial is too lax, which has led to the descendants of the nobles becoming more and more indulgent in recent years, but less is worse than more, and those people gradually rarely come to attend the Golden Seal Nobles' Meeting.
There is only one person who comes every time and whose opinions are often at odds with the majority.
“Vice Captain Haiyan.” Ji Xing greeted. What caught up behind him was a young man named Shiba Haiyan who was born with a mark on the bridge of his nose, slightly long hair, and a unique tattoo on his left wrist.
The Shiba family is also one of the five major nobles, but has been gradually declining in recent years, mainly due to being squeezed out by other nobles.
The head family has been expelled to live in Rukongai because "the Hanakuru cannon is not suitable for firing in the Seireitei". Only the branch family is still living in the Seireitei. The head of the branch family is Shiha Isshin, who is Kuro. Saki Ichigo's father had not joined the Gotei 13 at this time, Ji Xing had only met him once.
The head of the family is none other than Shiba Haiyan, who nominally has the same power and position as Shifouin Yoruichi at the time of Tsunayashiro.
In the meetings of the Golden Seal nobles, he often spoke from the standpoint of a wandering soul, which was disliked by other nobles, but he did not seem to notice it.
The two of them weren't very familiar with each other, but Shiba Haiyan was a bit familiar with him. When he caught up with him, he enthusiastically hooked Ji Xing's shoulder: "Yono Sanxi always uses that notebook to record the meeting, and what he writes down. ah?"
Ji Xing smiled and said, "I remember Vice Captain Haiyan's heroic demeanor in arguing with the directors."
Zhiba Haiyan shook his head and smiled: "What a heroic figure, those guys treat me like a child. On the surface they seem to take my opinions into consideration, but in fact they don't care about me at all when they vote."
“Vice Captain Haiyan knows, why does she still come to participate every time?” Ji Xing asked.
"If I didn't even participate, wouldn't some people lose all concern? Haha, at least expressing my opinion will make me feel better." Shiba Haiyan said with a helpless smile.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore, Yono Sanchi, I have something to ask you.”
Ji Xing asked: “What?”
“Well…my brother has been clamoring for a spirit glider recently, but the ones provided by the Technology Development Bureau are all for adult shinigami…”
“How old is your brother?”
"Soul age is 27 years old." Zhiba Haiyan gestured to her waist: "Height, about... this."
A current eight or nine-year-old boy?
It is not easy to raise a child with reiatsu qualifications who was born in the Soul Society. Even at a young age, the growth rate is only one-third of that in the real world, and the mental maturity rate is also slow.
“It’s a bit dangerous to use hang gliders at this age. He hasn’t mastered the skill of paving the way and standing in the air yet, right?”
"It doesn't matter, my sister and I will keep a close eye on him when he uses the hang glider." Shiba Haiyan clasped his hands together: "Please!"
“In fact, many nobles have had the same needs as Vice-Captain Haiyan in recent years, but the Technology Development Bureau rejected them all, because if something happens and someone is thrown out, we will be in trouble.
If you are just Vice Captain Haiyan...come to the 12th Division team building with me, and I will help you make a special spirit glider. "
“Special?” Zhibo Haiyan was startled and quickly said: “Thank you!”
The two of them walked together to the 12th division team building. They met a **** of death on the way, and they all greeted him respectfully.
"Yono Sanchi! Vice Captain Shiba!"
When he walked to the 12th division team building, Shiba Haiyan said with emotion: "Yono-kun is so popular. It feels like you are walking with our captain. Everyone will notice you first, greet you first, and treat me as Hollow Man."
"It's just a false reputation accumulated by some messy things. Vice-captain Haiyan, go and sit with me first. You'll be fine soon."
Walking into the 12th division team building, more people greeted Ji Xing, but this time it was not "Yono Sanchi" but "Deputy Director".
Eight years is just a moment in the long history of Soul Society, but it is enough time for the team members to change along with the captain's personality. A number of technical nerds have appeared in the 12th Division.
What they admire now is not Ji Xing's strength, but Ji Xing's endless creativity and countless practical little inventions.
Returning to the team building was as relaxing as home. Ji Xing waved his hand: "Who, go help me get a finished Spirit Son Glider and 12 Spirit Son holders."
…“…What do you call that so-and-so! Bald man!”
Hiyori’s flying kick grazed Ji Xing’s cheek, and Ji Xing smiled at Shiba Haiyan: “Don’t blame me, our vice-captain has a short temper.”
“Uh, ah... I’ve heard about it for a long time...”