Katori Nanatsuki leaned in slightly, trying to get a better view of Ishida Sōken's status interface.
Though still amidst the crowd, he'd made his way to the second row—a spot close enough.
Sōken's eyes paused subtly when they swept over the Reishi Shell puppet.
"Everyone, don't crowd around. Go get some rest—and let me do the same," Sōken said gently. "If you need anything, speak to me or the medics."
"Please take care of yourself, Lord Ishida! Don't overexert!"
The crowd could clearly see how exhausted he was and began dispersing with understanding.
"Chris, I'll leave this last group to you. Thanks for your help these past few days."
He addressed the medic beside him.
There were still Quincy freshly brought in from the World of the Living who needed settling.
"Please, what I've done is nothing compared to your efforts," Chris replied, shaking his head. "Get some rest. I'll handle the rest here."
"...Has anyone from Silbern come recently?"
Sōken asked the question casually, but his gaze remained sharp.
Bringing these Quincy back had been a personal initiative.
He still maintained contact with several Quincy in the World of the Living and, after hearing news of the ongoing war, had immediately petitioned the Sternritter commander, Haschwalth, for assistance.
Unfortunately, Haschwalth had denied the request.
"No one directly from Silbern," Chris replied. "But soldiers from the outer district have come. Both returning batches of Quincy have been assigned housing and work."
He understood what Sōken was worried about.
"From what I've gathered, Silverrack seems to have accepted them. In fact, the soldiers mentioned these new arrivals would be eligible for the Knight Corps recruitment."
"The Knight Corps is recruiting?"
Sōken blinked, clearly unaware. He'd been stationed in the World of the Living so frequently that recent internal updates had passed him by.
"Yep... A rare chance for those you brought back. It's been ages since the Corps last opened recruitment."
Chris seemed to be reminiscing.
He had once participated in the Sternritter trials alongside Sōken.
Back then, the selection process was notoriously brutal—Sōken had been the only one to make it in.
"...I see. You should get back to work."
Sōken offered no opinion on the recruitment.
He knew how difficult it was to join the Sternritter—most outer district Quincy wouldn't even pass the trials.
After parting ways with Chris, Sōken didn't immediately leave the camp.
Instead, he approached someone.
Nanatsuki, who had been quietly eavesdropping on conversations nearby, immediately noticed Sōken walking toward him.
And then he realized—he wasn't approaching just anyone.
He was heading straight for the Reishi Shell puppet he was controlling.
'He spotted me?'
Nanatsuki's brow tightened, but seeing no trace of hostility in Sōken's expression, he decided to wait and observe.
"Hello," Sōken greeted warmly. "I hope I'm not being too forward, but... your appearance closely resembles someone I once knew. Would you happen to be from the Kurosaki family?"
It was the resemblance that had caught Sōken's attention.
In the chaos of the battlefield, he'd had no time to look closely at the faces of those he rescued—he had assumed this was someone he'd simply overlooked.
"I'm Kurosaki Haren, from the Naruki region."
Nanatsuki nodded, reciting the identity he had already registered with the medics.
At the same time, his thoughts raced.
'He knew Kurosaki Tsukiren?'
The Quincy powers he wielded came from Tsukiren. Even the puppet's appearance mirrored hers.
But she had died over twenty years ago—so any connection Sōken had to her would be from long ago.
"Kurosaki Haren..."
Sōken muttered, trying to recall the name, but it didn't ring any bells.
"You know Kurosaki Tsukiren?"
"From Karakura Town, right? Of course. She'd be my elder sister, by generation. Though our family moved away from that area in my grandfather's time."
Nanatsuki's reply was deliberately vague.
In the past, there had indeed been a Quincy settlement near Karakura. The Kurosaki family was prominent there, and side branches weren't uncommon.
"Ah, so a branch from Karakura. The Kurosaki and Ishida families were close there. I used to return occasionally to pay respects at the ancestral shrine."
Sōken showed no suspicion.
"But that settlement was destroyed twenty-odd years ago by the Shinigami. Most of the Kurosaki and Ishida there perished. Only a few scattered descendants remain."
"Yeah... I've lost contact with them too," Nanatsuki said truthfully.
He had never actually contacted them.
"I did meet a few survivors once," Sōken added. "Tsukiren's younger siblings. So technically, you'd be their elder sister too."
"Kurosaki Ichirō? Kurosaki Miren?"
Nanatsuki recalled the two children Tsukiren had asked him to spare.
He had glanced at their status panels briefly in passing.
Thankfully, his enhanced spirit body had sharpened his memory—small forgotten details now came back with ease.
"Yes, those two."
Hearing the names, Sōken's trust in Haren solidified.
Ichirō and Miren now lived in seclusion in a remote mountain village in the World of the Living. Few knew of them.
But to be fair, Sōken had never really doubted "Kurosaki Haren"—the appearance alone was convincing.
"Do you have other surviving family?"
He asked sincerely. If there were still Kurosaki in war zones, he'd go back to bring them to safety.
"No. I'm the only one left."
"...I'm sorry to bring up painful memories."
"It's fine. It was a long time ago."
"You're a Quincy born in the World of the Living. That makes your case different—most others here are either native or children of natives."
Sōken paused to think.
"I should take you to get officially registered. Otherwise, your lack of background might cause trouble."
For someone like Haren—an outsider with no connections—proving identity would be difficult.
But Sōken had decided to vouch for him. Tsukiren had been a dear friend, after all.
"Thank you, Lord Ishida."
Nanatsuki felt a surge of joy. He hadn't expected infiltrating the Quincy to go this smoothly.
"No need to be so formal. Tsukiren and I were old friends. Just call me Sōken."
Sōken smiled gently.
Soon after, he brought the Reishi Shell puppet to the administrative palace in the outer district.
"Lord Ishida!"
Guards bowed respectfully.
Sōken's Sternritter status carried weight. Even with a stranger in tow, none dared obstruct him.
The administrative clerks worked quickly.
In no time, Kurosaki Haren's records were officially filed.
"All done."
The clerk handed over two sheets.
"These are the available residences you can choose from."
Thanks to Sōken, Haren was assigned housing in the outer district—with the rare privilege of choosing the location.
Others would have no such options. They'd simply be assigned randomly.
Nanatsuki accepted the documents.
He immediately began scanning for the residence closest to Silbern.
That would make future movements easier.
"I have other matters to attend to. If you need anything, use this."
Sōken tossed him a badge—a spiritual tool akin to a messenger device.
Nanatsuki pocketed the badge. With so many people around, there was no time for deeper conversation.
Later, he could use the badge to speak with Sōken directly—perhaps to probe for information on Yhwach.
"And this... your Silbern pass."
The clerk handed over a metallic card.
"The Sternritter recruitment trial will be held in one week. You'll need this to pass through Silbern's barrier. It's only valid for that day—don't attempt unauthorized entry. It's a serious offense."
Silverrack's defenses far exceeded those of the outer district. A standalone barrier separated it, and even outer soldiers couldn't cross without clearance.
"Understood."
Nanatsuki was already weighing a decision—whether or not to participate in the upcoming Sternritter trial.
'Now that "Kurosaki Haren" is officially recognized and connected to Ishida Sōken... there are pros and cons. It'll be easier to gather intel—but if I vanish, they'll notice.'
He decided to use the trial as a chance to infiltrate Silbern itself.
The goal: to maintain this Quincy identity for as long as possible.
He arrived at his newly assigned residence.
From there, the walls of Silverrack were plainly visible—only about a hundred meters away.
The space between the building and the walls was an open clearing.
'The Quincy here aren't necessarily more talented than those in the World of the Living... But in this high-Reishi environment, their actual combat potential is far higher.'
He continued surveying the Quincy he passed, checking their status interfaces.
"Move it! You're blocking the path!"
A voice barked behind him.
He turned—only to find no one visible.
Someone was hidden behind a massive stone slab.
"Need a hand?"
Nanatsuki guessed it was a construction soldier.
His assigned residence wasn't even fully built yet.
"Huh?"
A puzzled voice came from behind the slab.
In the Wandenreich, everyone had a designated role. Construction was for the engineering corps.
"You know how to build houses?"
A pinkish-purple head peeked out.
"Probably... not," Nanatsuki admitted honestly.
"Then what are you talking for?!"
The pink-haired engineer squeezed past the others and lugged the massive slab into place.
"Already got you working, huh?"
She looked about fourteen or fifteen.
But appearances meant little—Quincy were spirit bodies, after all.
"Looking down on me?" she huffed. "I bet I'm stronger than you!"
Nanatsuki glanced at her status panel:
[Meninas McAllon]
[Talent: S]
[Reishi Control: Lv40]
[Reputation Level: Stranger]
An S-rank Quincy!?
He recognized her—she was slated to become a future member of the all-female squad.
'A still-developing Meninas... Could she be turned?'
The thought came instantly.
'Maybe I should try... Could I recruit a Quincy as my disciple?'
Nanatsuki's growth had stalled.
Each level beyond 95 in Reiatsu required over 500,000 General Ability EXP—a massive gap.
The Shinigami side had already yielded most of its youth talent to him. Soul Society's next wave of geniuses would take decades, maybe centuries.
So gaining more EXP from that side wasn't realistic.
'Let's see if I can nudge her a little.'
This puppet would need to remain in the Wandenreich anyway. Why not test the waters with Meninas McAllon?
The idea wasn't impossible. Yhwach had promised a future that didn't include Meninas.
He was notoriously cruel to his own people.
Most Sternritter were merely backup power sources to him.
Those deemed nonessential would be "sacrificed"—drained of their power and left for dead.
'And she's not the only future recruit still in her early stages... I need to comb the residential area. See who else might be here.'
He was determined to search the entire district.
"No use standing idle. Let me give you a hand. I can't build a house, but I can carry things."
He offered to help.
"This your house?"
Meninas blinked.
"Yeah. The one you're building is mine."
He nodded.
"Nice!"
She smiled.
"Then I'll make it look extra pretty!"
Quincy were highly efficient.
With Reishi manipulation aiding them, the two finished constructing a two-story house by day's end.
"So... this is the 'pretty' version?"
Nanatsuki tilted his head, confused by the design.
"It kind of looks like... a millstone?"
"It's a cake!" Meninas waved her hands defensively.
"A cake!"
She'd built it as two white, stacked circular floors—one big, one small.
Without paint, it looked exactly like a pair of stone mill wheels.
"If I could color it, it'd be perfect..."
Meninas pouted, disappointed at being unable to fully replicate the look of a real cake.