Once the house was finished, Meninas prepared to leave right away.
"You worked hard, Meninas. Come in and have some tea," Nanatsuki said, pulling a few things from the supply pack he'd received. "You're really strong—hard to believe that kind of strength's hidden in such a small frame."
He'd noticed earlier how effortlessly she moved heavy materials—not with any Blut-enhanced strength, but purely with her own physical power.
"I'm super strong!" Meninas raised her hand proudly and flexed a not-so-muscular arm with a grin.
"Your Blut is impressive too—you moved things most people would need machines for!" Her eyes lit with admiration. "But I haven't earned enough merit points yet… I'll need a few more years before I can learn Blut. Once you've got it, you're basically halfway to being an elite Quincy!"
"You need merit points to learn Blut here?" Nanatsuki asked curiously.
Within the Wandenreich, everything was built around a merit-based currency system. Soldiers paid for necessities, supplies, and even training with merit points.
"You didn't know?" Meninas blinked, then remembered, "Oh, right… you're from the World of the Living."
"Our training doesn't include Blut. Instructors from the Outer Districts never teach us that—unless, of course, you pay for private lessons," she explained.
"I see..." Nanatsuki's gaze shifted slightly as he smiled. "I'm a Quincy born in the World of the Living. I haven't been assigned a post, so I don't earn any merit points. It's a bit hard to get by here..."
Only returning Quincies were immediately assigned posts, usually resuming roles they held before departing to the World of the Living. As a native-born Quincy, "Kurosaki Haren" had no such placement—and no income.
"Meninas, would you be interested in training under me?" Nanatsuki asked casually.
"Ah... but I don't have that many merit points…" she hesitated, clearly tempted but visibly discouraged. "I'm a new recruit. Even saving every bit I can, I've only got just over 2,000 merit points. A single private lesson costs tens of thousands!"
"You can pay in installments," Nanatsuki continued coaxing. "Just give me a portion of your monthly merit points."
"Wait—really?!" Meninas's eyes widened. This was her chance to learn Blut early.
"Mm... but my clan believes that technique shouldn't be passed down lightly. Blut can only be taught to descendants or disciples. If you want to train with me, you'll have to formally take me as your teacher," he said, still playing the part.
"No problem!" Meninas nodded vigorously. "I'll become your disciple!"
She wasn't from a prestigious Quincy family and had no inherited techniques. Gaining access to better training resources in the Wandenreich was already a steep climb—so she didn't hesitate.
Nanatsuki glanced at the system interface:
[Meninas McAllon has requested to become your direct disciple. Accept?]
Even Hollows could be taken as disciples—of course Quincies could too.
"Just to be clear—once you're under my tutelage, betrayal won't be tolerated. If you do, I'll personally deal with you," Nanatsuki said seriously. "In return, I'll do my utmost to guide your growth."
"I accept!" Meninas pulled a metal card from her pouch and offered it with both hands. "These are all the merit points I've saved! They're yours!"
She knew how powerful "Kurosaki Haren" was and didn't want to miss this opportunity.
When they'd built the house earlier, Nanatsuki had deliberately demonstrated his mastery of Reishi convergence and even shown hints of Blut usage.
"Very well... from this moment forward, you're my disciple." Nanatsuki took half of the merit points from her metal card—his own card slid against hers, transferring the currency. "You still need to cover your living expenses, so I'm not taking all of it."
"Thank you, teacher!" Meninas beamed. She had been worrying about getting through the rest of the month with no income, but her new teacher had even considered that.
Another notification appeared:
[Meninas McAllon has been accepted as your direct disciple.]
[Meninas McAllon's reputation level increased. Current reputation: Friendly.]
[New training quests added: Instruct Meninas McAllon in Blut Arterie (In Progress).]
[New training quests added: Instruct Meninas McAllon in Blut Vene (In Progress).]
[You now have Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy disciples. Unlocking Ultimate Quest: Path of Transcendence.]
[Path of Transcendence: Raise disciples who reach the limits of Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy power. (In Progress)]
That final notification caught Nanatsuki's attention.
"'Path of Transcendence,' huh?" he murmured, pondering its meaning.
His instinct told him it referred to surpassing the limits of Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy alike.
"But… that won't be easy."
On the Shinigami front, he wasn't too worried. Aizen Sōsuke would pave that path in time.
On the Hollow side, he only had two disciples so far—Nel and Harribel—and even then, he wasn't sure they could reach the peak of Hollow power.
"Ultimately, I'll still need the Hōgyoku..."
He recalled how the Espada had forms enhanced by the Hōgyoku. That was likely the pinnacle of Hollow evolution—maybe even beyond.
As for Quincies, he had just taken in Meninas. One disciple, barely beginning.
The true limit of Quincy power was Yhwach, freshly awakened. Even with his guidance, Nanatsuki doubted Meninas could reach that level.
"This is going to be tough… unless I wait for Kurosaki Ichigo to be born. Besides Yhwach, he has the most potential among Quincies."
If he could take Ichigo as a disciple, Quincy development would be solved.
But the problem was clear—Ichigo wouldn't be born for quite a while.
"Can I make his birth happen earlier?"
"The key to Ichigo's birth was Shiba Isshin, Kurosaki Masaki, and Aizen Sōsuke's creation of White..." Nanatsuki muttered, analyzing the factors behind Ichigo's existence.
Aizen Sōsuke was pivotal—arguably the catalyst. Without Aizen's Hollowfication experiments, Isshin and Masaki might never have crossed paths.
"I should start paying attention to when Sōsuke makes White… and keep an eye on the Kurosaki heir in the World of the Living."
Finding a wife for Shiba Isshin wasn't something he could accomplish overnight, so he shelved that plan for now.
"Meninas, no better day than today—let's start now. But first, I need to gauge your foundation," Nanatsuki said, turning toward her. "Is there a training field nearby?"
"There is!" Meninas nodded, pointing to the right. "I live nearby too—just a few hundred meters that way. But… we probably shouldn't use a public field. It wouldn't be good for a teacher to give lessons where everyone can see."
In the Wandenreich, training fields were as common as basketball courts in a modern city—scattered throughout residential areas.
And since strength determined everything in the empire, higher-ranked soldiers received more merit points.
In short, to survive here, you had to keep growing stronger.
A moment later, they arrived at a training facility.
Public fields were free to use, but they were fully visible to anyone. For privacy, you could rent closed-off rooms with merit points.
"Let's rent one—for three hours," Meninas said, handing her card to the administrator.
"Would you like a coach?" the clerk asked.
"No!" she shook her head quickly. She had a teacher now—why waste points on someone else?
Though her heart ached watching her points disappear, the thought of learning under a proper mentor made it all worth it.
"One moment," the clerk said, and soon handed her a key card. "Room 4."
Nanatsuki followed Meninas to Training Room 4.
It was well-stocked with Quincy spirit gear, training targets, and more—all free to use while you had the room.
"There are quite a few Reishi bows here..." Nanatsuki observed a rack lined with bows and crossbows of all kinds.
There were also swords, spears, and other conventional weapons. These weren't ordinary tools—they could channel Reishi and form Reishi Blades for enhanced attacks.
"Honestly, my issued weapon isn't even as good as these," Meninas said, sticking out her tongue.
As a recruit, she'd only received a standard-issue combat knife—nothing that could attach a Reishi Blade.
Better spirit gear also required merit point exchange.
That was the peacetime policy. If war broke out, even rookies like her would get proper spirit armaments.
"Since you're now my disciple, it's only right I prepare a gift for you," Nanatsuki said, pulling a Reishi Blade from his pocket dimension.
Before sending his Artificial Body into the Wandenreich, he'd stocked it with Quincy-related gear and equipment for added authenticity.
His encounter with Ishida Sōken had saved him a great deal of trouble.
"A gift too?!" Meninas's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, teacher!"
"Train well. If you master Blut, I'll reward you with a spirit bow," Nanatsuki nodded.
Years of experience had taught him how to build strong bonds with his disciples.
He glanced at the system again:
[Meninas McAllon's reputation level increased. Current level: Close.]
"I'll give it everything I've got!" Meninas was deeply thankful. In the Wandenreich's cold and competitive atmosphere, finding such a kind teacher felt like a miracle.
"First, let's test your current capabilities. Come at me with what you do best," Nanatsuki said, beckoning her forward.
"I'm better at close combat. I've got decent strength!" Meninas gave the new weapon a few test swings.
"Here I come!"
Reishi glimmered beneath her feet—Hiryūkyaku activated!
Her movement speed might rank high among new recruits, but to Nanatsuki, she was full of openings.
"Way too many unnecessary motions!"
He raised a finger and fired three small Reishi arrows from his fingertip.
Pfft-pfft-pfft—even without a bow, his convergence control gave the arrows deadly force.
But he deliberately slowed their speed.
As Meninas dodged, the arrows flew past her and slammed into three training dummies.
Boom-boom-boom! Each one took a shot straight to the head and exploded.
She turned, stunned. Her teacher had attacked her while simultaneously hitting three targets in their critical spots?
'That power… just from his finger?'
She was frozen. Even with a proper Reishi bow, she couldn't have produced such destruction.
These weren't ordinary targets—they were high-end spiritual dummies with decent defenses.
Even if she mastered Blut Vene, she doubted it could withstand that.
In other words, had her teacher wished it, she'd already be dead.
'One of those arrows even grazed my neck…' Her face paled at the realization.
As a rookie still undergoing basic training, the near-death experience left her spine chilled.
"What are you standing around for? Your enemies won't go easy on you!" Nanatsuki barked.
Snapping back to reality, Meninas turned—and her face blanched again.
The next arrow was right in front of her.
She could feel its terrifying force.
Her heart raced, adrenaline surged, and she reflexively pushed her Hiryūkyaku to the limit—just in time to dodge.
To her credit, she didn't freeze up again. She moved.
"Hiryūkyaku execution is mediocre at best… I overestimated her training and underestimated her raw talent," Nanatsuki mused.
He had assumed Meninas was a seasoned fighter due to her Reishi control—but it turned out she was simply gifted and unrefined.
"I've got a good idea of where you stand. Your training plan's getting a revision," he said with a slight frown.
Nanatsuki was on a different level. A single spar was enough to evaluate her completely.
"I'll need to craft some tools to assist your training." He didn't know the standard Quincy method for learning Blut, but he had his own ideas.
Though Quincies relied on Reishi Control for power, Nanatsuki believed she needed to learn to control her Reiatsu as well.
After all, Blut could be infused with external Reishi—or fueled by internal Reiatsu.
If he could improve her Reiatsu control, the rest would follow naturally.