In Yoruichi's view, the idea proposed by Kyoya could indeed properly address the living conditions of the residents in Rukongai.
Soul Society was not lacking in Reishi.
After all, everything in Soul Society was composed of Reishi.
What ordinary people lacked was the means to break down matter into Reishi and to aggregate Reishi into supplies.
If Kisuke could really create such a device, the standard of living for the people in Rukongai might not reach that of Seireitei, but it could at least be maintained at the level of the first twenty districts.
This would significantly reduce the number of violent criminals emerging from Rukongai and ensure that children without families could live better lives.
'Why would Kisuke refuse such a good thing?'
However, though she found it strange, Yoruichi still firmly stood by Kisuke's side.
She believed that whatever Kisuke did, he had his own reasons.
"Oh?"
Kisuke's refusal took Kyoya by surprise.
In his view, Kisuke belonged to the [Lawful Good] alignment.
'Something that could so clearly improve the lives of ordinary people in Soul Society should have been something Urahara would immediately promote, right?'
'What was with the outright rejection?'
'Could it be that he has something against me?'
'Or was Urahara's Lawful Good alignment only concerned with the order of Seireitei and the well-being of Shinigami, while the people of Rukongai were simply beneath his notice?'
At this thought, Kyoya raised an eyebrow, a spark of anger rising in his heart.
Boom!
An overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Kyoya, pressing down on Kisuke.
Whoosh-
In an instant, the chair beneath Kisuke shattered under the pressure of Kyoya's Conqueror's Haki. Kisuke's face paled as he felt his soul tremble violently, nearly causing him to faint.
Boom!
Kisuke released his spiritual pressure in full force, barely managing to resist the mental assault of Kyoya's Conqueror's Haki.
"Kisuke!"
Seeing Kisuke in such a state, Yoruichi instantly flashed behind Kyoya and launched a kick at him.
However, Kyoya merely raised his hand slightly and caught Yoruichi's foot mid-air, leaving her suspended like a pillar… had Kyoya harbored any killing intent, Yoruichi would have been dead on the spot.
"Wait-"
Seeing this, Kisuke spoke up, "Captain Kyoya, please let me explain first."
Kyoya released his grip, allowing Yoruichi to retreat. He then turned his gaze back to Kisuke.
"You'd better have a convincing reason, Captain Urahara."
"Otherwise..."
Kyoya left the rest unsaid.
However, his fierce killing intent radiating from him made it clear… If Kisuke's explanation failed to satisfy him, Kyoya would not hold back.
"Hey, Kisuke."
"What are the odds of you convincing Captain Kyoya?"
By now, Yoruichi had returned to Kisuke's side and whispered the question to him.
As she spoke, she casually removed her Captain's Haori and tossed it aside.
Bang!
Despite its seemingly light appearance, the Captain's Haori struck the ground with a heavy impact, cracking the neatly laid stone pavement beneath it.
This was Yoruichi's weighted clothing.
Clearly, by discarding it now, she was preparing herself… in case Kisuke failed to persuade Kyoya, she would at least have some means to resist.
"I don't know."
Kisuke shook his head.
He didn't know much about Kyoya.
All he knew was that Kyoya hailed from Rukongai, graduated from the Shin'o Academy within a year, and within three days of joining the 11th Division, defeated its Captain, Kiganjo, becoming the new Captain of the 11th Division.
Additionally, Kyoya had a certain 'obsession' with 'training'.
Whether it was the weighted clothing he proposed or the gravity equipment, they were all tools that provided immense assistance in training.
Even Kisuke had crafted weighted clothing for himself and Yoruichi.
Though both of them knew that no matter how much they trained, they could never reach Kyoya's level, where he treated thirty tons of weight as nothing… it still allowed their strength to improve considerably.
Seeing Kyoya withdraw his terrifying pressure, both Kisuke and Yoruichi let out a sigh of relief.
"Captain Kyoya, are you aware of the cycle of Reishi in the world?"
"I am."
Kyoya nodded.
For most Shinigami, purifying Hollows was their duty.
But for those who knew the world's secrets, the existence of Shinigami had only one true purpose… maintaining the balance of Reishi across the three worlds.
Aside from purifying Hollows in the Living World, there was also a specialized force stationed in Hueco Mundo, tasked with eliminating a certain number of Hollows to preserve the equilibrium of Reishi across the three worlds.
Even among the Captains of the Gotei 13, only a handful were privy to this secret.
Kisuke continued, "In that case, Captain Kyoya, you should understand that the Reishi of the Living World, Hueco Mundo, and Soul Society must remain in balance for the stability of all three realms."
"The population of Rukongai is far too large."
"If we were to create a device capable of breaking down land, stone, and trees into Reishi and then reassembling them into resources, within a month, Soul Society itself might be devoured by the sheer number of Rukongai's residents."
"At that point..."
Kyoya fell silent.
This was indeed something he had overlooked.
As Kisuke had pointed out, the reason Soul Society had remained largely unchanged for hundreds of thousands of years was precisely because the residents of Rukongai lacked the means to decompose and reconstruct Reishi.
If Kisuke were to actually create such a device, given the nature of Rukongai's inhabitants, it wasn't hard to imagine the devastation that would follow.
Leaving aside the issue of Reishi balance, since the Reishi consumed by the residents wouldn't return to the cycle until their deaths, what would happen if vast stretches of land, mountains, and forests were broken down?
Would there even be enough land left in Soul Society for people to live on?
Moreover, if such a device could break down matter, could it also break down souls?
If so, what if it fell into the hands of ambitious individuals with Reiatsu who were dissatisfied with the status quo? The resulting casualties could be catastrophic.
In the end, Kyoya's good intentions might have led to disaster.
"My apologies. I oversimplified things."
Seeing Kyoya admit his mistake, both Kisuke and Yoruichi relaxed.
"Then, Captain Urahara, do you have any suggestions for improving the situation in Rukongai?"
Now that he knew that his thinking was limited, Kyoya directly sought Kisuke's counsel.
"Hmm… I believe the most crucial step in improving Rukongai is establishing 'proper order' there."
It had to be said that Kisuke, whom Aizen once acknowledged as a mind equal to his own and whom Yhwach classified as one of the [Five Special War Powers] under the category of 'Means', possessed wisdom far beyond Kyoya's.
While Kyoya might have known more about the 'future' of the Bleach World a hundred years later, Kisuke's intellect still left him astonished.
After just a few seconds of contemplation, Kisuke presented a feasible plan.
"No matter where you are, 'order' is the most fundamental prerequisite for development."
"Over countless years, each district of Rukongai has naturally developed its own 'order.'"
"Captain Kyoya, if you truly wish to change Rukongai's current state, you must overhaul its entire 'order' and redistribute its resources."
"In truth, the resources in Rukongai are more than enough to ensure that all its residents live without hunger or cold."
"However, the majority of these resources are concentrated in the first few districts, leaving the more remote areas increasingly deprived."
"If you could take control of Rukongai's resource distribution, you could easily transport surplus supplies from the inner districts to the outer ones."
"Frankly, I don't think this task would be any easier than establishing the Gotei 13."
The creation of the Gotei 13 had relied almost entirely on Yamamoto.
By saying this, Kisuke implied that even Yamamoto might not be capable of such a feat.
The problem was, achieving what Kisuke proposed would require the formation of a massive organization.
And Rukongai's territory was countless times larger than Seireitei's.
Though Seireitei was the heart of Soul Society, its area was likely only equivalent to about four Rukongai's districts.
Rukongai expanded outward from Seireitei in four directions… east, west, north, and south, with each direction divided into 81 districts, totaling 324 districts in all. The farther out you went, the larger each district became.
To fully maintain 'order' in Rukongai, you'd need at least a hundred divisions.
Well, given that most Rukongai's residents lacked significant combat power, perhaps a single elite Shinigami leading four or five subordinates could manage one district.
Realistically, they wouldn't need that many divisions.
But even then, fifty divisions' worth of Shinigami would be an absolute minimum.
Consider this: it took Yamamoto a thousand years to develop the Gotei 13 into what it was today.
If Kyoya wanted to reshape Rukongai's order, the time required would likely have to be measured in millennia.