After much discussion, Reisen Riou settled on a temporary policy, one that'd only work short-term.
The plan: separate LV70+ and higher life energy powerhouses, along with their families, from ordinary folk.
Families' rise or fall? Off-limits for these powerhouses. They could only step in if their clan faced extinction.
The order wasn't mandatory. Raiden Shogun would personally inform them about the shackles via letter.
Alongside Ei's letter came Reisen's.
His letter offered two choices: keep serving your family the old way, but no Longevity Surgery or Sealing Rituals from Reisen's crew.
Or, accept Reisen's terms and join the Shogunate as a hidden force.
You could only act if your family faced annihilation, but the perks were huge: Longevity Surgery and Sealing Rituals, plus partial access to forbidden knowledge reserved for Inazuma's elite.
Reisen planned to share some basic god-related knowledge with these powerhouses.
It'd make them stronger and, conveniently, have them scout the path beyond LV90+ for him.
Currently, all LV90+ beings were Archon kin, Archons themselves, or top-tier magical beasts rivaling gods.
The weakest? Think Sangonomiya's Watatsumi Omikami—born from grand rituals like the Three Realms Gateway Offering, Water Dragon King blood, and Orobashi's authority.
Everything comes at a cost. Want rewards without sacrifice? Face the Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi.
After Reisen's letter went out, the LV80+ commoner samurai from Okuzumeshu, Fushigawa, showed up that afternoon.
"Lord Reisen, you've got some flair," Fushigawa said, eyeing Reisen arranging flowers.
"You're quick, Fushigawa. Didn't need to talk it over with family?" Reisen paused, looking at the samurai named Fushigawa.
Originally named Tarou, he changed it due to the glut of "Tarou" samurai. The Raiden Shogun dubbed him Fushigawa for his relentless combat style, giving him a proper name.
Fushigawa, 74, looked mid-fifties. At LV81, he was Inazuma's top spear master.
Work kept him busy early on, leaving him with one son and one daughter. His daughter married off, his son died in the Black Beast Tide, and his wife passed from grief.
He had two grandsons, one granddaughter, and one great-granddaughter, all grown and independent.
They were cared for, with jobs: his grandsons worked as Doushin for the Tenryou Commission, his great-granddaughter was a shrine maiden trainee at Reisen Shrine.
To keep them humble, he hid his rank as Okuzumeshu's Garrison General, saying he just "worked at the Shogunate, sweeping floors," with some old connections from his Okuzumeshu days.
"My house, my call. The kids lack spine—nothing to discuss," Fushigawa said, shrugging.
He meant his grandkids were obedient and close but couldn't make big decisions—a perk of a commoner household.
"So, you're going full covert support," Reisen nodded, approving. "I'll gather the team. The sooner we do the Longevity Surgery and Sealing Rituals, the better."
"Also, grab some vitality-boosting and energy-storing resources from logistics."
"The surgery burns some vitality since it involves potions and alchemical organ modification. Since you're no stranger, I'll let you in: the Sealing Ritual is a seal. The more vitality and total life energy you have, the better both work."
"Either method alone extends life but has big drawbacks. Longevity Surgery restores a youthful body but drains vitality. Each surgery works less than the last."
"Plus, it's alchemical modification, so you're reproductively isolated from normal humans."
"You could try your luck with yokai, see if that works," Reisen added with a smirk.
Fushigawa shot him a side-eye, muttering about Reisen's lack of decorum.
"I heard Khaenri'ah's late-stage alchemy didn't drain vitality—it enhanced it. Shame it was a flash in the pan; we don't have that tech."
"The Sealing Ritual, my design, extends life better and boosts vitality but doesn't preserve the body's state."
"Combine them, and they cover each other's flaws, giving near side-effect-free longevity."
"Got it," Fushigawa nodded.
Three days later, a Fushigawa looking twenty years younger emerged from the sealing chamber with a few shrine maidens.
"This feeling… unreal," Fushigawa marveled, flexing his surging strength.
You only realize a good body's value once it's gone. This youthful frame was incredible.
"The Sealing Ritual's no joke," Banjiao Nisei said, eyeing Fushigawa with awe.
"Senior Banjiao, you getting the ritual too?" Fushigawa asked. They were old acquaintances, Nisei being his senior.
"Boss's orders, so here I am," Nisei said, looking mid-forties despite already having Longevity Surgery.
Before the surgery, Nisei was LV80. Post-surgery, he broke his shackle, hitting LV81. Looking this young was thanks to Thunder Elixirs.
"Surgery's torture. The ritual? Pure bliss. Enjoy it, senior," Fushigawa said, clapping Nisei's shoulder.