At this moment, Kurotsuchi Mayuri didn't quite have the eccentric vibe he would later possess as the Captain of Squad 12. At the very least, his face was currently just pale white, and his head lacked those bizarre decorations that seemed to change with every season.
"While I don't dislike that title, I still find it highly unpleasant when it pops out of your mouth."
Mayuri appeared quite calm regarding Kōe's arrival. He picked up a small glass vial from the console and, while dropping the brown liquid inside into his eye, asked casually, "Did you bring me new materials this time? If not, you can get lost."
He really didn't spare Kōe's pride at all, but this was indeed Mayuri's personality. Although he and Urahara Kisuke were both eccentric scientists of the Seireitei, their brands of weirdness were completely different.
Urahara was the type whose thoughts ordinary people couldn't fathom. His ideas were unconstrained, his actions unconventional; he had his own principles but would also take others into consideration.
Mayuri, on the other hand, was different. You could say he was highly egocentric, or you could view that egocentrism as extreme arrogance. Moreover, this man had very few moral concepts—almost none at all. For the sake of his research, he would sacrifice everything and everyone except himself. Kōe had always believed that compared to Urahara, Mayuri was actually much more of a scientist—a mad scientist.
As for how he had connected with Mayuri, it was actually Kōe who had reached out to him first through Yamamoto. The reason, of course, wasn't a fan meeting their idol or some mutual appreciation between perverts. When it came to being a freak, no one in the Seireitei could rival the Great Mayuri.
The interrogation of the Quincies was also divided into tiers. Starting half a year ago, the Royal Weaving Facility had submitted an application requesting to begin research on the Quincies. The applicant, naturally, was the Mayuri standing before him.
Central 46 had approved this application, albeit with some compromises.
According to Central 46's directive, the Royal Weaving Facility was initially only allowed to study Quincies captured outside the Sternritter Fortress. As time passed, they could gradually open up research access to the ordinary Quincies from within the fortress. As for the mid-to-high-tier ones—like Vohtz, who was part of the guard unit—unless the subject spoke up, research access would not be granted.
Coincidentally, Kōe's goal was to find the Wandenreich. As for how to find it, he either needed someone in the know to lead the way, or he had to find it himself. From his past life, he remembered clearly that the Wandenreich was a nation built by the Quincies using Reishi within the shadows of the Seireitei. Since it was in the shadows, as long as he studied Quincy abilities, he would eventually find a way in.
However, Kōe couldn't achieve this with his strength alone. So, initially, he had considered two candidates: his good friend Urahara Kisuke, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Both were renowned scientists in the Seireitei.
But Urahara seemed to already have matters that interested him. Without revealing his true motives, Kōe wasn't confident he could persuade him. So, in the end, he chose Mayuri, who was already interested in Quincies. Kōe was responsible for procuring a "high-grade material" for Mayuri, and in exchange, Mayuri would research certain things Kōe was interested in and share his findings.
But now, things seemed a bit off. Mayuri appeared to be treating him like a mere porter rather than an equal partner. Kōe felt it was necessary to give him a little reminder.
"I've always felt that people should know how to be grateful. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten a high-quality subject like Vohtz to study. You'd probably still be throwing a fit over a pile of inferior materials. Wouldn't you agree, great scientist?"
"Vohtz? Oh! You mean Test Subject 0001. He is indeed much better!" Mayuri said, his eyes rolling in their sockets. His tone became slightly more amicable than before. "Then can you provide me with more materials like him? Or perhaps even better ones?"
"..."
Mayuri's words left Kōe feeling a wave of helplessness. Bringing Vohtz here was already the result of him pleading with Yamamoto, even cashing in the completely unpublishable merits of his alter ego, Ao. Bring another one? Was this guy trying to get him killed?!
"Looking at that constipated expression of yours, I know it's a lost cause." Mayuri pulled a chair out from behind Kōe and sat down. Crossing his hands, he looked at Kōe with a thoroughly amused expression. "I thought you were someone who knew their stuff and could bring me a bargain. Looking at it now, you're merely someone who knows their stuff—well, I should say, a rather lucky someone who knows their stuff."
"Whether I know my stuff or not depends on whether you have any real substance! It's been so long, you must have some clues about the things I wanted to know by now, right?!"
"The things you wanted to know?" Mayuri tilted his head and thought for a moment, then turned and tapped a few keys on the console's keyboard. "Come take a look. Though I highly doubt you'll be able to understand it."
Kōe didn't even blush as he leaned in next to Mayuri. Being quick-witted, eager to learn, and unashamed to ask questions were the basic qualities an outstanding transmigrator ought to possess.
"What... is this?"
"An anatomical diagram. To be precise, it is the anatomical diagram of a Quincy, taken under the condition of guaranteeing complete health." Mayuri pointed at the image on the screen and explained, "As for the white stuff inside, if you're literate, you should know that it represents Reiryoku."
"I know that, but what exactly does this mean?" Kōe scratched his forehead, asking for guidance like an obedient little boy.
However, Mayuri was no patient teacher. He tapped the screen forcefully a few times and interrogated Kōe, "It's this obvious and you still don't understand?"
Kōe felt incredibly awkward. He felt like he must look like an absolute moron right now! He really wanted to stubbornly shoot back with, *'Of course I understand!'* but his body honestly shook its head.
"I knew it. Just being someone who knows their stuff is already hard enough for you. I can't expect anything more."
"...Thank you for your understanding..."
Mayuri waved his hand in irritation and typed a few more times on the keyboard. Another anatomical diagram appeared on the screen, only compared to the previous one, this one was much whiter.
"This is the anatomical diagram of a Shinigami. The difference is obvious. Compared to a Shinigami, the Reiryoku inside a Quincy's body is minuscule. You could say it's almost non-existent!"
"Next, while the test subject was unconscious, I stimulated him with Reiatsu at a higher concentration than his internal Reiryoku. The results showed that they use the Reiryoku within their bodies to mount an autonomous defense. As for the effectiveness, you could say it's close to zero. Then, I stripped the nerves from the surface of his skin and ran the experiment again. The location of the autonomous defense shifted inward, which is actually the same as a Shinigami."
"But with only this level of Reiryoku, a Quincy wouldn't be much stronger than an ant. The principle behind their combat is Reishi absorption—gathering Reiryoku from the outside world. However, the source of this power remains unknown." Mayuri pointed at the screen, his eyes filled with fanaticism. "Later, I conducted experiments while they were conscious. Naturally, I divided it into two scenarios: retaining the nerves and stripping the nerves. The autonomous defense mechanism appeared, and its strength significantly increased in both cases. The only difference was the speed of the reaction."
"This was a tremendous surprise! They are incredibly frail by nature, but when they are conscious, it's like a machine being switched on. Their entire body perfectly coordinates with their actions. Do you know what this means?"
Mayuri tapped his own head, speaking with excitement. "When conscious, they are, in a sense, superhumans. Every Reishi particle in their body acts like an independent entity, absorbing Reishi from the outside world at the appropriate moments. From this perspective, it's truly exhilarating!"
Kōe pinched the bridge of his nose. Even though he was just listening without really processing it, Mayuri's whole spiel still gave him a headache. This was completely the opposite of what he wanted to hear!
"I don't know how monumental of a significance this holds. Right now, I just want to know if you've investigated the matter I asked you about!"
"The matter you asked about? Which one?"
"The shadows! Didn't I ask you to research whether they could construct buildings out of Reishi within the shadows?!"
Kōe shouted, clenching his fists. His despairing voice echoed through the room, lingering for a long time.
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