[Ding! The host has become the "King" of Aogiri Tree, activating the hidden mission: "One-Eyed King"!]
[Mission 1: Expand Aogiri Tree's members to 1,000.]
[Mission Reward: 100 Attribute Points]
Byakuya had officially activated the "One-Eyed King" mission.
At first glance, this system mission seemed troublesome, but in reality, it was more of a benefit mission.
Because he didn't personally have to do anything, it could all be left to Aogiri Tree's executives.
At this rate, he estimated that in a matter of time, he'd easily earn those 100 Attribute Points.
"From now on, treat the 24th Ward as our long-term base."
Byakuya, now speaking as Aogiri Tree's King, issued his command to the organization's executives.
"Eliminate all enemy factions. Any ghouls that can be recruited-take them in."
Eto added on to his directive.
"Understood."
Tatara responded simply, offering no extra words.
Meanwhile, Noro remained completely silent.
That was because the real Noro had already died long ago.
The current Noro was nothing more than a kakuja-like ghoul entity with minimal intelligence.
Most likely, Eto had preserved Noro's kakuhou and altered it using her own kakuhou, essentially reviving Noro as a puppet-like kakuja monster.
If someone were to remove that giant white mask with the gaping mouth, they would see nothing but a corpse's face underneath.
"I should be heading back now. I'll leave this place to you all."
Uchiha Byakuya prepared to leave the 24th Ward.
Tatara gave a slight nod; he understood that their alliance with this "King" had to remain strictly secret.
V must not suspect or uncover their cooperation.
Meanwhile, Eto decided to personally escort Byakuya to the exit of the 24th Ward.
It wasn't that he needed an escort-his strength made it unnecessary.
Rather, Eto simply had some things she wanted to discuss.
"We're about to start absorbing the ghouls of the 24th Ward, but Aogiri Tree's funds are running dry."
Eto finally brought up the real issue she wanted to talk about.
Currently, Aogiri Tree only had a few dozen members, and yet they were already struggling financially.
The 24th Ward contained a massive number of ghouls.
In just a short time, Aogiri Tree's numbers could easily expand to several hundred, even over a thousand.
Funding would quickly become a serious problem.
"Don't worry about the funding. My salary from the CCG is already extremely high; plus, I also get paid by V."
Byakuya reassured her, then continued:
"And in a few months, once your 'Dear Kafka' gets published, it'll probably sell extremely well. You'll be making a lot in royalties, too."
It was only now that he realized he was basically funding all of Aogiri Tree himself.
Luckily, with both the CCG and V paying him, he was earning more than enough.
"This is a little embarrassing, but for now, I guess we'll have to rely on you."
Yoshimura Eto, in the past, had no hesitation treating Byakuya as her personal ATM.
But now, for some reason, she was starting to feel guilty about it.
Perhaps it was because she finally recognized that he truly shared her ideals.
"It's fine. I barely have any personal expenses anyway."
Byakuya replied casually, not seeming to mind.
As they continued walking toward the exit of the 24th Ward, Byakuya and Eto encountered several more ghouls.
However, Eto easily dealt with all of them and devoured their kakuhou, allowing her body to fully recover.
Upon reaching the exit of the 24th Ward, Eto came to a stop.
"Alright, this is as far as I'll take you. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
After a simple farewell, Uchiha Byakuya returned to the 2nd Ward.
During the day, Byakuya still had duties to fulfill for both the CCG and V.
Only after work could he privately meet with Eto.
As for his editor job at Shuei Publishing, he had already stopped caring much about it; he only showed up if something important needed handling, like matters related to Eto's "Dear Kafka" publication.
Meanwhile, Byakuya also needed to begin selecting the third member for the Zero Squad.
The best candidates were, of course, half-humans from the Sunlit Garden since they were the most obedient.
However, their loyalty was based on his status as a Cleaner for "V".
Thus, he could not reveal his "One-Eyed King" identity to them.
Apart from Arima Kishou, he couldn't fully trust any half-human yet.
In the original timeline, the Zero Squad had several talented and young half-human boys: Ihei Shio, Arima Yusa, and Rikai Souzu, all of whom were born and raised in the Sunlit Garden.
But at this point in time, Byakuya was too early in the timeline; Ihei Shio and the other two might not even have been born yet.
However, before he could settle on a third squad member, the CCG had already assigned him a mission, which was also a directive from V.
"The 'Clowns' pose a certain level of threat to us; Although their first-generation leader, "The Dodgy Mother," has already been imprisoned in Cochlea, the Clowns themselves have not ceased operations."
"Recently, in the 4th Ward, a group of ghouls called 'Clowns' has been discovered. We have reason to believe they are connected to the previous Clown organization."
As usual, whenever something came up, Kaiko summoned both Uchiha Byakuya and Arima Kishou to the Sunlit Garden.
This time was no different.
"Byakuya, Kishou, you two will handle these 'Clowns.'"
Byakuya and Arima nodded simultaneously.
[Ding! The host is about to head to the 4th Ward to eliminate the ghoul faction 'Clowns,' activating the hidden mission: 'King of Clowns'!]
[Mission 1: Defeat the Clown member, Uta.]
[Mission Reward: 50 Attribute Points]
Uta.
A mask shop owner, close friend of Yomo Renji, and a member of the Clowns.
It was highly suspected that he was the second-generation "King of Clowns."
In the original timeline, the confirmed Clown Kings included:
First Generation: "The Dodgy Mother" Hoito Roma
Third Generation: "The Priest" Donato Porpora
The identity of the Second-Generation King remained unknown, but Uta was a prime suspect, given his highly advanced strength as an SS-rated half-kakuja.
Defeating Uta wouldn't be too difficult.
This meant the 50 Attribute Points would be easy to earn.
But more importantly…
The Kirishima and Yomo families were also likely to be in the 4th Ward.
That included:
Kirishima Touka, Kirishima Ayato, their parents and also their uncle, Yomo Renji.
Since these were major figures in the original timeline, meeting them would likely trigger a system mission.
That meant not only would he gain more attribute points, but he would also be able to change the fate of characters he cared about.
With that in mind, Byakuya already had a general plan forming in his head.
...
(Original Author's note: This whole Lack of funds plot point is actually an official detail from the manga-Tokyo Ghoul:re, Volume 6, Page 184. Some readers were complaining that this "lack of funds" setup didn't make sense, which is honestly frustrating… I remember these details very clearly!)