Ever since the Tribunal's advertisement was broadcasted, countless messages have poured in seeking help from the Tribunal, the phone lines nearly blowing up, the entire Tribunal in a frenzied state, busy putting out fires all around... Or so Duanmu Huai thought.

Unfortunately, reality wasn't like that.

"It's so quiet..."

Duanmu Huai collapsed onto the sofa, yawning.

"The ads have been running for several days now, playing continuously every day, why is there no response? Is the Interstellar Peace Company intentionally blocking my ads?"

"Probably not, after all, when I open the Interstellar Peace Company's network, it's the top headline news," Lumiaire retorted speechlessly.

"Could it be that the civilizations receiving it are too low-level to contact us promptly?"

Lorena curiously inquired, and Lumiaire shook her head.

"No, the Tribunal used high-powered receiving equipment, which basically covers the entire Outer Star System. As long as the other side sends signals at the designated frequency, we should receive it as soon as they send it."

"But it's understandable though."

Ann crossed her arms and nodded thoughtfully.

"If Manaria received such a message suddenly, I wouldn't know what to make of it either. Even if Manaria were facing some tricky problem, unless it was determined that we would surely be destroyed, if there was even a sliver of hope, I wouldn't make such a decision lightly—after all, who knows what this suspicious advertisement is about, what if it invites even more terrifying beings?"

"No need to worry about that."

Upon hearing this, Ogis proudly lifted her small head.

"There is no entity in this universe more terrifying than the master."

"... I really thank you."

The long-lost armor-piercing knife is still as sharp as ever.

"Ya hey—!"

At that moment, the door swung open, and Mianmu Zuoniao cheerfully walked in—though she'd only been at the Tribunal for a few days, she was already acting as relaxed as if it were her own home.

Turns out lunatics are invincible.

"We're back! Teacher! Anything fun happening?"

"Not yet..."

Duanmu Huai paused, then looked towards the exhausted Mary behind Mianmu Zuoniao.

"How did it go, Mary?"

"I never thought Miss Mianmu's swordsmanship would be so strong..."

Mary was in a sorry state, you could see she'd taken a beating from Mianmu Zuoniao.

"Hahaha, little Mary's sword skills aren't bad either, though I don't have much interest in slashing."

"Ugh..."

Hearing Mianmu Zuoniao's evaluation, Mary twitched at the corner of her mouth. Her sword skills were rather amateurish, having picked up a few tricks from Lani later on—but in essence, that was more magic than swordsmanship. Mianmu Zuoniao, however, had studied swordsmanship from a young age, achieving a very high level of skill. In the martial arts world, she'd be considered a top-notch expert, if not at the level of the Dugu Nine Swords.

If Mary were to rely solely on swordsmanship without using magic, beating Mianmu Zuoniao would be quite difficult indeed.

Of course, upon arriving at the Tribunal, Duanmu Huai had used his divine power to enhance Mianmu Zuoniao. After all, Duanmu's team had few close-combat fighters; most were long-range, with only Lorena in sync with him. Although Mianmu Zuoniao had poor physical stats, her combat skills and swordsmanship were top-notch, and with a SAN value of zero, she was immune to spiritual pollution, so Duanmu decisively counted her among the God's Favor.

After all, Mianmu Zuoniao's weakness was her physical quality being that of a regular human, but that was no problem for Duanmu. Enhancing physical attributes? Just infuse with divine power.

Just like those Sacred Knights in the Temple of Tyler of the Faelun World, how do young girls armed with two-handed swords dare to challenge Balrogs alone? Isn't it all thanks to divine power?

Without divine power, they'd be fighting with their heads.

By the way, Duanmu Huai originally intended for Mianmu Zuoniao to be the Destruction God Envoy, but it turned out her resonance with his Power of the Ancients was the best. Reluctantly, therefore, Duanmu made her part of his Ancient Clan and enchanted her sword with the God of Destruction's power—incidentally, Mianmu Zuoniao claimed it was a famous sword named Shuzhuwan Hengci.

Though in Duanmu's eyes, it looked like a regular white wooden sword.

If it were anyone else being turned into part of the Ancient Clan, they'd start transforming into unspeakable monsters, like something from Innsmouth. Yet whether it was because Duanmu Huai himself was in human form or because Mianmu Zuoniao's SAN value couldn't drop any lower, she didn't change much after assimilating the Power of the Ancients.

For Duanmu Huai, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

He's not a Magic Girl, after all; he has no interest in tentacle monsters.

Hmm? Wait, isn't he supposed to have transformation magic for a Magic Girl? The type with an eight-pack? Whatever, it doesn't matter.

Sigh, it's been several days without any business at all, just doesn't make sense...

Duanmu Huai yawned quietly, could it be that despite all the advertising, not a single person even called to inquire?

Then the Tribunal really would become a laughingstock!

"Hey...?"

Perhaps it was the rabbit in Duanmu Huai's pocket bringing him luck, because as he muttered, Lumiaire seemed to receive a message. She opened her terminal, glanced at it, and then widened her eyes.

"Got it, Great Judge, we've got it!"

"Got it? Boy or girl?"

"Not that! We've received a distress signal!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai's eyes lit up, and he jumped off the sofa.

"Really? Where's it from?"

"From the edge of an Outer Star System... based on the technology, it should belong to a low-level civilization that hasn't left its galaxy yet."

"Alright, as long as there's work!"

At first, Duanmu Huai was a bit picky hearing about a low-level civilization. After all, if a cosmic civilization encountered a cataclysm, the danger would be high. But if a civilization that can't even leave its home planet faced a disaster, the degree of danger seems somewhat underwhelming.

But never mind, it's the first business of the venture, and it must be done! A good start is a sign of good luck! If no business comes our way, now that would be a joke.

Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai slapped his thigh.

"Let's go, Ogis, Ann, Satori, Mary, come with me; the rest stay on standby at the fortress. Oh, contact the Interstellar Peace Company; weren't they looking for an exclusive interview? Let them come! Show everyone the true power of our Tribunal!"

Since it's just a disaster from a low-level civilization, Duanmu Huai figured a team of five should suffice. Of course, to leave a good impression with the client, he decided to bring along his elite forces. Though it might seem like overkill, the service industry values attitude above all.

Filled with excitement, Duanmu Huai gathered his team and boarded the warship with a squad of Night Guards, then waved his hand.

"Set off!"

Finally, business has come!

While Duanmu Huai set off excitedly, on the edge of another star system lay a different scene.

"You bastard!"

Before the researcher stood an imposing man, his fists clenched in fury. He punched the researcher in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Look at what stupid things you've done! Why did you do it?"

"Why did I do it?"

The researcher got to his feet, angrily reaching out to grab the man's clothes.

"I'm saving the world, saving everyone!"

"So you sent a signal to an unknown cosmic force?"

"That's right! We've sacrificed so much already; how many more must we sacrifice?! I've had enough!"

"You have no idea what this means; their identity is unknown. What if they come to conquer us...?"

"Then let them conquer us!"

The researcher brushed off the man's collar.

"Any way we keep going, we're all doomed, and there'll be nothing left here. If that's the case, I'd rather survive!"

"............."

Listening to the shouting and commotion coming from the office, the staff outside whispered among themselves, looking uneasy.

"Hey? What's everyone doing here?"

Just then, a beautiful girl with pink hair approached curiously and asked. In response to her inquiry, one staff member spoke softly.

"The director messed up; he contacted that mysterious cosmic force without the organization's consent!"

"The one claiming to be the Guardian of human civilization?"

Hearing this, the girl's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Are they really coming here? Will they help us?"

"I don't know, sigh... I hope this whole thing is just a prank..."

"But I think if they really exist, it would be a good thing for us."

Another staff member clearly disagreed with his colleague.

"After all, to this day, we still don't know the source of this disaster, let alone how to prevent it. And every time a disaster strikes, it causes considerable casualties. You should know, the director's family was in the last incident..."

"I know, but what if whoever's coming has bad intentions?"

"It's better than us really getting completely wiped out..."

The staff started another argument, but just then, a staff member came rushing in, panting heavily, almost tripping over himself, pushing the office door wide open.

"Bad news! Bad news! That cosmic force... has responded!!"

"What!?"

Hearing this, everyone was in an uproar.

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