Zero guessed that "Erudition," while communicating with its followers, must have been suddenly blown up by Aha, and that's why the believers turned their anger toward the "Masked Fool."
He chuckled lightly and reminded Aha, "Aren't you going to check on your followers?"
'Why hasn't he left yet? What a good show, it'd be a shame to miss it.'
Aha replied, "...Hahaha, how interesting, my dear friend. Let's find some fun together next time."
Aha turned to leave, but before going, he "borrowed" Zero's good friend Akivili and all the remaining alcohol from the fridge.
Zero, "…"
He stared at Akivili, who looked like he wanted to say something but got dragged away, took a deep breath, and made up his mind, he'd settle accounts with Aha before leaving.
After all, Zero wasn't some kind of demon.
When the time came, he'd just write Aha an IOU.
If that didn't work, he'd go ask Aha's followers for payment.
Anyone who refused to pay, he'd just take care of them.
Do that a few dozen times, and surely someone would cough up the money.
He'd treat it as a surprise gift for his successors.
Zero felt in a great mood.
Soon, the Star-Destroyer battleship received a transmission from his subordinates.
He lifted his gaze toward the holographic image, taking in their proud, excited faces.
Unable to hide his amusement, he spoke softly, teasingly, "All right, now…"
He paused for a moment, then said quietly, "Let's go home."
A chorus of cheers erupted from his subordinates.
They had wanted to speak from the heart, to praise their Marshal properly.
But unfortunately, their superior didn't like hearing compliments.
That left them helpless, every word they'd wanted to say was true! They meant every bit of it.
Anyone who had the chance to serve under the Marshal would end up wanting to praise him.
It was as if "praising the Marshal" were an instinctive, natural talent among his subordinates.
Come on, who could resist the Marshal? Who could reject a superior who stayed calm, gave his people freedom to perform, and never lost his temper?
You could search the entire galaxy with a Star-Destroyer and not find another one like him.
This superior never judged by age, gender, or personality. He never suppressed anyone on purpose, never compared you unfavorably to your peers.
When it came to choosing between personal interest and his subordinates, he would always, without hesitation, choose his subordinates.
Especially on the battlefield, the Marshal was like a god. He could sense danger ahead of time and give early warnings, saving the Cloud Knights and other fleets.
On top of that, his pay and benefits were excellent, their yearly income was even higher than that of the Vidyadhara who joined the Xianzhou. Corruption didn't exist under his command.
No one dared go against the Marshal's will, and no one would risk losing everything just to exploit civilians.
Such a perfect superior… who wouldn't become a master of compliments under him?
So, the subordinates, maxed out on flattery skills, truly couldn't understand why anyone could run out of words after praising him for just three minutes.
They chatted in perfect harmony, sharing battlefield anecdotes with Zero one by one.
It was just like when they were children, coming home after school and telling their parents about their day at the academy.
They rarely saw him show negative emotions. Most of the time, the Marshal wore a calm smile and looked people in the eyes when he spoke to them.
At this moment, the Marshal listened quietly, his eyes serene as still lakewater.
That gaze made people want to pour their hearts out to him.
The bond between the Marshal and his subordinates had long gone beyond a simple superior–subordinate relationship.
The people of Xianzhou saw him as a god. But to his subordinates... he was not only all-knowing and all-powerful, he was also the loving, indulgent father who embraced them as they were.
Of course, secretly calling him "father" was something they had all agreed upon privately, no one ever told the Marshal.
They guessed that even if the Marshal found out, he would probably just be surprised for a moment, then smile helplessly and say nothing.
They spoke cheerfully, sharing funny stories with him while secretly watching their colleagues' expressions.
The war was over. Once the Cloud Knights returned to Xianzhou and finished the last few formalities, they could finally take a break.
For most Xianzhou people, the war was truly over.
But for the Xianzhou generals, the real struggle had just begun, a fierce, smokeless war.
Because the next question was, who would be lucky enough to accompany the Marshal to the Galactic Community's conference?
Of course, something like this didn't require the Marshal's involvement, they'd "handle it internally."
They showed nothing outwardly, but once back on Xianzhou, they immediately dove into work.
After finishing their duties, they went into their private group chat, where they began teasing and competing with each other, each trying to prove they were the most suitable person for the job.
In the end, General Chanzhen, who had the highest kill count and most destroyed enemy ships, stood out with her outstanding battlefield record and earned the honor of accompanying the Marshal.
Chanzhen was thrilled, like an elementary schooler the night before a field trip, she couldn't sleep at all.
The next morning, she had to dig out her makeup kit and put on a full face to hide how tired she looked.
Unfortunately, even with flawless makeup, she couldn't fool the all-knowing, all-seeing Marshal.
Zero put down the book in his hand and instantly noticed her trying to hide her fatigue.
He sighed. "It's still early. Go get some rest."
Hearing that, Chanzhen had no choice but to abandon her plan to chat with the Marshal.
After a moment's thought, Zero added, "I think there's a blanket in the cloakroom. Go find it."
Chanzhen, 'He really makes me want to cry'
Holding back her excitement, she obediently went to get the blanket as ordered.
Once she had it, she dutifully lay down for a nap.
When she woke up, she realized that before sleeping, the Marshal had been reading, and when she woke, he was still reading.
Chanzhen, 'He really makes me want to cry… Marshal, you're too much of an overachiever!'
She stared at him without blinking and noticed that every piece of his outfit and accessories had been prepared by her and the others.
Chanzhen silently screamed, pulled out her communicator, and bragged to her colleagues,
[I just saw the Marshal! Wearing the round-collar robe and ornaments we designed, hair tied in a high ponytail!]
When the Star-Destroyer finally reached its destination, Chanzhen ended her group chat and happily followed the Marshal into the meeting with the shareholders of the Interstellar Peace Corporation.
Given the Marshal's special status, the shareholders had cleared the venue and personally came to greet him.
There was another reason, too.
The Interstellar Peace Corporation planned to exterminate all mechanical life in the universe.
Thus, the company instructed its shareholders to use this meeting, and the just-ended war, to persuade the Xianzhou Marshal to eliminate them once and for all.
After just a few polite words, the shareholders expressed the company's stance and asked Zero's opinion.
Zero gently shook his head, refusing them.
"Peace is hard-won. Why start another conflict?"
He stared at the maps until his head spun, as if he'd been doing math exams at his desk for over a decade.
He had just finished a grueling war and hadn't even had time to rest after returning to Yaoqing. He'd been working nonstop.
And now they wanted to drag him into another extermination campaign? Absolutely not.
Rather than wiping them out completely, it was better to enslave the machines and squeeze every last drop of value from them.
Of course, he didn't say that out loud. Instead, he said calmly, "This meeting is for all of humanity."
"To enact interstellar laws that protect human rights, and ban all forms of slavery."
The shareholders immediately understood the hidden meaning.
The Marshal said he'd protect "humanity"… not machines.
That meant the company could deal with them however it wanted.
Why destroy them when they could be turned into slaves, serving mankind?
Even if their lives were taken, their parts could still be dismantled and reused, their scraps melted down and repurposed.
The shareholders understood perfectly. Then their thoughts turned to another issue, slavery.
Many nations attending the meeting still clung to that backward, decaying system.
To them, the Marshal's words were like cutting a piece of flesh from their own bodies.
One shareholder hesitated, torn for a long while, then cautiously suggested, "Marshal, perhaps you'd like to reconsider?"
Zero knew what they were worried about, but he didn't care for anyone's opinion, nor for their interests.
He said casually, "It's fine. If they have objections, they can bring them to my fleet."
The shareholder fell silent after that. He led the Marshal and Chanzhen through an empty corridor to the conference room doors, opening them for the two to enter.
As soon as Zero stepped inside, he heard someone speaking, praising another person's makeup and dress, then complimenting her talent and beauty, saying it was impressive that someone so young could stand as an equal.
On the surface, it sounded like praise, but underneath, it was a condescending insult, implying she was too young and had used improper means to get there.
Everyone in the room, all elite figures of the universe, could hear the hidden barbs.
Zero thought the tone sounded very familiar.
He looked at the speaker, and instantly recalled the cruise ship incident.
It was the same person who had tried to humiliate him before.
Back then, that man had feigned concern, trying to get Zero to apologize publicly.
Anyone else might've played along politely.
But Zero wasn't "anyone else." He had snapped back with "international waters."
Now, hearing that same snide tone again, he decided he wouldn't hold back.
He had plenty of excellent subordinates, men and women who wore makeup. As for dresses, the women loved them, and though no man had cross-dressed yet, he wouldn't have cared if they did.
He'd been working nonstop for thousands of years, he had no patience left for petty nonsense.
So, with his usual warm smile, he broke the awkward silence that had fallen since he entered the room.
"What's wrong with wearing a dress?"
"If your self-esteem and sense of superiority come from putting others down…"
He paused deliberately and fixed his gaze on the man.
"Then I'd say you're pretty pathetic."
Everyone in the room immediately understood.
How pitiful this man was, clearly unsatisfied at work and at home, taking out his frustrations by belittling others, using his age as an excuse to bully a young woman.
Zero went on, "Even if, hypothetically, you could get promoted just by wearing a dress… someone like you could wear a hundred and it still wouldn't help."
After finishing, he continued toward the main seat, Chanzhen following behind.
The shareholder practically sprinted ahead to pull out the Marshal's chair for him.
The room was silent, utterly dead quiet. The man who'd been put in his place was pale as a ghost, trembling uncontrollably.
After sitting down, Zero swept his gaze across the room, then picked up the pen before him and tapped it twice on the table.
He smiled, but his words were merciless.
"Skip the nonsense. Let's move this along."
The man with the mustache was the first to break the silence.
Having fought alongside the Xianzhou Marshal against the cosmic calamity, he understood the Xianzhou people better now.
The casualty rate in that entire war had been the lowest in history, it shocked everyone.
He knew very well that compared to the Marshal, he was not a qualified commander.
If only he could have done the same, brought more of his soldiers home alive, how great that would have been.
Along with his gratitude came deep caution.
Never, never, become the enemy of the Xianzhou Marshal.
Once he finished speaking, the others hurried to follow suit.
With one person starting, more and more stepped forward, each presenting the demands of their respective factions.
Everyone carefully watched the Marshal's expression.
They all knew, he was not someone to oppose.
That fact wasn't known only to the man with the mustache; everyone in the room understood it.
When they heard that this man alone had managed to keep casualties to a minimum, fear took hold of them.
They had once assumed he only wanted cannon fodder, their troops to shield the Xianzhou soldiers.
Under pressure, they had reluctantly sent their forces.
Back home, through internal scheming, they'd made sure their political rivals were the ones sent to the front lines, to die.
But who could have guessed, the Xianzhou Marshal hadn't used those people as cannon fodder at all! He'd brought all of them back alive.
And with military honors, no less.
They couldn't help but regret it, if they'd known, they would have gone to war themselves.
And this meeting, it was a golden opportunity to earn his favor.
So when the Marshal proposed the Galactic Law to protect human rights and ban slavery in all forms, not a single person objected.
Finally came the vote, to choose the Overseer of the Galactic Council.
The Overseer's position was unique, it came with powers no other member nation possessed.
The Overseer's fleet could travel freely through any member's territory.
Unanimously, everyone chose the Xianzhou Marshal.
Zero wasn't surprised by the result.
With a calm smile, he stood up.
"Thank you all for your trust, for choosing me as the first Overseer."
"I'll keep it short."
He made his vow before them, "I will devote my life to upholding peace across the universe, to defending the rights of all humankind, and to eradicating injustice wherever it exists..."
"Whether it be in Orion's Belt, or at the edge of the stars…"
"This body shall not perish, this oath shall endure..."