Chapter 101: Group Psychic Soothing: The Marshal Arrives, and Everyone Instantly Calms Down

[We want to see His Lordship! Stop swinging the camera around and show us something useful!]

[What is the director doing? If you keep filming those mechs, you can spend the rest of your life with them!]

Ever since His Lordship's shot had ended, the livestream chat had been filled with endless wailing.

The cutting-edge mechs that normally fascinated female Zergs now looked no different from piles of scrap metal.

Their minds were occupied by only one thing.

The Male Zerg.

They always joked that if they never found a Male Lord, they'd just spend their lives with their mechs.

But when faced with a truly exceptional Male Zerg...

The mechs were instantly reduced to worthless junk.

Finally, after endless pleading from the viewers, His Lordship appeared on screen once more.

[Ah... Just looking at His Lordship's breathtaking beauty has soothed my restless mind.]

[Can the camera zoom in? Stop staying so far away! Fill the whole screen with His Lordship's divine face! I can handle it!]

[No! Don't disturb His Lordship. (Quiet.) Watching from afar is enough. A truly qualified viewer knows how to zoom in themselves.]

[Huh? An empty shop? Is His Lordship selling something?]

[Opening a shop right next to An-shen's bookstore... Is he trying to compete with An-shen from afar?]

[It is a little awkward. An-shen hasn't even shown up today. Winning like this wouldn't really count.]

[Everything His Lordship does is right. Especially when His Lordship is this beautiful. I choose unconditional indulgence.]

[Exactly! Don't project such malicious thoughts onto His Lordship. Even if His Lordship wanted to compete a little, it'd be adorable. (Hug.)]

[...Fine. Looking at that face, I really can't bring myself to say anything harsh. I've surrendered.]

[Is His Lordship selling personal belongings? I want them so badly... (Drooling.)]

[Stop dreaming and wipe your drool. (Eye roll.) A Psychic Soother from the Military Region Prison probably only has the gifts military female Zergs gave him.]

[Oh~ So the military female Zergs have it rough. Their gifts to a Male Zerg just get resold.]

[Heavenly Garuda, shut up! Once a gift has been given to His Lordship, how he disposes of it is entirely his decision! No one has the right to criticize!]

[Giving gifts is simply our way of expressing gratitude and making His Lordship happy. If selling those gifts makes His Lordship happy, then it's completely worthwhile!]

The Heavenly Garuda viewers: "..."

They had forgotten.

The Zerg side was full of hopeless worshippers.

How annoying.

Just then, the camera focused on what the Male Zerg had written, displaying it clearly.

【Psychic Soothing, 1 Star Credit (×), 1 Iso per session!!!】

This time...

Not only were the Zerg viewers on StarNet stunned.

Even the Heavenly Garuda audience froze.

Their first reaction was the same.

Impossible.

How could that be?

One Star Credit.

Forget the Zerg Federation—even in the Heavenly Garuda Empire, one Star Credit wouldn't even buy you the chance to meet a male.

Most Heavenly Garuda males were permanently married off.

Only those with enough military merit or enormous wealth could marry one.

That required either an astronomical amount of money...

Or years upon years of accumulated military achievements.

Waiting until the Empire rewarded them with a male was the everyday reality for Heavenly Garuda military female Zergs.

The Heavenly Garuda military also had males responsible for Psychic Soothing.

But they weren't people you could simply meet whenever you wanted.

Although the waiting time wasn't measured in years like it was for the Zerg Federation...

Several months were unavoidable.

Psychic Soothing for one Star Credit sounded like pure fantasy.

[What? Did your science-fiction author An-shen come to the Legion Festival to write another script?]

Those few words written by the Male Zerg...

Were more unbelievable than all three of An-shen's novels combined.

The Federation's citizens were equally dumbfounded.

[This has to be a joke, right? Something must be wrong.]

[Maybe it's limited to one lucky person. Like whoever pleases His Lordship gets the treatment.]

[Even if it's only one person, that lucky bastard has won the lottery! Psychic Soothing from a high-ranking Male Zerg Lord is priceless and impossible to buy!]

No one believed those words literally.

Yet nobody could stop staring at them.

Even the staff responsible for controlling the livestream cameras failed to move the shot away this time.

Every Zerg held their breath as they watched the Male Zerg on screen.

"Your Lordship..."

Even Uriel couldn't help speaking.

"This price... isn't appropriate."

He hadn't expected His Lordship intended to perform Psychic Soothing here.

His Lordship had remained inside the Military Region Prison for so long, isolated from the outside world.

He no longer had any understanding of modern currency...

Or of the true value of Psychic Soothing.

"I think it's perfectly appropriate."

An Ruo had no intention of changing it.

He even found himself a reasonable excuse.

"I noticed everything being sold here is very inexpensive."

Of course it was.

The Legion Festival marketplace wasn't intended to make money.

It functioned more like a welfare event.

Its primary purpose was creating a lively atmosphere and giving attendees more experiences to enjoy.

But applying those prices to Psychic Soothing...

Was completely unreasonable.

What were the military female Zergs selling?

Ordinary military caps.

Gloves.

Badges.

Commemorative souvenirs.

Interesting little gadgets.

Portable instruments.

Handmade civilian weapons...

None of those could possibly be compared to Psychic Soothing performed by a high-ranking Male Zerg.

Seeing how genuinely worried Uriel was that he'd be cheated, An Ruo could only explain,

"It's alright. I wasn't planning to make money anyway. The price isn't important. Setting it this low lets more Zergs receive Psychic Soothing."

Seeing how determined he was, as though he'd planned everything in advance, Uriel suddenly remembered why His Lordship had agreed to attend the Legion Festival in the first place.

At first, he had assumed it was because there would be printed editions of his novels...

The premiere of the movie...

Xi'an...

Claire...

Those were the reasons His Lordship had agreed to come.

But thinking back now...

Perhaps those hadn't been the real reason at all.

Long before that...

When His Lordship had asked,

"Will there be lots of Zergs? Lots of military female Zergs?"

And Uriel had answered yes...

His Lordship had already begun planning this.

Realizing that, Uriel stopped trying to persuade him.

His Lordship...

Really was such an incredibly wonderful Zerg.

No matter how highly Uriel already thought of him...

His Lordship always managed to exceed his imagination.

Picking up the handwritten sign, Uriel exchanged a glance with the military female Zerg escort beside him.

The guards all came from the Military Region Prison.

They were already thoroughly familiar with this process.

Each immediately moved into position.

The Zergs originally summoned to arrange merchandise were reassigned on the spot to maintain order.

Only after everything had been organized did Uriel place His Lordship's handwritten sign outside the entrance.

A long line had already formed outside the shop.

No one knew what His Lordship intended to sell.

But since it was His Lordship's shop...

Naturally they wanted to support his business.

No matter what he sold...

They intended to buy everything.

Then they saw the handwritten sign Major General Uriel had placed outside.

"Psychic Soothing... one Star Credit... one Iso per session?!"

The female Zergs in line were completely stunned.

They simply couldn't believe their eyes.

None of them dared enter.

Earlier, several female Zergs had even fought within the military-approved combat area just to secure spots at the front of the queue.

Now...

Every single one stood frozen in anxious hesitation.

Not one dared take the first step.

"Major General... i-is this... written incorrectly?"

The female Zerg at the front finally gathered the courage to ask.

"No."

Uriel slowly looked him up and down, giving him a visual inspection before saying,

"You're first. Follow me."

The female Zerg walked after Uriel in a daze.

Standing behind the Male Zerg, Uriel symbolically used his authority to release the restrictions on His Lordship's inhibitor.

In reality...

The inhibitor hadn't been activated in the first place.

Meeting the Male Zerg's gentle gaze, the female Zerg sat down.

Only then did he remember he should introduce himself.

He awkwardly started to stand...

Only to feel an overwhelming Psychic Power pass effortlessly through his mental barrier...

Directly entering the deepest part of his Psychic Domain.

Before he could even react...

Every defense within his mind had already been opened.

Wherever that Psychic Power passed...

Every trace of violent instability disappeared.

The shattered pieces were restored.

The wounds healed.

Every old injury and lingering damage was completely swept away.

The overwhelming Psychic Power resembled a violent storm...

Utterly unstoppable.

Yet when it truly descended...

It became as gentle as spring rain.

Countless delicate psychic threads nourished and strengthened his restored Psychic Domain...

【Psychic Value: 100】

Listening to the mechanical announcement from the detector...

The usually stoic female Zerg's eyes instantly reddened.

He nearly burst into tears.

Only then did he remember he was supposed to pay.

Hurriedly taking out every coin he possessed...

He had exactly one hundred Iso.

He hadn't spent any of them.

But...

He simply couldn't bring himself to hand over so little.

One hundred Iso...

Was only one hundred Star Credits.

No amount of Star Credits could equal the value of this Psychic Soothing.

"Your Lordship... thank you so much for your Psychic Soothing. If you're willing to accept it, I..."

Before he could finish speaking...

One of the well-trained prison guards immediately grabbed him and dragged him outside.

Along with the extra ninety-nine Iso coins he had tried to leave behind.

After receiving His Lordship's Psychic Soothing...

He still wanted to chat with His Lordship and waste His Lordship's precious time?

As if.

Get out.

An Ruo had long since become accustomed to scenes like this.

Calmly placing the single Iso coin on the table away, he said with practiced familiarity,

"Next."

One female Zerg after another entered in a daze.

Received Psychic Soothing.

Then was promptly dragged back outside by the guards.

To save time...

Payment was now collected at the entrance.

Still one Iso.

The female Zergs waiting farther back in line were completely bewildered.

None of them had ever witnessed anything remotely like this.

Once they realized it was Psychic Soothing, some had even imagined...

Receiving it right here.

In public.

In full view of everyone.

It might have been a little embarrassing.

But if the one performing it was a Male Zerg Lord like him...

There wouldn't be any problem at all.

Even if something happened, it'd still be an incredible bargain.

The whole Federation would envy them.

Instead...

Everything unfolding before their eyes completely shattered everything they thought they knew.

Was Psychic Soothing...

Supposed to be like this?

Why was it even faster than getting an injection at a hospital?

Only the detector's continuous announcements proved that everything was real.

【Psychic Value: 100】

【Psychic Value: 100】

【Psychic Value...】

Since when had a perfect score of one hundred become so common?

Those who failed to secure places near the front watched with bloodshot eyes.

They were green with envy.

So regretful and jealous they nearly coughed up blood.

They knew...

There was no chance it would ever be their turn.

It was no different from watching someone else win the grand prize.

Had they known...

They would've fought desperately for the front positions earlier.

Now, beneath the sharp gazes of the heavily armed military female Zerg guards...

No matter how agitated or regretful they felt...

They could only force themselves to remain calm.

"Your Lordship."

Uriel reminded him.

"That makes twenty female Zergs already."

An Ruo nodded.

The warm-up was over.

It was time to increase the intensity.

Let's start with...

One hundred female Zergs.

"Help me bring one hundred female Zergs inside."

An Ruo said.

Fortunately...

The shop was large enough.

There was room for all of them.

Although Uriel didn't understand what he intended to do, he obeyed without hesitation.

The Zergs waiting outside saw His Lordship pause to speak.

They assumed everything had ended.

Though disappointed...

Twenty female Zergs receiving Psychic Soothing had already exceeded everyone's expectations.

Originally they'd thought perhaps two or three.

At the absolute most...

Ten.

This Lord was unbelievably powerful.

And unbelievably generous.

Although they believed everything had finished...

Not a single Zerg left.

Neither those who had received Psychic Soothing...

Nor those who hadn't.

The treated female Zergs looked even more pitiful.

Some sat on the ground surrounded by overflowing pheromones.

Some still had swollen red eyes from crying.

Others secretly received a couple of punches from jealous companions.

Those who hadn't been treated looked at them with a mixture of envy and jealousy.

Their emotions were indescribably complicated.

Uriel walked back outside.

Then selected another one hundred female Zergs to enter.

That left everyone completely baffled.

Still...

Being able to see His Lordship was always a good thing.

The female Zergs entering the shop were both nervous...

And thrilled.

An Ruo released his Psychic Power.

At the same time...

He extended it toward all one hundred female Zergs inside the room.

Uriel instantly realized what was happening.

He whipped around in shock.

"Your Lordship?!"

"Stop!"

"The burden on you will be far too great!"

Uriel rushed to the table.

Yet he didn't dare truly interrupt His Lordship.

Even the military female Zerg guards responsible for security became uneasy, turning to look back.

The female Zergs waiting outside also sensed the Psychic Power spreading outward.

The crowd immediately became restless.

"What's happening?"

"Is... is he performing Psychic Soothing on everyone simultaneously?"

"How is that even possible?"

"Will His Lordship be injured?"

The female Zergs grew increasingly agitated.

Those near the front anxiously tried to look inside.

Those farther back pushed forward.

The crowd surged and jostled into chaos.

Even more female Zerg pheromones erupted into the air.

Uriel turned toward the disturbance outside.

He immediately realized the situation was about to spiral out of control.

Just as he prepared to call for reinforcements...

An icy pressure suddenly descended.

Overwhelming.

Absolute.

Every restless female Zerg was instantly suppressed.

Uriel let out a breath of relief.

His heart immediately settled.

The Marshal...

had arrived.