Chapter 102: The Most Valuable Iso Coin Ever: They Too Had Become Zergs Like Iso

Ever since the Psychic Soothing had begun, the livestream camera hadn't moved away.

It was probably because even the director behind the scenes had been so shocked by what he was witnessing that he'd forgotten to switch cameras.

[It's actually Psychic Soothing? One Iso per session?! That female Zerg only left behind one Iso! How dare he?!]

[He got dragged out by the military female Zerg guards... I get it now! The Military Region Prison is abusing His Lordship! They only allow His Lordship to charge one Iso! (Furious)]

[Wait... does this Iso coin come with a Major General Iso attached? How can it possibly be worth the same as Psychic Soothing from a high-ranking Male Zerg? (Heavenly Garuda question mark face)]

[We want to know what's going on too!]

The livestream audience had gone from believing His Lordship was joking...

To realizing it really was Psychic Soothing...

And that it really did cost only one Iso.

Immediately, they began questioning the Military Region Prison.

Questioning every authority involved.

Questioning whether justice even existed.

As one female Zerg after another entered...

And one after another came back out...

The atmosphere in the livestream drifted further and further off course.

Eventually...

No one even dared comment anymore.

They simply stared blankly at what was unfolding on screen.

[A perfect 100-point Psychic Soothing... does something like that really exist? It wasn't even a full minute from beginning to end.]

[One Iso... one Iso... they're all just one Iso... How many female Zergs has His Lordship treated already?!]

[Thirteen...]

[Fourteen...]

[Go in... immediately get dragged back out... Go in... immediately get dragged back out... Is this the Military Region Prison's legendary efficiency?]

[This is insane. My female parent just asked if I was watching a science-fiction movie.]

[My hatchling asked me whether this was another sci-fi film being released alongside Lord Xi'an's Instructor.]

[My Male Zerg friends and I are all completely dumbfounded. This isn't what our teachers taught us!]

[Well... he is a Psychic Soother.]

[Are all Psychic Soothers this powerful? Good thing I never chose that profession.]

[Actual Psychic Soothers: ...We all watch videos like this while kneeling.]

The number of comments continued decreasing.

Whether female Zergs...

Male Zergs...

Or Heavenly Garuda viewers...

Everyone was too stunned to recover.

Only the person keeping count continued working.

[How many now?]

[Nineteen...]

[Twenty.]

[Whew... it's finally over.]

[Twenty female Zergs in less than twenty minutes. That includes the time it took for each one to enter and get dragged back out. Every single one received a perfect score of one hundred.]

[I don't even recognize numbers anymore.]

[So many Zergs actually received Psychic Soothing... This is the biggest regret of my life for not attending in person! I'm crying!]

[Sobbing with my head in my hands!]

[I'm going crazy! I wish I could climb through the screen! How has teleportation through displays not been invented yet?! Technology is supposed to be this advanced! Hurry up and invent it!]

[If all of this is real, then this Psychic Soother is a national treasure! No wonder he was seated directly in front of the Marshal and the Generals!]

[Someone this incredible... why is he in prison?]

[Male Zergs are exempt from the death penalty, but they still have to serve for the crimes they've committed.]

[I understand that, it's just... couldn't they at least give His Lordship better living conditions and treatment? He's too precious. I can't stand seeing a national treasure covered in dust.]

[Relax. The military and the Military Region Prison will definitely take proper care of him.]

[I wouldn't call it gathering dust. After becoming the military's Psychic Soother, he gets to save far more military female Zergs. If you don't want him, you can give him to the Heavenly Garuda. (Flowers)]

[Heavenly Garuda, get lost!]

[What's His Lordship talking about with Major General Uriel? Why are even more female Zergs going inside? Is the shop officially opening now?]

The change on screen snapped the audience back to reality.

[Why did Major General Uriel's expression suddenly change? What's he saying? What does he mean the burden is too heavy? Why is he telling His Lordship to stop? Why do all those female Zergs inside suddenly look like they're about to faint from bliss? It looks similar to what happened during the Psychic Soothing just now...]

[Wait... this IS Psychic Soothing!!!]

[Psychic Soothing for one hundred Zergs at once?!]

[I'm not watching a livestream... I'm watching a pre-recorded science-fiction movie.]

[Impossible! How could anyone do that?!]

The livestream exploded.

Everything dissolved into chaos.

Meanwhile, outside the shop in the broadcast...

The waiting female Zergs also fell into confusion.

Through the screen, the viewers couldn't sense Psychic Power.

But every female Zerg at the scene could clearly feel His Lordship's Psychic Power spreading toward the Zergs inside.

The shock they experienced was infinitely greater than that of the audience.

This miraculous sight...

Compelled them to move forward.

They wanted to get closer.

To see more.

To beg for His Lordship's mercy...

The crowd became restless, pushing inward.

[Everything's gone crazy... Wait... what are they doing? Are they trying to rush into the shop?]

The viewers, with their bird's-eye perspective, could clearly see what was happening below.

Anyone could tell the situation had gone terribly wrong.

Even without sensing Psychic Power or smelling pheromones...

The fanatical expressions and forward surge of the female Zergs spoke for themselves.

[This is bad! His Lordship's in danger if this continues!]

[Where are the military female Zergs? Where are the guards? Help him!]

"Back up! Back up!"

The armed military female Zergs shouted warnings.

But they still couldn't stop the fanatical crowd.

The moment anyone crossed the security line and entered the shop...

The guards would have no choice but to open fire.

And once the first gunshot rang out...

Everything would become even more chaotic.

[Get His Lordship out of there! Forget everyone else!]

[No! The Psychic Soothing is still underway! If it's interrupted by force, His Lordship could be injured. His Psychic Power might be damaged.]

[Then what do we do? There are so many Zergs! Can they really protect His Lordship?]

[It should be alright. Major General Uriel is S-rank. As long as he's there, His Lordship will be safe. The problem is... people may die.]

The gap between A-rank and S-rank was like an uncrossable abyss.

Even if all those female Zergs attacked together...

They still wouldn't °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° be a match for an S-rank.

Nobody doubted that Major General Uriel could protect His Lordship.

They were more worried about what would happen afterward.

No matter what...

This was the Legion Festival.

A national celebration.

Deaths occurring at an event of this scale would look terrible.

Even if they happened while protecting His Lordship.

For a moment...

The entire livestream grew heavy.

Everyone was anxious.

Everyone was worried.

Then...

Amidst the chaos...

The surging crowd on screen suddenly froze.

As though someone had pressed pause.

Every female Zerg stood rooted in place.

Like prey locked beneath the gaze of an apex predator.

None dared move.

[Whew... good thing I paused the video. There won't be any casualties.]

[? Then why did mine stop too?]

[???]

[It's... the Marshal!!!]

Appearing before the shop as though from thin air, Ulysses stood like the pillar that steadied the ocean.

The instant he arrived...

Every agitated female Zerg fell silent.

Every military female Zerg relaxed.

Even the viewers watching across StarNet collectively breathed sighs of relief.

It was common knowledge throughout Zerg society.

No matter what happened...

As long as the Marshal arrived...

Everything would be alright.

His overwhelming strength inspired absolute confidence.

Major General Uriel could protect His Lordship during the chaos...

But casualties might follow.

The Marshal was different.

Once he appeared...

There would be no more chaos.

No more conflict.

Ulysses looked toward the Male Zerg from afar.

Then calmly withdrew his gaze.

Strictly honoring the Male Zerg's earlier request...

"Don't act close to me in front of other Zergs."

"Marshal!"

Uriel looked desperately toward him.

"Please persuade His Lordship to stop! Performing Psychic Soothing on one hundred female Zergs simultaneously is far too dangerous!"

One hundred female Zergs...

It was indeed dangerous.

But...

If it was that Lord...

"Let him continue."

Ulysses answered calmly.

Uriel stared at him in disbelief.

"Marshal?! You...? How could you possibly..."

Ulysses offered no further explanation.

He merely stood before the entrance...

Guarding it for the Male Zerg.

He had witnessed...

The power of a god.

Among high-ranking female Zergs...

The higher one's rank became...

The greater the difference between each level.

The leap from A-rank to S-rank had never been simple addition...

Nor multiplication.

It grew exponentially.

The same principle applied to every rank beyond that.

The Male Zerg could perform Psychic Soothing for him...

An SSS-rank.

If that was the case...

Then no matter how many A-rank or B-rank female Zergs there were...

To him, there was no real difference.

The Psychic Soothing continued.

Since the Marshal himself had spoken...

No matter how worried Uriel remained...

He could only continue standing guard.

The restless female Zergs outside gradually calmed.

The Marshal's pheromone pressure descended like icy water poured over their heads.

Like a blade gliding across their throats.

A deadly warning.

The shock instantly cleared their minds.

They looked at the Marshal standing coldly before his former spouse.

Then looked toward the Psychic Soother Lord who was supposedly the Marshal's "former spouse."

Remembering the relationship between them...

Along with all the love-hate drama they'd imagined...

No one dared utter a word.

No one dared step forward again.

Even the way they looked at the Male Zerg became noticeably more restrained.

They were terrified of being dragged into some terrifying emotional battlefield...

And being ground into dust by the Marshal.

【Psychic Value: 100】

【Psychic Value: 100】

【Psychic...】

The announcements continued endlessly.

Drawing countless gazes.

An Ruo withdrew his Psychic Power.

Opening his eyes, he let out a long breath before looking toward Ulysses standing at the entrance.

The black-haired female Zerg stood there silently.

Like the strongest shield imaginable.

Blocking everything.

Through his Psychic Power, An Ruo had sensed Ulysses' arrival long ago.

He felt deeply grateful for the help.

At the same time...

He also felt guilty.

He had caused such a huge disturbance...

And dragged Ulysses into the trouble.

The other man never turned around.

Just as he'd promised.

He wouldn't speak to him outside.

Wouldn't stand too close.

Wouldn't even look at him.

Although...

The avoidance did seem just a little too deliberate...

Still, considering their relationship...

Any degree of avoidance seemed perfectly natural.

An Ruo quietly let out a sigh of relief.

The female Zergs who had received Psychic Soothing were quickly escorted outside by the disciplined military guards.

They weren't even given the chance to speak.

With the Marshal standing right there...

None of them dared say anything inappropriate.

Once every female Zerg inside had left...

An Ruo spoke again.

"Next group. This time, bring in two hundred female Zergs..."

"Your Lordship?!"

Uriel's face filled with horror.

An Ruo paused.

He suddenly realized two hundred female Zergs probably wouldn't even fit inside.

And constantly moving everyone in and out would be too troublesome.

He immediately changed his mind.

"Never mind. I'll go outside instead. Help me keep count. Anyone who wants Psychic Soothing just needs to hand over one coin."

Uriel, who had barely relaxed before hearing the rest of the sentence:

"???"

Seeing His Lordship genuinely stand up and walk outside...

Uriel panicked.

"Marshal! Y-You're not going to stop him?"

After thinking for a moment...

Ulysses turned toward the military female Zergs beside him and calmly gave instructions.

"Collect the coins."

"Set up a security perimeter."

"Any female Zerg requiring Psychic Soothing may voluntarily deposit one coin."

"Those who do not require treatment will remain outside the security line."

The Marshal's dignified voice echoed through the square.

Uriel's vision darkened.

Again.

And again.

The crowd immediately erupted.

"Will there really be Psychic Soothing?"

"Can everyone receive it?"

"But His Lordship has already treated so many female Zergs..."

"One Iso is impossible! That's far too little!"

"I'm willing to offer all my property..."

"We don't need your property."

"One Iso is enough."

"Please cooperate."

An Ruo stepped to the entrance as he spoke.

Ulysses stood to the right of the doorway.

An Ruo stood in the middle.

They stood side by side.

Separated by enough space for three or four Zergs to stand between them.

Psychic Soothing was an intensely private matter.

The reason he charged one Iso...

Was simply to confirm which Zergs wanted Psychic Soothing...

And which did not.

He couldn't enter another person's Psychic Domain without permission.

That would be deeply disrespectful.

This single Iso coin...

Served as the contract between them.

The security line was established.

The crowd dispersed.

Those who merely wanted to watch stepped outside the perimeter.

Those wanting Psychic Soothing remained...

And surrendered one Iso coin.

Perhaps...

This was the most valuable Iso coin had ever become.

The only previous moment that could compare...

Had been at the very beginning.

When Iso had tasted a Male Zerg's pheromones for one Star Credit.

Whether it had actually been one Star Credit no longer mattered.

Everyone believed it had.

But now...

They were truly exchanging one Iso coin...

For Psychic Soothing from a high-ranking Male Zerg Lord.

The female Zergs dropping their coins into the collection box had never felt so guilty.

They were overwhelmed with shame.

They too...

Had become Zergs just like Iso.

Using a single coin...

To profane His Lordship.

Watching the two figures standing side by side ahead...

Uriel realized he couldn't stop this anymore.

The only thing left to do...

Was summon doctors to stand by.

Only to discover...

The medical team had already arrived.

For them to appear this quickly...

Someone could only have arranged it beforehand.

Uriel looked toward the Marshal's back.

He appeared indifferent.

As though he wasn't interfering at all.

But...

He had still been worried all along...