A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1463 - 990: Negotiation

Chapter 1463: Chapter 990: Negotiation

Early the next morning, Duanmu Huai arrived at school and, following Liliath’s instructions, found the Mystical Science Research Room located in the old school building.

"Hello, Teacher."

When Duanmu Huai walked into the Mystical Science Research Room, Liliath was already there waiting for him.

And not just Liliath.

Standing next to Liliath was a young girl with a high ponytail and a smile resembling that of Dahe Fuzi, Akeno Ushima. Sitting on the couch while eating snacks in small bites was a petite, middle school-aged girl with short white hair, Tower City Kitten. On another side of the room sat a handsome blond youth, Kiba Hiroto...

Hmm, all familiar faces from school.

As a teacher, Duanmu Huai naturally remembered his students’ names; these individuals had all attended his classes before. However, at the time, Duanmu hadn’t paid them much attention.

Their presence here meant...

"Are all of you demons?"

"Exactly."

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s question, Liliath nodded, followed by the others standing up. Duanmu then saw pairs of bat-like wings unfurl from their backs... Seeing this, Duanmu simply narrowed his eyes slightly before withdrawing his gaze.

"This is certainly interesting... Well, now you can tell me what exactly you wanted from me, Gimonri."

"Just call me Liliath, Teacher."

Liliath then sat back down in her chair, staring intently at Duanmu Huai.

"To be honest, while I’ve always sensed an unusual aura emanating from you, Teacher, I never imagined such a powerful Divine Artifact to be residing within you..."

"——————"

Duanmu Huai remained silent. He could guess why she would think that. The reason was simple: Duanmu was an actual deity, and his body naturally carried the aura of the divine. Of course, to most beings—be they humans, angels, fallen angels, or demons—it was unimaginable for a deity to personally descend into the mortal realm. Therefore, whether it was the fallen angel who attacked him yesterday or Liliath now, they instinctively assumed his body housed a Divine Artifact, thus producing such an aura.

Hmm... a wonderful misunderstanding, but Duanmu had no intention of clarifying it.

"But Teacher, are you aware that your situation right now is quite perilous?"

Liliath’s expression grew serious as she said this.

"In the church, you attacked the fallen angel faction’s members and killed them all... This will naturally provoke hostilities from the fallen angels. I suspect they’ll continue to pursue and attack you. I assume you don’t want to spend every day being hunted by fallen angels, do you?"

Honestly, I don’t mind.

Duanmu’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he was indifferent. Fighting? He was long accustomed to it. Still, he suspected this was merely the start of Liliath’s speech; the real point was yet to come.

Sure enough, Liliath shifted her tone.

"However, there is a way to resolve this issue."

"What is it?"

"It’s quite simple."

Looking at Duanmu Huai, Liliath smiled mischievously and spoke.

"As long as you transform into one of my demon followers, Teacher, the Gimonri Family still holds some reputation. Once you’re a demon under my banner, the fallen angels—or any other faction, for that matter—will find it hard to target you. Because that would mean openly declaring war on the Gimonri Family..."

"And what do you want in return?"

It was only at this point that Duanmu Huai turned his gaze toward Liliath, questioning her.

"Since you’re trying to recruit me in this way, you must have your own motives."

"Of course."

Unfazed by Duanmu’s blunt assessment, Liliath nodded candidly.

"I’ve taken a liking to your strength, Teacher. While I don’t know exactly what kind of Divine Artifact is residing within you, its immense power is undeniably impressive. Adding you to my camp would mean gaining a Trump Card. I need your strength, so I’m willing to offer you protection... How about it, Teacher? I believe this is a favorable deal."

"Hmm..."

After pondering for a moment, Duanmu turned back to Liliath.

"You said you’re demons, right? Then do you kill people?"

"Perhaps demons in the past did, but times have changed."

Liliath shook her head.

"Of course, I won’t deny some dissident demons still indulge in killing or consuming humans. But for most demons, ever since the wars with angels and fallen angels ended and peace was established, such acts have stopped. Now, what we do is merely help humans fulfill their wishes—to a certain extent."

"Fulfill their wishes? Like ruling the world?"

"Definitely not that exaggerated."

Liliath smiled wryly.

"The principle of equivalent exchange applies universally. If a mere mortal wishes to rule the world, even sacrificing their soul would not make it possible. Similarly, if someone desires to become the world’s richest person, they might lose their life in an instant after gaining wealth. We make these realities explicit—of course, most people’s wishes are minor matters from daily life and don’t involve crimes or life-threatening scenarios."

"Hmm..."

After hearing Liliath’s explanation, Duanmu paused for a moment.

"I have to admit, your proposal is reasonable. However... I refuse."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing Duanmu’s response, not only Liliath but Akeno Ushima and the others behind her wore expressions of surprise.

"Why, Teacher?"

"First, I’m human; I only fight for humans. Becoming a demon would mean serving you, right? But I’m sorry, I don’t plan to do that."

As he spoke, Duanmu shook his head.

"I will always act from the standpoint of humanity, so I won’t join the demon camp. True, fallen angels might be a problem, but as long as they don’t fear death, they can keep coming! However many come, I’ll kill as many as arrive. Let’s see if they really have enough numbers for me to exhaust."

At this point, Duanmu Huai’s killing intent briefly surfaced but was quickly restrained. He then turned to Liliath, nodding.

"Thank you for your kindness, Liliath, but I cannot accept."

"Alright, I understand..."

Listening to Duanmu’s response, Liliath nodded reluctantly, though visibly disappointed. She then gazed at him curiously and asked.

"Then what’s the second point?"

"Hmm?"

"You mentioned only the first point just now. Is there more?"

"Of course."

At this, Duanmu chuckled.

"I’m a teacher, after all. When a teacher gets into trouble, it wouldn’t be right to have the students clean up after them. So I will handle this matter myself; no need for your concern. Well, I’ll take my leave."

Saying this, Duanmu nodded at the group and turned to leave the room—then he seemed to recall something, turning his head back toward Liliath.

"Oh, right, Liliath. I need to make one thing clear upfront. I will fight for humanity. Thus, I won’t spare any being that harms humans. Whether it’s angels, fallen angels, demons, deities, or demon kings—if they dare to harm humans, they’ll all face only one outcome: death. Do you understand what I mean?"

"——————"

Under Duanmu’s scrutinizing gaze, Liliath took a deep breath and nodded.

"Of course, Teacher, I understand."

"Good."

Without saying anything further, Duanmu Huai withdrew his gaze.

"I hope you’ll remember that."

With those final words, Duanmu turned and left, the door to the Mystical Science Research Room closing heavily behind him.

"——————"

The suffocating atmosphere in the room slowly eased.

"I never imagined Teacher Duanmu would have such a side..."

Kiba Hiroto wiped the sweat from his forehead silently.

"Is he really human?"

It was no wonder Kiba asked; everyone present was a demon and had been through battles. Yet the sheer pressure Duanmu exuded during his speech was almost overwhelming—as if the breath had been sucked out of the room. Even the Demon King appearing in person may not have felt this imposing.

Despite Duanmu’s reputation at school for being strict and serious, leading students to fear him...

...This was beyond mere fear!

"What a shame..."

Liliath sighed quietly. She had truly hoped to recruit Duanmu Huai into her camp. However, he had made it clear he stood for humanity and not demons. While Liliath didn’t see this as a major sticking point, Duanmu clearly had his own convictions.

"President, are you giving up?"

"No."

Quite the opposite—Duanmu’s rejection only ignited Liliath’s determination.

"I’ve made up my mind; I will bring him into the Mystical Science Research Room!"

"But President..."

Hearing Liliath’s aggressive declaration, Kiba shook his head.

"From Teacher Duanmu’s demeanor, he clearly doesn’t want to become a demon."

"That’s not an issue."

Liliath shook her head firmly.

She had already targeted Duanmu Huai for his strength. It was worth noting: yesterday’s fallen angel wasn’t weak. Yet Duanmu effortlessly disposed of him, taking out even his underlings single-handedly. Such combat prowess—even her own followers couldn’t match! Moreover, from his statement earlier, Liliath had realized Duanmu was a man of strong principles. Someone like him, if recruited as an ally, would undoubtedly be the strongest asset!

"Watch me; I won’t give up so easily!"