A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1497 - 1011: Expansion of Power

Chapter 1497: Chapter 1011: Expansion of Power

To be honest, Mary’s arrival indeed gave Duanmu Huai some much-needed relief.

Those gold bricks? Duanmu Huai found a way to contact the rabbits next door and sold them all.

After all, the yen depreciates like trash. Even if Duanmu Huai had money, he wouldn’t bother with yen. He might as well exchange it for a stronger currency.

With money in his pocket, Duanmu Huai didn’t feel the least bit anxious. He spent a large chunk of it to buy the church that the Fallen Angels had used as their base before. Of course, the church itself had been reduced to ruins during previous battles, but fortunately, its location was ideal—not far from his group’s residence. As a fortress, it was quite adequate.

Next, Duanmu Huai cleared out the church’s ruins and rebuilt a Tribunal church on top of it. He didn’t bother using the local construction crews. After all, in this godforsaken place, all construction crews are basically "architectural immortals." They could spend five years building a single door while preaching about their handcrafted artisan spirit... If this were the Tribunal, Duanmu Huai would’ve sentenced them to death a hundred times over!

So instead, he deployed the magic servants Mary brought with her. These magic servants neither eat, drink, nor sleep; they run on magic power twenty-four hours a day, working without slacking off or cutting corners. Duanmu Huai’s role was simply to toss the materials at them, and they’d automatically follow the blueprints and get the job done.

See, now *this* is what true labor looks like.

As for Mary, she directly transferred to Ryuo Academy as a new student.

Incidentally, although Mary’s current age matches that of a high schooler, she’s actually a university graduate. Her education wasn’t typical; she received homeschooling as a child and then directly enrolled at the Royal Academy. In other words, Mary essentially skipped middle and high school to go straight to college.

Well, it makes sense when you think about it. Considering that the Royal Academy recruits only the Empire’s elite, you wouldn’t even get the chance to apply without some serious talent, right?

So, being able to attend high school in Japan was something Mary found rather intriguing.

And as a beautiful girl, Mary’s enrollment naturally caused a stir. Not just because of her status as a foreigner, but her graceful demeanor and those strikingly unique eyes were enough to turn heads.

However, for Duanmu Huai, Mary’s arrival brought yet another source of amusement.

That is: language.

As everyone knows, the English spoken by Japanese people is practically unintelligible. When foreigners arrive, it’s like trying to decode alien transmissions. Mary graduated from the Royal Academy, specializing in ancient texts and languages. Her English, spoken in flawless London-accented Queen’s English, exuded elegance and authority. It was so impeccable that during English class, the teacher almost didn’t dare call on her. If she spoke better English than they did, where’s the teacher’s dignity?

Mary herself experienced quite the culture shock. After all, the Japanese struggle with differentiating R and L sounds. For example, they’d pronounce *SORRY* as "saw-ree" and *STORY* as "stow-ree." During English class, listening to them read vocabulary aloud nearly broke Mary’s spirit. She even ran to Duanmu Huai to ask whether the pronunciation differences were due to being from a different world... Duanmu Huai nearly laughed himself to death.

What’s more, Mary’s presence saved Duanmu Huai’s ears. The Wind Band Club members were truly hopeless. Though they made progress over time, it was slow and lacked a consistent backbone. Ideally, the leader of a club like this should provide stability, but instead, the Wind Band Club’s president, Ogata Haruka, was timid beyond belief—like a rabbit—and it drove Duanmu Huai up the wall.

Learning from Tasuku that the Wind Band Club also practiced violin performances, Duanmu Huai decisively brought Mary into the fold.

Although he didn’t understand music, he had heard Mary play before—it was quite pleasant. Plus, Mary had gotten used to being around Duanmu Huai, so unlike the other students, she didn’t cower in his presence.

As it turns out, Duanmu Huai’s decision was spot on.

Mary’s arrival became a stabilizing force—a true *Sea-Calming Sacred Needle*—for the Wind Band Club. As Tasuku explained, violins don’t rely on airflow like woodwind instruments do; a skilled violinist can single-handedly elevate the entire group. Previously, they only had someone playing the double bass. Mary’s contribution as a violinist finally patched the club’s biggest vulnerability.

Of course, Duanmu Huai didn’t understand any of this technical jargon. He just knew that ever since Mary joined, the band finally stopped sounding so off-key... His days of suffering had come to a merciful end.

Thinking about it, Duanmu Huai silently gave himself a thumbs-up.

Summoning Mary first had clearly been the right choice.

To Duanmu Huai, this was just standard Tribunal protocol, but to everyone else... not so much.

"Hmm, nice, very good."

Looking at the church before him, Duanmu Huai nodded in satisfaction. Magic servants truly were efficient—they completed this entire Gothic-style church, inside and out, in less than a week. That included all interior decorations. No sleep, no meals, no pay.

Absolutely brilliant.

"So this is the Tribunal church?"

Unlike the calm demeanor of Duanmu Huai and Mary, the rest of the group were stunned the moment they stepped through the entrance. Towering, magnificent domes surrounded by statues of Star Warriors and adorned with endless skull motifs and Double-Headed Eagle emblems—just standing inside this church was soul-shaking.

By the way, this wasn’t just an illusion.

Duanmu Huai hadn’t built the Tribunal church purely for show. The church itself symbolized the Divine Realm of the God of Destruction. On top of that, Duanmu Huai had personally imbued the building with the War Hammer insignia of the God of Destruction. Now, the divine power of destruction radiated outward from this church, enveloping the entire city.

While humans wouldn’t feel much, other races—like Angels, Fallen Angels, or Demons—would experience an overwhelming aura of divine oppression and terror should they dare trespass within the city limits. If they didn’t leave... Well, Duanmu Huai wouldn’t show mercy.

It’s like seeing a sign that says "Military Restricted Area, No Trespassing," stepping inside anyway, and then complaining when you’re arrested or shot. Who’s really to blame?

"But why does this feel a bit like a villain’s lair from an animated movie..."

Naruse Mio stared at the skull insignias emblazoned on the entrance and sarcastically commented. Despite having been briefed on the Tribunal’s rules and practices, the blatant display of skull imagery still left her uneasy.

"Villain? We’re clearly an organization dedicated to protecting humanity."

"Then what are *those*?"

Liliath pointed upward, looking speechless. Above them, several servo skulls equipped with candle-like lights floated serenely through the air.

"If I’m not mistaken, those are actual human skulls."

"What’s the problem? They’re the Tribunal’s most loyal servants."

"...I still feel like the vibe here screams Demon King Palace..."

"No way, Demon King fortresses don’t even compare to this."

As the Demon King’s sister, Liliath decisively rejected Naruse Mio’s remark. Having personally been to the Demon King Palace before, Liliath knew that while the Demon King castle might be extravagant, it mostly had a conventional feel to it.

Unlike this place, where the oppressive atmosphere was almost ineffable. There were massive knight statues clad in horrifying armor lining the walls, countless skull motifs everywhere, and those servo skulls bobbing through the air. If anything, this *was* the actual Demon King Palace!

Just then, one of the servo skulls descended, scanning the group with a red light emitted from its mechanical eye. Once done, it calmly turned around and floated away.

"..."

This *is* the Demon King Palace!

Although no one said it aloud, the thought was unanimously shared.

If an Angel showed up here, they’d immediately peg this place as an outright Demon’s lair.

It’s practically eviler than any actual demon!

"Mr. Duanmu, what are you using the servo skulls for?"

Mary couldn’t resist questioning him, her expression filled with disbelief. If anyone could recognize the purpose of servo skulls, it was Mary. Duanmu Huai shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, I installed macro cannons here; they need some automated systems to operate, right?"

"...Didn’t you claim you didn’t bring money?"

"Correct, but macro cannons are essential. What if I need to blow something up? See, like now."

Duanmu Huai couldn’t see the problem. Money was irrelevant; currencies varied across universes, and carrying some wouldn’t guarantee utility. But macro cannons? You could pull up their intimidatingly wide barrels, and most people would wisely empty their wallets right then and there.

So, carrying money paled in comparison to bringing tools that could generate wealth. Don’t you agree?

"..."

Listening to Duanmu Huai’s explanation, Mary sighed helplessly. She then raised her head to look at the church’s center. Unlike most churches, this one featured a colossal clock suspended in the air above the main hall.

More importantly, Mary felt like she’d seen this thing somewhere before.

"Mr. Duanmu, is this what I think it is..."

"Yep, exactly what you’re thinking."

Duanmu Huai winked at Mary, who could only sigh again, entirely at a loss for words.

"Next time, could you remember to bring some daily necessities?"

"I’ll keep that in mind, though they’re rarely needed."

After all, Duanmu Huai had the Mage’s Mansion to cover all his basic living needs, making money a non-concern. But now, it seemed prudent to stash valuables periodically in his inventory, just in case. For worlds like this, having extra funds could save a lot of trouble.

Hmm, wouldn’t summoning Lumiaire be a good idea? She’s skilled at hacking networks; let her infiltrate something like the FBI and drum up some funds—problem solved.

Why the FBI?

Oh, it’s simple. Duanmu Huai recalled that most movies he’d watched had "FBI WARNING" plastered on their intros, meaning the FBI must rake in tons of cash.

He spent plenty of money buying those movies; isn’t it about time to recoup some of that investment?