A Core Ship From The Start-Chapter 821 - 579: A Small Shock

When Talia returned to the Minerva, Duanmu Huai and the others also followed her.

This time, Duanmu Huai naturally brought Ogis and Anya along. Besides these two, Lumiaire and Mary also joined in.

The reason Duanmu Huai chose these people was quite simple. Ogis definitely needed to be by his side, after all, he hadn’t spent much time with her for a while, and his little treasure was starting to get sulky. On a battlefield like this, where one faced cosmic monsters and mechas among other large enemies, powerful firepower was absolutely necessary. Among Duanmu Huai’s subordinates, only An and Greiya met this standard. As for others like Zhi Jingxiang... they were okay against humans, but a bit lacking against monsters.

However, Greiya really didn’t like interacting with strangers, while An was excited to see the mechas, so Greiya stayed on the mothership, and An came along.

The reason for bringing Lumiaire was even simpler – she was the only top hacker among Duanmu Huai’s underlings. In a sci-fi world like this, if not relying on a hacker, should An use magic to hack into the Federal network?

Another reason was that Lumiaire had a high-speed cruiser called the White Goddess, which she had brought along when she and Axelle escaped. This cruiser was of no use at the Tribunal and had been idle in the hangar. But this time, going to the Minerva, Duanmu Huai also needed a vehicle to match the mechas, so he brought the White Goddess along.

After all... the Tribunal genuinely lacked such units, and Duanmu Huai didn’t want to bring a Titan over...

The reason for taking Mary was a bit more complicated.

From the previous battle against the Reapers, Duanmu Huai had found that Mary’s Golden Pupil was truly versatile, capable of seeing through science and magic alike. Honestly, Duanmu Huai really wanted those eyes... Sadly, he kept drawing duds.

Having no choice, to maximize the potential of the Golden Pupil, he had to keep Mary close and instructed her to immediately notify him if her Golden Pupil detected any anomaly.

On the Minerva, Duanmu Huai and the others also met with the crew on board, and they introduced themselves to each other—well, it must be said that they were all veteran pilots. Although many were initially taken aback upon seeing Duanmu Huai, they quickly regained their composure, and no panic ensued.

After listening to Duanmu Huai’s self-introduction and explanation about the Tribunal, everyone’s expressions were somewhat surprised.

"How interesting."

Just then, a voice suddenly spoke up, and Duanmu Huai saw a blond man wearing sunglasses stepping out from the crowd, looking at Duanmu Huai with interest.

"Sir Judge, according to what you said, the Tribunal exists to protect humans, right?"

"You are...?"

"I am Captain Quadro Bagina. Hello, Sir Judge. I want to ask you a question."

"What question?"

"Quite simple, I want to ask, on what basis does the Tribunal distinguish whether someone is human? Is it culture? History? Place of birth? Or genes...?"

"There’s no need to make it so complicated."

Duanmu Huai waved his hand largely, interrupting Captain Quadro.

"The Tribunal’s standard for auditing whether someone is human has only one criterion."

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai patted the skull emblem on his chest.

"It’s the skull!"

"...the skull?"

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s statement, not only Captain Quadro but the others showed surprised expressions as well.

"Correct. For the Tribunal, a human skull without mutation is the sacred and pure symbol of humanity. As long as your skull retains its human shape, no matter what your outward appearance is like, the Tribunal will regard you as a member of humanity. Conversely, if your skull mutates and is no longer sacred, then it is considered blasphemous heresy, and must be exterminated."

As he said this, Duanmu Huai’s voice deepened, his menacing tone immediately causing everyone’s faces to pale.

"A skull... I didn’t expect that..."

Listening to Duanmu Huai’s answer, Captain Quadro revealed a thoughtful expression.

"This is indeed a very unique perspective, though I can truly say I’ve never seen a human with a mutated skull."

Hearing this, another young man with green hair frowned.

"But, we have also fought with some aliens who look almost exactly like humans. Are they considered humans by the Tribunal?"

"Of course."

Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow, answering the young man’s question indifferently.

"Perhaps you have always believed that only your kind are humans, but, sorry to say, there are countless human civilizations in the universe, and you are just a part of it, not the only one. As for those aliens you mentioned... I don’t know what they call themselves or from which planet they are, but as long as their skull is still human, according to the Tribunal’s standards, they are human."

"No... why?"

"Quite simple, because all humans were once remnants of the Human Empire."

"...Haah???"

Hearing this, everyone was shocked.