Collapse Iron: As the Balance Envoy, I've joined the chat group

Zhong Heng tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, lost in thought.

The secretary, Fagana, remained silent throughout the meeting, simply sitting there occasionally refilling their tea and pastries. Afterward, she sat there fulfilling her duties as secretary and scribe, recording the contents of their conversation.

However, the other two people present were extremely focused at the moment.

No one noticed that, in addition to the content of the meeting, the secretary had also written chibi-style emoticons of the two people and fan art in her notebook.

After a moment, Zhong Heng paused slightly on the table and looked up at the Jade Lady across from him again.

"Please elaborate. Which patents is your Interstellar Peace Company seeking this time?"

Zhong Heng didn't actually want to open this door for Interstellar Peace Company.

After all, there are precedents to learn from.

Previously, it was because he had granted the Interstellar Peace Corporation access to the synesthetic beacon patent, which had been entrusted to the Cosmic Court by the old man Elijah Salas, who held seat #56 of the Genius Club.

Not long after, Oswald Schneider quietly changed his share of the synesthetic beacon codes, and used them to wreak havoc on many parts of the world.

This is not a big deal in itself; it's about balance. There is good and evil, beauty and ugliness. The two are both opposites and unified.

As long as it doesn't touch upon the fundamental issue of the universe's balance, Zhong Heng and the other arbitrators are too lazy to bother with it.

Otherwise, the Cosmic Court and its arbitrators would have been out there arresting people all over the universe long ago. How could Oswald Schneider and people like the Primal Doctor have survived until now?

In this world filled with people whose fates are all different, it's not that there aren't extreme evils or villains.

But this type mostly exists in ordinary people.

Once you embark on your destiny, whether you choose the right path or the wrong one, the main conflict will be between differing ideologies.

Ultimately, the Cosmic Court is not a true court; whether it is for good or evil, it is an indispensable part of the universe's operation.

If all the bad guys in the universe were captured, leaving only so-called good guys, that would truly disrupt the balance.

Oswaldo Schneider had been having too good a life before, and he actually went so far as to knowingly allow the synesthetic beacon patent to belong to the Cosmic Court after the expiration of the contract between the Cosmic Court and Elijah Salas.

They even dared to modify the synesthetic beacon and used this technology to wreak havoc on many parts of the world.

If they aren't arrested and imprisoned, wouldn't these arbitrators be seen as accomplices in the eyes of the world?

In fact, Zhong Heng originally did not want to open up the patents that those geniuses had entrusted to the Cosmic Court.

But there's no way around it; the Cosmic Court can't grow and expand without funding.

It's not that Zhongheng uses these credits to pay arbitrators as salaries and benefits; if that were all, there would be no need to release the patents.

It's important to know that the patent for synesthetic beacons alone, through the operation of the global behemoth Interstellar Peace Corporation, has spread throughout the entire universe, except for some remote and underdeveloped worlds.

Let alone the revenue from an entire Amber Age, the annual patent royalties alone amount to an astronomical figure.

The reason why the patent was granted to Interstellar Peace Corporation was to fulfill the previous plan to delay the impending destruction.

This astronomical amount of patent royalties will be used to repair the planets destroyed in previous conflicts that have affected the entire universe.

Putting aside everything else, just take the global locust plague as an example.

The world affected includes two-thirds of the known universe, and how many worlds in the unknown universe are affected remains unknown.

The various insects that flutter their wings across the Milky Way can continuously reproduce and multiply themselves through conceptual-level breeding.

Add to that a gluttonous star god who, while Brother Cripper was away, sneaked back through a loophole in the wall to enjoy a buffet.

The world destroyed in that one conflict has not been fully repaired even after so many years.

Of course, this was also due to the subsequent interplanetary trade wars and two imperial wars that followed the global locust plague, which made the repair process less efficient than the destruction.

After the Destroyer Star God ascended to a higher dimension and elevated those Annihilation Lords, and forged the antimatter legion—a weapon of destruction—from the furnace, this deity...

The process of repair and balancing was stretched out indefinitely, almost like a tug-of-war.

This also led to the Cosmic Tribunal being seen as a thorn in the side by the Antimatter Legion and those Extinction Lords, who launched several campaigns against it.

Fortunately, Zhongheng has gone far enough on the path of balancing destiny, and now he mainly sits in the Cosmic Court and rarely appears to maintain the balance between his humanity and divinity.

Only then did they act in time to block the combined attack of several Extinction Lords.

This greatly enhanced the reputation of the Cosmic Court and demonstrated the strength of Zhongheng and its arbitrators to the world.

...Let's get back to the main topic.

After pondering for a long time, Jade finally composed herself and spoke again.

The issue is that the patents the board wants this time are extremely important.

Given what Oswaldo Schneider had done before, Jade was actually quite uncertain about being sent here for negotiations.

Therefore, when she spoke again, Jade was being somewhat tentative and cautious:

"Nowadays, due to the spread of stellar cores, many of the star trails previously explored by the nameless travelers have come to a standstill in the Milky Way."

"Furthermore, the golden flames of 'Destruction' and its minions have been operating more and more frequently lately."

"Therefore... after discussions within the company's board of directors, I was sent to discuss with you the licensing of the patents held by the Cosmic Court, namely 'Meta-Domain Space' (formerly held by the #29 member of the Genius Club) and 'Imaginary Number Collapse Pulse' (formerly held by the #79 member)."

"In addition, in order to promote further cooperation between the company and the Cosmic Court, the board of directors has decided that the dividends previously distributed to the Synesthesia Beacon can be further reduced by 10% and given to the Cosmic Court."

"...In a way, this can be considered a small contribution from the Interstellar Peace Corporation to the cause of 'preservation' and 'balance' of the universe."

As if she had thought of something, Emerald added, "Of course, this time the patent usage authorization will be assigned to a specific director by Your Excellency the Supreme Judge."

"Furthermore, Interstellar Peace Corporation guarantees that this time there will be no more egregious incidents like the one involving the head of the market development department last time."

"Everything is for the peaceful development and preservation of the galaxy!"

After speaking, Emerald nervously took out several pre-prepared contracts from the pouch at her waist and presented them to Zhong Heng with both hands.

After Zhong Heng took it, he frowned slightly and began to read it word by word.

After a long while, she finally looked up at the jade statue opposite her: "Heh~ the company's appetite is really big this time!"

After a pause, Zhong Heng narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Emerald with an extremely oppressive gaze for a long time, as if trying to see through everything about her and look through her to the behemoth behind her, namely the real people in charge of the Interstellar Peace Company, and what they were really thinking.

That penetrating gaze, as if it could analyze jade from the inside out, made her, who was in a high position, tremble slightly, and beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

How long has it been since I felt this kind of pressure?

Since she climbed to her current level, even the company's board members couldn't put as much pressure on her.

He truly deserves to be called... the number one person below the Star God.

No, this feeling is no different from facing a star god directly.

A moment later, Zhong Heng withdrew his gaze, regained his composure, and nodded slightly.

"I have agreed to the licensing of these two patents!"

"but..."

......