While Constantine went to keep his appointment, Schiller investigated several civilizations on planets near this star system. The nearby civilizations received him with considerable enthusiasm. Humanity's reputation in the universe might not have been great, but most civilizations respected strength. Earth had single-handedly taken down the Three Great Empires, so naturally most civilizations treated it as an honored guest.
One civilization in this system happened to consist of humanoids. They called themselves the Grey Elves, and even their historical development and stellar environment resembled humanity's. Rumor had it that they had already inspected the Nine Realms and planned to stand in the same camp as Asgard and humanity within the Interstellar Council.
No one knew how Schiller had ended up here, but any human who could get here had to be powerful. The Grey Elves' king warmly invited him to tour the royal palace and spoke with him about interesting recent events on the planet.
"We have many similarities with humanity. For instance, we too went through a long period of division, though we eventually united. We had four major wars, and each one advanced our civilization. Although we have now become one whole, our religious beliefs remain rather diverse. Different regions worship different gods, and thus the magic they use differs somewhat as well..."
Something stirred in Schiller's mind. He looked at the king and said, "So the beings you worship are actual Demon Gods?"
The king looked somewhat puzzled. He nodded and said, "Of course. We discovered the existence of Demon Gods two thousand years ago, and through tireless research, we obtained many frequencies through which to communicate with them. We permit them to spread their faith on our planet, and naturally they grant us power in return. Isn't humanity the same?"
Schiller thought about it. Humanity truly