Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1254 1254: Stability Movement

”…Theyʼre treating us like a bunch of gullible fools, as if we were nothing more than clueless children!”

Robinʼs brows drew together in a sharp frown. ”Explain. What exactly happened?”

”They prevented him from leaving,” she said with a bitter tone, ”and had the audacity to claim they were granting him a golden opportunity—ten additional years of training. Can you even begin to believe such nonsense? Weʼve been offering them planetary defense, completely free of charge, and yet they have the nerve to act like theyʼre doing us a favor! Weʼre treated like subordinates—like some desperate guests begging for scraps!”

”When General Raiden consulted with headquarters and Supreme General Caesar at the time,” she continued, ”we advised him to endure it a little longer, hoping that Your Majesty would emerge from your absence within the decade and deal with their arrogance personally.”

She shook her head in frustration. ”But Your Majesty took longer than expected, and in your absence, they extended the so-called training period once again. And General Raiden… he stayed. He has remained stationed with them for a total of fifty years, right up until today.”

Robin clenched his jaw, clearly displeased. ”Since when do I allow my followers to be placed in humiliating positions like this, Emily? Iʼve never tolerated this kind of disrespect. Why did you allow him to stay there, serving without compensation, for that long?”

Emily responded instantly, her voice firm but respectful. ”We feared the consequences of resisting them, Your Majesty—especially in your absence. No one among us held enough political or martial weight to stand as an equal in negotiations with figures from a World Cataclysm. And to be fair, theyʼre not just any foreign power. Theyʼre important clients, and it was you who personally established the trade agreement with their Empress. We thought preserving that relationship was crucial to the stability of the sector. Also—”

”Enough.” Robin raised a hand, visibly annoyed. ”Whatʼs the current situation? What changed?”

”When Supreme General Caesar received word that they wanted to extend the so-called training term for yet another fifty years this time, he lost all patience. He immediately sent formal orders to General Raiden, instructing him to return home at once and to withdraw every last subordinate of his stationed there. General Raiden is likely already coming back as we speak.”

”Excellent. Thatʼs exactly how our foreign dealings should be handled.” Robin leaned back slightly, a sense of pride in his voice. ”The very first clause in any negotiation must be the proper and dignified treatment of our people. All agreements must be fair to both parties. We donʼt beg. We donʼt bow. If they want to sever ties and stop working with us, then so be it. They are the ones who stand to lose, not us.”

He gestured suddenly. ”Ah, right. Did those seven Stellar Scout Ships arrive as promised?”

”Yes, Your Majesty,” Emily said, adjusting her glasses with practiced precision. ”They arrived exactly twenty-seven years after your coronation. We at headquarters kept one for internal use and assigned the remaining six ships to the three armies, per your instructions.”

”Weʼve been training with our scout ship extensively,” she added, ”and itʼs already begun proving its worth. In addition, we now possess ten Stellar Excavation Vessels—ships designed specifically to break apart celestial bodies located by the scouts and collect any rare materials or resources. Thanks to this operation, our treasury has seen a massive surge in all forms of high-grade minerals and rare alloys.”

She allowed herself a small, knowing smile, expecting this news would please him. ”As for the armies, all three of them have made extraordinary progress. Each has discovered and secured access to multiple habitable planets. As of this very moment, weʼve successfully subjugated thirty-three new worlds. Furthermore, our forces are currently engaged in active operations across forty-one more planets where resistance remains.”

Robinʼs eyes slowly widened, processing the numbers. ”Thirty-three newly conquered… forty-one still being handled… and we already had thirteen from before… That adds up to… eighty-seven planets?!”

”Correct, Your Majesty,” Emily confirmed with a nod. ”To break it down: we have full control over forty-six Category-S planets—those are the fully subjugated worlds. The remaining forty-one are Category-R planets—those still resisting our authority. We project that at least half of these rebellious worlds will be brought under control within the next few years, especially if we modestly increase the military budget and resume recruitment drives.”

She straightened her posture. ”The six Stellar Scout Ships embedded with the armies have already identified several more candidate planets, but the three Supreme Generals collectively agreed not to expand further until we either finish subjugating the current batch or receive reinforcements to strengthen our presence on already-claimed worlds.”

Robin understood the problem immediately. The three armies had been stretched thin—spread across an ever-growing territory of eighty-seven planets. The allocation of forces to each planet must have been dwindling as expansion continued.

And yet… eighty-seven planets in the span of a single century. It was unprecedented.

”…And what exactly is the obstacle weʼre currently facing when it comes to expanding the army?” Robin asked softly, his voice carrying a subtle curiosity as he swallowed, then leaned forward slightly in his seat.

Emily inhaled slowly, lowering her gaze before answering, ”In truth, Your Majesty… the only thing in our way is ourselves—our own growth rate. That, and the very structure of our society.”

She raised her eyes to meet his, her tone now steady. ”Our army today can only be counted in the tens of millions—a formidable number by any measure, and every one of them is a trained user of the cosmic laws. But if we hasten recruitment any further, we risk unbalancing everything. Farmers will vanish from the fields, artisans will disappear from their workshops, merchants will close their shops, and the daily life that keeps the empire running will crumble.”

She gestured toward the window behind them, where the shimmering skyline of a thriving city could be seen in the distance. ”We cannot afford to build a purely military empire, Your Majesty. That kind of structure collapses the moment peace is won. We need sustainable growth, and for that, we must wait. Wait for newer generations to be born and raised. Wait for the full bloom of the Empire of Tomorrow project on the newly acquired worlds. We must allow our roots to grow even as our branches reach for the stars.”

She then turned and motioned toward a tall, teetering stack of documents and blueprints beside her. ”The second major issue is armament production. Simply put, our factories canʼt match the armyʼs speed. We lack the industrial capacity. For example, up to this very moment, weʼve only been able to construct six complete war fleets. Each fleet is comprised of one mothership, fifty ʼDestruction Note-1ʼ class warships, and five hundred drop-and-dominate ships, each roughly twenty meters in length.”

Robin leaned back in his chair and exhaled through his nose, his lips curling into an ironic smile. The thing slowing down his empireʼs expansion… was just how fast it was expanding! A strange kind of contradiction—one that no textbook ever dared to teach.

He shook his head slightly, then chuckled. ”Of course... I told the three of them to aim for a hundred planets in a thousand years. I never imagined theyʼd take that goal as a personal challenge to beat it ten times faster.”

”Well then,” he said after a moment, rising from his seat with calm authority, ”Iʼll leave these matters in your capable hands, Emily. Youʼve proven time and time again that you understand the rhythms of this empire better than anyone.”

He leaned over her desk and picked up a blank page, then began scribbling a list of names with swift, decisive strokes. When he was done, he placed it gently before her.

”…Here. I want all of them summoned. Not necessarily at the same time—send out the calls. Whoever responds first, have them meet me in the palace. Iʼll be waiting for them there.”

Emily scanned the list quickly, her brow furrowing slightly at some of the names. ”This…” she began, but stopped herself, then rose and gave a respectful bow. ”Understood, Your Majesty. Iʼll issue the summons immediately. Consider it done.”

Robin nodded in approval and began making his way toward the door. But just as he reached it, a sudden thought seemed to strike him. He stopped, turned back, and asked with a hint of curiosity, ”Ah—before I go. Whatʼs the current situation on the Category-S planets? Internally, I mean. Any trouble I should know about?”

Emilyʼs face lit up with confidence. ”Everything is better than stable, Your Majesty. Any planet not involved in active war shows no signs of rebellion or civil unrest. Thereʼs not a whisper of dissent. In fact, the internal stability is so strong that the armies have completely turned their backs on these planets to focus outward—pushing forward without fear. That level of peace… itʼs one of the core reasons weʼve been able to expand at such a breathtaking rate.”

Robin nodded several times, clearly impressed. ”Yes… I saw a glimpse of that peace myself earlier. The atmosphere was different. Calmer. Controlled.”

He fixed his eyes on hers again. ”Tell me—how is that kind of peace even achieved? Whoʼs behind it? Is it you?”

Emily chuckled lightly and waved her hand as if brushing the notion away. ”Sadly, no. I have no such talent. Iʼm just the fool who deals with numbers, schedules, logistics. The true credit belongs to someone else.”

She reached for a file and handed it to him. ”If you want details, ask His Highness Richard. Heʼs the one who founded the Stability Movement. He and his team are the architects of the peace we now enjoy.”

Robin raised an eyebrow, his interest clearly piqued. ”Stability Movement, hmm? That name has a nice ring to it.” He let out a short, amused laugh. ”Sounds like something worth investigating.”

With that, he gave one final nod and turned to leave the chamber. His steps were light, but his expression had shifted. There was something in his eyes now—an unusual sharpness, a focus… a quiet intensity that hinted at the gears turning in his mind.