Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1696 New displacement artifact? ”Hmm?” Robin slightly furrowed his brows, his expression tightening with subtle curiosity. The hammer and stake inside the box were almost the size of a toothpick-so tiny and unassuming that one could easily overlook them at first glance. Both items looked extremely simple in shape, yet were decorated with several thin metallic rings that shimmered faintly, giving them an oddly elegant allure despite their miniature appearance.

Beside them rested a sheet of paper folded neatly in half. Swoosh

Robin casually pointed toward it, pulling it up into the air with a flick of spiritual control. He unfolded it slowly, a hint of anticipation flickering in his eyes, finding written upon it: ”To reign supreme over all, this is necessary.” ”Hah~” Robin let out a small amused chuckle, pausing for a moment as if savoring the mystery behind those words. He then folded the paper once more and slipped it carefully into his pocket. ”Just what might I need in order to reign over everyone, I wonder?” he mused lightly, though a hidden glint of interest shined in his gaze.

Robin returned to staring at the tiny hammer and stake with growing fascination. It was clear they were affected by some form of spatial compression-this certainly wasnʼt their true size. The energy signature coiled tightly within them was far too dense. ”Amazing...” he whispered softly.

This was the first time he had ever seen miniaturized objects with the naked eye; spatial rings and traditional storage items could never grant such an ability. ”A hammer and a stake? What could that be?” Jabba muttered under his breath, leaning slightly forward. ”Is this really the Cosmic Elderʼs gift?” ”Is this planetary displacement artifact?” Shaddad furrowed his thick brows, his tone carrying genuine caution. ”What do you think, Your Majesty?”

When Shaddad turned to the side, he found Althera staring at the box with eyes wide open-far wider than normal-counting in a shaky whisper: ”One... two... three...” ”Come out.” Robin gently waved his hand.

Swoosh

Like two streaks of blackened starlight, the hammer and stake shot out of the box, growing rapidly until they hovered before Robin at their natural, full size. The hammer was nearly as tall as he was, a massive warhammer with a broad, heavy head carved from some unknown metal. The stake was as long as his leg -conical, sharp and deadly at the bottom, perfectly flat at the top as if designed to be struck repeatedly. ”Gulp...”

All four of them instinctively swallowed hard the moment the items revealed their true scale.

Both the hammer and the stake were pitch black, emanating a heavy, suffocating aura that pressed faintly on their chests. Even with all those strange inscriptions etched across their surfaces, their design somehow remained simple-like something a talented blacksmith could craft.

But the truth was obvious: this was certainly not forged by human hands.

This belonged to something higher-far, far higher. ”I can feel tremendous power from that hammer. I donʼt sense any affinity to a specific Law, but if it appeared on a battlefield, it would definitely cause chaos and fear among the enemy.”

Jabba approached cautiously, circling the hammer with wide, gleaming eyes. ”...Can I take it?” he asked half-jokingly, half-serious. ”Shhh, battlefield? Really?” Robin muttered, unable to hide his curiosity any longer.

He began examining both items with intense focus. ”Thereʼs no hostile aura coming from them. These arenʼt weapons of war... Together they do remind me of the planetary displacement equipment, but thatʼs the extent of it. The energy surrounding this thing is completely different... And I donʼt see any natural runes either. Hmm... Have either of you ever seen displacement equipment of the fifth or sixth grade before?” ”One... two... three...” Althera murmured again, voice trembling slightly. ”...Four... five... six... seven?” ”...”

Shaddad kept his widened eyes fixed on Althera, his body suddenly producing sweat in thick beads once again. His expression stiffened with unnatural tension. Then, moving with painfully slow hesitation, he turned back toward the equipment.

Those rings around the hammerʼs grip... and around the head of the stake... there were seven of them?! ”...A-Ah...”

Shaddad instinctively took a step back, heels scraping lightly against the ground. ”Whatʼs wrong, little brother?” Jabba finally noticed the shift. ”Hmm?” Robin also turned around sharply, brow furrowing. ”What is it,

Shaddad?”

Then he glanced toward Althera. ”...Are you alright over there?” ”Seven...”

Althera raised her trembling hand and pointed shakily at the equipment. ”Seven... s-seven rings...!!” ”What exactly is wrong with you?” Robin pressed his brow tightly, then turned back to inspect the items once more, searching specifically for the rings

Althera mentioned.

But midway through turning, he abruptly froze.

His breath caught-then he, too, began to sweat.

A long, slow exhale escaped his lips: ”Ah...”

Metallic equipment... a gift from the Cosmic Elder... similar in structure to planetary displacement artifacts... the number seven...

Seven...

Robin continued turning toward the equipment with agonizing slowness, as if an unseen colossal beast were exhaling its scorching breath down the length of his spine; his eyes widened with every fraction of a second, pupils dilating in disbelief. ”Is this really...?” ”... It seems so.” Shaddad murmured, his voice trembling with a rare hint of awe. ”...Is this even possible?” Althera joined them, stepping closer, her expression tightening. ”Are there even seventh-grade planetary artifacts in the entire universe?!” ”Do you people know something I donʼt?!” Jabba placed his hands firmly on his hips, feeling utterly lost and hopelessly out of depth amidst the escalating tension of the conversation. ”Am I dreaming...? Good heavens, seventh-grade planetary displacement artifact?!” Robin stepped forward in disbelief and began to run his hand along the hammerʼs massive haft, feeling the strange texture beneath his fingertips. ”This thing canʼt simply be described as rare, right? Planetary artifact is only numbered from one to six... right?!” ”Hey, is that thing really that strong?” Jabba nudged Shaddad several times, voice cracking slightly. ”Very... very...!!” Shaddad swallowed, face paling, ”So powerful that... if Tyrant Intaras learned it was with your master, he would crush Heaven into dust and drag Earth beneath it just to seize it.”

Althera swallowed hard, throat tightening nervously, ”I donʼt know about that... that specific one weʼre looking at, but Iʼve heard plenty about THE sixth-grade planetary displacement artifact... with that artifact you can move any number of planets to any location inside a sector instantly, without any waiting time at all, and Iʼve heard you can transfer planets from one sector to another with a short resting cooldown afterward, and it doesnʼt need to be a neighboring sector either-the interval increases ever so slightly the farther the destination sector is.”

She then released a slow, cold exhale. ”Meaning it can move a planet anywhere -even all the way across to the opposite end of the universe-so long as it stays within the same belt, afterward, it will enter a state of dormancy: maybe a few hours, maybe several days depending on the strain.” She stared intensely at the dark equipment before her, eyes reflecting dread and curiosity. ”But THIS seventh-grade artifact... what unthinkable thing could it possibly accomplish?!” ”Planets can move?!” Jabbaʼs eyes widened nearly to the point of bursting; he decided, with a silent oath, not to question the identity of this so-called Intaras anymore. ”Hehehe...” Robin placed his hand against his forehead, shoulders trembling, ”...hahahahaha-this is perfect, perfect to the highest possible degree, perfect beyond imagination hahahahaha!!” ”Lord Robin, you must understand that something like this must never be revealed publicly while it is in your possession, or the consequences will be catastrophic beyond measure, and you will not even benefit from it as a Great Truth Chosen. I am fully prepared to buy it from you on behalf of the Academiesʼ Alliance.” Althera turned toward Robin with utmost seriousness. ”Just name your price, and I will secure it for you without hesitation.” ”Hmm, for the Academiesʼ Alliance, huh? Quite the intimidating name....” Robin tapped thoughtfully on his chin, then turned to Althera with a wide, exaggerated grin, ”I have a used fourth-grade one-would you like it instead?” Sell it? What a monumental joke. The number of schemes he could enact with this gear was infinite; countless future plans of his began collapsing, reshaping, and re-weaving themselves into entirely new and terrifying possibilities the moment it appeared in his possession. The value of this single piece alone equaled the True Beginning Empire and everything it contained in the current era! ”Lord Robin you-” Althera took a step forward, agitation rising. ”Your Majesty, let us not ruin our relationship today,” she insisted, but was met instantly with a raised palm directly in front of her face. ”These are gifts from the Cosmic Elder-do you dare attempt to wrest them from my hands?”