Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1270 1270: Princess of the Empire

The Following Day —

Knock knock knock…

”Father? May I come in?”

A soft, feminine voice drifted through the heavy doors of the grand hall, delicate yet filled with a warmth that instantly lit up the space like sunlight breaking through the clouds.

”Haha! My little princess! Come in, come in!”

Robinʼs laughter echoed against the marble pillars as he stood from his throne, his arms spreading open wide in genuine joy. It had been some time since heʼd heard that particular voice—and it never failed to fill him with both pride and bittersweet emotion.

”Hehe~ I see youʼre looking well today, Father! And that hairstyle? Very regal!”

Zara giggled playfully as she made her way across the long hall with graceful, almost floating steps. In just a few seconds, she had crossed the space between the towering gate and the throne. She embraced her father warmly, albeit briefly, wrapping her arms around him with affection only a daughter could offer.

”Sorry I didnʼt come sooner.”

”No, sweetheart... If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you,” Robin said as he pulled away and gently motioned for her to sit. He studied her for a moment longer than usual.

”...Youʼve changed.”

Although she didnʼt bear the same dark, hollow eyes that Emily sometimes did, there was something in Zaraʼs gaze that told a different story. A shift. A weight. The eager, childlike excitement she always showed when seeing her father had faded slightly. It was still there—but buried under layers of experience, exhaustion, and a kind of maturity no one her age should be forced to carry.

”Itʼs the responsibility... I think,” Zara responded with a soft sigh as she sat down, folding her legs in a dignified manner that only highlighted how far sheʼd come—not just as a person, but as a leader in her own right.

Robin smiled faintly, a mixture of admiration and guilt clouding his expression.

”If only I could tell you that your burdens will soon be lifted... but the truth is, no one else is capable of handling them. Not like you can.”

He wasnʼt just flattering her. He knew, better than anyone, what Zara was carrying.

The responsibility of managing the rise of the empire in every sector at once was immense. While Sky Opening City had many branches, halls, and administrative units, they all ultimately reported to her. Every initiative passed through her scrutiny. Every budget, every deployment, every reform—they were her decisions. If something needed to be delayed, refined, or launched into motion, that too fell squarely on her shoulders.

She had to appoint directors, remove slackers, identify potential in people before they knew it themselves. She absorbed ideas from the populace, merged them with official strategy, coordinated entire departments to act as one, and monitored them day and night.

Even if Zara didnʼt produce a single invention herself, the sheer position she held meant her mind was always in motion. Always calculating. Always responsible.

”Donʼt worry about me, Father,” she said with a grin that was both genuine and brave. She smiled widely, showing her flawless white teeth in a way that reminded Robin of the child she used to be.

”The Law of Life has no place on bloody battlefields, so I find joy in making a difference somewhere else—where it matters just as much.”

She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a mischievous whisper.

”Also, Sister Emily gave me a quick overview of those soul techniques you entrusted her with. Theyʼre going to be very useful.”

She then winked slyly.

”But… I still want a few of those initial souls for myself, you know~”

”Give me your hand.”

Robin chuckled and reached out with both hands. Zara extended her hand, placing it gently in his. He closed his eyes, and for a few seconds, all was silent—no movement, no words. Just a shared connection between father and daughter.

Then he opened his eyes and smiled.

”...Done~”

He released her hand and leaned back comfortably in his seat.

”Tonight, when you return home, let Emily help you open your soul domain. I donʼt want to unlock it for you now—itʼll consume all your focus, and we have more pressing matters to discuss.”

”More pressing matters?”

Zara blinked, caught off guard. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

”Like what, Father?”

”I brought you a gift,” he said with a knowing smile.

”Something thatʼll help you—not just with your duties here, but with your life, your journey, and your personal growth. But weʼll save that for the end. First, letʼs go over the projects youʼve been preparing for the city.”

Robin reached to his side and summoned a stack of metallic tablets. He passed the first one to Zara.

”This one,” he began, ”contains research on how to reduce the cost of Affinity Elixirs. It also includes some experimental designs for a new kind of elixir that leaves a permanent trace—just a tiny increase in law affinity every time itʼs used. Even if itʼs just 0.0001%, the key is that the increase is guaranteed.”

He glanced at her with a knowing look.

”Yes, I know that regular elixirs sometimes have similar effects, but this one is different. It ensures that gain, every single time.”

Zaraʼs eyebrows lifted in visible surprise. The first set of research alone could save their treasury a massive amount of rare materials and time. But the second—if successful—had the potential to transform the empireʼs strength forever.

Robin handed her another slate.

”Here, youʼll find formulas and ideas for pills and serums that lower the risks associated with the racial-upgrading process.”

He leaned forward, voice lower, more serious.

”More specifically, these are for non-human subjects undergoing racial upgrades via the two devices. Youʼve heard of the Crixian Project, yes? The success rate when transforming giants into Crixians is only about 20%.”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head.

”With these concepts in hand, I believe we can raise that survival rate to over 80%—without compromising power.”

Then he paused and grinned.

”Ah, right—speaking of all the new planets weʼve acquired... have we found another King of Existence among them yet?”

”Unfortunately, no—weʼre still stuck with the same three.”

Zara responded with a soft, graceful laugh as she accepted the glowing slate from her father.

”But Aro is utilizing their bloodlines with impressive efficiency. Heʼs also leveraging your law regarding voluntary racial transformation with strategic brilliance. Over the past hundred years, weʼve seen a noticeable surge in the populations of the three major hybrid races: the Crixians, the Dorgrians, and the Devocians. Their numbers are rising rapidly. I think heʼll be delighted once we begin integrating these new enhancement concepts into the process.”

”Oh?”

Robinʼs brows rose slightly in curiosity.

”So itʼs true—Beast Kings are truly that rare. I was genuinely surprised when we found three across thirteen planets. Iʼd assumed they were more common based on older records and scattered rumors.”

For a moment, a shadow passed through his eyes as thoughts stirred in the back of his mind—fragments of forgotten schemes, of hidden hands moving behind the curtains of fate.

He recalled the mysterious foresight of the All-Seeing God... the strategic unveiling of the Great Serpent Empire on Planet Gudah. No—could it be? Was it not just chance that brought Helen to discover the Poison rock Planet? Could the All-Seeing God have orchestrated even that?

”....”

Robin shook his head firmly, as if casting away intrusive thoughts that threatened to distract him.

Now wasnʼt the time for tangled theories or philosophical pondering. He reached out and passed Zara another carefully inscribed slate, its faint glow pulsing with encoded brilliance, ”This one contains new concepts for upgrading what I still consider one of our most formidable military weapons to date.”

”Ideas for enhancing the Mothership?!”

Zara gasped with excitement as she snatched the slate eagerly, her eyes gleaming with anticipation like twin stars ignited by a spark of revelation.

”...Well, technically, Alright our second-greatest weapon.”

Robin chuckled, a sheepish grin spreading across his face.

”Iʼm actually referring to the War Domination Array— the Warlords.”

”Wait, you mean the Warlords can still be improved?! I always believed they were at their limit!”

Contrary to Robinʼs expectations, Zaraʼs enthusiasm only intensified.

She knew well that a specialized division within Sky Opening City had been devoted to researching enhancements for the Warlords Matrix. Years ago, they had achieved the seemingly impossible—boosting the systemʼs power level from 48 to 49. That single leap had taken decades of intense research and experimentation, and it was still considered a monumental achievement.

However, after that milestone, all progress had stagnated.

Numerous attempts had been made to fuse additional battle emperors into the matrix system, yet every adjustment—no matter how minor—led to catastrophic collapse. The structure was too delicate, too intricately balanced. Even the slightest deviation from Robinʼs original formula caused the entire array to disintegrate like a glass sculpture under stress.

Eventually, the division submitted an official report to Zara, admitting what many had begun to suspect: His Majesty had created the matrix with such flawless symmetry and finality that it was, in their words, ”perfect and sealed.”

Their success in upgrading it from 48 to 49 had been a statistical anomaly—one of sheer, dumb luck. They were now requesting to dissolve the division and redirect their efforts elsewhere.

But Robin had other plans.

”In this new iteration,” he explained, his voice calm yet brimming with pride, ”Iʼve expanded the arrayʼs architecture significantly. Instead of a single central array heart, there will now be five—each one assigned to a separate faction or front. And, of course, a master core sits at the center, governing them all.”

He tapped the blueprint with a deliberate finger.

”During combat, these five hearts can function independently with tactical freedom. However, when necessary, they can voluntarily surrender control to any one of the other cores, centralizing command. Naturally, each core must be operated by a full-fledged Battle Emperor. With this layout, the new Warlords configuration should easily breach level 50—perhaps even surpass the strength of a typical Martial Emperor at that level, depending on the synergy and power of the five commanders.”

Robin leaned back in his chair, his gaze softening slightly as he watched his daughter absorb the information.

”Youʼll also notice,” he continued, gesturing toward the lower portion of the blueprint, ”that Iʼve included optimizations to extend the operational duration of the Warlords during prolonged battles. But more importantly—this time, I havenʼt sealed the design. Every stroke, every rune, every formula I used is laid bare, complete with annotations and alternatives. Iʼve written it all in such a way that even the youngest engineers in our academies can follow the structure, experiment with variations, and evolve the array as he wants”

His smile deepened as he finished.

”I didnʼt just build a weapon this time, Zara. I built a foundation, for the future, use it as you see fit.”