Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1361: Syndicate of the—

Then Theo gestured toward the bracelet on his wrist.

”This bracelet,” he began, his voice steady and precise, ”drastically shortens that two-week delay. With it, the delay becomes merely two to three hours at most. Yes—it’s outrageously expensive, but its value is undeniable. We had no choice but to purchase them. The need for swift data, and personnel exchange between planets was already urgent—but more so, we needed seamless communication between the Young Belt and the Mid Belt. Imagine: a catastrophe erupting in Jura, and we wouldn’t even hear about it nor reach for help until a months had passed! That’s a risk we couldn’t afford.”

Robin nodded slowly, wordless, but inwardly overwhelmed by the implications.

”...”

The sheer vastness of space between planets, and the unimaginable scale of even a single sector—it was overwhelming. Frightening, even.

As he absorbed Theo’s explanation, a sigh escaped Robin’s lips.

This... this is precisely one of the unmatched advantages of owning a galactic seed.

It didn’t matter how colossal the sector was, didn’t matter if it contained hundreds of millions of celestial bodies. So long as the galactic seed was under your control... all of that could be simplified.

You could scan the entire region once. You could pinpoint, extract, and pull every major or strategically valuable planet to orbit around a single star system.

And just like that—interstellar war logistics collapse into nothingness.

No more exhausting multi-front campaigns. No more war fleets stretched across entire quadrants, like what had happened with the Nine Paths Empire.

Everything would become centralized, and even without teleportation devices, traveling between those clustered planets would take mere minutes, not months.

Robin’s fingers curled around a pendant now glowing with a soft, unfamiliar aura.

”And what about this?” he asked, lifting it slightly. The pendant’s halo pulsed softly—no less potent than the bracelet, if not more.

Theo replied without hesitation.

”That’s a Safe-Passage Pendant. Crafted by the artisans of the Galaxy of Radiance. It incorporates laws of the sixth stage of the Purity Path. Its function is simple—but vital. It manipulates the laws governing the barrier wall between belts, making it dramatically easier to pass through. Where once it took us ten grueling days to cross, we can now complete the journey in just a few hours. The wall still scans us, of course—both entering and exiting—but the harmful side effects of exposure are almost entirely neutralized, thanks to the pendant.”

A sheepish grin found its way onto Theo’s face.

”Each one costs 150,000 pearls. We bought a handful of them to support our operations. I know it’s still excessive... But it’s a necessity, not a luxury.”

Robin’s eyes narrowed, flickering between the two artifacts.

”Both of them are built using sixth-stage applications of fundamental laws. The bracelet costs 1.1 million, the pendant just 150,000. That’s nearly a tenfold difference... Tell me, does Interas not worry about exploding from all his gluttony?”

He scoffed, shaking his head. Veins bulged slightly across his temples, irritation leaking from his every word.

In truth, Robin could nearly swear that solving the travel bottleneck between sectors wasn’t even difficult for someone who had reached the seventh stage of space. Creating the famous Triangular Portals shouldn’t be this expensive, nor this rare.

But Antaras’ monopoly on the technology had locked everyone else in place, anchored each sector’s powers where they stood.

Only he and his inner circle enjoyed freedom of movement, as if they alone deserved to walk the stars unbound.

Robin forced a strained smile, searching for levity.

”...Anyway. The imperial treasury must’ve fainted dead away at the sight of your radiant shopping list, huh?”

Theo raised his chin slightly, pride flashing in his eyes.

”Actually... all of it was financed by the Shadow Swords Network in the Mid Belt.”

He stood a little straighter, his voice taking on the tone of a report well-delivered.

”As you commanded, Father—we established an intelligence guild spanning Sectors 99 and 100. A full structure—tracking, intel gathering, infiltration, planting spies, assassination missions. Over the past 150 years, give or take, we’ve expanded exponentially. We now have hundreds of hidden and public outposts across both sectors. And our profits... have never stopped growing. We’ve already amassed nearly 40 million pearls!”

Robin arched his eyebrows slightly, visibly impressed.

According to his knowledge, that amount of wealth was roughly equivalent to the average fortune of a well-established multi-planetary empire spanning twenty planets in the Mid Belt.

And Theo had managed to amass it in just over a century and a half?

Truly remarkable.

”It’s clear that your operations are flourishing,” Robin said with a chuckle, a hint of pride in his voice.

Theo smiled, his eyes glowing with genuine gratitude.

”It’s all thanks to the perfect Darkness Law you granted me, Father. That law... it was made for this. It allows us to move in silence, operate from the shadows, infiltrate, observe, vanish... and strike when needed. There’s nothing more fitting for this kind of work.”

His voice carried the excitement of someone who had found his calling.

”Our guild’s reputation grows by the day. We gain clients—and adversaries—faster than we can count. In fact, even the Syndicate of the—”

He hesitated for a moment, the words catching in his throat.

”That Syndicate... they noticed us. And they reached out directly.”

Robin’s expression darkened slightly, the playful energy fading.

”...Are you seriously afraid to even say their name? While sitting right in front of me?”

He tapped Theo’s leg with mock disbelief.

”That doesn’t sound like the bold son I raised.”

Theo gave a knowing, uneasy smile and shook his head.

”No matter how powerful we become... there are still entities out there that you simply don’t provoke. For some powers, obeying their laws and customs isn’t weakness—it’s survival.”

Robin narrowed his eyes.

Sensing the tension, Theo quickly clapped his hands and shifted the mood.

”Anyway, they praised us. Apparently, they’ve been watching our growth and were... impressed. They proposed a permanent intel-sharing agreement. Along with... a modest portion of our profits.”

He laughed nervously. ”That kind of arrangement usually only gets offered to Syndicates backed by World Cataclysm cultivators. We’re kind of breaking the mold, I guess.”

Robin scoffed.

”You mean to tell me they’re extorting you. Forcing you to give up your information and taking a cut of your earnings. That’s not partnership, that’s pressure. Who exactly do they think they are to intimidate the Shadow Swords like this?”

His eyes sharpened.

”Even a Behemoth wouldn’t dare recklessly challenge your expansion. If someone tried to destroy a planet just to drive you out, would they really flatten an entire sector? No. You just need to spread—and clearly, you are.”

Theo gave a half-smile and waved his hand dismissively.

”It’s fine, really. Nothing to lose sleep over. Most of the intel we gather isn’t even sensitive—just reports we sell for a few dras here and there. The only information we truly protect is anything related to the True Beginning Empire. Everything else? Disposable. And if it ever gets important, we run it by you before we act.”

Robin went quiet for several seconds, his gaze thoughtful, reading every flicker of hesitation on Theo’s face.

Eventually, he nodded, slowly.

”Alright... as long as you’re staying safe, that’s what matters to me. Still—tell me, is there anything I can do to help you grow faster? Expand your reach even further?”

Theo’s face lit up.

”Honestly? Everything is moving at an excellent, steady pace. Among the World Cataclysm-level Syndicates, I don’t think any of them match our network or volume of operations.”

He grinned mischievously.

”But... if you really want to help—maybe send a few World Cataclysms cultivators our way? Just a handful.”

Robin burst out laughing and gave Theo another playful slap on the thigh.

”Trying to provoke me now, are you? If I could buy World Cataclysms like snacks, I’d have shipped you a dozen already.”

Theo raised an eyebrow, grinning.

”Oh... actually, we can buy some of them. They’re on the market. We just... don’t have the coin yet.”