Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1791 Seraphim nominations

Hoooom

The quill, Seraphim, began to glow with a deeper, more pulsating radiance, and the multicolored ink reservoir inside it stirred as if something alive were waking up. Then-drop-Robin lowered the quillʼs shimmering tip until it gently tapped the floating pattern.

In a single breath, a wave of dense black ink spread across the golden pattern like a living shadow, coating every curve in a smooth layer. But almost immediately afterward, the black surface began to fracture with sharp cracks, peeling away piece by piece and falling to the ground like brittle paint placed on a scorching iron plate.

Yet something was undeniably unusual. Among the five brilliant points glowing like miniature suns on the pattern, one point alone remained black, refusing to shed its color. And beside it, a thin thread of blackness stretched into the air, forming clear words: (Nocking Mountain Gum Sap - Concentration 7%) ”What is this...?!” Shaddad and Jabba crept forward slowly, step by step, drawn in with the helpless curiosity of moths approaching fire for the first time.

Robin, however, wore a calm smile, far more composed than their barely-contained shock. ”Nocking Mountain Gum Sap,” he said, ”is a compound I stumbled upon by pure accident while completing assignments in the Truth Chamber on planet Zaron. Bitso brought it to me once after I asked him to search for new, unusual materials. Itʼs an extract from a very peculiar resin that doesnʼt adhere to anything except papers with an Eternal classification. But despite that rare trait, it also works excellently as a base for inks and various alchemical mixtures. Dilute it down to exactly seven percent, and youʼll have the first foundation out of the five.” ”Forget the sap for a moment, Master-I already know that material, I used it once before, Itʼs a little crafty to get it, but not if one looked carefully. What I mean... what is this?!” Shaddad jabbed a finger at the floating words (Nocking Mountain Gum Sap - Concentration 7%) as if pointing at a ghost.

Robin gestured toward the text as well. ”What youʼre seeing here means that the ink formula I imagined trying just now failed completely-every single component collapsed-except for this one. Seraphim selected it on its own and wrote its name clearly. That means itʼs the ideal choice for this exact point in the array, and, just as importantly, it will cause no interference or chemical conflict with the remaining four components.” ”The quill actually chooses ingredients!?” Jabbaʼs voice cracked as he raised it. ”...?!” Even Morgana emerged hurriedly from deeper inside the hangar, her eyes narrowing as she tried to make sense of the scene unfolding before her. ”Hm. Even I donʼt completely understand how Seraphim perceives things, or what set of laws it was originally built upon,” Robin admitted as he ran his fingers through his hair. ”But Iʼve started uncovering some of its fundamentals bit by bit. For example, I understood the array using the Eyes of Truth-saw its essence and formed its structure in my mind. The quill simply reproduced what I understood. Then I thought of an ink formula I had personally used before and whose properties I fully grasped, so Seraphim compared the traits of each component to the nature of the array and produced the most optimal match.”

A wider smile spread across his face. ”Itʼs hard to explain properly... it basically performs whatever Iʼm thinking of, but it never exceeds the limits of what I myself am capable of. It simply accelerates the process for me. And it saves time-mountains and mountains of time.” ”Were you the one who told it to write the name and the concentration like this too?!” Shaddad asked quickly, almost breathlessly. ”No,” Robin chuckled. ”Seraphim is surprisingly polite. Sometimes it performs extra steps entirely on its own initiative.” ”...?!?!”

Both Shaddad and Jabba looked as if their worldview had been rearranged in real time. ”Alright then,” Robin said, rolling his shoulders lightly, ”letʼs try it again. This time, Iʼll imagine a completely different list of materials.”

Robin-who had completed thousands upon thousands of requests inside the Truth Chamber, each concerning a completely different discipline-found it increasingly difficult to encounter any substance that could function as ink and yet remain unknown to him.

Drop

And indeed, the second time Seraphimʼs feather-tip touched the rotating pattern, the entire array flushed into a deep, radiant blue-almost like an ocean of ink spreading across its surface. For a heartbeat the color looked stable, then delicate fractures raced through it, fine cracks shimmering before the whole layer began flaking off in large pieces. They fell like brittle paint scraped from a scorching furnace, leaving the pattern bare once more... except for two of the five luminous points, which stubbornly remained colored in blue.

Beside them, two floating dialogue windows formed out of thin air: (Ancient Memory-Leaf Ash - 6 leaves per 100 liters) (Bone-Wolf Tongue - 30 grams per 100 liters)

On the sidelines, Jabba and Shaddad leaned forward unconsciously, their eyes stretching wide as if reality had just bent in front of them. Their expressions were blank, stunned-because somehow, impossibly, they had now obtained three of the five fundamental components already.

And what made this even more absurd: none of the three were part of the 350 ”essential” components listed in their original ink catalogue.

Not one.

It defied common sense. It felt impossible. Master Robin clearly knew every item on that massive list-yet the quill bypassed all of them and selected alternative substances... and not merely alternatives, but materials that were dramatically cheaper and easier to acquire. In some cases, they cost a fraction -barely a fraction-of the originals. ”Hey... are you seeing what Iʼm seeing?” Jabba whispered sharply and nudged Shaddad hard in the ribs, then tilted his chin toward Robin. ”...?”

Shaddad shifted his gaze reluctantly, pulling his attention away from the floating quill. Only then did he finally notice what had been right in front of him yet completely ignored.

He had been so overwhelmed by Seraphimʼs miraculous performance that he forgot the simplest truth of all: power comes with a price.

At this moment, Robin still wore a faint smile, but sweat beaded across his forehead like rain, his breathing was ragged, and his eyelids drooped heavily as if they weighed tons.

His body looked like that of someone who had just run a marathon around the entire planet, and his spirit looked like someone who had gone countless nights without sleep.

One glance was enough-Shaddad understood instantly.

His master had not been ”playing around” with the quill. Not even close. Ever since coming back from the Cosmic Elderʼs trip, his power had surged back to his old peak. Someone like him shouldnʼt have been drained easily... yet here he was, struggling to stay upright.

And mentally?

Wasnʼt he a Royal-rank Soul Master with multiple stars? Shouldnʼt his mind have been nearly inexhaustible?

Realizing this, Shaddad took a slow breath and looked back toward the quill, but the awe in his eyes softened.

Even if he were holding Seraphim, even if the quill belonged to him personally, he simply didnʼt possess the raw energy nor the soul force needed to use that artifact the way Robin just had. It was brutal, reckless, overwhelming-far beyond what they themselves could withstand.

Drop

The attempt failed; not a single point accepted the mixture.

Drop (Roaring Metal-Breath Alloy - 17 kilograms per 100 liters)

Drop

The attempt failed.

Another failure.

A third failure-none of the points reacted at all.

Yet another failure, the quill rejecting the entire combination instantly.

Drop (Nails of the Swimming Giant in planet Ughason - 3 grams per 100 liters)

After the ninth and final attempt, Robin finally let his arm fall, lowering the quill beside him. The crushing exhaustion weighed on every inch of his body. It wasnʼt simply the soul units spent-what drained him was the massive, concentrated burst consumed in each single attempt.

He exhaled a shaky, worn-out breath, then turned slowly to face his two disciples who were still frozen like statues. ”Those five materials are perfect for your array,” Robin said, voice tired but steady, ”and they donʼt interfere with each other at all. Iʼll give you two hours to prepare a neutral medium that can merge all five elements together.” ”T- two hours?!” Shaddad and Jabba finally snapped back to reality. ”Yes. Two hours.” Robin nodded weakly, barely holding himself straight. ”Weʼre testing that array today.”