Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1903 A disaster?

”....” Robin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze lingering on the numbers he had just processed. Each figure seemed to grow heavier the more he thought about it, pressing on his mind with the weight of centuries.

Were these sixteen powers truly planning to enrich themselves indefinitely at his expense? Did they even have the sheer amount of resources to back such ambitions?!

Had billions become so casually tossed about, as if wealth were nothing more than a simple number?

Even if the effort were divided among the sixteen independent powers, each would only contribute roughly sixty million Pearls annually. Yet even that was a sizable sum, far from trivial, and a serious burden-even for forces that thrived on trade and commerce.

Most likely, they would be milked during the first few years, until all their reserves were drained at this unrelenting rate. Only after that would they begin importing resources from all powers in Middle Sector 100, and eventually from neighboring sectors to cover the contract, should it be finalized. Even then, it was almost certain they would fail to fully meet the demand for an entire century.

At best, they might manage to sustain it for a few decades... but for the True Beginning Empire, that was more than enough to legitimately fill their coffers and secure a long-term advantage spanning generations.

”Emily... the largest sum Iʼve ever handled in my entire life was 107 billion Pearls, and even then, I nearly lost my breath when I first heard it. And now you want to negotiate a deal for 140 billion in a single century?” Robin exhaled sharply, the weight of the numbers sinking in. He then glanced at Neri, his expression a mixture of disbelief and cautious amusement. ”Have you ever seen a poor man try to purchase an entire city, with its population and infrastructure? This is precisely what my head of HQ is attempting-an audacious move beyond reckoning”

”She has immense confidence in you...” Neri said, raising her delicate shoulders in a graceful shrug. ”And if she succeeds in securing this funding, the Empireʼs industries will experience a massive leap in quality, before quantity even comes into play. The long-term effect could be monumental.”

”....” Robin fell silent for several moments, letting the idea settle in his mind, before finally nodding. ”This is precisely why I didnʼt immediately reject her or strip her of her position after such an audacious and seemingly illogical request. The offer is genuinely tempting-it warrants careful consideration. Emily wouldnʼt suggest such a significant investment unless the financial difference was truly remarkable. And these are resources that canʼt even be purchased elsewhere... Clearly, theyʼre trying to win us over, to bind us to their cause through wealth and influence.”

A faint, almost wry smile spread across his lips. ”It seems theyʼve noticed the extreme wealth Aro possesses, and naturally the Academy he openly supports. Of course they want a slice of that... they are clever, I must admit that. Theyʼve seen the power and resources concentrated in his hands, and they intend to claim a portion for themselves.”

Robin tapped his chin thoughtfully, his brows tightly furrowed. ”But I donʼt think the Academy could bear these expenses alone. Morgana already has far too many open fronts to manage evenly. To fund such a colossal offer would inevitably mean falling short in one or even all of the other critical operations. The risk is too great if mismanaged.”

”I donʼt know if you need my opinion,” Neri continued, her voice calm but firm, ”but supporting Lady Emily in this endeavor will deliver tangible benefits: new fleets, vast quantities of weapons, and both mid- and high-tier epic armor sets. This will safeguard the lives of your elite troops, as Holak desires, accelerate expansion efforts as your marshals wish, and even indirectly reduce the financial demands from Caesar and Aro, because part of the funds they request will be channeled toward additional weapons and fleets anyway. Every angle offers gain.”

”....” Robin nodded slowly, though unease lingered in his eyes. ”But all that money...”

”Canʼt you return to the Room of Truth to review new requests?” Neri gestured toward the Spirit Sapling, ”Itʼs been decades since the last visit. Perhaps it has filled again with new petitions.”

”Thatʼs excellent advice!” Timariʼs voice chimed from inside the mirror, full of enthusiasm. ”There are hundreds of requests in the Room of Truth, the largest priced at 1.8 billion Pearls! Opportunities abound, should you choose wisely.”

Robin raised a hand sharply, signaling for silence. ”Shhh! My time has become far too precious lately to waste countless years sifting through the Room of Truth. There are far greater priorities demanding immediate attention. Every second counts now, and I cannot afford to squander them on deliberation when the stakes are this high.”

He leaned back, eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the enormity of the Empireʼs needs, the relentless demands of allies and subordinates, and the intricate web of politics, strategy, and resources that surrounded him. The numbers were overwhelming-but as always, he would find a way to navigate the storm.

After recently embarking on his ambitious project, utilizing the third grade of spacetime to intricately engrave those sacred tablets, and after his understanding of the first few patterns of the Law of Truth had surged past thirty percent, everything else in the universe felt trivial, almost weightless in his eyes. Every distraction, every minor issue paled in comparison to the magnitude of what he was creating.

It was precisely for this reason that he had resolved to withdraw entirely from the matter of funding and to focus solely on the truly critical issues-especially after founding the Academy and transforming it into the undisputed pinnacle of education in this entire quadrant of the cosmos. The institution now stood as a beacon of knowledge and power, unrivaled by any other establishment in the surrounding star systems.

”....” Robin ran his fingers repeatedly through his hair, massaging his temples as if trying to stir his thoughts into sharper focus. ”I cannot find a single front where support can be reduced. Each and every one of them carries immense importance each possesses a unique value, a role that cannot simply be

dismissed.”

”Really? I can find a handful,” Neri interjected, turning slightly away in mild exasperation. She still felt a twinge of irritation that he refused to focus all his attention solely on Mid Sector 99, where so much was at stake.

”Tsk~ Youʼll never understand,” Robin muttered, raising a hand dismissively and swiping Emilyʼs image from the screen.

As expected, the Academyʼs profits currently hovered around 1.5 to 2 billion

Pearls annually. If he wished to contribute to financing the Luminous Tide Empireʼs offer and its backers, he would, in exchange, need to elevate the Academyʼs earnings through additional measures, raising its annual revenue to approximately 3 billion Pearls.

It would not be simple. Robin had already poured every available idea, every resource he could safely share with outsiders, into the Academy. Even Sky Opening City in Mid Sector 100 functioned almost entirely in the institutionʼs favor, geared to strengthen the students, their abilities, and their future potential. Yet, despite these advantages, achieving the target would still require careful planning and, most importantly, time-likely an additional fifty years of meticulous effort.

All that remained was to approve Emilyʼs request, while strategically including a clause in the agreement stating that payments would not commence until after fifty years. This would satisfy both parties and ensure long-term stability.

As for Caesar, he had not yet begun open war against the millennial empire. Robin could afford to delay any major conflict for fifty years, or allow light skirmishes and diplomatic negotiations to continue in the meantime. Aro, however, was already fully engaged in warfare. Robin could defer compensating his allies until after the conflict, while the necessary resources to sustain Aroʼs campaigns would be secured through Emilyʼs funding agreement. In this way, even Aroʼs ongoing war could be temporarily set aside from Robinʼs immediate concerns.

Clap Robin brought his hands together sharply, releasing a long, measured breath. A slight sense of relief washed over him. Establishing the Academy had already saved him an enormous amount of time and effort; it was now a self-sustaining powerhouse. Allowing it additional time to increase profits further was a minor cost compared to the benefits it would yield in the long run. In the grand scheme, the Academy would once again become the principal source of wealth and influence for his plans.

Then, with a faint, almost nostalgic smile, Robin tapped the next message. This

one was from the Lady of the Covenant, and the familiar face of someone he

trusted appeared on the screen.

”.... Robinʼs face drained of color immediately.