Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2015 Partner ”...Iʼll take you to the very same resource warehouses.” She repeated it deliberately.

Morgana pushed the door open with a firm motion, the hinges creaking softly as she stepped through, pulling Emily along with her at a brisk, purposeful pace. ”Do you remember exactly what you want?” ”Of course I do every detail, engraved in my memory,” Emily replied, clearly surprised. ”I also have detailed written lists of everything, item by item,” she added after a brief pause. ”But... what exactly are you planning to do?” ”Just take those lists out,” Morgana replied, her lips curling into a broad, confident smile. ”Honestly, girl, I thought youʼd committed some massive mistake, or that the funds had been stolen somehow. But it turns out you simply donʼt know who to buy from?” She chuckled lightly. ”Hehe, thatʼs actually incredibly easy to fix” ”Easy?” Emily echoed, her eyebrows knitting together in disbelief. ”Do you even realize the scale of what we need?” She let out a slow sigh. ”I already know where youʼre taking me-to Lord Shadoy, right? He is an excellent merchant with deep connections, I wonʼt deny that. But even he wonʼt be able to cover requirements that exceed a billion pearls annually.” ”A billion pearls per year in raw materials alone?!” Morgana froze in her tracks for a moment, her eyes widening slightly as she raised her voice.

She purchases weapons, entire fleets, talismans, and even hires armies in quantities far surpassing that every single year-but all of those are finished products, already refined and complete.

For example, if a piece of rare metal costs 100 pearls at its source, the merchant will resell it to a blacksmith for 200 pearls. The blacksmith then adds additional materials and uses specialized fires, whose combined value may reach 800 pearls. This brings the total production cost of the resulting weapon to around 1,000 pearls.

That very weapon-whose actual cost is just one thousand pearls-will be sold within a single week for no less than 20,000 pearls.

Why? Because the blacksmith demands his share, there is the interplanetary transportation fee, the market administration claims its cut, and the empire to which the market belongs takes several more shares on top of that!

So yes, itʼs completely natural for Morgana to purchase finished weapons at such inflated prices. But it is not natural-nor reasonable-for Morgana to be purchasing raw materials in numbers like these!

Logically speaking, if Emily were to buy raw materials worth a billion pearls, then once manufacturing is complete, those same materials should be worth 20 -or perhaps even 50-billion pearls. And all of that within the span of a single year?

Just what kind of massive development is taking place within the True Beginning Empire?

Morgana fell silent for a brief moment, clearly lost in thought. Then she resumed walking forward, a wide, intrigued smile returning to her face. ”The more I marvel at His Majesty, the more he manages to shock me. Sometimes I genuinely believe heʼs content remaining isolated with nothing but his research... and other times, I simply canʼt see any limit to the scale of his ambition.”

She then turned her head slightly and winked at Emily as they continued moving. ”Second of all-who ever said weʼre going to that annoying merchant?” ”Huh? Then who?” Emily asked, startled. ”Everyone says he holds the keys to trade in the Sector 99 Mid sector. Even the trade alliance I relied on in the Sector 100 Mid sector depended on him to secure certain supplies.” ”Heʼs nothing more than a small, local fish,” Morgana said dismissively, waving her hand several times. By then, they had already exited the building entirely and stepped into the open garden outside. ”As long as itʼs within the sector, he can find whatever you want-even planets with very specific specifications. But when it comes to providing quantities on the scale youʼre talking about... there are others who are far, far better suited.” ”Planets with specific specifications?” Emily nodded slowly, her mind already racing. ”That could actually be very useful for the design of Nihari. Iʼll speak with the Prime Minister about it and see what gaps still exist in the internal galaxy design, so we can move to seal them.” ”Just gather everything and request it from him in one go,” Morgana said, her tone suddenly sour. ”Dealing with him... is troublesome.” Her expression darkened at the mere mention of his name, and darkened even further when she noticed a familiar figure standing in the corner of her vision. ”...Ugh. I really wish Iʼd said something nice instead.” ”-My lady-”

At that very moment, a figure rushed toward Morgana and Emily, running with his arms stretched forward as if afraid they might disappear at any second. He possessed thick, prominent lips, narrow eyes that gleamed with shrewd intent, and skin that shimmered unnaturally-as though he had just emerged from an icy bath. A pleasant fragrance surrounded him, refined yet excessive to the point of being unmistakable. There was no doubt about his identity... it was Lord Shadoy, the official liaison of the traders of Mid Sector 99. ”Sit!” Morgana barked sharply. ”Yes!!”

Lord Shadoy immediately dropped to both knees, kneeling with exaggerated politeness. His eyes sparkled with even greater admiration as Morgana passed right beside him, not sparing him a second glance.

Emily waited until they had completely passed him, staring at the kneeling man with visible confusion. She then turned back toward Morgana and asked quietly, ”Why did he come to you today? Do you need something from him?” ”You should as WHEN does he ever leave,” Morgana replied with clear irritation. ”He rarely ever leaves the academy, and I canʼt throw him out. Unfortunately, heʼs the primary supplier for nearly all the Weapon Preservation Armyʼs needs.” ”Well... thatʼs actually kind of flattering,” Emily said hesitantly. ”He really seems to really like you. Why donʼt you-” ”....!!”

Morgana stopped dead in her tracks and fixed Emily with a piercing glare, her eyes sharp enough to silence her instantly. ”...Sorry?” Emily quickly raised both hands in surrender. ”You should be,” Morgana muttered as she resumed walking, her tone stiff. After a few steps, she tilted her head slightly and lowered her voice, the irritation giving way to something far heavier. ”...I have lived for a million years without a lover or a husband. Do you really think that was easy for me? Especially when I see couples and families everywhere, while I walk alongside specters. I had nothing to distract me during that time. Over the course of an entire million years, I attacked only fifty specter farms. Other than that, I would isolate myself and cry... or wander around watching families, wishing that one day I could be like them.” ”...Thank you for trusting me enough to share something so personal,” Emily said softly, biting her lip. She glanced back briefly, then looked at Morgana again. ”So then... why not?” ”Because I wonʼt fast for a million years just to end it by eating an onion!” Morgana snapped, shaking her head violently. She lifted her chin, her expression resolute. ”My future husband must be a hero among heroes. Someone strong enough to protect me someone beside whom I can feel like a little girl. Someone with ambition so vast that I can support it with everything I have. Someone... someone...” ”Someone like His Majesty?” Emily asked, covering her mouth in sudden realization. ”...I never said that. You did.”

Morgana pushed open a small door, her face noticeably flushed with embarrassment. ”Weʼre here.” ”Hm?”

The moment Emily stepped through the gate, she froze. Before her sat a group of boys and girls-no more than fifty students in total-seated directly on the grass, listening attentively to a lecture being delivered in the open air. ”Lady of the Academy.” ”Teacher!”

The instructor immediately stopped speaking and bowed respectfully, while every student rose to their feet and saluted in perfect unison.

Morgana gestured toward the students and spoke to Emily in a calm, confident tone. ”This group consists of the direct bloodline of the Behemoths, or the direct heirs of the Millennial Empire spanning Mid Sectors 90 through 109. Any resources you require, they can provide them... and in quantities far beyond your expectations. Simply give them your lists, and you will see results that more than satisfy you.” ”This is...?!”

Emilyʼs eyes trembled uncontrollably. She was standing before the lineage of the Behemoths themselves?

The Behemoths?! ”What exactly does that young lady need?” one of the young men spoke up, his brows deeply furrowed. He wore the distinctive uniform of the Sands of Time Galaxy. ”Does it have something to do with our stay within the academy?” ”I doubt our families would approve of offering services to people we donʼt even know,” said another, a youth with small horns and skin covered in scales, his gaze turning away dismissively.

They had come to witness the children of the Cosmic Elder-not to entertain the Lady of the Academy and her associates. ”How about this, then?”

Morgana clapped her hands together, a confident smile spreading across her face. ”Anyone who helps us secure just five items from that list will be granted a field expedition to a coastal planet-personally accompanied by the children of the

Cosmic Elder.” ”..” ”Show me that list.” ”No-give it to me first!”