Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1799 Preparing a new army

”Heh~” Morgana let out a soft, almost shy laugh, a sound that held a mix of amusement and relief. ”I didnʼt mean to challenge you, Your Majesty, or put any kind of pressure on you to help me. Itʼs simply... the truth, nothing more than that. I only speak honestly.”

”My second star,” she continued, her tone becoming more reflective, ”I achieved it thanks to the miraculous technique you gave me initially. And because I was already at the limit of two million units, all I needed was to apply the final pressure. Thatʼs why I became a Two-Star Soul Master so effortlessly. The third star, however, was far more challenging-it delayed me greatly, taking nearly seventeen years to expand my soul domain enough to finally push it forward to three million unit. And honestly... I believe Iʼll need a few centuries to reach the fourth star, even with the advantage of the three volumes of the Soul Atlas at my disposal. Actually, without the third volume... I probably would have remained at the third star for ten thousand years or more.”

Morgana shook her head slowly, a mixture of humility and quiet determination in her expression. ”I am doing everything within my power to grow stronger, to serve you better, and to contribute in every way I can. But there are natural limits to my abilities. The structure of my soul domain is composed of 20% pure soul essence, and the rest consists of ordinary units. That is considered excellent for most Soul Masters, but it simply cannot support more than four stars.” Her cheeks flushed slightly as she smiled, a combination of

embarrassment and vulnerability showing through. ”Iʼm sorry... I cannot stand at the forefront the way you might hope.”

”Oh? Isnʼt that merely about purifying the soul domain structure?” Robin raised his eyebrows slightly, as if questioning the simplicity of her doubts. He took out a polished metal tablet and closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing.

”Hmmm?” Morganaʼs eyes widened, her initial shock giving way to curiosity, then a cautious smile. ”Your Majesty... you told me before that youʼre not particularly interested in soul research. Perhaps thatʼs why you donʼt fully realize how difficult this truly is. Attempting to alter the essence ratio in a soul domain structure is... just impossible. Itʼs like tampering with the very foundation of a building; any interference risks the collapse of the entire structure.”

She looked away, her expression tinged with regret and nostalgia. ”Before my fatherʼs empire fell, I meticulously tried to expand my range with the goal of reaching fifty percent purity, aspiring to become a Seven-Star-or even Eight-Star Soul Master like him. But alas... I walked this path cautiously, accepting whatever progress I could achieve at the time. I do have some regrets over my past limitations, but I cannot regret my current level. Achieving twenty percent purity is already considered miraculous and Iʼm proud of it. If time were reversed, I very likely would not have been able to surpass it.”

She shook her head slowly and turned her gaze back to Robin, her voice soft but resolute. ”I am truly sorry, Your Majesty... I cannot take on this role. I will continue to serve as a teacher in the Academy, guiding and nurturing the next generation. But you should look for someone else to take the position, someone worthy of your attention and capable of becoming the Academyʼs head. Donʼt worry-I will assist them with all my strength and knowledge.”

”Girl,” Robin said, a faint smile tugging at his lips, ”you certainly have a flair for drama-Iʼll give you that!” He opened his eyes fully and handed her the metal tablet.

”What is this?” Morgana asked, glancing at the tablet, then at Robin, confusion and awe mingling in her voice.

”Itʼs a technique I personally developed to modify the soul domain structure, replacing ordinary units with essence units,” Robin said coldly, his voice calm but carrying a weight of authority.

”.....??” Morganaʼs shock rendered her momentarily speechless.

”...” Robin raised an eyebrow at her silence. ”What?”

”What do you mean, ʼwhat?!” Morgana exclaimed, her voice rising in disbelief. ”You created something like this? You? How is that even possible?!”

”I wanted to, so I did it,” Robin replied casually, shrugging as if it were the simplest thing in the world. ”The purity of my own soul domain structure had already reached approximately ninety-five percent, but I wasnʼt satisfied with the remaining five percent, I saw it as a weak spot. So I devised a method to replace those ordinary units with essence... and I succeeded.”

Then he continued slowly, his tone calm but firm, ”Honestly, Morgana, I donʼt think you can reach the exact same level of purity on your own. This technique I created... it was designed to replace specific units, not to completely restructure the entire soul domain. Itʼs precise, targeted. But with enough time, patience, and deliberate effort, reaching forty percent or even fifty percent- is absolutely within your grasp. Youʼll need discipline, but itʼs not impossible.”

Morganaʼs eyes widened as if the world itself had stopped.”......?!” she whispered, her heartbeat quickening. Every other thought evaporated from her mind. She focused solely on one question, one hope, one spark that had lingered in her soul for decades. ”Wait... are you saying you succeeded? Are you saying your soul domain structure is now... one hundred percent pure?!”

Robinʼs lips curved into a faint smirk, though a slight irritation lingered in his eyes. ”Yes,” he said, his tone clipped. ”Why all the questions? Do you want it or not?”

”I want it!!” Morgana exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of shock, excitement, and disbelief. She hugged the metal tablet as though it were the most precious thing in the universe, turning slightly to shield it from the world, as if anyone else might snatch it from her. Her hands trembled as she raised it slightly in front of her chest, her wide eyes fixed on Robin.

That tablet... that one small, unassuming tablet... held the key to a dream she had carried since childhood. The dream of finally reaching the elusive eighth star like her father, a dream that had haunted her every thought, every action. Slowly, cautiously, she lifted her gaze to Robinʼs eyes, her own filled with a mixture of awe, disbelief, and hesitation. This was no ordinary technique-it was legendary. Ultra-sensitive. Dangerous if misused. And yet, he himself had reached one hundred percent purity using it.

Her mind raced. Hadnʼt he said he didnʼt care about soul matters? This technique shouldnʼt exist. Even her fatherʼs empire, which had relied entirely on soul force, had never possessed such a method...

What would happen if his majesty now decided to devote his attention to refining the soul system even further?

”You now possess everything required to become a truly magnificent Royal Soul Master,” Robin said, his voice steady, cold, almost clinical. ”Talent, experience, knowledge, purity, and lots of Emeralds... everything that remains is merely the passage of time. I will not pressure you. I wonʼt demand that you reach the seventh star within a century. That would be unnecessary. But three centuries? Three centuries is a reasonable, realistic timeframe.”

”Th-three centuries... only?!” Morgana gasped, her voice trembling with disbelief. Her mind whirled at the enormity of the task, yet a spark of hope

flared in her heart.

”Yes,” Robin said firmly, raising his voice, the words cutting through the chill of the moment. ”Three centuries. In that time, the Academy you will build will grow at a staggering, unprecedented pace, eventually achieving the theoretical strength of a Stellar Academy. Then, when you yourself achieve the seventh star, I will secure the formal recommendations from three established Stellar Academies and officially crown you as the head of your own Stellar Academy.

Agreed?”

”...Iʼll try.” Morgana ground her teeth, hugging the tablet even tighter, feeling the weight of her destiny pressing upon her shoulders.

”Good enough.” Robinʼs rare, wide smile appeared, a flash of satisfaction

crossing his usually stoic features. He produced another metal tablet, noticeably larger than the one Morgana held, and placed it deliberately before her. ”Thereʼs something else I need you to help me with.”

”Of course... whatever it is, Iʼll do it!” Morgana said, her voice quivering with

emotion. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Wasnʼt striving for the seventh star, while simultaneously overseeing the creation of a colossal academy, already enough to break her?

”The soul farms youʼve retrieved-the forty-nine planets you liberated-have they been relocated to the Grave Empire yet?” Robin asked casually, as if discussing something mundane, but the weight behind his words made

Morgana shiver.

”No,” Morgana shook her head. ”I told Harper that I am ready to guide them to their assigned locations at any moment, but no request has been made yet. The

transfer hasnʼt even begun.”

Robin nodded slowly, as if he had expected this. ”Expected... The full focus now is on transferring the planets to Nihari. Perhaps the Shadow Swords intentionally left your forty-nine planets for the final stage-maybe even until after Nihariʼs promotion. But that is fine. In fact, it may even be advantageous.”

”Advantageous in what way, Your Majesty?” Morgana tilted her head slightly. ”...Do you have business with those planets?”

”I have business with the emeralds within them.” Robin smiled. ”I think itʼs time to strengthen the Soul Path in the Three Empires.”