Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1941 Maturity

In a room with no walls and no ceiling at all, there was nothing within the field of view except a single door and only two chairs facing one another. The

emptiness itself felt deliberate, as though the space had been stripped down to its barest function.

Timari sat with impeccable manners, her posture straight, placing her palms gently atop her exposed knees. She faced the person she addressed as her older brother, watching him with quiet patience and unmistakable respect, never once rushing him or interrupting his silence.

Before her sat a man who appeared to be in his thirties. His hair was neatly parted down the middle, flowing down both sides of his face. His facial features were usually calm and composed, framed by light blond eyebrows and equally pale eyelashes... yet at this precise moment, that familiar serenity was absent. The tension in his face was subtle, but unmistakable.

Morvalʼs brows were tightly furrowed as he stared down at the floor,

supporting his head with three fingers pressed against his temple. The posture alone made it obvious-he was thinking deeply, weighing multiple threads of thought at once.

”Does this really require all this thinking, big brother?” Timari finally spoke, her voice steady but curious. ”Itʼs been almost an hour since I forward the details to you.”

”...” Morval maintained his silence for several more seconds, as though finishing a line of reasoning in his mind, before parting his lips slightly. ”Regardless of anything shocking in your report-and there is a great deal of it-there is something that particularly caught my attention. Specifically, the sheer number of changes in Robin Burtonʼs attitude and behavior toward us.”

”Changes?” Timariʼs eyebrows twitched faintly, a sign of unease. ”What do you mean by that?”

”After the auction and the formal confirmation of his standing, he attempted to deal with me as an equal. He negotiated with me directly, head-on, without hesitation. He even demanded that all taxes be removed in a single stroke, in exchange for continuing to send us gifts-gifts that he himself judged to be appropriate.” A smile appeared on Morvalʼs face, so faint it was almost imperceptible. Even now, the image of Robin trying to treat him as an equal was quietly amusing.

In truth, Robinʼs existence had been far too insignificant to justify such boldness. Still, Morval had chosen to indulge him, seeing value in maintaining a good relationship with someone who could potentially generate an enormous amount of profit in the future-and indeed, that decision had paid off.

”...Then we transition into a phase that lasted no more than a century or two,” Morval continued. ”During that period, he completely ignored his promise to send any gifts. His visits to the Soul Society became exceedingly rare, and the messages coming from the Shadow Swords grew few in number and, for some reason, heavily encrypted. The number of projects he had tied to the Society declined drastically, to the point where they were almost nonexistent-right up until he released the youth-restoration device. He even went so far as to ask you to tell me that I was free to reimpose the taxes if I wished.” His smile deepened just a fraction.

The encryption itself had been laughably trivial before the Soul Societyʼs systems, and his prideful talk about the return of the taxes represented an even greater arrogance. It was as if he were openly saying: if you dare to lose me, lose my great name within the Soul Society, and lose the profits you reap from manufacturing my products-then go ahead and bring the taxes back.

Once again, Morval chose to look past what was obvious and refrained from reimposing the taxes.

”And today, he has reversed course once again. The outgoing and incoming messages are exceptionally clear, leaving no room for ambiguity. He sent four projects-each one more massive and ambitious than the last. Along with them, he delivered four grades from the merged Purifying Light Law as a gift, and even reinforced every project with a special economic package,” he said, shaking his head slowly. ”More than that, he explicitly told you to ask for my permission before any publication-asking in advance whether I would reject or alter any of the projects.”

He then leaned back further, resting both arms comfortably against the armrests of his chair, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. ”First, he saw himself as an equal once his name spread among the great powers. Second, he began to view himself as someone above the system, no longer in need of us, and after that he went on to establish several vast empires of his own. And finally, it appears to me as though he is deliberately throwing himself into our embrace, treating himself as someone of lesser standing” His voice grew quieter. ”And all of this took place in less than four hundred years... Is this contradiction, or madness, in your opinion? How can a person like that be taken seriously?”

”... From what I can see, this is maturity,” Timari replied after a brief moment of contemplation. ”Given Lord Humanʼs young age compared to the figures he deals with, I believe he is still learning, still growing. He is shaping his character even now, step by step.” She then met his gaze directly, without hesitation. ”If your opponent acknowledges his mistakes and learns from them, that makes him far more dangerous than someone rigid-minded and predictable. Wasnʼt that one of the first lessons you taught us, big brother?”

”...” Morval gave a slow nod. ”Dangerous indeed.” Then whoosh--a dense surge of soul force spiraled briefly around his head before condensing in front of him, forming four bundles of radiant, shimmering documents. He gestured toward them calmly. ”Then should I interpret these projects as another sign of that maturity?”

”What do you mean?” Timari tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering across her face.

”All of them are extraordinarily powerful projects, each capable of being sold on the same scale as the youth-restoration device-or perhaps even beyond it. Without exception, every one of them incorporates soul patterns in one way or another. That alone gives us a glimpse into Robin Burtonʼs progress along the soul path, and into the level of mastery he has achieved-an advanced mastery, refined enough to integrate soul mechanisms seamlessly with natural laws...” He paused, his brows knitting slightly as his tone grew more serious. ”And yet, despite all of that, the final outcomes have no direct connection to the soul path itself.”

”In the race-alteration device, the soul patterns serve only to modify the aura. In the fate-Unbinding device, the soul patterns stabilize the subject during operation, preventing violent backlash from the negative karma seal. In the Second Chance array, the soul patterns stabilize the mental strength of both the injured and the volunteer against pain-and more dangerously, they scan the soul domain of the injured personʼs soul and extract a copy of the laws they are learning, engraving them onto solid foundations. That alone displays an unnatural level of soul finesse.”

He then raised a fourth finger deliberately. ”Finally, the Blood Scan Gate contains soul patterns designed to detect whether someone is using a spell or curse to manipulate the minds of others and speak with a voice that is not their own. The moment such interference is detected, the user is exposed without exception...” He fell silent again for a few moments. ”Each of these projects demonstrates boundless brilliance and an exceedingly rare soul aptitude. Together, they resonate as a tangible threat to the Dreamer Galaxy-and yet...” He lifted his head slightly and fixed Timari with a piercing stare. ”...Despite possessing all these capabilities, despite showcasing them through four projects that make him dance right along the edge of the red line, he never once crossed it. Not even a step beyond. Is that, too, maturity?” Then he turned his gaze away, his voice dropping to a near murmur. ”...Or did he hear something?”