Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1894 The tap

”.....”

After his final words faded into silence, Robin leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, his gaze unfocused, tracing patterns he had memorized long ago. Every crack, every faint discoloration-nothing in this room was unfamiliar to him anymore.

No matter how deliberately blind he tried to be, Robin had to admit a simple truth: the pace at which the colossal entity known as the True Beginning Empire, along with all its branches, had grown was nothing short of terrifying. It was fast-far too fast-even by the standards of the staggering sums he had poured into it, even considering the countless innovations, techniques, and systems he had handed over to its people without restraint.

The reason behind this explosive growth was not mysterious. He had appointed genuine elites-true talents-placing each of them precisely where they belonged. After that, he had rarely interfered. He merely set a distant, overarching goal, then stepped back and allowed them to work with whatever resources they had at hand. And yet... they had gone far beyond what he imagined. Not just a little. They had shattered his expectations completely.

His original vision for the True Beginning Empire in the Young Sector had been relatively conservative. He wanted them to gather around 1,200 planets-just enough to form a galaxy using fourth-grade displacement equipment-and perhaps seize another hundred worlds to leave behind as a seed, a fallback that would allow them to re-invade the Young Sector if things ever went wrong.

Reality, however, had taken a very different path.

The number of planets under the True Beginning Empireʼs control in the Young Sector had surpassed 3,000 more than fifteen years ago-and it was still climbing relentlessly. The three main armies were now treating Young Sectors 99 and 100 as nothing more than a vast competitive arena, a proving ground where they raced against one another to see who could conquer and claim more worlds.

Aro, in particular, had been tasked with laying down a stable foundation to receive the seed. Yet his pride pushed him far beyond that mandate. He built an empire that revolved around himself, crashing headfirst into every obstacle, antagonizing power after power, until he began openly clashing with millennial empires. At first, Robin had feared what those ancient millennial powers might do to Nihari upon its ascension-but instead of waiting, Aro attacked them openly, brazenly, even before that ascension ever occurred.

Then there was Caesar.

Caesar waged war across multiple star fields simultaneously, expansion burning brightly in his eyes as his sole objective. In truth, Robin had carefully woven a long-term plan with Theo for the future of the Cradle Empire, but Caesar knew nothing of it. He was increasing the number of planets under his control at a ridiculous, almost absurd speed, diving headlong into brutal, grinding wars simply because he could-because nothing stopped him-rather than slowing down and consolidating a single planetary field.

And Theo...

Theoʼs growth had been staggering. He had begun breaking into places Robin had never even heard named before. His reputation had spread so widely that he could now stand tall before anyone, regardless of their rank or standing, without lowering his head. Originally, Theo had been meant to remain in the shadows, operating silently and unseen-but the sheer scale of development across all fronts had forced him into the open.

All of them.

Every single one of them had exceeded Robinʼs expectations by an overwhelming margin.

They were accomplishing feats he once believed to be impossible.

They were undertaking actions that were not even strictly necessary-

Simply because they could.

Simply because their eternal benefactor existed, watching from above, ready to supply whatever they required whenever they asked.

So what was he supposed to feel?

Should he rejoice, knowing that his followers-his children-had surpassed even his most reckless, ambitious dreams?

Or should he grieve, realizing that if he were to disappear today, all of them would eventually be killed, and the great empire they had built together would collapse-inevitably-within a single century?

No... he wouldnʼt even need to die for that to happen.

If the Soul Society merely decided to close the tap on him if they forbade him from selling- then poof. His primary source of profit would vanish overnight. No matter how desperately he tried to compensate through scattered, individual auctions across the sectors, he would never again be able to gather

wealth on that scale.

And without that wealth... everything he had built would begin to crack.

Literally, his own neck- and the True Beginning Empire, along with all of its many branches-rested in the hands of the Dreamer Galaxy, or more accurately... in the hands of Lord Morval, the current ruler and decision-maker of the Soul Society.

This was one of the main reasons that pushed Robin to grant them the means to manufacture the device in the first place, while still insisting that they manufacture and sell the finished device itself, rather than selling the manufacturing method outright. In doing so, the Dreamer Galaxy would activate its colossal factories, consume its own vast resources to produce Robinʼs devices and arrays, and then naturally add all those manufacturing and logistical costs-along with a comfortable margin of profit-onto the final sale price.

If Robin saw ten billion in recorded sales for the Colonization Array, that meant the true profits behind the scenes were likely thirteen billion or even more. However, the Soul Society had already deducted its share for production and distribution before the numbers ever reached him. Even without factoring in taxes, they were making an enormous amount of profit through him-and that fact alone was enough to calm him slightly when it came to dealing with them. And yet... all it would take was for him to anger them over the most trivial, insignificant reason, and his entire source of income would disappear in the blink of an eye. The Soul Society would not cry tears of blood over losing Robin; they would simply move on.

”...Itʼs been nearly a full century since the announcement of the next stage of the empireʼs development,” Robin began muttering to himself again, his voice low and distant. ”And itʼs been half a century since the tap was completely shut off.” He paused briefly, then continued, ”According to my calculations- according to all the wars currently raging across the sectors-everything should have reached its peak by now... I wonder how theyʼre doing”

”...!!”

Suddenly, Robinʼs previously drowsy expression shifted completely. His eyes snapped open wide, an enormous smile spreading across his face as if struck by inspiration. He summoned an epic pen, pulled out a board made of trent bark, and began drawing with unrestrained fervor, his movements sharp and hungry. ”Canʼt you easily learn all their news directly from the Soul Society?” Arcalon noticed the sudden change but didnʼt seem particularly concerned.

”I want to see their limits,” Robin replied in the same restless tone as before. At the same time, his face was practically glowing with excitement, and his hand raced across the surface as he wrote. ”Iʼm afraid that if I see them cornered or desperate, Iʼll immediately send support.” He exhaled sharply. ”I have at least a few tens of billions right now-it would solve everything instantly. But what comes after that? Their core problem would still remain. They need to rely on themselves a little... they need to struggle. They need to try.”

”Itʼs not a good idea to destroy the empire you suffered so much to build with your own hands just because you want to run an experiment,” Arcalon said, crossing his arms as he observed Robin. ”This isnʼt the right time.” Then he smiled as he watched the pen fly across the board at incredible speed-it was genuinely entertaining. ”Hehe, I never get tired of watching this.”

Robin continued drawing for several more seconds, then suddenly shouted,

”Damn it!!”

Bam! He hurled the epic pen with all his strength toward the wall, where it shattered violently on impact. ”How I hate it when this happens!!” ”What is it this time?” Arcalon asked with clear mockery in his voice. ”...My sixth consciousness,” Robin replied, calmly scratching his head. ”It seems itʼs discovered yet another solution to the problem of the sixth path-a solution that involves the Master Creation Law, but...” He sighed deeply, lifted the board, and placed it atop a large pile beside him. ”...itʼs still not perfect enough.”