Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2240 counter-plan

”...A dream that cannot be realized.” Blokan spoke steadily before pointing toward Robin. ”I donʼt mean any disrespect, because Iʼm far too weak for that, but if an Executioner appeared right now, it WILL kill you... and then the entire universe.”

His tone was calm, yet there was not the slightest trace of doubt within it.

This was not pessimism.

Nor was it criticism.

Simply a statement of reality as he saw it.

”I understand your point.” Robin nodded. ”There is certainly a risk, but Executioners arenʼt so numerous that one appears every day.” Then he pointed at Blokan twice. ”Do you remember the events of the First Wave? Athena breaking off a piece of the Shell the size of a galaxy?”

Blokan nodded.

The incident had long since become one of the most famous events in the history of B-14.

No one who knew of it could easily forget it.

”Back then, only a single Executioner entered. That Executioner never attempted to break through the Shell and get out again. Even after its entire nest was banished, those Reapers never returned accompanied by new Executioners, despite the fact that there is almost certainly some method of communication between Reapers and Executioners.”

Several nearby listeners unconsciously focused on Robinʼs words.

This was not information they had considered before.

Then he continued,

”That gave me hope that the number of Executioners isnʼt very large. Or more precisely, that the territory they have to cover is so unimaginably vast that they canʼt concern themselves with every detail. Or perhaps, as the All-Seeing God said, theyʼre lazy and donʼt actively pursue their duties. Any of those possibilities gives me hope that a strategy of gaining experience and accumulating strength is actually feasible.”

Robin looked toward the distant gate as he spoke.

The massive structure stood there silently.

A threat.

A source of opportunity.

And perhaps both at the same time.

”Hope... dream...” Blokan smiled faintly. ”Two names for the same thing.”

”Do you have a better suggestion?” Irritation appeared on Robinʼs face. ”Should I close the gate and completely sever contact until they come knocking on our door once theyʼre ready?”

”....” Blokan remained silent for a few moments.

He thought carefully.

Yet every path he considered eventually led back to the same problem.

Closing the gate would buy time and safety.

Leaving it open would gain experience and power.

Neither choice guaranteed survival.

”Iʼll prepare a respectable number of Law Dominators to guard the gate.”

In the end, Blokan decided to give his head a rest.

Arguing was pointless.

No matter how much Robinʼs plan seemed to be built upon hopes and dreams, if an Executioner eventually arrived, Robin would be the one fighting it anyway.

And, truthfully...

He really didnʼt have a better proposal.

”...But Iʼll need a tremendous amount of funding during the coming period. A tremendous amount.” Blokan continued.

”Heʼs right, Your Majesty.” Morgana returned accompanied by Zara. ”The number of Cosmic Academies is growing at a decent pace, but not at the pace we currently want.”

Then she frowned slightly as she arrived beside Robin.

”Our system is better, our information and technology are superior, our education is of the highest quality, and even the funding you provide us is generous. Yet Qarun refuses to let us accomplish anything in peace. The Cosmic Elder should deal with him soon.”

Robin nearly cried.

The Cosmic Elder dealing with him?

If the truth ever spread that the Cosmic Elder was missing, they would all be finished. Him, his empires, and even the Cosmic Academies themselves!

That old manʼs name had become one of the largest pillars supporting their influence.

The moment that pillar disappeared, countless hidden enemies would emerge from every direction.

”What do you think makes the remaining Star Academies choose not to join us?” Robin asked.

”Interests.” Blokan answered without hesitation. ”The Master of thrones, Qarun, allows them to do whatever they want as long as they send eighty percent of their profits and taxes to him. That leaves them free to spend any additional money however they please. Weʼre talking about billions. Officially, those funds are supposedly used to support peacekeeping armies, but in practice that rarely happens. Half of the money goes to The Syndicate to pay for hired armies, while the other half disappears into the pockets of academy masters, senior elders, and instructors.”

His voice carried obvious disdain.

As someone who had spent countless years observing the sectorʼs major powers, he understood perfectly how such systems worked.

Everyone spoke of ideals.

Everyone spoke of duty.

Yet most people followed profit.

”And what about us?” Robin turned toward Morgana.

”We donʼt leave anything for them.” Morgana frowned. ”All tax revenue and educational profits are directed into a single public treasury. We pay academy leaders and instructors large fixed salaries, and we also provide an adequate peacekeeping army along with everything the academy requires to function properly. They simply have no need for personal wealth.”

There was obvious dissatisfaction in her voice.

From her perspective, the system was already fair.

Everyone received what they needed.

The academies were supported.

The students received better education.

The instructors were paid generously.

Yet somehow that still wasnʼt enough.

”Hmm, I see.” Robin nodded before turning back toward Blokan. ”Then why are people still paying them taxes? And why do they still have students?”

”The taxes collected by the Star Academies have already decreased since our appearance. We need enormous peacekeeping armies while they donʼt, yet officially weʼre both supposedly performing the same duty. Student expenses have also become lower by at least half.” Blokan shrugged. ”You know exactly what educational materials are like in the Star Academies compared to ours. Garbage. Absolute garbage. But theyʼre cheaper. Thatʼs why nobles still send their children there. They want to be able to say their sons studied in a prestigious Star Academy, and at the same time they donʼt want to pay more money just to receive a better education for their kids.”

Several nearby listeners nodded slightly.

The situation was absurd.

Yet nobody could deny it.

The quality difference between the two systems was enormous.

The problem was that quality wasnʼt the only thing people considered.

Sometimes it wasnʼt even the most important thing.

People compared prices.

People compared taxes.

People compared short-term costs far more often than long-term benefits.

”Every problem youʼve mentioned is directly connected to money.” Robin sighed. ”The universe has been split apart, itʼs under threat from external forces, and we canʼt even unify a single front... because of money?”

His voice carried genuine disbelief.

He had fought space beasts.

He had faced an Executioner.

He had looked beyond the Shell itself.

And now he was discovering that one of the greatest obstacles before him was still the same old obstacle that had plagued civilizations since the beginning of history.

Profit.

”For nobles, clan leaders, small planetary kingdoms, and countless others, a difference of fifty thousand pearls per year is an enormous amount when weʼre talking about taxes and educational expenses.” Blokan nodded. ”That truly is the reason the Cosmic Academies will never spread the way we want them to. Our only realistic targets are multi-planet empires that control forty planets or more. Those people can afford the taxes and care enough about their heirsʼ education to pay for it. As for everyone else...” He shook his head. ”Theyʼre hopeless.”

”....” Robin leaned back slightly.

The wind blew across the mountain.

Far away, the massive gate still stood open.

The vortex in the sky continued to rotate slowly.

Countless beasts still prowled beyond the battlefield.

Yet Robinʼs thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.

Economics.

Influence.

Expansion.

Control.

Sometimes those things were more difficult to conquer than entire armies.

”Money has always been the problem.” Robin spoke quietly. ”It has always been the secret behind rapid development, the hidden force behind expansion, growth, wars, alliances, and betrayal.” His eyes narrowed slightly. ”But this time... this time the stage is simply too vast.”

The scale was completely different.

They werenʼt discussing a city.

Or a kingdom.

Or a sector.

They were discussing systems that would influence countless worlds.

Systems that would determine who controlled the future.

”Heh~” Robin let out a long breath before turning toward the two of them. ”If the Throne Council wants to play dirty, then we should do the same.”

”...?” Morgana and Blokan immediately frowned.

Neither of them liked that smile.

Every time Robin wore that expression, someone somewhere ended up suffering.

Usually his enemies.

Occasionally his allies.

And sometimes his accountants.

Robinʼs smile widened slightly.

”Starting today, I want both of you to eliminate the salaries of Academy Masters and everyone at the Law Dominator level and above. I also want taxes reduced to only twenty percent of their current value. Thatʼs less than half of what the Star Academies charge, correct?” Then he smiled. ”Starting today, all tax profits will belong to the Academy Masters themselves. They can do whatever they want with them. Consider it their new salary.”

”....?!” Blokanʼs eyes widened to their limits.

For a brief moment he genuinely wondered whether Robin had suffered hidden injuries during the battle against the Executioner.

That amount of money was astronomical.

It wasnʼt merely a reform.

It was a complete restructuring of the system.

”Are you absolutely certain about this decision, Your Majesty? That amount of wealth... we need it more than anyone! The peacekeeping armies need it more than anyone!”

”The armies can be handled.” Robin waved a hand dismissively. ”What we need are Law Dominators. If we give them all tax profits, their personal wealth will increase enormously compared to what Qarun provides. It will become an irresistible incentive to join us.”

Then he continued.

”Furthermore, theyʼll have every reason to expand aggressively and bring more kingdoms, clans, and territories under Cosmic Academy taxation. More taxes means more income for them. More income means more motivation. More motivation means more expansion. Theyʼll actively increase the influence of the Cosmic Academies without us having to force them.”

Morgana slowly blinked.

Then blinked again.

When she first heard the proposal, it sounded insane.

Now it sounded dangerous.

Which was often a sign that Robin had discovered something valuable.

Blokan froze.

The more he thought about it...

The more frightening the proposal became.

Academy Masters would no longer be employees.

They would no longer merely receive orders.

They would become beneficiaries.

Partners.

People whose personal interests were directly tied to the growth of the Cosmic Academies.

Every new world would become money.

Every new academy would become money.

Every new student would become money.

The entire system would begin expanding under its own momentum.

”This...” Blokan slowly began pacing to the left. ”Thereʼs no doubt this would work. In fact, it would probably work extremely well. But what about academy expenses? What about the armies? What about infrastructure, transportation, recruitment, and construction? Where would all of that funding come from?”

Robin tilted his head slightly.

”...How much do you need, for example?”