Lord of the Truth

*Poff*

Robin threw himself onto his bed like a weary traveler who hadn't slept in weeks, well, that was kind of true. The past years had been exhausting... deeply, relentlessly, unforgivingly exhausting in every imaginable way.

Thirty-five full, consecutive years were spent reading a single book—one book and nothing else. He hadn't strengthened his soul, hadn't improved a single level in energy cultivation, hadn't even stretched a finger toward any of his usual side experiments or fields of research.

Without a shred of doubt, this had been the longest period of isolated seclusion he'd ever subjected himself to, all for a singular objective.

Even his once-legendary research on the mysterious Fifth Cultivation Path hadn't consumed this much of his life.

And the worst part? It wasn't even the kind of seclusion he liked—those peaceful years filled with curious experimentation, philosophical reflection, and elegant magical theory.

No, not at all. This one had been nothing but pure mental torture—an excruciating grind of reading word by word, line by line, while fighting through illness, mental fatigue, and something akin to spiritual erosion.

After finally escaping from that torment, the only thing his mind craved was sleep—years of sleep, uninterrupted and dreamless.

But...

There was no time for indulgence.

"Hooh~"

After lying still on the bed for several long minutes, Robin refused to allow himself the luxury of sleep.

He inhaled deeply, then sat up cross-legged in a meditation posture atop the sheets, eyes shutting with practiced ease...

Instead of seeking rest through dreams, he knew better—it would be far wiser to spend the next few years regaining momentum, building capital, and earning resources.

--------------

Inside the Soul Society---

<Welcome, Lord Human!>

The familiar fairy appeared in a dazzling flash, then immediately twirled into a full circle around Robin, her glowing wings fluttering cheerfully in joy.

<You haven't shown up for several decades, and your location went dark for a few days! We feared something terrible might have happened to you—maybe even something irreversible!>

Robin tilted his metallic face slightly to one side, his mechanical features betraying only mild curiosity.

"But now you know where I am?"

<Of course we do! You're currently at the Dawn Light Stellar Academy, located in Sector 99 of the Middle Realms. You've chosen wisely.>

The fairy's voice sparkled with both respect and excitement.

<That place is secure. Lord Altheira, your host, is a powerful force and a worthy opponent to just about any potential threat or aggressor.>

"..." Robin exhaled a slow, tired sigh.

Those few days where his location had gone dark were almost certainly the time he had entered the Planet of the Cosmic Elder—where detection was suppressed.

Aside from that brief break, however, he was always under surveillance—constantly.

Even when no one was physically tracking him, the soul seed embedded deep in his head ensured that his position could be monitored at all times.

It was unfortunate, but he had come to accept it as part of his reality.

<Lord Human, if I may ask—why did you enter the soul society in full this time?>

The fairy hovered closer to his face, her curiosity clearly genuine.

<You usually remain in your private spirit domain and just use the soul seed like a control panel to interact. This is rather different.>

<Don't tell me... you've come to explore the Couple-Matching Hall?> she added with a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

"…You're unusually excited today, aren't you?"

Robin raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

<Well… I have been assigned to be your exclusive fairy, haven't I?> she answered, fluttering her wings in slight embarrassment.

<The past few decades have been kind of uneventful, to be honest.>

<But I'll do my best to behave more professionally from now on. Promise!>

"You don't need to. Honestly, I like you better this way—more lively."

Robin reached out and gently patted her on the head.

"Actually, I've been through a particularly rough experience lately, and I want a complete change of atmosphere—something soft on the nerves and easier on the senses. Also, I want to check the new requests in the Chamber of Truth. Can you arrange both for me?"

<Absolutely! Consider it done, my lord!>

The fairy didn't hesitate. She didn't argue. She simply blinked—and the system obeyed.

*Whoosh*

In a flash, the blank white world surrounding Robin melted away, reforming itself into something entirely different.

The next moment, he found himself in a radiant dreamland—a realm of color and tranquility.

He was now seated on a lush meadow overflowing with multicolored flowers that stretched far in every direction.

Beside him, a small crystalline waterfall tumbled gently over rocks, releasing a soothing, melodic sound that eased the tension in his chest.

Before him, a narrow stream carried the waterfall's water downhill in winding curves. Its waters were so pure and still that the fish inside seemed to glide effortlessly, as if flying in midair.

"…Amazing," Robin murmured, drawing in a slow, deep breath.

"Even the fragrance of the flowers—it's perfectly replicated here. That's uncanny. What is this place?"

<This is the Relaxation Hall.>

The fairy's voice carried a soft pride.

<Some people are willing to pay massive amounts of money just to remain here for a single hour. The environment here isn't only ideal for meditation and reflection... the creator of this hall embedded subtle magical stimulants—stimuli that accelerate thought processes and dramatically boost cognitive clarity.>

<Anyone facing a major life decision will often pay by the minute just to spend time in this exact spot.>

The fairy then waved her hand strongly, and a dazzling, glowing list appeared beside her, hovering mid-air with an ethereal shimmer.

<And these are the current requests submitted to the Chamber of Truth, awaiting a solver. Normally, I'm not allowed to display them outside the Chamber itself, but of course, for simple requests like these, I can make a few exceptions just for you, my Lord.>

"This..?" Robin furrowed his brow deeply, eyes narrowing as he slowly raised his gaze upward, trying to trace the end of the seemingly endless list.

"There are more requests here now than the entire backlog that had piled up in the Hall of Truth over hundreds of thousands of years before I ever stepped foot in it!! This is insane..."

<After you completed nearly every single request inside the Chamber and word of your achievements spread like wildfire, a large number of powerful forces and influential factions were encouraged to send in a flood of new requests. We believe that many of them are simply trying to obtain anything—anything at all—that carries the unique imprint of a 'Human' solver.

Even the factions whose previous requests you already completed have sent one or two more—this time with simpler requirements and much higher payment offers—just to guarantee that they appear at the top of the waiting list!>

"Seventy-five million pearls just to restore three torn pages from a fourth-stage martial technique? Not bad... not bad at all." Robin nodded thoughtfully.

He had already made up his mind not to publish anything in the public store for a while to avoid unnecessary exposure, but this kind of request was both rewarding and low-risk. It didn't take much time to complete and, more importantly, didn't send out the same disruptive shockwaves that came from releasing works into the store or auction house.

The only real downside was that requests like these were far too rare.

Smiling to himself, Robin casually selected the most expensive one on the list.

In the blink of an eye, the martial technique requiring restoration appeared before him as an energy projection, along with a small desk that materialized beside him, neatly arranged with an array of sketch boards, pens, and drawing instruments.

"Oh, you're being very helpful today—surprisingly helpful, actually."

<My pleasure, hehehe!>

The fairy giggled and did a full loop-the-loop spin above Robin's head, leaving behind a small trail of stardust.

Her behavior now was far more cheerful and open compared to how she had acted during their very first meeting.

"Hmm... A short session of focused research and creative restoration, while also raking in a ton of money on the side? That's the kind of multitasking I enjoy."

Robin muttered with amusement, but rather than jumping straight into work, he waved his hand slightly and summoned the Spirit Realm's interface panel before him—sleek, floating, and semi-transparent.

After navigating through a few detailed menus and tapping several filters, the screen he wanted finally came into view—and as soon as it did, Robin's smirk widened.

It was exactly what he was hoping to see: the balance field.

Back when the grand auction had concluded, and after transferring a major portion of his wealth to Theo for long-term investments, he was left with about 7 billion daras in total.

It had been almost seventy years since that day—a full generation in the lifespan of lesser mortals.

Since then, he hadn't released any new products, nor had he accepted or completed any paid commissions.

And yet, due to the long-term sales and royalties of his previously published works in various spirit markets and hidden black-sector stores, Robin now discovered his current balance had grown to nearly 9 billion!

Nearly two billion in passive profit... from doing absolutely nothing.

"Hmmm, maybe I'll indulge myself in a little shopping spree once I finish some of these higher-tier commissions," Robin murmured, gently rubbing his chin in contemplation, already imagining the rare treasures and mysterious artifacts he could acquire.

"Hmm?"

At that precise moment, something else caught his attention, pulling his eyes to the corner of the interface.

"The message box is glowing?"