Lord of the Truth

"I beg your pardon?!" Robin raised a single eyebrow, his voice thick with disbelief, struggling to process the words he had just heard.

Across from him, Theo sat upright, his expression unwaveringly serious, undeterred by his father's confusion.

"Father," he said firmly, "in a world like ours, where power rules and morality bends, anything becomes possible if you have enough money to push the limits."

His tone darkened slightly as he leaned forward.

"True Nexus State experts aren't exactly available for purchase—not in the conventional sense, not even in the infamous black markets. But I've dug deeper than most, far enough to uncover truths others dare not even whisper."

His eyes narrowed, brows drawing together in intense focus.

"That syndicate... one of its core, most well-hidden operations involves raising Nexus State experts from birth —nurturing them, training them, breaking them— all for the sole purpose of leasing or selling them to the highest bidder."

Robin blinked, stunned.

"That syndicate?!" he repeated, as if trying to make sure he heard correctly. Then a subtle realization crossed his face, and he slowly nodded.

Of course. That syndicate. The one so deeply entrenched in shadow no one dared utter its name aloud.

Raising Nexus State experts like livestock, grooming them to be sold? What kind of twisted logic is that…?

But Theo wasn't finished.

"That's just one method," he continued, voice now low and cold.

"There are also those Nexus State experts who are captured alive in large scale wars—for example if the Iron Boar Empire were to fall in battle to Rinara and Elinor, and their Nexus State Emperor is seized before death."

He motioned upward with two fingers.

"Then there are the tragic ones—the broken. The ones who lose everything: their will, their families, their homes. With nothing left to live for, they sell themselves off as mercenaries, wandering weapons for hire, they just want to find a purpose until death comes, not daring to take their own life."

Robin shifted uncomfortably, a heaviness settling on his chest.

"Can someone like that truly be trusted? Can a Nexus even be controlled?"

"That's exactly why Royal Soul Masters exist," Theo shot back without hesitation.

"Every Nexus State that is sold or leased is bound—bound by unbreakable soul-contracts, forged and overseen by strong Royal Soul Masters. It's one of the major reasons their price is so outrageously high."

Robin nodded slowly, trying to keep pace.

"And how high are we talking?" he asked, fingers idly drumming against his knee.

"Rental prices?" Theo exhaled.

"Even the weakest among them will cost no less than 3 million Pearls per year. And there's a minimum contract duration: 100 years. Non-negotiable."

Robin's eyes flicked toward the floor, a wry smile forming.

"So we're looking at a minimum of 300 million Pearls... just to borrow one for a century."

His tone was dry.

"That's not a price tag—it's an execution."

Theo chuckled faintly.

"Then let's not even talk about ownership." He tapped his fingers on the chair arm, his mind visibly calculating.

"Purchasing one outright is a rarity—an anomaly. Most owners treat Nexus States like living investments. Their strength, their presence, their contracts… they bring in regular income, like renting out a war machine that never complains."

"But still," he added, "there are rare moments when someone decides to sell. Maybe the owner needs an enormous amount of capital fast. Maybe the Nexus is dying, broken. Or maybe, just maybe, the buyer makes an offer too absurd to refuse."

Robin leaned in slightly, curiosity piqued.

"What's the most recent case you've seen?"

"An elder," Theo replied after a pause. "One who ascended through the Major Law of Wind. A being of great power... but his time was running out."

Robin's eyes sharpened.

"And the price?"

"1.2 billion Pearls," Theo said plainly.

"A bargain, considering the might of the man."

"1.2 billion…" Robin muttered, running a hand along his jaw thoughtfully.

"Yes. He was sold cheap because he was nearing the 100,000-year threshold," Theo explained.

"The buyer had only two choices: get him a planet to refine to keep him alive, and take him out of unnecessary wars... or unleash him in suicidal strikes to take down as many enemies as possible before his body failed. So in the end he decided to sell."

He gave a small shrug.

"Now, had that old man possessed even 5,000 more years of life-force in him? I guarantee you the price would've edged near 1.5 billion, without question."

Then Theo's smile widened slightly, his tone dipped with implication.

"And if the Nexus State is young, full of vitality, or someone already in the mid or upper Nexus Realm…"

He paused for effect,

"…then we're not talking about one or two billion. The price could easily climb to three… maybe even four billion Pearls."

He gave a small, knowing shrug.

"Of course, all of this is hypothetical. Finding someone willing to part with such an asset is another challenge entirely."

Robin leaned back in his chair, his mind spinning with the sheer gravity of those numbers.

"…World Cataclysms go for thirty to ninety million… while Nexus States range from 1.2 to 4 billion?"

He muttered the words more to himself than to Theo, as though trying to test their reality on his tongue.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, rubbed the space between his eyes with slow, deliberate fingers, then nodded with calm resolve.

"Once you deliver the five billion to the imperial treasury as planned, you'll have ten billion remaining under your command. Allocate half of it — five billion — toward acquiring as many World Cataclysms and Nexus States as possible. How many you secure, and at what prices… that'll be determined by your resourcefulness, your ability to negotiate, and your cunning."

Theo's lips curled into a grin — not one of arrogance, but of burning ambition. A shadow danced behind his eyes, and for a moment, he looked like a merchant of chaos, one who finally held the key to a gate long sealed.

"Understood," he said with dark satisfaction.

"And the other five billion?" he asked, tone steady, though laced with anticipation.

Robin waved a hand dismissively, a gesture of both patience and veiled command.

"Step by step, Theo. Don't rush ahead. There are layers to every move we make."

He reclined more comfortably into his chair, fingertips steepled beneath his chin.

"You mentioned that half of the First Army is fighting in the Middle Belt. Is Caesar personally leading that operation?"

Theo nodded without hesitation.

"Correct. Caesar, along with Aleksander, Raiden, and Victoria — all of them are currently on the frontlines, battling fiercely for control of the Fifth Planet."

Robin's brow furrowed, his mind immediately jumping ahead.

"And the other half? What of them? You said earlier that if a coordinated invasion struck the four planets of the middle Belt, we wouldn't have enough numbers left to hold them off. And yet… Caesar leaves half of his army behind?"

He leaned forward, voice tinged with frustration.

"Who's commanding the remainder of the First Army stationed there? Elizabeth? Martin? Neither of them are fit to lead in such a delicate, volatile moment. Why hasn't Caesar simply recalled them to the main front instead of leaving them to loiter in the rear with no strategic value?"

Theo raised his eyebrows slightly, then offered a knowing smile.

"Well… although the First Army in the Young Belt had been stagnant for a long while, in the last few decades, things have shifted. Dramatically."

He leaned forward with growing excitement.

"Their growth rate is now on par with the Second and Third Armies — a feat many thought impossible. I believe the credit goes to a new temporary commander… someone whose strategy has breathed fire into a long-stalled force."

Robin's eyes narrowed.

"A new commander?"

His tone sharpened.

"Don't tell me the Prime Minister assumed direct control? That seems reckless, even for him."

He shook his head.

"No one in the First Army is qualified to take full strategic command. Not unless Richard returned from Mid-Sector 101… and that's highly unlikely."

Theo chuckled softly, teasingly.

"Have you forgotten something, Father?"

He leaned back with a smirk.

"You have another son."

Robin's face shifted. A moment of blank confusion flickered across it… then realization dawned.

His eyebrows lifted.

"…Peon has returned to military command?"

"Indeed," Theo confirmed with satisfaction.

"He came back forty years ago, quietly and without ceremony. He inherited the Law of Corrosive Winds from Zara herself and received, signed by your own hand, the mandate to govern Planet Poison Rock. He spent two full decades refining its spirit."

Theo's eyes glowed with admiration.

"And when he emerged again, he did so like a storm unchained. He took full control of the First Army from General Elizabeth, and from that day forward, the army was no longer the same."

He leaned closer, voice lowering in reverence.

"He abolished Caesar's long-held doctrine of 'full subjugation comes first.' Instead, he adopted a rapid-assault strategy — dynamic, aggressive, and unpredictable. He appointed new generals of his own choosing. He launched simultaneous strikes on multiple worlds. One general, fifty thousand troops, a few battlecruisers — that's all he needs. And when the real resistance appears, he descends himself, leading elite special forces into the heart of battle. He breaks them with brutal precision, then moves on without delay."

Theo's voice grew stronger.

"The First Army now fights with a rhythm and fury it has never known before."

BAM!

Robin's palm slammed against the table, thunder cracking through the chamber.

"Why in hell did Zara give him the Law of Corrosive Winds so willingly?!"

His voice surged with outrage.

"Did he threaten her again with those pathetic suicide stunts of his? Or has my word become meaningless now?!"

Theo didn't flinch. He met his father's gaze with calm resolve.

"Father… Peon fulfilled his duty."

He spoke softly now, almost tenderly.

"He married. He built a home. He has five children of his own."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"You should see them… they even resemble you a little."