Lord of the Truth

A few minutes later—

Latania continued to push the wheelchair forward. Her movements seemed slow and deliberate, but in truth, she was gliding across vast distances. To the eye of any observer they were speeding madly, every step she took was enough to cover tens of meters in an instant.

"...."

On her right and left, both Malik and Wade kept pace silently. They moved with the same grace, neither speaking nor breaking the quiet rhythm, yet exchanging subtle glances every few steps.

This moment, this setting—they had imagined their first encounter with His Majesty would be many things... but certainly not like this.

"Hmm," Robin murmured as a number of massive buildings emerged on the horizon. He tilted his head slightly and motioned toward them with a calm nod. "It looks like... we've finally arrived."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Malik responded promptly, his voice formal and composed. "When we first arrived in this sector, we were taken to one of those buildings for registration. Afterward, we were led to the Guard Courtyard. We'll need to formally check out from here and obtain a travel permit before we can access the academy's spatial gates."

"...."

Beside him, Wade gave a sideways glance, the corner of his mouth twitching with silent laughter.

Pook

Understanding the mocking glint in his friend's expression, Malik quickly smacked Wade lightly on the back of the head, embarrassed by his own long-winded explanation and flustered demeanor in front of His Majesty.

"Ouch!" Wade winced and let out a quiet groan, almost retaliating before a voice cut through.

"Your name's Malik, right?" Robin asked. "Go to the Guard Administration Building and retrieve exit permits for the three of you. Let them know it was I—Professor Robin Burton—who granted your release."

"Understood."

Malik nodded immediately, taking his first direct task from His Majesty with visible pride. He took two firm steps forward—and with that, vanished into the distance.

"...Here we are," Robin said as he pointed with a slight gesture toward one of the largest buildings in the vicinity. "The Mission Hall. Let's go inside, Latania."

"Yes, You Majesty."

Latania's hands tightened with precision on the wheelchair handles, controlling every motion as if her life depended on it. She rolled Robin forward with expert ease, her speed decreasing only once they passed through the towering archway and entered the massive building. There, she came to a gentle halt.

Rumble Rumble

Robin's gaze immediately swept across the chamber and fell upon the crowd. Hundreds of students were moving sluggishly before the enormous mission walls. Thousands of requests were posted on the vast surface—each one unique, each with its own parameters and reward.

Just by glancing at one of the posters, all the relevant information would transmit directly into your mind like a flowing stream of data.

Normally, students would stand in front of those walls for at least a full day and night, analyzing every option thoroughly before selecting the mission that best suited their skills and ambitions.

But why take on missions in the first place? Why were even the most distinguished students forced to venture out and complete such tasks?

Because—more often than not—they were simply poor.

The student period at the Dawn Light Stellar Academy lasted a full thousand years. Upon completing this cycle, a student could graduate, provided they passed a series of final examinations—ranging from hand-to-hand combat to secondary subjects like alchemy, rune crafting, or any specialty they had mastered.

If they met the minimum passing criteria, they would receive a diploma and earn the right to declare themselves a graduate of the academy.

Alternatively, one could graduate early by reaching the World Cataclysm Realm. Achieving this level—even within a hundred years of enrollment—would qualify them for final testing and official graduation. Or, they could simply remain enrolled, paying academy fees solely for access to the grand library…

Yet whether you stayed the full thousand years and paid the twenty million Pearls required just for tuition—perhaps even an additional twenty million to receive lessons from one or two specialized professors—or you focused entirely on reaching World Cataclysm, purchased a stabilizing node, paid for an expert to assist during your breakthrough... it all came down to one thing:

Funding.

Even among the most powerful empires of the sector—no, of the entire cosmos—few had the resources to invest that kind of fortune in a single student. Therefore, most students had no choice but to accept handfuls of mission requests throughout their academic journey, desperately gathering funds to keep their dreams alive.

...The first among them to break the silence was Wade. He looked around with a wide grin and started laughing. "Kekeke… This place is really brimming with life, huh?!"

"Are all of these people truly in the upper levels of a Martial Emperor's domain like us? Tch." Latania's face twisted with scorn, her tone dripping with disbelief. "Honestly, I feel like I could crush this entire crowd of them in under an hour without breaking a sweat."

"I'd do it in fifty-five minutes." Wade replied coolly, casting his gaze elsewhere as if bored by the conversation.

But Latania refused to let him steal her moment to shine. "Hah! I was allowing myself a little extra breathing room," she smirked confidently. "If I went full out, I could probably do it in forty-four minutes flat."

"Enough." Robin interrupted before their playful bickering escalated further. He gestured toward the nearby information desk tucked into one of the side halls. "Wade, go ask them how we can get to the Specter Valley Planet."

Woosh — a glowing ring materialized in front of Robin, floating steadily in the air.

"Take this with you," he said, flicking it toward Wade. "Use it to purchase their coordinates if necessary."

"Got it!" Wade caught the ring mid-air and casually strode off toward the desk, already scanning the layout.

Robin, meanwhile, turned his attention back to the walls around them, his curiosity gradually piqued by the various mission postings projected onto the shimmering black panels.

<Tracking a four-star Karma-negative war criminal... reward: 20,000 Pearls.>

Robin narrowed his eyes slightly. A four-star Karma-negative war criminal? That sounded like serious business. But to be completely honest…

He glanced briefly at Wade, who was now deep in an animated exchange with the receptionist at the counter. The oppressive aura around him was terrible—borderline monstrous. Even if Robin didn't yet fully grasp what "four-star Karma-negative" meant in precise terms, he was fairly certain Wade had already exceeded that rating without even trying.

This kind of overwhelming negative energy couldn't have come from simple soldier-on-soldier battles. No, it felt like the kind of karmic weight born from massive catastrophes—perhaps the destruction of cities or even the downfall of entire planets.

And Wade wasn't alone in that. Latania and Malek shared a similar darkness within them, though they clearly made an effort to restrain it. Wade, on the other hand, unleashed his aura freely and without a shred of hesitation—as if consequences didn't even register to him.

"..." Robin let out a long exhale. He needed to figure out a way to deal with this corrupting aura building up around his elite guards. There had to be limits set—restraints put in place. Otherwise...

"Damn you, Hulak..." he muttered under his breath, the name escaping like a curse.

"Did you say something, Your Majesty?" Latania asked immediately, her ears sharp even in casual moments.

"Nothing much," Robin replied quickly, regaining his focus. He turned his attention back to the list of missions.

<The head of the ancient beast on Planet Zari-5... reward: 5,000 Pearls.>

<Three barrels of blood from every native beast on Planet Antika... reward: 30,000 Pearls.>

<Cleanse the early traces of the Black Plague on the dwarf planet Dorf-16. A group of at least ten is highly recommended... reward: 200,000 Pearls.>

"Wow," Robin murmured to himself, raising his eyebrows slightly. "They're definitely placing a heavy emphasis on that plague situation. The reward spike is massive."

<Capture the Black Hornet currently residing on Planet Meka-8... reward: 150,000 Pearls if captured alive, 50,000 if dead.>