<...Uh... Uh-uhhh...> After unlocking the data Robin had transferred, the fairyâs jaw dropped open. Her tongue twisted uselessly, and her mind went utterly blankâlike someone had wiped her core memory clean in a single instant.
"Hehe, this is the first time Iâve ever seen a programmed fairy actually struck dumb." Robin laughed heartily, a rare sense of pride bubbling up in his chest. For once, he couldnât hide itâhe had
really
outdone himself.
<You... You, YOU!!> The fairy suddenly remembered he was watching her, and she pointed at him frantically, <Are you telling me
you
created something like
this
?!>
"Itâs right here, isnât it?" Robin shrugged with casual confidence. "So, tell meâcan I list it in the auction or not?"
<Of course you can!!> the fairy burst out, her voice filled with a shocked excitementâonly to quiet suddenly, almost sheepishly, <But...>
"But what?" Robin raised a single eyebrow. Something in her tone had shiftedâthis wasnât the calm, robotic voice he was used to hearing. For the first time in 170 years of working with her, she sounded... almost human. Unfiltered. Emotional. He squinted at her curiously. "Donât tell me... after all this time, youâre gonna try to cheat it out of me?"
<Never! Of course not!> she blurted, clearly flustered. <Itâs just... well... a lot of people are looking for you, Mr. Human. Word is, theyâve narrowed the search down to just one quadrant of Sector 100 in the Mid-Belt. You know what that means, right? What do you think would happen if
this
showed up in a public auction right now?>
"You mean to tell me... youâre passing up
profit
all of a sudden?" Robin chuckled in disbelief. "Didnât see that one coming."
<Weâre just trying to protect our most valuable partner, thatâs all. Trying to make things easier for you.> She clapped her tiny hands together sharply, as if sealing a deal. <So hereâs the offerâweâll buy the blueprint directly from you. Four hundred million Pearls.>
She smiled at him, eyes gleaming, <That way, you get your payout instantly. No exposure, no risk. Clean and safe.>
Robinâs eyes narrowed slightly. "No thanks. I want it in the auction."
He spoke with finality, waving his hand in refusal. Yet inside, deep in the back of his mind... awe began to stir.
A fourth-stage planetary artifact would normally have an opening bid around 70 million Pearls. Even cutting-edge planetary array blueprint that could double conquest efficiency across the universe were priced at 8.5 million in the store.
But this? This thing was apparently worth
four hundred million
to them without negotiation?
<Four hundred and fifty million,> she tried again, almost pleadingly.
"Stop." Robin shook his head with a small sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "This isnât about money. Not this time."
He paused. Then added with unusual gravity, "Iâm taking a long break from selling in the Soul Society. So I want the last thing I release... to be unforgettable. I want the name
âHumanâ
to echoâloudly. To leave a mark. Something big. Something that will make them
remember.
Do you understand?"
<...Why?!> she blinked, genuinely confused. <Arenât you supposed to be hiding? Laying low? I thought youâd try to spread rumorsâsay you
stole
all these techniques and arrays and you published them all to throw them off your trail? Maybe even fake your own death and disappear completely?>
"Ahh, yes... that
would
be the rational move, wouldnât it? Thatâs what a sane person would do." Robin laughed, loudly and without shame. "But what can I say? Iâm a glory-hungry bastard. I like the spotlight. I like the noise."
He grinned, then turned toward the mirror and pointed.
"Add it to the auction list. Tonight, everyone in the Mid-Belt will know the name
âHumanâ.
Tonight... Iâm sending a message."
<...As you wish,> the sprite sighed, defeated but compliant. <Iâll begin preparations immediately. Would you like to teleport to the auction hall now?>
"No. You go ahead first." Robinâs grin faded slightly into something more thoughtfulâalmost solemn. "Iâll head to the Chamber of Truth... one last time."
----------------------
The Hall of Truth
â
"Hoh hoh~" came the coarse, almost raspy laughter of the elder with the dark, dog-like head. His aged eyes squinted in amusement. "Youâve been lingering here more and more these days. One might think youâve grown attached."
"Mind your own affairs," grunted the other figure, whose head bristled with spiked hair like a crown of thorns. His gaze remained fixed on the glowing interface before him, the shifting data reflected in his eyes. He didnât bother to raise his head, didnât even acknowledge the elderâs tone. It was obviousâhe had no intention of making small talk.
"Hoh hoh," the old one chuckled again, his voice like gravel over stone. "I mean no offense. I just... understand your new interest. After all, that metal-faced guyâhe calls himself âHuman,â doesnât he?âheâs turned the entire martial arts market upside down. Itâs only natural youâd be watching closely."
"...Donât you find him suspicious?" the spiked-haired one suddenly snapped, his tone laced with barely restrained irritation. "The guy hasnât picked up
a single
official task from this Hall. Not once has he tried to craft a sigil or draw a diagram here. Yet he floods the shops with creationsâmartial arts, array schematics, talismans, even cultivation techniquesâlike a bottomless spring pouring out of nowhere!"
"I did have my doubts too," the dog-headed elder admitted with a thoughtful nod. "At first, I figured it might be a strange coincidence... until I personally verified his name through the control panel during his last visit, he IS Human. Otherwise, I wouldâve bet my tail it was someone else."
"Tch~ He reeks of mystery, and I donât trust it," the other man muttered with clear disdain. "But let him have his fleeting fame. Let him gather his little wealth. In the end, heâll be just another overconfident youth, no different from the dozens who came before him. Letâs see how long he lasts."
His voice grew colder, almost venomous.
"If he survives long enough to sell even a single
fourth-stage
martial art,
then
â
then
weâll talk about competing with
me
in the martial arts market."
His words carried weight. During his long and storied career, he had successfully crafted not one, but
two
martial arts of the rare and revered fourth stageâeach one a masterpiece that still echoed through the annals of combat to this day. People pestered him constantly, begging for a third even in this day and time.
"Hmm... youâre not wrong," the old one conceded, his voice calm. "Still, heâs young. Timeâs on his side. And frankly, I should be relievedâneither you nor him have ever shown the slightest interest in the Pill Market. Thatâs one battle Iâm not ready to fight."
"Heh~" the spiked-haired one finally looked up, lips curling into a wry smile. "Didnât he release those Rune patterns to optimize elixirs and refine third-stage pills, old man? Iâd say he just butchered at least a quarter of your profit margin without even trying."
Before the old dog-headed man could retort, a soft but confident
step
echoed through the chamber. A new voice followed, crisp and calmâtinged with amusement.
"Oh? Sounds like Iâve stirred up quite the commotion just by being around. Maybe I owe everyone an apology."
"Hoh hoh! Brother Human, in the flesh!" the elder turned to greet the newcomer, his smile warm but observant. "We havenât seen you here in... what, fifty years? Iâd assumed youâd settled into life selling wares in the market."
"Tch~" the spiked one scoffed but didnât look up. His fingers continued dancing across his interface like nothing had changed.
"How could I ever abandon the Chamber of Truth?" Robin said with a gentle smile, striding forward with composed ease, hands clasped neatly behind his back. "I learned so much within these walls. Even now, simply watching the complex troubles people bring here... it sparks inspiration in me."
"Then perhaps itâs time you started solving some of those problems," the spiked man shot back, a sneer curling his lips. "True skill lies in
solving
difficultiesânot mimicking brilliance and rebranding it as your own creation."
Robin paused, slowly turning to face him. He raised a single brow, not in anger, but with a trace of amusement that edged into challenge.
"Perhaps youâre right. Maybe I
should
start listening to you more carefully. Iâm sure someone like you, who practically lives in this room, has completed
dozens
of missions by nowâyes?"
"Dozens?" The man with the spiked hair laughed out loud this time, an honest, mocking sound that echoed across the stone walls. "You really donât understand how this place works, do you? You think the kind of people who pay millions in pearls are doing so for quick fixes and trivial errands? Hah! Youâve
read
the requests, havenât you? Every single one. And stillâyou havenât completed even one."
He pointed straight at Robin, voice rising with raw accusation.
"You, the newborn brat who thinks the title of Truth Chosen is just some flashy badge. You believed it was about using your bright eyes to look around like an idiot. But the moment you entered this room and saw what
real
problems a Truth Chosen has to deal with... you turned and
ran
."