"The Cosmic Elder is your friend, huh?" Hedrick arched his eyebrows slightly, a flicker of intrigue crossing his expression. "Thatâs... unexpectedly impressive."
Robin, unfazed, gave a small, indifferent wave as if brushing off the significance of such a connection. He didnât seem eager to dwell on the subject, nor did he show the pride others might have felt in his place. After a short pause, he took a few measured steps forward, then came to a halt and slowly turned to face Hedrick. His eyes had sharpened.
"I have a question," he said, voice low but firm.
"Go ahead," Hedrick nodded with calm composure, as if preparing himself for a difficult inquiry. He offered Robin the space and silence needed to gather his thoughts.
"My war against your sister... against the so-called Empire of the Great Serpent," Robin began, his tone hardening with each word, "Was it you pulling the strings from behind the curtain?"
Hedrick smiled faintly, almost playfully. "And what makes you suspect something like that?"
Robin didnât blink. "Because during the exact time I was locked in a full-scale war with her forces,
you
were embroiled in your own chaos. You were scrambling for control over the Varilion Galactic Seed in Young Sector 101. Still plotting its protection. Still tangled in the dilemma of how to help it survive the hostility of Young Sector 101, and perhaps later the dangerous terrain of Middle Sector 101. You were tearing your mind apart trying to secure a fourth- or fifth-rank planetary displacement artifactâdesperate for a way out."
He narrowed his eyes. "And then... just when your nerves were likely stretched thin, your younger sister conveniently tells you she discovered a massive wormholeâa colossal passage linking Young Sector 100 directly to Young Sector 99. Then she tells you sheâs found a Galaxy Seed in Young Sector 99. One no Overlord had claimed yet. One that would automatically ascend if left undisturbed in a sector with no Behemoth to claim it. Donât try to convince me that didnât spark something inside you."
Hedrick gave a slow, thoughtful nod. "Youâre absolutely right. If Iâd known about Nihari, I wouldâve moved to secure it immediately. I wouldâve done everything in my power to keep her hidden until it ascended. She couldâve been my lifeline... my second chance at redemption."
"â
If
â...?" Robinâs tone sharpened as his eyebrows drew together.
"It seems youâre conflating two very different matters, Lord Robin," Hedrick said, this time with a more serious edge to his voice. "Yes, I invited my younger sisterâHelenâto settle her empire next to mine. Yes, I encouraged her to begin gathering loyalists in Young Sector 100. But that doesnât mean sheâs some pawn on my board."
He looked away for a moment, as if replaying old decisions in his mind. "Helen accepted my invitation because she already intended to forge her own path. She had long since decided she wouldnât rely on our fatherâs
generosity
, or accept any favors during her time in the Destra Galaxy. To her, accepting
my
offer was an act of rebellionâan unspoken slap in Fatherâs face. Her way of declaring, in no uncertain terms, that she chose
my way
over the paths of our other siblings. Thatâs all there was to it."
"Sheâs not under your command? She doesnât take orders from you?" Robinâs tone was one of genuine surprise now.
"No. Not even close." Hedrick shook his head slowly. "She may come across as impulsive or naive at times, but donât let that fool you. Sheâs far more cunning than most give her credit for. Otherwise, how would she have held off the Old Ghassan Empire using nothing but a ragtag armyâone that didnât even have proper uniforms? That girl is a genius. But sheâs also incredibly stubborn. She doesnât follow anyoneâs lead, not even mine. Even though I never told her a word about my plan for the Varilion Seedâor even the seedâs existenceâI wouldnât be surprised if she figured it out all on her own."
"As for our dynamic..." Hedrick continued with a shrug, "...you could say she listens to my advice when she wants to. Then, naturally, she does whatever she feels is right. She accepted my offer to settle in Middle Sector 100 because it served her purpose, and because it sent a clear message to our father. She wanted someone she could turn to if everything crumbledâand in her eyes, I was that someone."
"And she agreed to build forces in Young Sector 100 because she desperately needed resources. That was right after she recklessly entered a war with the Ghassan Empireâwithout consulting me. My advice helped her in that regard. Especially when, by complete coincidence..." Hedrick added with a faint grin, "...she stumbled upon that beast king, Durger."
Robin exhaled through his nose sharply, the corners of his mouth twitching.
By coincidence, sure...
"If my plan works, and I succeed in transferring the seed to Sector 100 and exploiting the foundation she unknowingly prepared for meâthen Iâll repay her. I might fund her next empire, give her enough resources to build something even greater in another sector, or invite her to stay and help govern the artificial galaxy alongside meâif thatâs what she wants."
He crossed his arms slowly. "Thereâs nothing deceptive or underhanded going on here, itâs simply strategy. Itâs give and take, exchange and opportunity... executed at the right time."
Then Hedrick arched his brows slightly in Robinâs direction.
"And regarding her war against youâthe wormhole, the Young Sector 99 Seed, Nihariâshe didnât breathe a word of any of it to me until
after
she had already launched her reckless attack on your headquarters, Planet Jura.
Only when that disastrous event unfolded, when everything went sideways and her plans fell apart, did she come running to me in Middle Sector 101.
She was shaking with panic, her composure shattered, and only then did she spill the truth."
"Heh~" Robin scoffed, letting out a bitter chuckle. "I take back what I said about you two being close."
"I donât mind in the slightest," Hedrick replied with a calm shake of his head. "Thereâs no relationship of subordination between us. We never had any kind of formal agreement about exchanging intel or strategies.
Helen found that seed and thought it was her one-way ticket to immense fortuneâhonestly, I donât fault her for that. Anyone in her position mightâve done the same."
Then his gaze drifted away, eyes narrowing in thought.
"Of course, had she informed me from the beginning, perhaps we couldâve coordinated and made far better use of the Nihari Seed. We mightâve secured it under a united front.
But... that wasnât the path she chose. Whatâs done is done, and I canât hold her accountable for following her instincts."
"Hey now, Iâm still standing here." Robin furrowed his brow, a touch irritated.
"Oh, no offense meant," Hedrick replied with a gentle, almost playful smile.
"Do you have any more questions? Iâm not hiding anything at this point."
"Iâve already heard what I need to," Robin said coolly, studying Hedrickâs face for a long moment. "But Iâll be honestâwhat youâre asking is no small favor."
"Truly? I donât see it that way," Hedrick responded with a confident smirk. "Everything I ask of you, Iâm prepared to matchâor even exceedâin value. You wonât walk away feeling shortchanged."
"Hah. Thatâs bold of you." Robin chuckled under his breath. "Alright thenâletâs put your generosity to the test, shall we? If I hand over a fourth-rank planetary displacement tool... what exactly are you putting on the table?"
"Iâll give you five first-rank planetary displacement tools, three of the second rank, and one of the third rank," Hedrick declared, his tone steady and firm. "Yes, I know lower ranks have limitationsâbut still, thatâs a nine-for-one trade."
"Okay, letâs break this down like rational beings." Robin clapped his hands once, sharply.
"A fourth-rank planetary displacement artifact can precisely relocate a planet once every six months. That means, over a span of 600 years, I could reposition up to
1200 planets
around Nihari with full precision."
Then he jabbed a finger at Hedrick.
"Now, letâs look at what
youâre
offering: those five first-rank artifacts? Completely worthless. They relocate planets randomly, without guidance or accuracy. Theyâre like shooting in the dark. I canât use them to assemble an artificial galaxyâthatâs just a fact. So, five of your nine artifacts? Useless. Down the drain."
"...." Hedrick remained silent, face unreadable.
"Now letâs move to the second-rank toolsâthey offer precision, sure, but at a snailâs pace. One use every 30 years. Youâre offering three of them? Thatâs 60 precise movements across six centuries." Robin snapped his fingers.
"And that third-rank artifact? Itâs betterâone move every five years. That gets me 120 moves in the same time frame."
Robin folded his arms behind his back and exhaled slowly, tone sharpening.
"Youâre offering me tools thatâ
collectively
âgive me around 180 calculated relocation attempts over 600 years.
Meanwhile, you want to take an artifact that gives me 1,200 calculated relocation... and call this a fair deal?
Is that your idea of an equal exchange?"