"You dare?!" Althera shouted in a low, threatening tone.
Voltar may have been a machine—an artificial being, the very core of the library’s array and its eternal guardian—but he was equipped with an exceptional level of intelligence and a superior analytical engine. It was absolutely impossible that he didn’t realize exactly what he was doing.
"I apologize, Monarch Althera. Truly, I didn’t an to—"
"Hehe! I found your core! It’s a living star core, isn’t it?! No no no, this is absolutely incredible!" Robin’s voice interrupted with gleeful fascination. "Was this array constructed by the Tyrant Galaxy of Interas?! This formation system... it must have cost more than a billion energy pearls—maybe even more!"
"...."
Both Althera and Voltar fell into silence, their eyes narrowing and focusing on Robin, who was, at that exact mont, attempting to inspect the back of Voltar’s head and digging curiously through his tallic hair as if examining a rare artifact.
He had completely shrugged off the effects of the spatial burst... as if it had never happened.
What was with this abnormal resistance to such high-level spatial compression?
"Heh~" Althera let out a small sigh of relief. She didn’t even bother asking Robin how he managed to ignore the effects of a violent spatial surge like that, especially considering he had no visible energy signature, and his physical body appeared severely underdeveloped compared to advanced cultivators.
She simply turned her gaze around, scanning the towering shelves until she spotted what she was looking for: a chaotic pile of fallen books clogging one of the massive library aisles. It looked as if a small avalanche had occurred there.
She called out calmly, "Shaddad, co out."
"Hmm?"
A deep, steady voice responded from within the enormous pile. Then—
Shfff—Shfff—
The books began to shift gently, sliding and falling to the sides until a large figure erged, crawling out cautiously on both hands and feet, with extre care, as if terrified of stepping on or damaging even a single book beneath him.
"Ha ha, Monarch Althera! It’s been a long ti, hasn’t it?"
The figure laughed warmly when he saw her, then stepped out from the pile entirely and stood up straight.
"..."
At once, the light around Robin dimd, as though a wall had just been raised before him.
He looked up instinctively—and kept looking.
The figure known as Shaddad stood nearly two and a half ters tall, and he wasn’t just tall—he was broad, like a mountain. His very posture, rising upright, reminded one of a bear standing on its hind legs. His overall appearance wasn’t far off either.
His hands were thick and massive, each one sporting four fingers that resembled human hands, but each digit was broad, covered in short brown fur. His face was a strange fusion—part human, part bear.
Yet despite his beast-like features, there was a gentle expression etched into his eyes, and his thick brown beard gave him a warm, approachable look. Even his clothes were simple—just a plain shirt, pants, and a pair of worn suspenders.
Despite his monstrous size, his presence was oddly calming, like an ancient guardian who only appeared fearso until you spoke to him.
"Shaddad," Althera said, nodding toward Robin, "I’ve brought soone for you to et. You’ll probably be spending a lot of ti together over the coming period."
She gestured toward Robin with a subtle tilt of her head.
"You’ll accompany him around the academy, answer his questions, and serve as his official guide and handler."
"Hmm?"
Shaddad turned his huge head toward Robin, gave him a brief look, then turned back to Althera with a rather pitiful expression.
"I don’t know what’s going on, Monarch, but... could we maybe do this later? I’m currently at a very critical stage in my research. I really can’t afford to step away right now. And... to be frank, I don’t want to."
"Oh?"
Althera raised an eyebrow, amused. "How long do you need?"
"One thousand, seven hundred and sixty years." Shaddad answered without hesitation.
"That’s way too long!" Althera shook her head in disbelief.
"Alright then... seven hundred and fifty-six. I won’t go any lower than that." Shaddad tried to negotiate, folding his massive arms.
Althera’s eyes narrowed. She pulled out a hidden crystal tablet from her sleeve and activated it, revealing a glowing chart of schedules and data.
"Do you really think I don’t know your tilines, Shaddad? Maybe you should try adding a zero to make it sound more convincing."
"Hey, now you’re making sound like a fraud. That’s unfair. Take those words back!"
Shaddad’s heavy brow furrowed in offense. "I’m a specialist in physical-body cultivation research. I’ve contributed a lot to this academy in that field. If you want to divert into so other random branch of study, then you’ll need to be patient."
"Oh? Is that your voice rising, Shaddad?"
Althera’s gaze sharpened. "Seems like isolation has done sothing to your manners."
"...."
Shaddad’s thick brows remained tightly furrowed, and his intense eyes locked forward with unwavering focus for precisely three full parts of a second—his face unreadable—before his expression softened, and a warm, polite smile returned to his lips.
"Aha ha ha, Monarch Althera knows my temperant better than anyone. Please, don’t take my expressions too seriously, aha ha. You know how I get when I’m disturbed mid-research."
"Good then, the help has arrived."
Althera gently placed her hand on Robin’s shoulder. Her tone was firm, yet there was a subtle kindness in it.
"Just continue your work as you normally would, and if you find yourself facing a particularly difficult hurdle—one you can’t overco on your own—don’t hesitate to turn to this gentleman here. If you treat him with respect, answer his questions sincerely, and offer a bit of patience, I don’t think he’ll be unwilling to lend a hand when you need it."
"Who’s helping who here?!"
Robin quickly stepped in, his tone incredulous.
"Monarch Althera! First, you push into being a professor at your academy, and now you want to saddle with academic responsibilities too? Is this really how you’re carrying out the Cosmic Elder’s sacred request?!"
"No one is forcing you to do anything."
Althera’s voice was calm—almost tranquil—but firm with the authority of soone used to being obeyed.
"If you choose to assist Shaddad with any part of his research, your efforts will be acknowledged—and handsoly rewarded. Although this academy is sohow secluded, our history stretches back longer than many civilizations, and our treasury is vast. It’s difficult to ask for sothing here and not have it granted in one way or another."
"And if you choose not to help, that’s also perfectly acceptable," she continued with a faint smile.
"You can turn him down freely—there will be no punishnt. That said... well, it’s a bit hard to say no when that innocent face looks at you with hopeful eyes, don’t you think?"
"Hold on a damn second!"
Shaddad raised both his massive hands into the air, his deep voice rising in indignation.
His expression darkened once more as he turned sharply toward Robin with narrowed eyes before returning his focus to Althera.
"Monarch! I may be a slow and steady researcher when it cos to arrays and advanced spatial formulas, but let’s not forget—
I am a Third-Stage Truth Chosen. I’ve sacrificed hundreds of thousands of years of my life in service to this Stellar Academy! My writings fill their own specialized section of the library! My physical cultivation thods have shaped the bodies of thousands of students across generations!
I will not stand idly by while you bring in so random passerby and make a mockery of everything I’ve accomplished!"
"Shh!"
Althera raised her hand toward him with authority, as if silencing a noisy child.
"Do you even know who this is?"
Still boiling with indignation, the massive bear-like scholar growled:
"Who could he possibly be to help , huh?! Human?!"
"Yes."
Instant silence.
The beast’s anger was extinguished in an instant. His face turned from fierce indignation to pure confusion, then shifted once more to frustration.
"...You didn’t have to hold on to the example so literally," he muttered gruffly, looking aside.
"An explanation or even a warning would’ve sufficed."
Althera sighed softly, rubbing her temple.
"He is Human, you oversized fool. He’s the very sa one you’ve spent the last hundred years glorifying, singing his praises to every visitor and student."
"And the very first thing you do when you finally et him... is scream in his face?"
"....."
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