*Poff*
Robin threw himself onto his bed like a weary traveler who hadn’t slept in weeks, well, that was kind of true. The past years had been exhausting... deeply, relentlessly, unforgivingly exhausting in every imaginable way.
Thirty-five full, consecutive years were spent reading a single book—one book and nothing else. He hadn’t strengthened his soul, hadn’t improved a single level in energy cultivation, hadn’t even stretched a finger toward any of his usual side experints or fields of research.
Without a shred of doubt, this had been the longest period of isolated seclusion he’d ever subjected himself to, all for a singular objective.
Even his once-legendary research on the mysterious Fifth Cultivation Path hadn’t consud this much of his life.
And the worst part? It wasn’t even the kind of seclusion he liked—those peaceful years filled with curious experintation, philosophical reflection, and elegant magical theory.
No, not at all. This one had been nothing but pure ntal torture—an excruciating grind of reading word by word, line by line, while fighting through illness, ntal fatigue, and sothing akin to spiritual erosion.
After finally escaping from that tornt, the only thing his mind craved was sleep—years of sleep, uninterrupted and dreamless.
But...
There was no ti for indulgence.
"Hooh~"
After lying still on the bed for several long minutes, Robin refused to allow himself the luxury of sleep.
He inhaled deeply, then sat up cross-legged in a ditation posture atop the sheets, eyes shutting with practiced ease...
Instead of seeking rest through dreams, he knew better—it would be far wiser to spend the next few years regaining montum, building capital, and earning resources.
--------------
Inside the Soul Society---
The familiar fairy appeared in a dazzling flash, then imdiately twirled into a full circle around Robin, her glowing wings fluttering cheerfully in joy.
Robin tilted his tallic face slightly to one side, his chanical features betraying only mild curiosity.
"But now you know where I am?"
The fairy’s voice sparkled with both respect and excitent.
"..." Robin exhaled a slow, tired sigh.
Those few days where his location had gone dark were almost certainly the ti he had entered the Planet of the Cosmic Elder—where detection was suppressed.
Aside from that brief break, however, he was always under surveillance—constantly.
Even when no one was physically tracking him, the soul seed embedded deep in his head ensured that his position could be monitored at all tis.
It was unfortunate, but he had co to accept it as part of his reality.
The fairy hovered closer to his face, her curiosity clearly genuine.
she added with a mischievous sparkle in her eye.
"...You’re unusually excited today, aren’t you?"
Robin raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at his lips.
she answered, fluttering her wings in slight embarrassnt.
"You don’t need to. Honestly, I like you better this way—more lively."
Robin reached out and gently patted her on the head.
"Actually, I’ve been through a particularly rough experience lately, and I want a complete change of atmosphere—sothing soft on the nerves and easier on the senses. Also, I want to check the new requests in the Chamber of Truth. Can you arrange both for ?"
The fairy didn’t hesitate. She didn’t argue. She simply blinked—and the system obeyed.
*Whoosh*
In a flash, the blank white world surrounding Robin lted away, reforming itself into sothing entirely different.
The next mont, he found himself in a radiant dreamland—a realm of color and tranquility.
He was now seated on a lush adow overflowing with multicolored flowers that stretched far in every direction.
Beside him, a small crystalline waterfall tumbled gently over rocks, releasing a soothing, lodic sound that eased the tension in his chest.
Before him, a narrow stream carried the waterfall’s water downhill in winding curves. Its waters were so pure and still that the fish inside seed to glide effortlessly, as if flying in midair.
"...Amazing," Robin murmured, drawing in a slow, deep breath.
"Even the fragrance of the flowers—it’s perfectly replicated here. That’s uncanny. What is this place?"
The fairy’s voice carried a soft pride.
The fairy then waved her hand strongly, and a dazzling, glowing list appeared beside her, hovering mid-air with an ethereal shimr.
"This..?" Robin furrowed his brow deeply, eyes narrowing as he slowly raised his gaze upward, trying to trace the end of the seemingly endless list.
"There are more requests here now than the entire backlog that had piled up in the Hall of Truth over hundreds of thousands of years before I ever stepped foot in it!! This is insane..."
"Seventy-five million pearls just to restore three torn pages from a fourth-stage martial technique? Not bad... not bad at all." Robin nodded thoughtfully.
He had already made up his mind not to publish anything in the public store for a while to avoid unnecessary exposure, but this kind of request was both rewarding and low-risk. It didn’t take much ti to complete and, more importantly, didn’t send out the sa disruptive shockwaves that ca from releasing works into the store or auction house.
The only real downside was that requests like these were far too rare.
Smiling to himself, Robin casually selected the most expensive one on the list.
In the blink of an eye, the martial technique requiring restoration appeared before him as an energy projection, along with a small desk that materialized beside him, neatly arranged with an array of sketch boards, pens, and drawing instrunts.
"Oh, you’re being very helpful today—surprisingly helpful, actually."
The fairy giggled and did a full loop-the-loop spin above Robin’s head, leaving behind a small trail of stardust.
Her behavior now was far more cheerful and open compared to how she had acted during their very first eting.
"Hmm... A short session of focused research and creative restoration, while also raking in a ton of money on the side? That’s the kind of multitasking I enjoy."
Robin muttered with amusent, but rather than jumping straight into work, he waved his hand slightly and summoned the Spirit Realm’s interface panel before him—sleek, floating, and semi-transparent.
After navigating through a few detailed nus and tapping several filters, the screen he wanted finally ca into view—and as soon as it did, Robin’s smirk widened.
It was exactly what he was hoping to see: the balance field.
Back when the grand auction had concluded, and after transferring a major portion of his wealth to Theo for long-term investnts, he was left with about 7 billion daras in total.
It had been almost seventy years since that day—a full generation in the lifespan of lesser mortals.
Since then, he hadn’t released any new products, nor had he accepted or completed any paid commissions.
And yet, due to the long-term sales and royalties of his previously published works in various spirit markets and hidden black-sector stores, Robin now discovered his current balance had grown to nearly 9 billion!
Nearly two billion in passive profit... from doing absolutely nothing.
"Hmmm, maybe I’ll indulge myself in a little shopping spree once I finish so of these higher-tier commissions," Robin murmured, gently rubbing his chin in contemplation, already imagining the rare treasures and mysterious artifacts he could acquire.
"Hmm?"
At that precise mont, sothing else caught his attention, pulling his eyes to the corner of the interface.
"The ssage box is glowing?"
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