The Mid Sector 99 — Dawn light Stellar Academy.
Bzzt—
The main portal shimred with rippling light as its activation runes flared to life, and from within the radiance, two figures erged — Robin and Jabba.
"Welco back, Professor Robin."
The two gatekeepers bowed slightly, their expressions glowing with sincere smiles.
"Haaah~ it’s been around a hundred and forty years, hasn’t it?" Robin spread his arms wide, lifting his gaze to the sky above. The multiple moons hung there in perfect harmony, painting the heavens with silvery hues. Yet, even with such beauty before him, he didn’t feel the sa awe as he once did — the skies of Nihari had grown far more magnificent in his mory.
But Jabba wasn’t distracted by the scenery or the nostalgia in his master’s eyes. "Incredible..." he whispered.
It was his first ti stepping into the Mid Sector, and the difference struck him like thunder. He closed his eyes, extending his senses as if to drink in the ambient energy itself — the thick, flowing essence of cosmic laws and the layered density of starlight power. Every shift, every vibration in the air felt alive to him.
Robin, noticing his disciple’s focus, didn’t interrupt. A faint smile crossed his lips — he rembered being exactly the sa when he’d first arrived at Planet Azakhra so long ago.
After a mont, he lightly tossed two space rings toward the gatekeepers, one to the left and the other to the right.
"Anything new, boys?"
"Haha, thank you, Professor Robin!" the guards caught the rings with surprised delight, replying in unison.
Robin was one of the very few professors generous enough to give them anything at all — and his gifts were always worth more than their pay. The last ti he had done so was a hundred and forty years ago, when he rewarded them for cleaning up Substitute Teacher Morgana’s... unexpected ss. Even then, his paynt had been extravagant. But now—each of the rings carried a thousand full Pearls, not to ntion the value of the rings themselves!
After a quick glance at each other, the guards’ cheerful faces turned more serious. One of them stepped forward.
"Actually, there’s sothing you should know, Professor Robin. Several powerful factions have been searching for you. They’ve been trying every possible way to find your location."
The other added imdiately, "They’ve been scanning the entire sector, looking for soone with your na and description. So far, they’ve found nothing. Still, they keep their representatives stationed here at all tis. They even promised a reward — one hundred Pearls — to anyone who reports your return."
Robin’s brows lifted. "A hundred Pearls? That’s... quite generous." His tone was calm, yet his mind spun with quiet calculation. "If they have representatives stationed here openly, then they can’t be criminal groups, right?"
"Correct, Professor. They’re all reputable forces, known for their good standing," one guard replied quickly. "There’s no reason to ban their envoys from the servant dorms or guard barracks. Besides, so of their students are part of the Academy."
He paused, his voice lowering. "What will you do, sir? If you want, we’ll pretend we never saw you. But you should move cautiously — many students and workers are chasing the sa reward."
"Oh?" Robin rubbed his chin, then chuckled softly. "No need. I don’t intend to hide. I’ll be staying here for a while. So—go ahead, report it. Better you get the reward than soone else."
"Thank you, Professor Robin!!" Both guards answered with genuine excitent — their respect for him soaring even higher.
They couldn’t help but wonder... why did everyone in the Academy claim that Professor Robin was cold and disliked others? To them, he seed genuinely kind.
"Hey, enough daydreaming," Robin said suddenly, giving Jabba a light slap on the back. "You can continue your ditations later." Then he strode down the stairs ahead.
"Wait—!" Jabba hurried after him. "Teacher, is the entire Mid Belt like this, or is this Academy so sort of special case?"
"In terms of the maturity of the laws you’re feeling around you," Robin began with his usual calm and gentle tone, "that’s sothing you’ll find across nearly all the planets within the Mid Belt. The entire region resonates with deeper cosmic harmony—its elental laws are sharper, more stable, and more responsive. But when it cos to the elegance of the architecture, the purity of the energy, and the luxury of the materials used here, that’s sothing you’ll only find in this Academy. They’ve poured centuries of effort and countless resources into shaping this place into the perfect nexus of research and power. It would be unfair not to give them credit where it’s due."
The air itself felt alive—vibrating faintly with tranquil cosmic hums. For Robin, the serenity of the environnt was soothing, but what truly ward his spirit was answering the endless curiosity of a student who had stopped existing for more than five centuries. Watching Jabba rediscover the universe felt almost nostalgic.
"...Be careful," Jabba murmured suddenly, his instincts tightening like a coiled spring. "That person over there... he feels incredibly strong."
His eyes—or rather, his perception—focused on an elderly man standing before a massive, marble-white structure that radiated subtle ripples of energy. Even though Jabba had only managed to build a single stable foundation over the past three days, his body still recognized the unmistakable chill of danger. The man’s presence alone felt like an entire storm compressed into a human shape.
Robin followed his gaze and smiled knowingly. "Oh, of course he looks strong," he said, his tone casual as if comnting on the weather. "He’s in a Nexus State." Then he waved a hand toward the old man, calling out cheerfully, "Hello there!"
"Hm?" The elder turned toward them, his brows knitting in annoyance at what he assud was a disrespectful interruption. But the mont he recognized who stood before him, his entire deanor shifted. The sternness lted into warmth. He offered a respectful nod and even a faint smile. "Professor Robin."
"...A Nexus State?!" Jabba froze, whispering the words as though they burned. His pulse pounded in his ears as they continued walking, and only after they crossed the street did he find the courage to speak again. "You an like... the sa level as...?"
"Yes," Robin confird with a simple nod. "Like the Overlord of the Great Serpent Empire. Those who reach that level of existence are rely teachers here." He smiled faintly, as if discussing sothing completely ordinary. "And not every Nexus State can earn the right to teach either. Only those with revolutionary research, imnse contributions, and nas that carry weight across Mid Sector 99 are accepted."
"The guards... they called you Professor earlier!" Jabba blurted, disbelief flooding his tone. "Then that ans—you’re that strong too?! You have a reputation that wide across Mid Sector 99? And—wait—what even is Mid Sector 99 supposed to an?!"
Three days. Only three days had passed since Jabba had awoken and set foot in the Imperial Palace of Jura alongside Robin, and yet those days had felt like lifetis.
From the mont he entered that enormous palace—its walls breathing and shifting as though alive, its gardens filled with Treant beings playing under the suns—his mind had been caught between awe and disbelief.
He had t Zara, Kristan, and the other great figures of the Empire. He had learned of the terrifying scale of the True Begining Empire’s influence now—its armies spanning galaxies, its research pushing the boundaries that couldn’t comprehend fully. Every hour that passed brought new discoveries, and yet, deep down, he knew he was only brushing the surface of sothing far greater.
All that wonder combined still couldn’t compare to what he felt when Robin took him beyond Jura—when they arrived at Planet S-1000 and used its colossal gate to ascend toward the Mid Belt.
A thousand planets.
A thousand! Before Jabba’s long slumber, Robin had owned only three!
"You’ll understand everything soon," Robin said with a soft laugh, his voice both comforting and mysterious. "Don’t rush it. The universe rewards patience." He then turned left, his cloak swaying gently with each step, and gestured toward a towering complex gleaming under the morning stars.
"We’ve arrived," he said proudly, his eyes glimring with nostalgia. "This... is my academic building."
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