"These are gifts from the Cosmic Elder. Do you dare attempt to take them from ?" Robin swung his hand with greater force this ti, his voice booming far louder than necessary, and his aura swelling outward like a tidal wave that pressed upon the hearts of everyone present, radiating an overwhelming, absolute authority that could not be questioned.
"...I'm rely offering you choices, nothing more. I would never force your hand." Althera imdiately took half a step back the instant Robin invoked the na of the Cosmic Elder. Her composed face twitched, and she struggled to stretch a nervous, artificial smile across her lips.
"Just... keep the matter in mind. The amount I can gather from the Academies in exchange for this artifact would be more than satisfying-truly beyond imagination and I won't tell anyone that you were its previous owner, so no one will covet your fortune or attempt to hunt you down. Your identity will remain eternally secret between only those present here... you'll receive the paynt and vanish quietly to pursue your own ambitions, and no matter how extravagantly you spend or how recklessly you waste, you'll float forever upon an endless ocean of resources."
Planetary migration between sectors was the long-standing dream of every great power in the universe. If the Academies managed to obtain such equipnt, their chances against the Enemies of Life would skyrocket, and they would be capable of suppressing the Behemoths with unmatched efficiency. Acquiring this single artifact would grant the Academies eternal, unshakable dominance, allowing them to reshape the balance of existence itself.
And all of that was based on the assumption that its only function revolved around relocating planets... yet no one truly knew the extent of what seventh-grade planetary displacent artifact could accomplish.
No one knew anything-anything at all-about seventh-grade planetary artifact!!
"I'll think about it," Robin finally replied with the sa artificial smile, clearly signaling the end of the discussion. He carefully returned the equipnt to the box and secured it with both hands as though sealing away his newborn child, gently, yet with imnse caution.
Selling seventh-grade planetary artifact for Pearls alone sounded like sheer, unfathomable madness... but he chose to end the conversation quickly before he heard any numbers. If he began hearing actual prices, if those digits word their way into his mind, his heart might truly shatter from temptation.
"Hoo-" Robin released a long, controlled breath, then pulled the next box closer with both hands. "Hoooh~ What might you be hiding for as well?" "...." Jabba and Shaddad leaned in further than before, their eyes wide and shimring with raw anticipation.
But not as wide as Althera's, whose heartbeat hamred violently inside her chest. She had already forgotten the harsh rejection she'd suffered monts ago and instinctively stepped forward again to inspect whatever would erge next.
Clack
At that precise mont, the box opened, revealing what lay inside. "Hmm?" Imdiately, Althera furrowed her brows. "A feather?"
"...." Robin tilted his head slowly, studying the object with greater focus. The thing resting inside the box was very small, undeniably resembling a feather- delicate, yet oddly imposing-and beside it rested a neatly folded piece of paper.
With a casual wave-whoosh-both the object and the folded paper drifted out of the box and floated gracefully before everyone's eyes.
This ti, the object did not expand to human size as the previous ones had. Instead, it only grew enough to comfortably fill the palm of an adult hand. Had it been placed inside the box without spatial reduction, it would have fit easily and without issue.
It was a quill... a feather pen!
The quill appeared like an ancient relic birthed at the dawn of creation itself, its feather shimring with a countless spectrum of colors, as though fragnts of a captured rainbow had crystallized within plus plucked from the crown of so mythical, exalted bird. Flowing from the radiant feather was the pen's hardened body, appearing to be sculpted from eternal crystal, pulsing faintly with a shifting chromatic glow-colors that felt forbidden, hues no mortal eye had permission to fully comprehend.
Near the pen's tip glead a bizarre, viciously sharp tal, as though forged specifically to pierce through entire worlds and carve across reality itself. Intricate, breathtaking engravings spiraled along its surface like frozen tongues of eternal fla, cold yet burning with silent aning.
It did not resemble a tool ant for simple writing; rather, it emanated the presence of destiny itself. Simply beholding that small quill robbed the world around it of taste, of color, of aning. For a fleeting mont, existence itself paled, fading to gray before its presence.
"..." With an eye trembling violently and a heart pounding with feverish excitent, Robin finally paid attention to the folded paper in his hand and opened it carefully, finding the elegant line of words written inside:
/The Eternal Quill Seraphim - none but you is worthy./
"It looks impressive, it feels impressive, It's origin as it ca from the Cosmic Elder is impressive... but it's just a quill?" Althera tilted her head toward Robin, hoping he might perceive sothing she couldn't see.
But instead, she found a stream of drool waterfalling from the corner of his mouth, splashing all over the ground beneath him.
"W-what... is that..." Jabba took an involuntary step forward, drawn helplessly like a moth hypnotized by a blazing fla.
"This... is magnificent..." Shaddad echoed, also stepping forward-and without even realizing, his foot landed directly on Robin's leg.
Baa! Baa!
"It's mine! My gift! Back off, both of you!!" Robin snapped out of his trance,
smacking both their hands away like a jealous beast guarding its treasure. "Do you two have any idea how long I've been trying to obtain a proper pin? Entire factories in Jura are dedicated to manufacturing quills and pins specifically for , the Shadow Swords deliver shipnts every single week! Finally-finally- I'll be able to work like a civilized human!!"
He stared at the quill, his eyes literally projecting cartoonish hearts, "Ahh- My love, you've found your way ho. I'll use you with absolute, delicate perfection."
Then he extended his hand with blinding speed, seized the quill, and hugged it tightly to his chest like a lost child reunited with a parent, "Ah~ where have you been all this miserable ti?!"
"Master, I'm your one and only disciple! At least let test it with you, just
once!" Jabba pleaded, ignoring the fact that Robin had struck him monts
earlier, inching forward again.
Shaddad's eyes glead with predatory intensity, "Elder brother, allow ONE attempt! I swear I'll stop pestering you to accept as a disciple for a full day-
no, TWO DAYS!"
".." Althera's expression slowly twisted into speechless bewildernt. The quill was clearly extraordinary-its craftsmanship alone spoke volus, and the fact it ca from the Cosmic Elder made it undeniably priceless...
But why on earth were these two behaving like rabid animals over it?
Even when they witnessed seventh-grade legendary equipnt, they never reacted with this unhinged obsession!
Then, like a realization striking lightning-fast, she rembered-
All three of them were Truth Chosen, all three were deeply invested in inscriptions and scriptwork, obsessed with perfect rune-etching.
They were all captivated by the sheer aura of the quill before even knowing what it does or how it functions.
Once she understood this, she let out a small amused exhale and crossed her
arms proudly across her chest...
If an ancient mythical short-sword were to appear before her, she would probably behave just as embarrassingly, if not worse.
"Back off! Stay back!" Robin retreated several hurried steps away from the two predators, then swung the quill in his hand defensively, "Stand back, you beasts! None of you will TOUCH it unless you wash your filthy hands a thousand
tis!!"
Ooooom
Intricate runes manifested in mid-air with terrifying speed, sketching themselves into a shimring inscription before Robin. When the formation completed, it solidified into one single word:
/Back off/
Then-
BAAAAAAM!!
A devastating shockwave exploded outward, blasting Jabba and Shaddad away
like rag dolls. They didn't even feel what happened until they realized their bodies were already airborne, splashing helplessly into the sea.
"..." Robin stood frozen, staring silently at the feather-quill... then at the distant
ocean... then back at the quill again.
His brain short-circuited.
The world spun violently, his eyes rolled upward, and-
POOF!
He collapsed sideways like a felled tree, utterly unconscious.
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