"...." Robin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze lingering on the numbers he had just processed. Each figure seed to grow heavier the more he thought about it, pressing on his mind with the weight of centuries.
Were these sixteen powers truly planning to enrich themselves indefinitely at his expense? Did they even have the sheer amount of resources to back such ambitions?!
Had billions beco so casually tossed about, as if wealth were nothing more than a simple number?
Even if the effort were divided among the sixteen independent powers, each would only contribute roughly sixty million Pearls annually. Yet even that was a sizable sum, far from trivial, and a serious burden-even for forces that thrived on trade and comrce.
Most likely, they would be milked during the first few years, until all their reserves were drained at this unrelenting rate. Only after that would they begin importing resources from all powers in Middle Sector 100, and eventually from neighboring sectors to cover the contract, should it be finalized. Even then, it was almost certain they would fail to fully et the demand for an entire century.
At best, they might manage to sustain it for a few decades... but for the True Beginning Empire, that was more than enough to legitimately fill their coffers and secure a long-term advantage spanning generations.
"Emily... the largest sum I've ever handled in my entire life was 107 billion Pearls, and even then, I nearly lost my breath when I first heard it. And now you want to negotiate a deal for 140 billion in a single century?" Robin exhaled sharply, the weight of the numbers sinking in. He then glanced at Neri, his expression a mixture of disbelief and cautious amusent. "Have you ever seen a poor man try to purchase an entire city, with its population and infrastructure? This is precisely what my head of HQ is attempting-an audacious move beyond reckoning"
"She has imnse confidence in you..." Neri said, raising her delicate shoulders in a graceful shrug. "And if she succeeds in securing this funding, the Empire's industries will experience a massive leap in quality, before quantity even cos into play. The long-term effect could be monuntal."
"...." Robin fell silent for several monts, letting the idea settle in his mind, before finally nodding. "This is precisely why I didn't imdiately reject her or strip her of her position after such an audacious and seemingly illogical request. The offer is genuinely tempting-it warrants careful consideration. Emily wouldn't suggest such a significant investnt unless the financial difference was truly remarkable. And these are resources that can't even be purchased elsewhere... Clearly, they're trying to win us over, to bind us to their cause through wealth and influence."
A faint, almost wry smile spread across his lips. "It seems they've noticed the extre wealth Aro possesses, and naturally the Academy he openly supports. Of course they want a slice of that... they are clever, I must admit that. They've seen the power and resources concentrated in his hands, and they intend to claim a portion for themselves."
Robin tapped his chin thoughtfully, his brows tightly furrowed. "But I don't think the Academy could bear these expenses alone. Morgana already has far too many open fronts to manage evenly. To fund such a colossal offer would inevitably an falling short in one or even all of the other critical operations. The risk is too great if mismanaged."
"I don't know if you need my opinion," Neri continued, her voice calm but firm, "but supporting Lady Emily in this endeavor will deliver tangible benefits: new fleets, vast quantities of weapons, and both mid- and high-tier epic armor sets. This will safeguard the lives of your elite troops, as Holak desires, accelerate expansion efforts as your marshals wish, and even indirectly reduce the financial demands from Caesar and Aro, because part of the funds they request will be channeled toward additional weapons and fleets anyway. Every angle offers gain."
"...." Robin nodded slowly, though unease lingered in his eyes. "But all that money..."
"Can't you return to the Room of Truth to review new requests?" Neri gestured toward the Spirit Sapling, "It's been decades since the last visit. Perhaps it has filled again with new petitions."
"That's excellent advice!" Timari's voice chid from inside the mirror, full of enthusiasm. "There are hundreds of requests in the Room of Truth, the largest priced at 1.8 billion Pearls! Opportunities abound, should you choose wisely."
Robin raised a hand sharply, signaling for silence. "Shhh! My ti has beco far too precious lately to waste countless years sifting through the Room of Truth. There are far greater priorities demanding imdiate attention. Every second counts now, and I cannot afford to squander them on deliberation when the stakes are this high."
He leaned back, eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the enormity of the Empire's needs, the relentless demands of allies and subordinates, and the intricate web of politics, strategy, and resources that surrounded him. The numbers were overwhelming-but as always, he would find a way to navigate the storm.
After recently embarking on his ambitious project, utilizing the third grade of spaceti to intricately engrave those sacred tablets, and after his understanding of the first few patterns of the Law of Truth had surged past thirty percent, everything else in the universe felt trivial, almost weightless in his eyes. Every distraction, every minor issue paled in comparison to the magnitude of what he was creating.
It was precisely for this reason that he had resolved to withdraw entirely from the matter of funding and to focus solely on the truly critical issues-especially after founding the Academy and transforming it into the undisputed pinnacle of education in this entire quadrant of the cosmos. The institution now stood as a beacon of knowledge and power, unrivaled by any other establishnt in the surrounding star systems.
"...." Robin ran his fingers repeatedly through his hair, massaging his temples as if trying to stir his thoughts into sharper focus. "I cannot find a single front where support can be reduced. Each and every one of them carries imnse importance each possesses a unique value, a role that cannot simply be
dismissed."
"Really? I can find a handful," Neri interjected, turning slightly away in mild exasperation. She still felt a twinge of irritation that he refused to focus all his attention solely on Mid Sector 99, where so much was at stake.
"Tsk~ You'll never understand," Robin muttered, raising a hand dismissively and swiping Emily's image from the screen.
As expected, the Academy's profits currently hovered around 1.5 to 2 billion
Pearls annually. If he wished to contribute to financing the Luminous Tide Empire's offer and its backers, he would, in exchange, need to elevate the Academy's earnings through additional asures, raising its annual revenue to approximately 3 billion Pearls.
It would not be simple. Robin had already poured every available idea, every resource he could safely share with outsiders, into the Academy. Even Sky Opening City in Mid Sector 100 functioned almost entirely in the institution's favor, geared to strengthen the students, their abilities, and their future potential. Yet, despite these advantages, achieving the target would still require careful planning and, most importantly, ti-likely an additional fifty years of ticulous effort.
All that remained was to approve Emily's request, while strategically including a clause in the agreent stating that paynts would not comnce until after fifty years. This would satisfy both parties and ensure long-term stability.
As for Caesar, he had not yet begun open war against the millennial empire. Robin could afford to delay any major conflict for fifty years, or allow light skirmishes and diplomatic negotiations to continue in the anti. Aro, however, was already fully engaged in warfare. Robin could defer compensating his allies until after the conflict, while the necessary resources to sustain Aro's campaigns would be secured through Emily's funding agreent. In this way, even Aro's ongoing war could be temporarily set aside from Robin's imdiate concerns.
Clap Robin brought his hands together sharply, releasing a long, asured breath. A slight sense of relief washed over him. Establishing the Academy had already saved him an enormous amount of ti and effort; it was now a self-sustaining powerhouse. Allowing it additional ti to increase profits further was a minor cost compared to the benefits it would yield in the long run. In the grand sche, the Academy would once again beco the principal source of wealth and influence for his plans.
Then, with a faint, almost nostalgic smile, Robin tapped the next ssage. This
one was from the Lady of the Covenant, and the familiar face of soone he
trusted appeared on the screen.
".... Robin's face drained of color imdiately.
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