Lord of the Truth
Chapter 1296 1296: Satisfaction

"…We've arrived!"

"Hmm?" Robin's chain of thoughts snapped as if someone had tugged at his consciousness. He blinked and looked up, his gaze quickly scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. Up until this moment, Pitsuo had been leading the way through the winding streets of Zaron, and Robin hadn't thought to ask where they were headed. It didn't really matter—he was a stranger in this city, in this world even, and he was content to follow.

"This place is…?"

Robin's eyes slowly widened as they landed on a large, imposing building towering in front of them. It had five broad stories, with an exterior made of polished stone and reinforced glass, elegant yet robust. Strange, flowing characters were engraved across its entrance—letters from a language Robin had never seen before. At first glance, the structure resembled a high-end apartment complex or a government building.

But then he noticed the subtle details: the uniformed attendants stationed near the doorway, the steady stream of well-dressed guests moving in and out, the security arrays glowing faintly above the main entrance. A realization struck him.

"A hotel?" he asked slowly.

"Exactly," Pitsuo replied, nodding. "I've been staying here ever since I first arrived in Zaron. Night is falling, and around here, nobody likes to be outside once the sun disappears behind the horizon."

He gestured subtly toward the nearby streets.

Though the area was considered one of the cleaner and safer districts—relatively free of wandering vendors and petty thieves—it had still been busy earlier with shoppers and merchants. But now, a sudden shift had taken place. With a single glance, Robin saw the change: the streets had grown noticeably emptier.

Only one person was visible within his line of sight—a lone figure briskly walking, clearly in a hurry to get somewhere safe. The atmosphere felt different, heavier, as if the very air whispered that danger was not far off.

The larger stores had already begun activating stronger lighting arrays and setting up layered defense formations across their storefronts. Smaller shops were closing up entirely, slamming their shutters down with urgency.

"…Is this some sort of law?" Robin raised an eyebrow, puzzled by the sudden transformation.

"Not a written one," Pitsuo replied, shaking his head solemnly. "But one that's etched deeply into the hearts of everyone who lives in this world. Safety in a realm ruled by strength is never absolute. It's only ever relative. Maybe under the watchful eyes of guards and enforcers, people behave—on the surface. But when night comes, crimes like theft, assault, even murder, all become far more common."

Robin still seemed skeptical. "Even here, in such a well-established trade hub… they can't maintain order after dark?"

"Heh," Pitsuo chuckled. "City guards still need to physically witness a crime and apprehend the criminal before justice can be served. Unfortunately, the city itself isn't a living, sentient being. It can't just react to trouble automatically. If you went to the space portals right now, I guarantee you—there wouldn't be a single vendor left open!"

"Hm… I suppose some rest wouldn't hurt either," Robin admitted, stretching slightly. "There are a few things I've been meaning to try anyway."

"Perfect!" Pitsuo grinned wide. "If you don't mind sharing, you can stay in my suite. I paid for the entire week already."

"Oh? You'd really do that for me?" Robin asked, genuinely surprised.

"Of course!" Pitsuo laughed heartily and gave Robin a friendly nudge. "It's not every day I meet another human around here! Come on, come on. My suite even has a small private pool, ha!"

Ten minutes later—

"Wow… this is something," Robin murmured, visibly impressed as he took in the suite's interior.

As it turned out, Pitsuo hadn't just rented a room—he had practically secured the entire top floor of the building. The fifth floor was lavish and expansive, more like a private residence than a hotel suite. The furniture was luxurious, the lighting was soft and magical, and the air smelled faintly of fresh herbs and polished wood. There was enough space here to comfortably house a family of twenty or more.

Being one of the thirteen prodigious talents in his clan clearly had its advantages.

"Haha! Want a tour?" Pitsuo pointed toward a stylish bar area filled with neatly arranged bottles of colorful drinks. "Don't hold back, by the way. Everything here's free!"

"No need," Robin said with a faint smile as he clapped Pitsuo lightly on the shoulder. "I'll get some rest. I've been holding off on testing something for a while."

With unhurried steps, he made his way into one of the private rooms. Once inside, he quietly found a bed, sat down on it cross-legged, and allowed his breathing to settle into a calm rhythm. The room was quiet, the walls soundproofed. It was the perfect place to focus.

With a slow exhale, Robin retrieved the slim blue booklet from his robes and gently opened it on his lap, and started reading.

Two hours later—within the quiet expanse of Robin's soul domain…

Woom...

Robin's soul domain slowly formed from the glowing ground beneath him, assembling piece by piece until he stood whole, a serene and contented smile etched wide across his face. There was something almost surreal in the calm that radiated from him—a kind of peace he wasn't used to feeling.

"Well," Neri's voice rang out sharply as she appeared a few steps away, arms crossed over her chest, eyes narrowed in mild annoyance. "That was a colossal waste of time."

"Hmm?" Robin turned slightly, amusement lighting his features. "Oh, were you reading the booklet along with me this whole time?"

He chuckled softly, beginning to walk toward the massive, mist-covered Soul Slaughter Altars—a place in his inner world where power gathered and paths unfolded. "It's just a basic cultivation manual, Neri. It's not meant to excite. It's designed for absorbing ambient soul sorce and refining it steadily. Of course it's going to be dry."

"It's not the dryness that bothers me," she replied, her tone sharper than before. "It's the content itself. The soul absorption techniques you left behind in your empire—those ones? They're leagues better, even though they weren't tailored to a specific soul trait! The difference is night and day."

Robin laughed again, rubbing the back of his head as he looked back at her. "Yeah, well… what did I expect from a soul technique being sold on a random street corner, right?"

He turned more fully toward her, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. "Wait—so you do know about soul traits?"

Neri nodded, her expression smoothing a little. "Of course. Among the Soul Masters, those who possess a unique soul trait are treated with the same reverence and value as cultivators with rare affinities in natural energy paths. It's a fundamental advantage."

Robin blinked, then frowned. "Then why didn't you tell me about my trait? If I'd known earlier, maybe I could've reached another level entirely by now. My whole empire might've advanced with me if we had that edge."

Neri let out an exasperated sigh and waved one small hand as if brushing away his complaint. "First of all, I didn't know what your trait was. Second, even if you'd started researching it on your own, it would've taken centuries of studying the souls of billions of people to begin mapping out even a fraction of the known traits. And even then, you wouldn't have discovered all of them."

She stepped a little closer and pointed a finger toward him. "That crystal you touched—it wasn't just a trinket. It was the distilled result of millions of years of soul research, accumulated through countless sacrifices and discoveries. Stop acting like all it takes is a flash of inspiration and a bit of effort to unlock secrets like that."

"…Fair enough," Robin muttered, raising both hands in surrender, then turned back to face the swirling altars ahead of him. His smile, instead of fading, grew a bit wider—softer, more thoughtful. He clasped his hands behind his back, breathing in slowly, letting the silence of his inner world wash over him.

"..."

Neri glanced at him sideways, then walked a few steps until she stood beside him. She tilted her head and stared up at his profile for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought.

"…Alright, what's going on with you?" she asked at last. "It's not like you to walk around with that sort of grin plastered on your face. You're not the type to hand out smiles for free. Are you feeling okay?"

"Hm? Hahaha," Robin laughed heartily and reached down to gently ruffle her hair. "So it's that obvious, huh? Yeah… I guess I do feel good today. Happier than I have in a while. I don't know how to explain it exactly, but there's this deep feeling of… satisfaction inside me."

"Satisfaction?" she repeated, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "That's a new one. What's got you feeling all fulfilled today, oh mighty planetary emperor?"

"Hehe, cut it out with the teasing," he said, rolling his eyes. "It's just… you know, I've always felt like I was fighting for every inch I gained. Like the universe constantly conspired to put me in the worst possible outcomes. Even earning my title as Planetary Emperor—it wasn't fate, or destiny, or talent. It was blood, sweat, and more sacrifice than I'd like to count."

He paused, the smile on his lips deepening with emotion.

"But today... for the first time, I felt something different. After learning about my soul trait—after realizing that I do have something uniquely mine—I felt lucky. Like for once, life gave me something before I had to bleed for it."

He looked up, his eyes shining with a quiet sense of purpose.

"Today, I felt like I got my share of what the world has to offer… just like everyone else."

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