2242 - New Leaders
"115 billion Pearl to take care of all the Peacekeeping Armies in a thousand academies for a year?" Robin furrowed his brows in confusion.
"...Well, give me 95 billion, and I'll manage." Blokan gritted his teeth. "I can't go any lower, or the Peacekeeping Armies' area of control will start to shrink, and the number of casualties might increase!"
"Might?" Robin raised an eyebrow. "You're making me look like a spendthrift now." He sighed. "What's your strategy?"
"We're different from them. They need to pour in massive amounts of Pearl every single year, forever, because of the agreements between the Council of Thrones and the Syndicate, and because of those endless slave armies." Anger showed on Blokan's face. "That was the thing that angered me the most, and what most drove me to leave the system—that bizarre cooperation and the disregard for the suffering of those slave armies."
"... " Robin nodded. The Council of Thrones and the Syndicate were clearly supporting each other, yet at the same time, neither wanted the other to have sole control.
"...As for us, we don't need to pour in massive, steady amounts of Pearl every year. We have a mighty, regular army. It might get damaged and need repairs and supplies each year, but establishing the army for the first time is what will take most of the money. After that, maintenance will be lighter."
He then continued, "According to my initial estimates, we need forty years of continuous agreement to build the army and its camps and to train the generation that will form the backbone of the peacekeeping force in the Academy. After forty years, expenses will drop to less than a quarter."
"So..." Robin gestured toward Blokan, "You want 95 billion Pearl annually for only forty years, and after that you'll need a quarter... just 20 billion?"
Blokan nodded, "Even less." He then added, "As long as you want to follow the plan of leaving taxes to the Academy Masters, I'm afraid these expenses are necessary... of course, these figures only cover a thousand Academies."
"....." Robin stared at Blokan for a few moments, "It's always said: give the bread to the baker, and this is an example I always follow, for everyone has their specialty... and this specialty I will leave to you and trust you to complete it."
"You will find no disappointment on my part." Blokan nodded, and indeed began drafting the plans.
"Morgana." Robin turned to his side. "While Blokan focuses on the Peacekeeping Armies and securing the fleets, camps, and many other things, I want you to focus on building more academies across all sectors and strengthening education." Then he pointed toward Zara. "Hold a meeting with this girl and representatives from the rest of the Sky Opener cities, and take everything that can be leaked to the public and put it into the curricula... The people of this universe must become stronger, much stronger."
"Understood." Morgana and Zara nodded.
Then he turned back to look at Blokan. "By a simple calculation, it can be said that you need about 4 trillion Pearl to establish the Peacekeeping Armies at the required level over forty years, and Morgana will need about 1 trillion to establish new academies in all remaining sectors and raise the level of defense and education... That's a total of 5 trillion Pearl, correct?"
"..." Blokan nodded. "Give us just 4 trillion Pearl, and we'll manage on our own."
After saying these words, Blokan swallowed hard... That was a staggering number, even for a Monarch in a middle sector who possessed a fundamental Law, truly staggering!!
No one other than the Four Pillars of the Universe could talk about this kind of money!
"Four?" Robin shook his head.
Blokan sighed and had already begun recalculating to reduce the number or try to persuade Robin to change his decisions.
When he heard:
“I will give you ten thousand billion Pearl.”
“…?” Blokan looked up, and even Morgana and everyone present shot strange glances toward Robin.
Ten trillion Pearl?!
“Ten? I mean… pardon?!” Blokan showed an awkward smile.
“…” Robin rubbed his nose. “The coming period… will be a time to strengthen the internal front. My empires will bear my name and personal glory and secure my family and those close to me, but they won’t earn the trust of the rest of the universe’s powers to rally around them. Only the Cosmic Academies that Zolan left me can unify the internal front, and that is something I will not skimp on.”
Then he lowered his hand very gently. “Strengthen my armies, Blokan, and establish my academies, Morgana… This universe must move when we move and stand still when we stand still. Only this way will we do it… on a grand scale, with open play… and with power.”
“…” Blokan nodded firmly. This was the first time he had felt such immense support.
Moral and financial support, and support in power as well… that person sitting before him had managed to expel the Executioner, so who would need a backer after him?!
"But follow your strategy, I don't want you to overspend." Robin chuckled, "And with the remaining money, I want you to do something for me."
"Command me." Blokan replied quickly.
"Althera told me before that most of the Academy Masters and their Deputies are from the second and third ranks of the Behemoths." Robin tilted his head with a smile, "And we will need presidents and deputies for the academies that Morgana will build."
"...?" Blokan furrowed his brows, trying to connect the two sentences, "Do you want me to tour the Behemoths' offspring to find those who agree to manage the new academies?"
"And why not?" Robin chuckled, "It's an honorable and prestigious profession for the Behemoths' offspring. Offer them a welcome gift of 100 million Pearl and a personal planet to anyone who accepts the position, and you'll find large numbers agreeing. In fact, just spreading rumors about what you're doing will make the requests come to you on their own."
"...." Blokan nodded. This would be difficult, as dealing with the Behemoths' offspring had always been tough.
Not everyone is Asr!
"But I want two things from you here... First, choose people with good reputations." Robin raised one finger, then raised the second, "And second, make them swear allegiance and to protect the interests of the universe based on the hero's vision, the Cosmic Elder."
"You are the one who spends, supports, and protects—so why give your glory to someone else?" Blokan felt a surge of anger.
Even he had initially thought Robin was merely a puppet of the Cosmic Elder, or at best a friend offering help, but this time he had seen everything with his own eyes!
"No one will believe what you did, Blokan. There’s no proof except the word of those present, and that can easily be challenged. Let’s keep it a secret." Then he chuckled, "And besides… in the Cosmic Elder’s absence, I am his vision and his word… didn’t he say that himself? Hehe, we haven’t gone far."