Chapter 2287

2287 - The Beginning of the Journey

“…” Richard raised his hands slightly and began slowly turning them over, palm up and palm down.

Years had passed since that session when he started adjusting his foundations—about fifty-five years. Ever since he first took on the integrated Law of Antimatter, he had lived in a state of constant torment, to the point that merely staying alive was considered an achievement in itself.

In truth, simply turning his hands over now was something he hadn’t been able to do for a long time… If not for the Shadow Swords, who came to serve him once a week at his request, he wouldn’t have even been able to feed himself.

So, just turning his hands over like this brought a smile to his face. “Thank you.”

His hands were still as thin as the rest of his body, exhaustion still gripped him, and his cheekbones jutted out as if he hadn’t eaten in years… But his body was whole again, he had clothes to cover himself, and that was a pleasant change.

“Come on, get up. We have a busy schedule today.” Robin leaned down slightly, took his son’s hand, and pulled him to his feet. “Say goodbye to this room—you won’t see it again.”

“…Why? I still have many levels to—” Richard stopped mid-sentence and began to sway.

His body wasn’t used to standing yet.

"Easy, easy." Glacion stepped forward and supported Richard. "Excellent first steps, young sir."

"..." Richard nodded toward Glacion, then turned to Robin. "Who is this brother?"

"Glacion, Guardian and Ruler of the Vast Ice Wing." Robin smiled, then turned back to walk toward the stairs. "You can rely on him for the rest of the day."

"..." Richard's eyebrows rose weakly, then he turned back to look at Glacion.

Why would the Guardian and Ruler of the Vast Ice Wing address him as "young sir"?

Had he missed something major again?!

Then Robin's voice came as he walked, cutting through his train of thought. "Regardless of where I leave you today, continue your training there. Staying in one place for too long causes lethargy and depression." He paused and cast a glance at his son. "Secondly, you've already completed Level 11, and the rest will be converted automatically. All you need to do is find a place to relax your nerves and wait until everything is finished."

"Relax my nerves..." Richard's smile grew wider, and he began to move forward with Glacion's help toward the exit as well. "No, thank you. I prefer to manage the foundation adjustment myself. It will finish faster that way, and I'll know more about what's happening inside my body."

"I don't know if you're looking for things to torment yourself with, or if you want to become stronger quickly," Robin muttered. "But I think they're two sides of the same coin in the end."

Robin spoke as he descended the stairs. "You have ninety-five years before I break the boundaries for the Nihari Galaxy, including Jura. At that point, you'll be able to make the breakthrough to become a World Calamity as you wish. That means even if you reach Level 50 quickly—say, in forty years—you'll still have to wait until I upgrade Nihari myself... So rushing won't help."

"Can't I try the breakthrough now when I'm ready?" Richard furrowed his brows.

"Hehe, I like that you weren't afraid of the first experiment and want to try again." Robin paused for a moment and looked behind him. "Try if you want after ninety-five years, not before. I still need some time to arrange good stabilizers for myself, you, and the rest of your brothers." Then he continued descending the narrow ladder. "And I'll try to think more about the matter of the candidates."

"The candidates?" Richard furrowed his brows.

"Don't ask me, I don't know yet." Robin chuckled as he reached the main gate of the house and stepped out into the street. "All I know is that Nihari's ascension won't just be a step toward gaining power—I have a feeling something big is about to happen."

"And what, or who, would dare to stop the inevitable, my lord?" Glacion interjected. "The medium Sector 99 no longer poses a threat, and the remaining Centennial and multiple empires will be dealt with and neutralized—they are nothing significant... Or are you referring to an attack from Darvion the Accursed and Zargul the Sorcerer?"

"No..." Robin stopped in front of the Gate and began looking around for something. "Those small names aren't worth considering."

"Behemoths are small names?" Richard asked in surprise. With difficulty, he let go of Glacion's hand, which had been supporting him, and turned to face him. "What exactly happened during my seclusion?"

"..." Glacion remained silent for a moment. "Your father is a great man."

He wasn't about to start explaining what he had seen unless Robin spoke first... Besides, he didn't know what had happened during the boy's seclusion, as this was the first time he had seen Robin!

*Whoosh*

At that moment, Shadow Sword appeared, kneeling beside them, then extended his hand toward Robin, holding a Ring. "Your Majesty."

"Hmm..." Robin received the ring and began examining it calmly.

Then he nodded. "All the items I requested are here, but these coordinates don't seem very precise..."

"We cannot provide one hundred percent accurate coordinates for what you requested, Your Majesty. Coordinates within the palaces, as you requested, would need to be purchased from The Syndicate for tens of billions, and as you know, Your Majesty, we have no communication channel with them." Shadow Sword spoke while looking down. "The coordinates in Your Majesty's possession are for the planet as a whole, or at least for the nearest planet to the location. From there, Your Majesty will be able to determine your next destination very easily. This is the utmost the Shadow Swords can do."

"..." Robin tossed the ring into the air twice, then it disappeared inside his own ring. "It's fine, this will suffice. You may go."

*Whoosh*

Shadow Sword did not wait a moment.

As for Robin, he looked in a certain direction. "Hmm, this will be a long journey. I wonder how much energy it will require from me."

"Where to, Your Majesty?" asked Glacion. "To the Perpetual Chaos? Or to my place in the Vast Ice? Perhaps we could explore the Blood Ghosts star cluster?"

They were in Sector 99, a medium sector, and there was no destination he wouldn't know!

Then he snapped his fingers. "Or shall we head to the Great Space Gates for a more exciting journey? But... we'll need some disguise."

"..?" Robin raised an eyebrow in surprise, then waved gently. "Wait a moment."

*Hum*

Golden engravings began to appear on Robin's body, compressing as others emerged, until he started glowing with a golden light.

Then a golden scale appeared beside him. Robin waved his hand, summoning something that looked like a heart placed inside a spatial cube, and muttered, "Let's see how much energy can be traded from the heart of a young space beast."

*Ding*

The scale tipped, then the heart vanished, and the scale disappeared with it.

The next moment, a massive amount of spirit units and energy surged through Robin before calming down, a scene that caught the attention of everyone on the street.

"It's fine, this will do..." Robin chuckled.

*Huum*

The golden engravings began to fade, replaced by other golden engravings, but their form was completely different from the previous ones.

Then a golden dagger took shape in his hand, and he calmly stabbed it in a specific direction.

*Rooomb*

Space warped before him for a moment, then a rectangular golden door appeared.

"This..." Richard muttered. "Where does this thing lead?"

"To offer condolences." Robin sighed, then took a step forward. "Come along."

*Whoosh*