"…?!" The founder's widow stared at Robin in pure disbelief, her jeweled eyes trembling as if she couldn't quite comprehend what she'd just heard. "Did you just say you want… four hundred million Pearls, ten planetary weapons, and thirty-five planets?" Her voice wavered between shock and outrage, echoing through the grand marble hall like a note of thunder.

"Correct," Robin replied with an almost playful grin, tilting his head slightly as though the number he'd just named was nothing extraordinary at all. "And since I haven't even reached half of any of those three things," he continued smoothly, "I'll be expecting carefully selected planets and exquisitely planetary artifacts." His tone was calm, composed — yet it carried a weight that made even the air feel heavier.

"Professor Robin Burton," said the man with antlers shaped like those of a majestic stag, his brows furrowing, "don't you think you're… exaggerating? Quite a lot?" He crossed his arms, his presence attempting to impose authority, though it faltered slightly beneath Robin's unreadable gaze.

"Not in the slightest," Robin answered, his voice steady as still water. "The techniques I bestowed upon your children are capable of creating invincible armies — forces that can rewrite the balance of planetary wars. Refine them over a few tens of thousands of years, and they'll evolve further… strong enough to bolster even your World Cataclysms, perhaps even enhance your Nexus States themselves." His golden eyes drifted slowly across the hall, surveying every noble face. "Those techniques are seeds — seeds that will grow into salvation for your empires. Seeds that could rewrite your doomed destinies. You all know that, whether you dare to admit it or not."

"They're good," said the goat-headed nobleman after a pause, his hoarse voice carrying reluctant respect, "but not that good. We came here with the intent to buy them ourselves, to make a fair offer. But you're pushing your luck too far, Professor Robin. Four hundred million Pearls, ten planetary weapons, and thirty-five planets from each of us? That's beyond greed — it's madness!"

Robin chuckled — a soft, dangerous sound that made the goat-headed noble regret his words the moment they left his mouth. "What are you talking about?" he asked with exaggerated innocence. Then, with a mischievous glint, he turned his head slightly toward Harper. "Harper, who is this man exactly?"

"The thirteenth descendant of the founder of the Aghrad Centennial Empire," Harper answered at once, his tone calm but edged with subtle precision. "His dynasty has persisted for twelve million years, ruling over three hundred and forty planets. The royal treasury holds approximately one point nine billion Pearls, and the total number of planetary weapons in their possession is one hundred and thirty."

"….!!" The middle-aged stag-horned noble slowly rose to his feet, his composed facade shattering, his aura flaring with killing intent that pressed down like a storm. His eyes glimmered like drawn blades, burning with humiliation and wrath.

"I'll take one billion Pearls, sixty planetary weapons, and one hundred planets from you," Robin said cheerfully, pointing directly at the fuming noble. "See? Now what you pay and what the lady over there pays are perfectly equal. That is what we call justice."

Harper bowed deeply, his tone reverent but amused. "Your fairness shines upon the world like the very sun itself, Professor."

"Professor!!" the stag-horned man's son cried out, his voice almost cracking as he stood, trembling between fear and despair. "Please, Professor, don't make things this difficult for us! This—this won't end well!!"

"Not for me," Robin replied lightly, closing his eyes with a serene smile that was both arrogant and divine. "I'll be perfectly fine~. Isn't that right, Harper?"

The young Shadow Sword inclined his head. "No one could ever disturb your composure, Professor."

"Haha… Hahahahaha!" The enormous man standing beside the sweating Vanir suddenly erupted into booming laughter, his voice shaking the pillars of the hall. "This is hilarious! Professors these days—absolutely magnificent! Hahaha!"

He slapped his thigh with a thunderous smack, then rose and began striding toward the exit, his laughter still echoing behind him. "I've seen enough for one day! I came only because my son wouldn't stop singing your praises — not because I had to. And now? Even those thirty million Pearls we prepared? Forget them!"

"Father, please—wait!!" Vanir scrambled forward, grabbing at his father's arm, his eyes frantic. "That's just how Professor Robin is! Didn't I tell you? You can't take his words at face value!"

"That attitude of his might work on children like you, but not on me!" the massive man bellowed, shaking his arm free so violently that Vanir fell hard onto the marble floor. Then he jabbed a thick finger toward Robin. "You'd better watch your tone, boy. The world outside these academy walls is vicious — and no man can stay sheltered under a Monarch's protection forever!"

"...." The rest of the nobles began murmuring, exchanging uneasy glances, while the students — loyal to Robin to a fault — were nodding so furiously they looked deranged.

And finally, the gathered nobles turned their gazes back toward Robin, eager, curious, and a little afraid, watching to see how he would respond to such open disrespect.

"Harper," Robin spoke softly at last. His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it silenced the entire hall. His eyes remained closed, his leg elegantly crossed over the other, one arm resting lazily against the desk. "Who just spoke?"

"It's one of the great warring factions struggling for dominance over the Eternal Turtle Empire," Harper began, his tone carrying both weight and bitterness. "Once upon a time, that empire stood as a beacon of stability—a millennial dynasty that endured for more than twenty million years, a civilization whose shell was said to protect entire galaxies beneath its emblem." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "But in the past few millennia, that glory has crumbled. No being strong enough has appeared to unify the throne. In that void of power, the empire fractured, and a ruling council was formed to maintain the illusion of unity."

Harper shifted his gaze briefly toward Gragnakh, his eyes sharp and assessing, before continuing in a heavier tone, "At this point, everyone in the higher realms knows the truth. The Eternal Turtle Empire is millennial only by name. Beneath that ancient title, it's nothing more than a shell—hollow and divided. The once indivisible dominion has splintered into several century empires, each ruled by members of the so-called 'Council of Continuity.' And those council members..." he paused, lowering his voice, "they spend more time plotting each other's assassination than ruling. Each one dreams of erasing the others and becoming the sole ruler."

"Hmph. Pointless history," Gragnakh growled, his massive arm swinging dismissively through the air. "Save your lectures for scholars and fools." He turned toward the exit, scales glinting faintly beneath his robe as his heavy steps echoed across the marble floor.

Yet Harper didn't falter. "According to the latest imperial registry," he said, each word precise, "the Eternal Turtle Empire still claims 1,300 planets, maintains eight billion Pearls within its royal treasury, and commands five hundred and sixty planetary-grade armaments—weapons capable of turning worlds into dust." His eyes slid toward Gragnakh, cold and deliberate. "And our esteemed Lord Gragnakh here... monopolizes more than a quarter of that entire wealth by himself."

"...?!?" Gragnakh froze mid-step. The silence that followed was suffocating. Slowly, the hulking warrior turned, his aura darkening until the air itself seemed to hum with pressure. His killing intent rolled through the hall like thunder. "Hey... you—where did you get that information?"

"I dreamed it," Harper replied flatly, his voice cutting through the tension like steel.

GROOOOM! A deep vibration shook the floor as black-green scales erupted across Gragnakh's arm, spreading all the way to his shoulder. His frame expanded, and a low snarl rumbled from his throat as he took a step forward—each movement heavy enough to crack the tiles beneath his feet.

"Brother Gragnakh!" Merina's father finally broke his silence, his voice cracking from panic. He wiped the gelatinous sweat from his forehead and waved his trembling arms frantically. "We're inside the academy! His Majesty's decree forbids combat here! What in the heavens do you think you're doing?"

"Indeed, Brother Gragnakh, restrain yourself," added the green-skinned man beside him, his brow deeply furrowed. He glanced toward Robin and then back at Gragnakh. "No one here is worth offending His Majesty over. Think carefully before you act."

"Good... very good," Gragnakh hissed, his scales dissolving as he retracted his power. His grin widened into something feral as he pointed toward Robin and Harper. "You'd better not leave the academy grounds for the next thousand years. Consider that a warning." His gaze shifted downward toward Vanir, who was still sprawled on the floor, pale and trembling. "Get up, boy. Get up! This place isn't worthy of us. I'm pulling you out of this academy right now."

"No...!!" Vanir's eyes widened in disbelief, his entire body stiffening. He could feel his chance, his dream, slipping away into ruin. The situation was collapsing into the worst possible outcome.

"Hey," came Robin's calm voice from the side, deep and composed yet laced with quiet power. "Before you leave... there's something I'd like to say."

"Hmph," Gragnakh sneered without even turning his head. "What is it now? Have the thirty million Pearls suddenly become irresistible to you? Forget them. You'll never see a single Pearl from me, not even one!"

"Heh~" Robin's soft chuckle rippled through the air, sending a faint shiver down the hall. "That's not what I was going to say." His expression grew colder, his tone sharp enough to draw every gaze toward him. "Listen carefully—all of you, and especially you, Gragnakh. Those techniques were created as gifts, as rewards for my students—no one else. You don't have to buy them if you dislike the price." He paused, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. "Just remember to thank me for making your children stronger."

Then, with deliberate slowness, Robin opened his eyes wide, twin sparks of fierce, glowing light gleaming within them. "But let me make one thing absolutely clear," he declared, his voice now echoing with power. "Without MY approval today, none of those techniques—none—are to leave this academy. Not to a student's younger brother, not to their relatives, not to their armies, not to anyone. Am I understood?"

"Hahaha!" Gragnakh's laughter broke the silence, loud and mocking, filling the chamber with arrogance. "Then you should have made them swear sacred oaths that day! But alas~" He tilted his head with cruel amusement. "Your stupidity was glorious that day, Robin."

"Stupidity?" Robin's voice dropped to a near whisper, yet it carried more weight than thunder. He turned slowly, meeting Gragnakh's gaze with a look that froze even the air around them. "Do you call hunting... stupidity?"

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