Chapter 1372: Tension between the Allies-1
Planet Azakra —
"Still no news?" Elinor’s soft, melodic voice echoed delicately through the grand hall, "It’s been years since that infamous auction day."
Rinara exhaled deeply, shaking her head with weariness weighing down her tone. "Robin Burton hasn’t made a single appearance since that day. Not a word. He hasn’t sold a single item, hasn’t responded to any of the requests sent to the Chamber of Truth, and all personal message on the Soul Society? Ignored. It’s as if he vanished completely from existence—as if the earth itself opened up and devoured him whole."
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"How strange..." Elinor murmured as she descended the steps before the throne, her expression thoughtful. "A man like him—someone with his talent, his charisma, his influence—could’ve amassed unimaginable wealth if he had simply continued working with the Soul Society. He was at the peak of demand. Why would someone like that just... stop?"
"Wealth isn’t everything in everyone’s eyes, Elinor..." Rinara’s gaze dropped for a moment, her voice barely above a whisper. "To be honest, I’m not even sure he ever cared for it in the first place. From the start, he only seemed interested in building a name for himself— only spreading his creations."
"What kind of nonsense is that, sister?" Elinor raised a brow and gave a disbelieving chuckle. "The man made billions—literal billions! Just The Breath of the Ages alone earned him over twelve billion Pearls! Who looks at that kind of staggering fortune and still thinks he was doing it all just for recognition? That much money... it can buy anything! Power, territory, loyalty—even love itself!"
"You didn’t see the level of extravagance he lived in before he even reached the Mid-belt." Rinara’s eyes widened with memory. "At his coronation, I saw an entire city more majestic, more sophisticated, and more radiant than our empire’s capital—the very capital we spent seven million years constructing. I saw fleets of starships shimmering with untraceable alloys, arrays fueled by energy sources I couldn’t even identify. I saw three Beast Kings seated calmly, observing the ceremony as if they were no more than domesticated pets."
She paused, then shook her head slowly. "Sometimes I wonder if he was born within the heart of an eternal vault—an unending reservoir of riches, technology, and magical resources. Everything about the way he speaks, the way he moves, the way he spends—it screams of someone who never had to worry about scarcity. Have you ever looked into the salaries he pays his soldiers?"
"I didn’t see their wages," Elinor replied, her voice low, "but I’ve seen how they fight... and they are worth every single pearl I tell you that. No exaggeration. They utterly outclass the so-called elite of our army." Her tone was sharp, almost scathing.
"Of course they do," Rinara replied firmly. "They’re all Rune Knights! Their armors and weapons is all epic— every one of them was literally buried under layers of enchanted armor. Life sigils to keep them standing even after fatal blows, speed runes to blur them into a streak of light, explosive and smoke talismans to create dynamic cover in battle... The sheer quantity and variety of tools at their disposal is mind-numbing."
She took a breath, brows twitching as she recalled the reports. "My specialists conducted a detailed analysis—item by item, enchantment by enchantment. They calculated the cost of deploying a single Rune knight from the True Beginning Empire during combat. From damaged armor components, to talismans consumed mid-battle, to the flow of pure energy from pearls constantly pumping beneath their suits..."
Her eyes rose slowly, locking onto Elinor’s. "Roughly ten pearls per soldier—each battle. And that’s not even including the operational cost of their enormous, terrifying war fleets."