Published at 17th of January 2026 11:02 am

Chapter 1916 The little colony

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"...Hello?" Robin stared intently at the glowing circle and at the image of the Cosmic Elder shimmering within it, layers of light rippling softly across the surface. He slowly extended his hand, curiosity overtaking caution, and touched the screen to examine what it was truly made of. "Why didn't you open a gate like last time? And how did you even produce this screen? I want to meet you face to fa-"

Robin's hand suddenly passed through the circle and clamped firmly around the Cosmic Elder's nose on the other side. "Eeh?!"

Smack! Zolan slapped Robin's hand away like a child who had misbehaved, forcibly pushing it back out of the circle. "This is a miniature gate, boy. I simply don't want you to come over. There are things here-things that wouldn't be appropriate for you to witness."

"Things? What, did you start hoarding treasures or something?" Robin pulled his reddened hand back to his side, flexing his fingers as he began rubbing it in irritation.

"Treasures? Hehe, perhaps." Zolan nodded lightly, then began gently tugging at his neatly braided beard, clearly amused by the thought.

At that moment, Robin heard a feminine voice-a young, childish voice filled with excitement. "I'm going to use the yellow ribbon next!"

"As you like, sweetheart, as you like~" Zolan laughed warmly, then tilted his head back to give her better access. "Just don't wrinkle Daddy's hair too much. Your little sister's turn will come after you."

"This..." Robin narrowed his eyes until they nearly disappeared. At that very moment, he noticed the small hand of a young girl, covered in cute, colorful doodles, carefully braiding the remaining strands of the Cosmic Elder's hair. "Is that your wi-"

"She's my daughter, you animal," the Cosmic Elder cut in immediately. "I have many of them now." He then flashed a grin, revealing strong, healthy teeth. "The island has recently turned into a small colony, hehe. I'm actually starting to regret sacrificing all the other land on the planet. I'm considering relocating an entire island from another world to expand things a bit-hmm."

"Oh... congratulations." Robin scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "You really have been busy lately, haven't you?"

"More or less~~ more or less-" Zolan nodded gently, careful not to ruin the freshly made braid. "At the beginning of my journey, I sacrificed my snow balls -if you know what I mean- as a declaration of commitment to my chosen path, a vow never to stray from it for any worldly reason. But since you returned them to me, I decided I might as well make some use of them."

He then turned slightly to the side, clear satisfaction and fulfillment etched across his face. "...Thank you, Robin. I truly learned what happiness is after I saw my children and heard the noise filling the island-this time, the noise of play and laughter, not the screams of potential students."

"Daddy, were there students screaming here before?" the girl behind the Cosmic Elder asked innocently.

"And do you see anyone here besides us, my dear? Hehe." Zolan raised his free hand and gently patted the girl on the head. "You must listen to your mother and study diligently, so she won't raise her voice at you and make you scream as well, alright?"

"..." Robin's expression twisted subtly. He himself had buried the bones of those former students beneath that very island and taken their rings. "We need to talk... there are serious matters, matters of great importance."

"Hmmm..." The Cosmic Elder paused for a moment, then took his daughter's hand and placed a soft kiss on it. "Go and play beach ball with your older siblings, my dear. I'll call for you again shortly."

"Okay!!" the girl shouted brightly as she sprang out from behind him, her small figure disappearing as the cheerful sound of her humming drifted farther and farther away.

The Cosmic Elder slowly turned his attention back toward the gate, his expression settling into something more serious. "So... what's wrong?"

"The universe is on fire," Robin replied flatly, without embellishment or hesitation.

"I've heard a few things while I was bringing in the last few wives. Reality isn't pleasant at all..." The Cosmic Elder nodded several times in quiet acknowledgment, as if piecing scattered reports together. "And then?"

"And then?" Robin echoed sharply. "What do you mean, then? Why don't you come out and say something already?!" His voice rose, disbelief and frustration bleeding through.

"Why should I say anything?" the Cosmic Elder shot back. "Am I the one who set all this in motion? I went out, killed an adult space beast, and finalized a few marriages and everyone happily assumed I was dead. What does that have to do with me? Let them keep celebrating my death if that's what they want!" Irritation finally surfaced on his face, no longer hidden behind calm indifference.

"Fine, then don't justify anything," Robin replied, refusing to back down. "But why not simply go out and kill one of the young space beasts that have been spreading lately? There are about five of them that have been appearing repeatedly over the last ten years across multiple sectors, and their numbers keep increasing. If you kill even one or two, everyone will immediately know you're still alive and well."

"Even young space beasts," the Cosmic Elder snapped, his voice rising, "creatures that a slightly strong Guardian could handle-people leave those to me?" He scoffed bitterly. "If that's the case, here's my answer to satisfy you: isn't that nothing but extreme laziness and outrageous overreliance?!"

"..." Althera felt her face burn with embarrassment. If she had been able to, she would have torn the ground apart and let it swallow her whole just to escape

the moment.

"Extreme reliance, honestly," Robin muttered, scratching the back of his head. "But have you even heard what's happening in the academies? More than half of them have shut their doors entirely and stopped carrying out any of their responsibilities!"

"..." At those words, the irritation drained from Zolan's face, replaced by something heavier-sadness. He fell silent for a long moment, as if weighing memories too vast to voice. "I won't speak about my personal contributions to the universe," he finally said. "You already know them. But do you know what I did for the academies? Can you even imagine the amount of wealth I handed over to the Supreme Council I personally established? Can you grasp the scale of support I poured into them over millions of years?"

He clenched his teeth beneath tightly closed lips. "... You know, little Robin, while I was choosing my latest wives, I overheard some commoners talking. They spoke about the laziness of the Dominant Entity, about how useless he supposedly is." He pointed sharply at himself. "Me? Why do I deserve this?! Forget my entire history-I just killed an adult space beast for them, and it meant absolutely nothing!!"

"That's the price of fame, old man," Robin said, forcing a crooked smile. "Sometimes you just have to block your ears." Even as he said it, he knew he himself would never truly be able to do that.

"I've been thinking a lot lately, little Robin-thinking far more than you realize. Don't assume I was ignorant of what was happening..." The Cosmic Elder fixed Robin with his hollow, empty eyes, then began murmuring in a low, strained voice. "I spent my entire life for the sake of the universe, and a mere rumor of my NEAR death was enough to bring chaos back and drag curses and hatred onto my name. Everyone says all of this is happening because of the Cosmic Elder-the pervert Cosmic Elder."

Then a strange smile appeared on his face, "They say I'm dead, or near dead, Yet I didn't see monuments raised in my honor, nor gatherings of prayer from commoners or nobles alike... Everyone are just angry I don't do more!" "...Carrying the universe on my shoulders nearly killed me, if not for your appearance... The fragile universe that relied on me collapsed the moment an unverified rumor of my death spread. I admit it-I failed. My answers were wrong" He paused, the weight of those words hanging heavily in the air. "And you... you were right."

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