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Lord of the Truth (Web Novel) - Chapter 1930 Charity
Chapter 1930 Charity
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Somewhere in the depths of deep space-Whoooosh
An extremely black spacecraft slid through the fabric of space itself, leaving behind no ripples, no turbulence-no sound, no light, not even the faintest spatial distortion that could later be traced, unlike all ordinary vessels.
It moved in absolute silence, at terrifying speed, with flawless efficiency. This was the most expensive spacecraft of its size ever known in the universe- the Phantom Shadow, Generation-2. A customized vessel belonging exclusively to the Shadow Swords, of which only fifteen existed across all sectors.
"Hoo~"
Theo released the control yoke and rested his hand on the central control panel. He extended his soul sense, letting it flow through the ship's systems, selected the destination, confirmed the trajectory, and switched to full autonomous navigation.
Only then did he straighten up.
He left the cockpit in silence, taking a few steady steps down the corridor until he reached the cargo compartment-an area spacious enough to house nearly ten Shadow Swords at once. He entered, sealed the door behind him, and then
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Theo's scream erupted violently, reverberating through the hull and shaking the entire vessel.
"DAAAAAAMN IT, DAMN IT ALL!!!"
BAM!
He lashed out, kicking the nearest seat with explosive force. The reinforced frame shattered instantly, collapsing before it even had a chance to tear free from its mounting.
"Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!"
One hundred billion Pearls.
He had been robbed -cleanly, openly, undeniably of one hundred billion Pearls.
When he had accepted that transfer from his father, the fairy had congratulated him warmly, telling him he had officially become one of the wealthiest individuals in the universe. His fortune surpassed that of nearly all the Behemoths' descendants- perhaps rivaled only by the likes of Morval or Drathan.
That amount of wealth was enough to establish ten millennial empires, to raise them from nothing and fill their treasuries to bursting!
And what did he receive in return?
A promise.
A mere promise to turn a blind eye to the secret for two hundred years. Only two hundred years!!
"..."
Theo clenched his hands until his knuckles turned white. His vision blurred for
a moment-his eyes blinded but deep hatred, rage, and also sheer helplessness and suffocating frustration.
He knew the Syndicate.
He knew that red-skinned man especially well.
By refusing the inspection outright, he had already pushed them to their absolute limit. The only reason they had shown him any restraint -any courtesy at all-was because he was still useful. To them, one hundred billion Pearls was nothing if stubbornness entered the equation. If they truly decided to move, they would do so without hesitation, without regard for losses. And if he had dared to negotiate further asked for more time, or attempted to lower the price- the demanded sum would almost certainly have doubled on the spot. That red-skinned man genuinely believed he had already been generous enough. He had named the one hundred billion, offered the waiting period, and likely even convinced himself that this was an act of charity.
It was exactly like a rich man taking pity on a beggar by the roadside and handing him ten energy stones-only for the beggar to scoff and reply, Either give me twenty, or I won't take anything at all.
Had Theo tried to fine-tune the deal any further, the situation would have devolved into sheer obstinacy.
And no one -no one at all-wins a contest of obstinacy against the Syndicate.
That was why he swallowed his pride. Why he accepted their excessive "benevolence" immediately, without haggling. Only afterward did he request the two missions as a secondary condition, hoping-desperately-to extract something, anything, that might tilt the balance back even a fraction.
Yet nothing-absolutely nothing-could truly balance the scales against the loss of one hundred billion Pearls.
Slowly, the weakness in his expression faded. The helplessness darkened, hardened, transforming into something far more dangerous. What emerged was pure rage-the expression of a man who had watched his family torn apart before his very eyes.
"It's fine," he muttered coldly. "A day for you, and a day for us... it's fine. We've only just begun."
He raised his hand slowly, deliberately, and clenched it into a tight fist.
"All those Pearls," he said softly, venomously, "I'll take it back-with interest."
After several long, heavy breaths-drawn in and released again and again-Theo finally located an intact seat amid the wreckage. He lowered himself onto it, leaned back, and closed his eyes, letting the silence of deep space swallow him
whole.
Hooom
"Welcome back, Sir Theo!" Theo's personal fairy appeared before him, her small figure hovering lightly in the air, her expression carrying a faint but unmistakable sadness. "Couldn't you keep your wealth for just a few hours, sir? Even a single short span of time would have been enough."
"Mind your own business," Theo waved dismissively, irritation bleeding into his tone despite his attempt to sound composed.
With his previous fortune and what remained from his father's transfer, he still possessed roughly 12 billion Pearls. That sum alone was enough to sustain the expansion of the Shadow Swords for a decent period of time. In fact, the additional 7 billion he had managed to secure would significantly accelerate operations within Medium Sector 98, pushing projects forward at a pace that would have been unthinkable just years ago.
Yet the issue was never what remained in his possession.
The real problem was that he was draining his father relentlessly-bleeding him
dry, again and again. Even after all the growth and prestige the Shadow Swords had achieved, he still could not resolve a problem of this magnitude on his own, not without leaning on his father's resources.
Without hesitation, Theo accessed his messages and reopened his father's previous communication, the one urging him to fight if it ever came to that.
He closed his eyes briefly, drew a deep breath, steadied his nerves, then pressed reply and began recording his own private message: <They took 100 billion Pearls. In exchange, they will overlook the casualties and ignore the safe zone for 200 years... I don't know whether it will be possible to renew the same agreement once those 200 years expire, but if it happens, the price will be far higher. It won't be a mere 100 billion again. My recommendation is either to prepare at least 500 billion pearls as a bribe for an additional century, or to prepare for war throughout those 200 years.>
After finishing, Theo remained silent, staring at the message for several long
seconds. His eyelid twitched faintly, betraying the strain he was under, before he added another line:
He raised his hand sharply and hit send, as if hesitating any longer would crush what remained of his resolve.
"Ugh..." Instead of lowering his hand, he brought it to his face and began rubbing the space between his eyes, pressing his fingers there as if trying to force the tension out. Thiswas one of the most humiliating messages he had ever had to send in his life-perhaps second only to that previous message to his father, when he reported the deaths of Syndicate members and begged
desperately for a solution.
Power... wealth... authority...
He needed all of it. Every last fragment. And he needed it fast.
"Sir Theo, before you leave, I must alert you," the fairy said carefully. "There is an important message you should see."
She gestured twice toward the message interface, where hundreds of incoming reports from Shadow Swords officers stationed across multiple sectors were displayed. Mixed among them were communications from leaders of shadow organizations, major commercial forces, and various other factions Theo had painstakingly built ties with over the years. This interface was where Theo
spent most of his waking hours.
"A message? Singular?" Theo frowned slightly, surprised she would single out just one. "From whom?"
"Lord Orion." The fairy scrolled through the inbox until the highlighted message appeared before him.
"...?" Theo's brows knitted together. He hadn't expected a reply so quickly, not
from someone of Orion's stature. He raised his hand and opened the message:
<High Sword Theo, we need to talk-but not here. I'll be waiting for you in Bright... do not be late.>
A strange, unreadable smile slowly found its way onto Theo's face, the tension
in his expression shifting into something colder and sharper. "Perhaps," he murmured quietly, "two hundred years will be enough."
