Lord of the Truth

"...Ah, welcome. It has been a long wait, my dear owner!"

Neri gently spread her arms open, then took slow, deliberate steps toward him. Her half-lidded eyes shimmered with fatigue, yet within them lay a deep, unwavering resolve.

"Oh?" Robin's lips curled into a slight smile as he watched the little girl approach. This was the fourth planetary spirit domain he had entered, yet it was the first time he had been greeted with such warmth.

"You said your name is Neri?"

"That's right." Neri nodded lightly. "I am your companion on the path to glory and your number one aide in achieving whatever you desire." Her voice was calm, unwavering, yet strangely soothing. She clasped her hands together in front of her small stomach before tilting her head slightly, a mysterious glint flickering across her delicate features. "And that is something I believe you are in desperate need of, Golden-Eyed One~"

Robin raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by her words. "Hah… You don't seem afraid of my golden eyes. Another planetary spirit outright refused to interact with me because of them."

Neri simply shook her head, an amused expression flitting across her face. "No, why would I be afraid? That golden hue signifies either a path to glory or a path to ruin. If you walk the road to glory, I shall be the heart of your magnificence. And if ruin befalls you, so be it. How many planets are destroyed daily? It is simply the way of the universe. I myself would have been wiped out by that shadow had you not intervened against that shadow."

Robin let out a dry chuckle, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "My number one aide… the companion on the path to glory… Don't you think you're exaggerating a little, little spirit?"

Neri's expression remained serene as she replied, "I am merely stating facts. I know the value of Planet Nihari. My size is equivalent to seventy medium-sized planets combined. My mineral resources are boundless. My strong gravity has made my inhabitants naturally superior in strength compared to any other world. The density of my energy makes me a paradise for cultivators. And my ability to produce pearls in abundance is the final jewel in my crown of advantages."

She then took a step aside, raising her small hand in a graceful gesture toward the planetary core—the true essence of the planet. A faint, pulsing glow radiated from it, an ancient energy coursing through its very being.

"Please, proceed this way."

Robin let out a soft whistle, his golden eyes gleaming with intrigue. He took a few steps forward, then glanced at her with a teasing smirk. "This is the first time I've met a planetary spirit with such arrogance," he mused. Once he reached her side, he casually placed his hand on her head and ruffled her silken hair. "But you're still quite endearing. I don't sense any malice from you."

Neri's smile remained, but there was a flicker of exhaustion in her gaze, a heaviness that could not be concealed. "I did not mean to act arrogantly before my future owner," she murmured, her voice softer now. "I simply laid out the truth for you, nothing more. I am… a Galactic Seed. It is my destiny to be the heart of your glory—if you can attain it. To be your first aide in all things, because I possess enough resources and unique properties to support your path alone. Is that not the truth?"

Robin's expression shifted slightly, his expression changed as he studied her more closely.

"...I want to ask you a few questions," he said after a pause, his voice lower now, more serious. "But you look exhausted, Neri. Is the situation severe?"

He didn't need to ask about the reason for her fatigue—it was obvious. Her battle against the shadow had already taken a heavy toll, and the destruction it had wrought upon the Lava Sea and the abyss had only worsened the situation.

He could see it now—the way her form flickered ever so slightly, her spiritual energy unstable as if she were barely holding herself together.

Neri weakly shook her head. "I'm fine. You can ask whatever you want. It's just exhaustion… If a true world cataclysm had tried to forcefully invade the planet, I would have activated the fourth or even fifth level of planetary defense and eliminated it instantly. But dealing with toys like the cataclysm Sealing Cube imposes certain restrictions on me as the planet's spirit."

Robin nodded thoughtfully. Evergreen had already mentioned how the Rulemaker encouraged innovation by forcing beings to find loopholes and creative solutions within his system. So he wasn't too surprised to hear something like this—even planetary spirits had their limits!

"In that case, please answer my first question..." Robin took a few more steps until he finally stood before the floating planetary core of Nihari. The model of the planet pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light, as if it were breathing. "What exactly is the galaxy you mentioned?"

Neri let out a slow breath before speaking. "I will first give you the general definition of a natural galaxy: a galaxy is a massive collection of stars, all orbiting a single focal point due to gravitational forces. The number of stars in a galaxy ranges from millions to billions, depending on its size..." She paused briefly, as if gathering her energy before continuing.

"Some of these stars have solid, rocky planets bound to them. In such cases, the star is called a sun. A single sun may have one planet orbiting it—or dozens at the same time! However, the number of these suns is quite small compared to the total number of stars. Among billions of stars, you might find only a few million that actually have planets orbiting them."

Robin's eyes widened to their limit. He turned toward Neri in shock. He struggled to even comprehend such vast numbers. "Wait... doesn't that mean a single galaxy contains millions—no, tens of millions—of planets?!"

Neri shook her head gently, her golden accessories jingling softly. "It is not as you imagine," she replied in her usual calm voice. "Most of those planets are completely lifeless—void of a planetary spirit, lacking an atmosphere, and utterly barren. The number of habitable planets among them is much, much smaller. Out of a million planets, you might find anywhere from a hundred to a thousand that are capable of sustaining life."

Robin fell silent for a moment, letting that sink in. "...That's still an enormous number," he murmured, furrowing his brows slightly. He rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "...How many galaxies make up the universe? No, wait—is a galaxy just another name for a planetary belt?"

Robin was still struggling to wrap his head around the sheer scale of what he was hearing. Billions of stars, millions of planets... Even if only a thousand of them supported life, that was still a staggering amount! The universe was vast beyond imagination. And yet, Pythor had wandered for a whole ten thousand years, blindly exploring the void, and had only discovered seven planets in all that time!

Neri smiled—no, she looked as if she wanted to laugh, but lacked the strength to do so. "My future owner," she said softly, "you truly underestimate the scale of what lies around you. A galaxy is just another name for a planetary belt? If anyone with even a little bit of knowledge overheard you, they would laugh at your ignorance."

Robin let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "Then enlighten me, my first aide and companion on the road to glory~" he teased, though there was an edge of frustration in his tone.

Even after attaining such strength and authority, he still felt as if he were ignorant—perhaps even more ignorant than before! Ever since his conversation with Pythor, his discussions with Evergreen, and now this exchange with Neri, that sensation had only grown stronger. The more he learned, the more he realized just how little he truly knew.

"There's no need to be frustrated, my future owner," Neri reassured him with a small, gentle smile. "All you lack is knowledge—and it is my duty to provide it." She tilted her head slightly before continuing.

"A planetary belt is internally divided into what we call sectors. These sectors are separated by vast expanses of empty space, cosmic storms, and other natural dangers. Because of these vast distances and obstacles, the inhabitants of a single sector tend to remain within it—even if they attempt to build planetary empires or explore beyond their planets, they would still be within that same sector."

She then raised a single, delicate finger. "These sectors combine to form what we call belts—specifically; There are one thousand young sectors and one thousand mid-aged sectors. Within each sector, there exist multiple natural galaxies—dozens of them or more. In addition, there are countless wandering stars that do not belong to any specific galaxy."

At this point, Neri lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Robin. A faint, almost teasing glimmer danced in her expression as she delivered the final blow to his perception of scale. "In other words, each sector of the two thousand contains hundreds of thousands —or even millions— of habitable planets."