Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1289  The Gray goggles

A few hours later—

The chaotic market surrounding Robin had gradually begun to quiet down, its frenzied energy slowly fading away until it eventually vanished entirely behind him. From the chatter he overheard, Robin came to understand that this place was referred to as The Walk of Opportunity—a bustling corridor of trade and chance centered solely around the space portals.

As he continued walking, Robin caught the disgruntled voice of a wealthy individual muttering complaints. The man was clearly disgusted by what he called a "revolting sight" at the very entrance of the planet. According to him, it was an inappropriate and shameful front for the grand planet of Zaron. He added—rather dramatically—that once again, he would be filing a formal complaint to the ruling council, demanding the relocation of this "mess" to a more secluded location.

However, based on what Robin had heard from other conversations, the council had always found such requests difficult to accommodate. The Walk of Opportunity was considered one of the planet's most significant attractions—a cultural and economic phenomenon in its own right. People from every corner of the surrounding galaxy would come here, drawn by dreams of sudden riches, legendary gear, or the hope of acquiring power from nothing. They'd buy whatever caught their interest and then return to their distant homes with either treasure or regret.

Having this marketplace right at the gates served a vital purpose—it expedited the business of those "lesser" individuals, allowing them to find what they were looking for quickly and leave without ever setting foot into the heart of the planet itself. This, at least, was the council's repeated justification. And so far, it had stood uncontested.

"....."

In silence, Robin turned his head, casting his eyes over the evolving surroundings.

Now that he had emerged from the overwhelming commotion, the environment had undergone a dramatic transformation—one worthy of a prestigious commercial planet that wasn't governed by any singular empire. The street vendors were gone, the narrow alleys replaced by broad, well-paved roads, and even the scent of cleanliness was suddenly noticeable in the air. The shops had grown in size and sophistication, some of them stretching multiple floors high. New elements had also started to appear—like recruitment convoys belonging to powerful clans and elite academies, each seeking the next generation of prodigies.

(Owner! Owner! Look over there again—on the third floor, quickly!)

"Hmm?"

After hearing Evergreen's excited voice, Robin halted his steps and followed her direction. There, towering ahead, stood an impressive five-story weapon exhibition hall. Its entire front wall was crafted from glass—though even a quick glance was enough for Robin to realize it wasn't ordinary glass. No, this was the kind of reinforced material that even a seasoned Martial Emperor would struggle to shatter!

"Which one are you referring to exactly?" Robin raised his eyebrows and gestured toward the third floor with his chin. There, displayed in a sleek and elegant formation, were seven distinct pieces of equipment. Each item sat on its own illuminated pedestal, with a digital plaque or booklet beneath it explaining its features. With just one glance, Robin could already tell: each of those pieces was of low epic-tier quality—a rare and powerful grade not easily found even in major empires!

(Isn't it obvious?! That goggle set right there!)

Evergreen began bouncing in mid-air, pointing enthusiastically toward the third display.

Robin turned his attention to it immediately. What she referred to as "goggles" was actually a sleek, silver accessory—entirely metallic, with no visible lenses at all. In fact, it resembled a headband or crown more than a traditional pair of eyewear.

"Hmmm… The description here says it's a supplementary armor component. It increases resistance to spiritual or soul-based attacks by twenty percent… That's quite fascinating."

He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the next line.

"The price... 950 pearls!?"

Robin's first reaction was pure astonishment. For a piece of equipment graded as epic—even if low-tier—the price seemed shockingly affordable. But then his thoughts drifted to something else: the armor sets worn by Martial Emperors within the True Genesis Empire. Each of those sets was composed of sixteen unique pieces, with every piece performing a separate function. And when fully assembled, the set would grant the wearer an additional composite ability. How much would a complete set like that even cost?

And yet, tens of thousands of such sets were currently in use across the empire's military!

Even without considering that—how much had that mid-tier black epic armor worn by Holak cost? It had seemed priceless at the time.

"...Seems like my army might be a little too spoiled."

Robin chuckled softly, scratching his chin in amusement. Then he turned his attention back to Evergreen.

"Anyway, why exactly do you want me to buy these goggles? They don't look very practical. I mean, I can't even tell if the wearer would be able to see anything through them!"

"Who cares?" Evergreen huffed with theatrical flair, her arms flailing as if waving away invisible concerns.

"With the Eye of Truth, you can see clearly through even the most opaque of barriers—even if they completely obscure vision. Not that such a thing could stop it anyway~"

Her voice carried a playful tone, but there was a sharp edge to it—a warning dressed in jest.

She pointed insistently at the silver goggles inside the glass display.

"You have to get them, right now. No delays. No second thoughts. Before some cosmic disaster decides to stroll right into your lap."

Then, without hesitation, she began nudging Neri repeatedly with both hands.

"Tell him! He listens to you more than he listens to me. He actually takes you seriously!"

Neri sighed heavily, clearly unamused by Evergreen's overly dramatic behavior. But she eventually gave a small nod, conceding to the point.

"I hate to admit it... but she might not be wrong. You can't just wander around with your golden eye exposed every time something interesting catches your attention or every time a skirmish erupts."

Her voice became lower, more serious.

"Even if the people around you don't notice, there's a bigger risk… the spirit of the planet might."

Robin blinked, eyebrows furrowing as a thoughtful expression crossed his face.

"Oh…" he murmured, the weight of her words slowly settling on him like a shadow.

He paused, scratching his head in contemplation.

"I hadn't considered that. I assumed Evergreen was just being her usual self—loud, excitable, and overreacting."

Then he glanced sideways at Neri, still processing.

"But come on, isn't it a bit unlikely?" he asked, his tone somewhere between genuine curiosity and denial.

"From what I understand, a planetary spirit doesn't observe everything constantly. It doesn't have eyes on every corner, every person, every moment. Even if I use the Eye of Truth here and now, it probably won't notice. I mean, why would it care about someone like me?"

He began to pace slowly, as if organizing his thoughts.

"And even if someone does see a golden glow coming from my eye, so what? Aren't there tons of eye-based techniques that cause a glow—golden or otherwise? The odds of someone connecting that to him... are incredibly slim."

"There are strict conditions for identifying one of his chosen candidates. The spirit would have to be watching me directly, all the time. It would also have to recognize the nature of the power I'm using—that I'm tapping into the Master Law of Truth. That level of awareness? That level of precision? Highly improbable."

"Unlikely for anyone else maybe," Evergreen snapped, "but you? You're a magnet for cosmic drama! You're cursed—or maybe blessed—to always end up in the center of the biggest storm. If something can happen, it will happen, and it'll probably happen to you!"

In a fit of exasperation, she grabbed Neri by the neck and began shaking her wildly, her voice shrill.

THWACK!

Neri, without breaking her stoic expression, calmly punched Evergreen away, sending her tumbling like a discarded doll.

She turned back to Robin, her voice steady once more.

"She's overreacting, as usual, but the danger she's pointing to is real. Most planetary spirits wouldn't risk exposing you even if they realize who you are. They'd be too afraid to get involved in matters bigger than themselves."

She glanced around as if making sure no one was listening.

"But the truth is, each planetary spirit is different. We're all born with distinct personalities, preferences, biases—even fears. You can never predict how one might react. Better safe than sorry."

Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully, clearly giving her words more weight than he had Evergreen's.

"Hm… Your logic is sound enough to make me consider actually buying those awful goggles," he said, then let out a light laugh and shrugged.

"But still… they're hideous."

"You're seriously going to risk attracting interstellar calamity just because they're ugly?!"

Evergreen screamed from where she'd landed, her voice cracking from disbelief.

"Of course," Robin said proudly, standing tall with a smirk.

"I'm a planetary emperor, after all. Even if no one here knows who I am, I must still maintain a certain level of regal presentation and personal dignity."

He chuckled as he resumed walking, brushing invisible dust from his cloak.

"Imagine walking around looking like that. It's humiliating. And if I were to pull those things out during a fight? My opponent might die from laughter before the battle even begins."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, something ahead caught his eye.

In this part of the planet—where the streets had been nearly deserted just moments ago—there was now a huge congregation of people.

A massive crowd had formed, standing in a wide ring around what appeared to be a sleek, privately-owned airship—an extravagant vessel floating gracefully just above the ground.

"..."

Driven by curiosity and instinct, Robin veered off his path and approached the edge of the crowd. He gently tapped the shoulder of the only human he could see among the onlookers.

"Hey, brother," he said with casual familiarity, "what's going on here?"

The young man turned around, eyes widening slightly with interest.

"Oh, don't you know?" he said with a polite smile.

"Today they're conducting Spirit Identification Tests. Anyone born with a rare or powerful soul types gets the opportunity to join the Clan of the Seven Spirits—no fee, no conditions, completely free of charge!"