Lord of the Truth
Chapter 2176: Truth potatoes
"A loophole?" Theo was deeply startled, his voice carrying clear disbelief as his brows tightened. "Are you saying that whoever activated this seal, or curse, or whatever it is, actually left behind a loophole like this? This... can’t be it, right?"
"Mm, that’s exactly it." Robin Burton nodded firmly, a faint smile forming as if amused by the absurdity of it all. "A loophole that led to the emergence of the Behemoths and all the great human families across the universe. They truly failed miserably, huh? Hehe."
Then he leaned forward toward the table, resting slightly as his gaze turned distant, as if drifting through countless possibilities. "Thinking about it more carefully... why hasn’t this loophole been sealed until now?" He raised one eyebrow, clearly analyzing. "I can think of three possibilities... First, the one who placed the seal did it intentionally from the very beginning. Second, they no longer possess enough power to modify or correct it. Or..." he paused, his tone lowering slightly, "they don’t even know about the loophole yet."
"...." Theo remained silent for several moments, clearly digesting the implications, his thoughts turning heavy. "I still think it’s just a coincidence... nothing more."
"Hmmm, don’t worry about it. That’s my problem to deal with." Robin shrugged casually and leaned back into his chair, completely at ease. "As for you, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a coincidence or not. It’s like a mortal who spends most of his life struggling just to earn a living. It wouldn’t change anything in his life whether the planet he stands on is round or flat, talking about it is fruitless."
"I feel a bit insulted right now." Theo frowned slightly, though his tone remained controlled.
"Hehe, and why is that? It’s the role of researchers to chase after the truth and uncover it piece by piece," Robin waved his hand twice dismissively, yet confidently. "And your role is to help me implement and apply whatever I manage to discover."
"Fair enough." Theo nodded after a brief pause, accepting the logic, then pointed toward the booklet in front of him. "So, what exactly is required?"
"This booklet explains the method of distributing the runes and patterns of the major Law of Darkness in precise detail," Robin replied, his tone turning more serious. Then he continued after a slight pause, making sure his words were clear. "It’s not difficult for a child forming their pillars for the very first time. In fact, they don’t even need to carve the runes themselves. All they need to do is guide those runes toward their correct positions as they begin forming above their still-unhardened foundations."
He continued, leaning slightly forward again as if emphasizing the importance, "Once the arrangement is done correctly for the first time, theoretically, the heavenly law will start recognizing the person as a special human. From that point onward, it will continue carving the runes of the next levels in a perfectly aligned manner, fully consistent with what was established in the eleventh solid foundation. You could say it’s like preparing a perfect ground where puzzle pieces naturally fall into their correct places without resistance."
"...Building solid foundations in this way ensures that the heavenly law intervenes more deeply in reshaping the body itself, increasing its affinity significantly. It will also form instantaneous runes that allow energy to flow freely and efficiently. In simple terms, anyone who uses this method will become a distinguished human in terms of their ability to utilize laws and achieve breakthroughs through them."
"The entire army... will be special humans?" Theo’s eyes gleamed intensely, a spark of excitement flashing within them.
In his mind, an image quickly formed... hundreds of thousands of Raidins charging forward across the battlefield in perfect coordination, each one wielding power far beyond ordinary limits. The ground trembling beneath them, the air itself distorted by their presence.
Just imagining such a scene alone... was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.
"Hey," Robin Burton snapped his fingers sharply in front of Theo’s eyes, pulling him back from the depths of his wandering thoughts, "don’t let your imagination drift too far ahead of reality. I never said this method would grant us an endless supply of Behemoths."
"Wasn’t that literally what you said?!" Theo raised his voice slightly, his tone carrying both disbelief and restrained excitement.
"No," Robin shook his head with calm certainty, his expression steady, "I said the user would be able to interact with the law and use it to achieve breakthroughs. But that outrageous level of affinity you’re imagining? That’s not an open path for everyone." He paused for a brief moment, then continued more deliberately, "In other words..." He stopped again, clearly organizing his thoughts to present a precise example. "Let’s assume there’s someone born with a 20% affinity for the Law of Darkness. What do you think would happen if they used this technique?"
"..." Theo listened intently, his attention completely focused now. That percentage was the norm among most individuals who dared to step into the energy cultivation system.
Someone with a 70% affinity toward a law? That was already considered extraordinary, the kind of person who could rise to the level of a general without much doubt.
"...Once someone like that follows the Sixth Path and correctly places the runes where they belong, the heavenly law will begin adjusting their energy core and their network of veins to harmonize with it." Robin continued, his voice measured and analytical, "This adjustment alone would raise the body’s baseline affinity to around 50%. That affinity isn’t static either. It can gradually increase over time through training, enhancement doses, and natural progression. However, the user will absolutely not jump straight to a perfect 100% affinity."
Then he shrugged lightly, as if acknowledging both the breakthrough and its limitations, "I’ve found a way to bypass the seal. A Sixth Path user can now freely utilize their energy within the Martial Emperor realm and continue progressing all the way into the Dominion Realm without facing the usual barriers. But I haven’t found a method to replicate something like imprinting planetary souls or elevating physical affinity to those absurd, near-mythical levels. Someone born with high natural affinity will always retain a clear advantage when it comes to law usage and the speed of breakthroughs."
"...." Theo nodded several times, absorbing each word with growing clarity. "As long as the army’s problem gets solved, that’s what truly matters. The Golden Army will receive a tremendous boost once this path is implemented across the ranks, even if they don’t reach the World Cataclysm stage..." He paused briefly before continuing, "Big Brother Caesar has been frustrated for a long time because he can’t keep up with the Third Army. This will definitely lift his spirits, even if he ends up waiting for the next generation to fully benefit from it."
"...Wait," Theo suddenly cut himself off, his eyes lifting sharply toward his father as a realization struck him, "in your example, the natural affinity increased by 30%... doesn’t that mean someone with a natural 70% affinity could potentially reach 100% through this method?!"
"Hehe." Robin revealed his teeth in a confident, almost mischievous grin, clearly pleased with the conclusion Theo reached, "Exactly." Then he continued, maintaining that same self-assured tone, "I can’t guarantee a perfect 100%, but anyone with a natural 70% affinity will undoubtedly leap forward and begin competing with the special humans without question."
"...." Theo’s dark eyes gleamed intensely, a sharp light of ambition flickering within them.
A 70% affinity wasn’t common, but it certainly wasn’t rare either. Every high-ranking officer possessed an affinity level hovering around that mark. Even he himself... his affinity toward darkness was dangerously close to that threshold.
But...
"Heh~" Theo exhaled slowly, a faint trace of regret slipping into his voice, "what a shame... I really wish I could use this for myself." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
"Then use it. What exactly is stopping you?" Robin raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by the hesitation.
"How?" Theo shook his head firmly, his tone turning serious again, "time is far too critical right now for me to destroy all my foundations and start over from nothing. That’s assuming I even survive the process of tearing them down in the first place." Then he looked off into the distance, his thoughts drifting toward the future, "but a 95-year window isn’t bad at all... I’ll do everything I can to cultivate a strong new generation during that time."
Then a faint smile appeared on his face as his gaze settled on the horizon, his thoughts returning to the hundred million individuals he had observed just days ago within the Young Belt.
If all of them were to follow the Sixth Path...
The scale of that transformation alone was almost impossible to comprehend.
"Start from scratch?" Robin suddenly raised both eyebrows in visible surprise, his tone shifting slightly as if amused by what he just heard, "what are you even talking about? Do I look like I’m out here selling potatoes?"