Chapter 1621: Sleeping hotspots
"You must take Lord Robin far more seriously, Lord Hedrick," Theo said, his brows knitting together. "If my father was unwilling to make a deal with you, then he wouldn’t, even at the risk of his own life. You must have learned something about his character after your clash at the auction."
In truth, Robin had never revealed any partnership or arrangement to Theo. He had merely told him that interests outweighed grudges, and instructed him to send a warning to Hedrick about the situation unfolding in the South-Western Aurora Starfield. That was all.
So how did Theo know there were secret agreements and relatively strong ties between them? The answer was simple—he looked to the Demon Kings.
Every single one of them had gone to the planet Verilion to defend it, and not only that—they had even begun defending the worlds of the Shattering Meteor Empire. Their sudden intervention turned the war upside down, dominating the news across both the 101st Middle Sector and the Young Sector. Before long, Verilion became the focal point of attention for every ambitious power with designs on it.
His father would never have dared such a perilous maneuver unless he had a solid and binding arrangement with Hedrick. Now, with Robin in isolation and refusing to meet anyone, the responsibility to save Hedrick had fallen squarely upon Theo’s shoulders. If he failed, Robin would emerge from seclusion only to discover all his carefully woven plans lying in ruins.
And the fortunate part? Most likely, his father would not blame him for any decision he made—whether he chose to intervene or not. From the very first day of Theo’s purchase, Robin had granted him an unusual degree of freedom in choosing his path and making decisions. He extended the same liberty to Caesar, Aro, Sakaar, and a few other key figures of the empire.
Whenever Robin recognized competence in someone, he placed no shackles upon them save for a single principle: Do what is best for the Empire. That was all.
It was precisely this system—this reliance on placing the capable in their rightful place and trusting their instincts—that had allowed the three empires to reach a level of power that could only be described as terrifying. Their growth was swift, unprecedented, beyond anything recorded in both recent and ancient history.
And now, Theo’s instinct was telling him that Hedrick must be saved. If not, the Crumbled Dreams Empire would collapse, and in its fall Verilion would be left unprotected, its outer defenses stripped away. With it would perish the senior legions of the Second, Demon army. Alongside them would shatter his father’s dreams.
"...." Hedrick stared into Theo’s eyes for a long moment, then gave a slow nod. "Speak, then."
Theo glanced to his right and gestured toward a massive table. "That platform—Lord Hedrick, is it a tactical map? It would be better if we continued the discussion there."
Hedrick inclined his head. In the next heartbeat—whoosh—he appeared at the head of the platform, activating a series of projections before signaling Theo. "Come. The map of the Aurora South-Western Starfield is ready." Then he turned toward his chief of intelligence, gesturing curtly. "You as well."
One with his head raised high, the other with his chin lowered, the two men advanced toward the platform. Without delay, Theo began his explanation.
"Eighty years ago, I had already confirmed the truth of hidden armies in that region, as we mentioned in the message sent to His Majesty. But the problem we faced was that we had no complete record of their exact hiding places."
In reality, the Shadow Swords had never cared much for this matter. They had only gathered intelligence on these hidden armies incidentally while observing Richard, with the intention of selling that information later. Only after Robin expressed interest—after the Demons withdrew from Verilion—did Theo tighten surveillance and fortify security in the region. It was not long before he acquired what he sought.
"...But today, the situation has shifted dramatically." Theo expanded the star map, magnifying it until it focused on a particular point. "For a start, there are no fewer than thirty fleets stationed in the skies of this planet, and an army of three million soldiers entrenched within its core. They have been in hiding for nearly a century, and their numbers continue to grow."
"What?!" Hedrick and his chief of intelligence both jerked upright.
"That’s absolutely impossible!" the intelligence chief roared, his voice echoing against the chamber walls. "That planet glows with its eerie, brilliant violet hue only because of the toxic membrane that covers it. Its entire surface is drenched in corrosive fumes and suffocating heat. There isn’t a single drop of water to drink, not a single root or sprout to cling to life. No army—no matter how resilient—could endure such a place for more than a few hours, let alone for decades! Forget the idea of legions hiding there. The very notion is absurd. Tell me instead—how in the world did you manage to set foot on that cursed sphere yourselves for an investigation?!"
"Are you certain of this?" Even Hedrick, usually composed, could not stop his brows from knitting together. His tone, quiet but heavy, betrayed the fact that he too knew of that world and understood its reputation.
"How we entered is none of your concern," Theo replied evenly, his voice carrying no tremor, no hesitation. Then, with deliberate calm, he lifted his gaze and locked it on both men. "As for how they endure? That is simple. Have you both forgotten the legendary array—said to have ignited the dawn of the Second Great Era of Conquest?"
"An array... The array of colonizing the uncolonizable?" The chief of intelligence all but staggered, his eyes widening as shock rippled through him. Slowly, almost unwillingly, he turned back toward the projected planet, his eyes trembling as though staring into a nightmare come alive.
"..." Hedrick, however, kept his silence, but only for a breath longer. His voice, when it came, was bitter. "So... are we to thank your father for dragging us into this catastrophe?"
"You cannot blame a merchant for being too skilled in his craft." A rare, almost unsettling smile crept onto Theo’s face before vanishing as quickly as it had come. He shifted the star map again, his fingers moving with absolute precision. "And here as well—the numbers are strikingly similar."
"There are... more?" The chief of intelligence leaned closer, his voice strained, his composure cracking. The sheer magnitude of the force on the first planet alone had already been enough to shatter his confidence. To hear of others unsettled him to his core.
But Theo offered no answer, not even a glance. He simply continued to manipulate the map with measured movements, his words dropping like weights. "Here... and here... and... here."
"......"
This time Hedrick’s silence was different. It was not the silence of a cautious ruler, nor the stillness of a man lost in thought. It was the heavy silence of dread.
Theo knew every world not only by its coordinates but by name and nature, reciting them as though he had walked their soil himself. And still he pressed on, marking planet after planet, the dim star chart transforming before their eyes. What was once a simple projection now gleamed with dozens upon dozens of blazing markers, like a battlefield alight with countless beacons of war. The chamber itself seemed to grow smaller under the weight of the revelations.
Only after adding two more points did Theo finally lift his hand. His gaze, sharp and unwavering, rose to meet Hedrick’s eyes directly. His tone cut through the air like a blade. "These are the primary strongholds."
"Primary?!" The intelligence chief let out a strangled cry, his despair boiling over. He slapped both hands onto his face, as if hoping to smother the nightmare with his palms.
"Correct," Theo nodded, his voice like iron. "According to our reports, the total numbers are nearly three times greater than what you see here. But the other worlds each hold no more than ten fleets or less. For the time being, we have set them aside."