The Planet Master trudged back to his stone hut, head bowed. The gravel crunched beneath his feet.
First, he raised a hand and rubbed his aching, heavy temples. Then he let out a long breath.
It was a deep, weighted sigh, as if he had just exhaled all the despair, exhaustion, and anguish that had built up over the past few months.
He sat on a stool, resting both arms listlessly on his bent knees as he leaned forward slightly.
His once broad, sturdy shoulders now slumped like two deflated hills.
He lifted his calloused, rough, cracked hands and covered his weathered face, rubbing his fingertips over his eyes, cheekbones, and chin again and again. His movements were full of helplessness he could no longer conceal.
"Ah..."
A long, weary sigh escaped through his fingers and echoed softly around the cramped, dilapidated stone hut. Even the air seemed to grow heavier.
He stayed in that position, motionless, for a long while, staring blankly at the pitted cracks in the floor. His mind kept circling back to what had just happened...
The impressive Interstellar Spaceship, the imposing young man, and his own elation at believing salvation had arrived—only for it all to end in disappointment when he learned the other man had come merely to register his identity.
"I got my hopes up for nothing... What a false alarm..."
The Planet Master muttered to himself. His voice was hoarse and dry, every word seeming to scrape its way out of his throat.
He slowly lowered his hands. His bloodshot eyes were dull, and the authority he usually carried as Planet Master had vanished without a trace. All that remained was an ordinary old man, crushed by despair until he could barely breathe.
"Even the Cosmic Civilization Alliance can't be bothered to