Chapter 405: The Monarch’s Backup Plans

When Solomon received Stark's call and obtained the first batch of force-feedback power armor, he had already returned to his routine as a student at Oxford University—spending sleepless nights writing papers. Of course, he still attended afternoon teas and various academic seminars. With the knowledge he had gained from Athena and the Kamar-Taj library, he could even engage in interdisciplinary discussions.

Laura Croft had once visited him at Oxford. She came to say goodbye. Her father's friend, Captain Conrad Roth of the Endurance, was about to set sail, and Laura would join him in exploring an isolated island near Japan in search of lost treasures.

She joked that when she returned, she'd let Solomon see if any magical artifacts were among the treasures.

Solomon readily agreed and even gifted her a short dagger. "You'll need this," he said sincerely, his voice soft and sweet, almost inviting a kiss. "Archaeological digs are incredibly challenging work. May courage guide you, Laura."

Since that day in the Eternal City when he parted ways with T'Challa, Solomon hadn't revisited the city to check on the Wakandans' progress. He wasn't at all worried about angering the Wakandans at this stage. After all, the heart-shaped herb used by the Wakandan royal family was monopolized by Bastet. Consuming the herb without Bastet's blessing meant certain death.

The Wakandan royal family was essentially Bastet's proxy, with their survival entirely in her hands.

Given Bastet's attitude, Solomon was also confident that she was not aligned with the Egyptian Ennead. If she were, she wouldn't have guided the Wakandan king to seek out Solomon. This wasn't surprising; Athena had a similarly contentious relationship with the Olympian gods, particularly her father, Zeus. Likewise, Merlin refused to heed the commands of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Bastet, a deity with relatively low status within her pantheon, was no exception.

The reason observers from these various pantheons supported Solomon was that, for their own reasons, they didn't want Earth to return to an era dominated by gods. The Ancient One's desire to retire was no secret among certain circles, and Solomon was their only means of achieving this goal.

Athena was the first to approach Solomon, granting him both a shield and Pegasus, effectively making him her champion in a sense.

When Solomon arrived at Stark Tower with his unfinished paper in hand, Tony Stark, who had been waiting for him, immediately sprang to his feet. Stark had made several previous attempts to meet with Solomon by phone, but the mystic had declined, citing academic obligations. Now that the force-feedback power armor for women was complete, Stark knew Solomon would show up today—and that his questions would finally be answered.

"You've got to tell me—where did you get this stuff?" Stark held up a piece of vibranium, the very one Solomon had left behind. "My father practically bought out all the vibranium on Earth. Do you have some secret source for acquiring it?"

Solomon was well aware that his ideals weren't something most people could understand—especially idealists like Stark or Steve Rogers, who were steeped in Western education. Stark only knew a fraction of Solomon's plans, and if he knew the full scope, he would undoubtedly oppose them.

As for Steve Rogers, there was no question he would reject the idea entirely.

Bound by the technical reliance on Stark, Solomon refrained from revealing his true purpose. Fortunately, Wakanda's timely involvement gave him additional options. However, the technology still rested in others' hands, and Solomon knew he needed artificial intelligence now more than ever. The new server matrix he had installed for his machine was intended for this purpose. This included using AI to mine resources on Mars and forge weapons and armor—another contingency Solomon had prepared.

At critical moments, the mutually beneficial AI he collaborated with would take over the manufacturing base, completely excluding the Wakandans from subsequent plans. Learning Wakandan and Stark technologies to incorporate into his own systems ensured that, if allies turned against him, he'd have enough technical reserves to stand his ground.

Solomon didn't trust Stark or Wakanda to support him unwaveringly. Thus, he was prepared to abandon allies—or even eliminate them—if necessary.

Outwardly, though, he remained approachable and amicable, maintaining a "let's work this out" attitude to garner support.

This was precisely why Odin had praised Solomon as a capable monarch. In many ways, Solomon's methods resembled Odin's so closely that the All-Father had even considered marrying off his strong-willed daughter to Solomon, hoping she could rein him in.

However, Solomon didn't disclose the source of his vibranium, which made Stark visibly anxious.

"Hey! Are you dealing with arms dealers? Do you know Ulysses Klaue?" Stark's tone grew urgent. "You shouldn't have any association with him. His family's been running vibranium operations for generations. I know the guy, and even I have to admit he's a despicable scumbag. If you need vibranium, I can buy it for you. Just don't get involved with that guy."

"It's not what you think. I don't know him," Solomon replied with a shake of his head. Stark's reluctance to let him interact with Klaue was simple to understand. While the U.S. considered people legally adults at eighteen, twenty-one was often viewed as the threshold for true maturity. Since Solomon was still shy of twenty-one, Stark naturally didn't want him exposed to the world's darkest elements.

"And after all this time, you still see me as a kid, Stark," Solomon said, offering a humorous yet pointed warning. "I'm the heir to Kamar-Taj. Even if I were still in diapers, you'd have to treat me as a fully capable adult."

"Alright, my bad." Stark realized his mistake and quickly apologized. The man before him possessed strength and determination far beyond ordinary people. Solomon wasn't some young man in need of coddling. "But you still haven't told me—where did your vibranium come from?"

"All I can tell you is that I obtained it from a legitimate exporter, with full authorization. Completely legal." Solomon winked. "I can provide you with some vibranium in exchange for another of your technologies—the neural signal transmission system you installed in the MK43. I've been considering two approaches: using your neural signal technology to control power armor or employing signals from implanted synthetic organs. I need to compare both methods before deciding which is superior."

"I'm not a biologist, but I can tell you that using synthetic organs is impractical. You can replace damaged machinery, but not synthetic organs—they're too costly." Discussing his technology seemed to restore Stark's usual confidence and nonchalant attitude. "Are you planning to modify your androids? If so, doesn't that make my force-feedback armor obsolete? I even had it painted for you!"

"Think of it as a technical reserve. The force-feedback armor will still be the main equipment for the androids."

"Alright, but I still think your energy backpack design is dumb. It takes up way too much space. Still, since you paid for it, you get the final say."

Stark didn't intend to dwell on the issue.

He had seen Solomon's androids before, and their intelligence had impressed him. But he knew they weren't technological products; they were intelligent beings created through mysterious alchemy. Stark could easily imagine the combat power these androids would unleash when outfitted with the force-feedback power armor.

"What are you planning to do with those androids?" Stark asked.

"The first step, of course, is to find a fight," Solomon replied dismissively, clearly preoccupied.

He was busy digging up the graves of the Knights of the Round Table.

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