Chapter 424: Genetic Material

"Are you really unwilling to study?" Solomon asked with a frown as he glanced at Lorelei slumped lazily in her chair. Fresh from a trip to the Bodleian Library, he waved toward a surveillance camera to signal Daina in New York to take over her monitoring duties. He didn't force Lorelei to pick up the books right away—after all, forced learning was a form of torture in itself. What was even worse, though, was studying without knowing the purpose behind it.

Thus, Solomon decided to explain his reasoning to her. Of course, he had no intention of revealing his ultimate goals. That would only give the cunning enchantress leverage against him.

"Do you know why you always fail?" he asked, lifting Lorelei from the chair and placing her on his lap. His question seemed to catch her attention, though only briefly. Lorelei had already changed into the clothing Solomon had prepared for her—a revealing outfit she didn't seem to mind wearing. In fact, she reveled in the sensation of Solomon's hands on her skin, feeling like she was one step closer to manipulating him. At least this was better than being trapped in those humiliating restraints she was subjected to half the time.

Half of her day was spent locked in degrading devices, part of what she viewed as an ongoing game of domination between herself and Solomon. In her mind, if Solomon faltered, he would become her prey.

Little did she know, all of this was just an illusion Solomon had crafted to keep her in check.

"Why?" Lorelei pouted in frustration. "Is it wrong for me to want a life of luxury?"

"Of course not. But you keep setting your sights on the wrong people." Solomon gestured toward the stack of books and then pointed to her head. "You've been going after fools and failures. Odin got stuck with two irresponsible sons—Asgard is doomed under their leadership. These books can teach you how to sustain a life of luxury. Ruling a kingdom isn't easy; it's hard work."

Lorelei shot Solomon a glare before sighing in disinterest, lazily twirling a lock of her fiery orange hair between her fingers.

"If all you want is to live in luxury, that's fine too. You clearly don't care how you achieve it," Solomon continued. "But my queen needs to be knowledgeable and talented. Right now, you're neither of those things. Compared to your sister, you're downright foolish."

"Then go find her instead!" Lorelei snapped, thrashing in his lap like a fish out of water. Mentioning Amora always provoked an intense reaction. Lorelei had been imprisoned for centuries in Asgard's dungeons, with no help from her sister. Their relationship was anything but warm.

"That's exactly why she hasn't been caught while you ended up in Sif's custody," Solomon explained patiently. "You lack cunning, Lorelei. That's why you need to learn. If you refuse, you'll stay locked in this basement forever."

"Fine! I won't be queen then. Just let me go. I'll disappear—you won't have to worry about me being captured by the Asgardians," Lorelei retorted.

"Oh? You forget that you're my spoils of war. I claimed you from Odin himself. You have one way to prove your worth to me: by learning. Without that value, the only thing you'll have left is death."

Lorelei turned to meet his gaze and saw the seriousness in his eyes. Her defiance evaporated instantly. "Fine, I'll study," she muttered dejectedly. "But damn it all, my sister never had to go through this! What are you off to do now anyway? I thought you'd stay here with me."

"Do you think I'm as idle as you are?" Solomon scoffed, striding out of the room without looking back. He sealed the heavy vault door behind him with layers of magical locks—no amount of Lorelei's power would allow her to escape.

The reason Solomon had rushed back from the Bodleian Library had nothing to do with Lorelei. It was because Maya Hansen had contacted him with important news—she had finally achieved a breakthrough in her alchemical work on the Extremis virus.

"We successfully fused the DNA of the Knights of the Round Table into the Extremis virus," Maya said, her face alight with excitement. Behind her, several temperature-controlled glass containers held pieces of ancient bones with traces of decayed flesh.

This experiment was something Wakandan Princess Shuri couldn't tolerate, but Maya had no such reservations. The decaying flesh had been magically regenerated by Solomon using dark arts, though it was laced with enough negative energy to kill the fragile Extremis virus upon contact. Only when neutralized with a positive-energy potion would the flesh dissolve into a putrid, unusable sludge.

This had been the major obstacle Maya faced, but now it seemed she had overcome it.

"I followed your instructions and aligned the aether particle with the alchemical sigils. The Zorah Redwood Druid Order was a huge help; they fine-tuned the sigils after multiple adjustments," Maya explained, still brimming with excitement. A shy, bespectacled priestess from the druid order stood quietly behind her.

Maya's workstation looked like a strange fusion of advanced science and arcane mysticism, but it was in this environment that she had made her groundbreaking discovery.

"The virus didn't hold the modifications for long, but it was enough to transcribe the knights' DNA."

"Excellent. That means Phase One is ready to begin. Are you mentally prepared for this?" Solomon leaned down to examine the frozen samples of the modified Extremis virus. The virus emitted a faint orange glow even under the low temperatures. "I don't want our test subjects exploding. Remember, the virus is merely a tool for genetic editing."

"I understand," Maya nodded, though a trace of apprehension lingered. "But do you really believe using the DNA of the Knights of the Round Table will create super-soldiers? Their genetic material doesn't seem extraordinary."

"Of course not," Solomon replied. "There's one more step."

"What step?"

"You'll use both my DNA and that of the Asgardians as the foundation. The knights' genes will be grafted onto this base. We'll also splice in DNA from other historical figures of renown. Start cataloging and researching epigenetic expressions. I'll provide you with additional genetic samples soon."

Maya's eyes widened in shock. She had always known Solomon's ambitions crossed ethical boundaries, but his latest suggestion was staggering. "You realize that once the virus incorporates your DNA, the test subjects will effectively become your blood relatives, right?"

"I'm well aware," Solomon answered coldly, locking eyes with her. "Remember this, Maya—whether or not you think otherwise, test subjects are tools. Only the successful ones have value."

"And where are you going now?"

"To gather more genetic material," Solomon said as he stepped through a portal.

"You mean… grave robbing?" Maya muttered, glancing uneasily at the neatly arranged vials of knightly DNA. She had no idea which other ancient heroes Solomon planned to unearth, but a chilling feeling crept over her.

This experiment was bound to be more horrific than she had anticipated.

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