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Chapter 714 - Chapter 714 The Secret of Mars

The bloodline of Royal Guard Zero was a secret—one that Solomon could only trace back to Theodora, the youngest daughter of Constantine VIII, the empress known in history for her pride in her beauty and her stubborn severity. One could say that the Immortal Prophet, the Divine Source, and even the lost city of Kitezh that Lara Croft discovered were all connected to that bloodline. One of the Immortal Prophet's most crucial tasks was to ensure the continuation of that lineage. The pairings across generations of that child's ancestors were orchestrated by the Prophet, preserving the secrets hidden in the bloodline through the tragic sin of incest—secrets that were among the most tightly guarded in the entirety of the lost city.

Solomon had no idea what had happened after his time jump that caused Royal Guard Zero to have a soul connection with him, but that didn't stop him from performing gene alchemy on Zero, using his body to contain Solomon's superhuman power. The result was a success—he had replicated the technology obtained from the corpses of previous Royal Guards onto Zero. Now, Solomon needed to fully train Zero's capabilities and, once his training was complete, grant him a name.

The trials Solomon assigned to Zero were no less grueling than the Twelve Labors of Heracles in mythology. Just the same, he was greatly anticipating Zero's completion of the trials—he had already prepared the true name to give him.

A true name was not a fixed concept. A person's true name changed across time periods. "Solomon Damonet, Master of the Immortal City," or "Solomon Damonet, Lord of the manor in Oxfordshire XXX"—while these might refer to Solomon, neither were truly accurate. His true name was ███·███·███—a string of concepts that precisely and entirely pointed to him, representing his fate in a metaphysical sense. The true name he intended to give Zero would follow the same logic. Ordinary people could only refer to part of it; the rest symbolized Zero's current mission and his future destiny.

Solomon moved aside the bookshelf in his office, revealing a narrow, deep tunnel.

Faint lighting barely illuminated the stairs beneath his feet. The farther down he walked, the colder it became. He continued on foot for more than ten minutes, entering the depths beneath the Immortal City until he reached a massive, oil-scented alloy door. After verifying his identity via genetic code, electronic credentials, iris scan, fingerprints, and more, the door slowly opened. Cold air rushed out, instantly frosting the concrete passage.

This facility had not been built by the Wakandan engineering team but was a secret chamber constructed after Solomon recruited Malcador, using Hydra engineers to move previously stored materials to this location—precious magical components, terrifying bioweapons, and horrific creatures from alien planets or outer dimensions.

All the construction workers were deeply brainwashed after the facility's completion and then transferred to Mars for further labor. The Arcanist strode forward calmly, entering the darkness. As he walked, countless small lights flickered on, dimly illuminating the room and the contents that had long awaited his return.

"Is the powered armor ready?" he asked a heavily cybernetically modified human. The thing could no longer be called a man—its blood had been replaced with oil and nutrient fluid, its organs swapped out for more durable machinery, and even its brain partially removed to be replaced with a massive array of electronic systems.

"Yes, my Lord." The cybernetic man's mechanical eye lit up, its irritating buzz rubbing Solomon's senses at the soul level. A foul ionized smell seeped from his synthetic skin. Before long, Malcador's voice emerged through the speaker, faint electric arcs flickering across his withered skin, releasing a burnt, acrid stench.

A projection device popped out from the man's chest, as Malcador, in high spirits, prepared to present his work to Solomon.

This device had been crafted by Malcador specifically to communicate complex updates while stationed on Mars.

Not long after Halloween, the Fifth Demon Pillar, an avid enthusiast of mechanical engineering, had already begun his own cybernetic transformations. In Hell, he had been limited to forging armor and blades; only on Mars, at the forge, could he unleash his talents freely, equipping himself with all kinds of electronic enhancements. By the time Solomon summoned him again, Malcador had already completed modifications to his upper limbs—his fingers could now fold, extend, and interface with digital ports. Beyond that, he had secretly installed some magical-tech devices as well. Solomon wasn't entirely sure what they were. If one day Malcador turned himself into a massive cannon with robotic arms, Solomon wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

Malcador relished the tasks Solomon assigned him. Equipping the Royal Guard's golden armor with servo systems was one such project. He even forged a batch of vibranium alloy for the joints of the power armor. At first, the Wakandans were reluctant to supply the vibranium, until Solomon offered a vibranium mine in Antarctica in exchange. They agreed to a one-to-one exchange ratio of vibranium to anti-vibranium. Prince T'Challa and Princess Shuri played crucial roles in persuading the king to approve the deal. "Princess Shuri is incredibly gifted. When working on the power armor's energy system, she often comes up with ingenious designs," Malcador said. "It's a pity she's unwilling to modify herself to improve her efficiency."

"Not everyone can accept cybernetic enhancement. How is the prosthetic modification program going on Mars?"

"Oh! Splendidly, Your Majesty!" Malcador gestured through the cybernetic man. "After infusion with the knowledge-uploading machines, many have already abandoned their foolish faiths. The most extreme, most radical among them have begun accepting full prosthetic conversion, intent on discarding their flesh. As for those who gave up their beliefs but couldn't comprehend much knowledge, they too have undergone war-based modifications. I've already promoted several reliable individuals to manage the forge. The production lines for tanks and assault transport ships are operational, and the sound of molten metal forging steel has become their only spiritual conviction. Soon enough, you may find yourself worried that we won't have enough pilots."

"Good. I want Mars to train a corps of accompanying pilots and technicians. They must be augmented and highly trained in their fields. If we want to increase acceptance of prosthetic conversions, we should install synthetic skin on the machinery—it's far easier to accept when it looks human."

"Like that alien robot courtesan you brought back? That was indeed a fine gift."

Solomon rolled his eyes.

Ever since Malcador modified himself, the guy had grown increasingly blunt—perhaps due to the absence of flesh.

"One more thing." Solomon lowered his voice. "What's buried deep beneath Mars…"

"Only I know, my Lord. No one knows the origin of the material I had them analyze. The personnel from the Immortal City's information division who underwent transformation and learned my rituals have acquired the ability to banish digital spirits. They will act as the hidden stewards of Mars's deepest secrets, overseeing all future confidentiality protocols at the top levels, ensuring that nothing is leaked that should never be known."

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