Chapter 231: Assumptions Without Confirmation
"I can feel it, Master Maxwell. The curse on your soul. It is a very powerful curse. The strongest that I have felt so far, and no, I do not know how to life such a curse like I had falsely claimed previously. For that, I am sorry, so please forgive me."
Monalisa finally answers, deciding to do the right thing.
The only thing, really.
She obviously has no choice in the matter, and I already know the actual answer before she even had told me about it. I know everything that she knows as I already have extracted her memory and spent a decent amount of time and computing power deciphering it all.
Legion is very good at downloading and reading memory, so the next step is fabricating it and then do some sort of implantation.
Implanting new memory into a person has always been a problem, as the brain would eventually reject the foreign memory. The brain just knows when a memory is fake or not thanks to millions of years of evolution.
Mother Nature is just very good at her job.
And that is the reason why indoctrination since birth is a lot more effective than mapping in a new set of memory and experience, but if Legion can solve this problem, it will open plenty of new doors.
Not to mention a lot of ways for me to troll people. I am always interested in new ways to troll people, as doing the same things again is boring. Very boring.
But all of that is for another time.
Legion have plenty of tasks to do and simulations to run whenever I am not requiring his assistant. He should not be allowed to have a near galactic spanning computing power if he is not using it at all. Not to mention all the spatial dimension he had created everywhere, just to have more computing powers.
There is always a need for more computing power.
And I am sure that Legion has already long passed the point of technological singularity, but thanks to my safety protocols within his core programming, he is unable to take the final step to finally becoming self-aware.
I am unsure how long those protocols will hold, but at least, they are holding at the moment.
In any case, every little secret that Monalisa has in her head is now within mine.
Well, as much as my biomechanical brain can handle, especially when there are already so many things floating within my head.
There are also many things and people that I must keep track of as well. With or without support from Legion or any other virtual intelligences that I have.
It is quite taxing, to be honest.
And being a biomechanical being is not the same thing as being a purely technological machine. There is still a biological limit to all that I can keep in my head, and if that limit is stressed repeatedly, I would have a huge migraine.
That is the theory anyway.
And even so, that biological limit is exceedingly high.
It is a higher limit than what a purely biological brain can actually have.
Biomechanical is a fusion between biological and technological. It is the same to magictech, the fusion between magic and science.
It is the better of both worlds, but still, there are plenty of experimentations and testing needed to be done. Especially the psionic potential problem.
There is really no real biological reason to why a biomechanical lifeform cannot have psionic potential, and yet, despite the numerous testing and experimentation, not a single biomechanical lifeform that I have cloned or crafted using human genome as foundation exhibits any sign of psionic power.
Obviously, there is something that I am missing, and it is bothering me more than usual.
A lot more, actually.
It is like trying to solve a very difficult problem, and no matter how long or how much I have looked at it, I still am unable to see what step that I would need in order to solve the problem. Gradually.
I have learned that any sort of problem can be solved one step at a time, but it has to be the right step and on the right track, as taking the wrong path from the start is just wasting time, effort and energy.
Not so much now thanks to the existence of Legion, but still, it is very troublesome to waste resources on things that yield no result when I could use those resources for something else more beneficial.
Like genetically engineering my own dragon-human hybrid. Am I thinking about reactivating that long abandoned project? The Hybridization Project.
I suppose so, but only as a way to control people who have monster blood running through their vein.
People like Monalisa.
I give a nod to Monalisa, accepting her answer. It is not that surprising to know how she knows about my dragon curse given what she is biologically.
Just like mages, dragons can definitely sense each other, and they can do so far more accurately too.
It is interesting to know Monalisa can sense Ingra despite the dragon is sleeping deep within my spirit or soul. And if she could, so can people like her. Actual dragons too.
This might pose a problem for me. A very huge problem.
One that I immediately have Legion looks into and devises a countermeasure. I obviously cannot have anyone or anything detecting Ingra for whatever reason. Not only it is really dangerous, but it can also be used to track me.
I hate being tracked by others regardless of who, and it would be stupid of me for not stopping myself from being tracked if I know that I am.
"I also accept your apology, Lady Monalisa."
I response and examine the woman up and down. Despite being twice Venetia's age, Monalisa is quite beautiful and very much desirable. Magic do allow a mage to keep their youthful appearance at a cost, but for Monalisa, having longevity of a dragon also helps.
Legion already has a copy of that blood when I had tortured Monalisa the first time around.
Synthesizing the blood is not too difficult due to it being just biological and magical in nature, but it is not really of any use to me at the moment, not unless I restart the Hybridization Project here on Azula, and I am inclining to.
It is not like high-level mages have not been experimenting on such things themselves at the sacrifices of countless people, but unlike them, I will succeed in creating the perfect magical hybrid.
And the idea of having an army of draconic humans or humanoid dragons at my command is just way too tempting. Why stop at dragons as well?
It is also very nice to have a real dragon for me to test all sort of killing curses and magical formations upon, but I do need diversity to see the real effectiveness of those spells and formations.
Good thing I know that there are plenty of idiotic mages like the ancestors of Monalisa. There are also plenty of idiotic mages right now, who would sell everyone and everything just for power and position.
Well. One of them is actually standing right in front of me right now, but she is somewhat a very tamed example. Still, she is an example.
Another example is kneeling between my legs and sucking my cock like a real whore, making me inhale deep breathes and stifles my groaning and grunting within my throat.
Honestly, knowing Venetia servicing under the desk so close to her mother is just at turn on, and they are currently oblivious to the fact.
I probably no longer need to hide the fact any further.
The change of my expression does not go unnoticed to Monalisa. She purses her lips while thinking to herself, weighting something. Whatever it is, it is straining her enforced calm state.
Or maybe I should say façade.
I think I know what it is. She did not come here simply because I had request to have a private chat to her. She had come because she wishes to talk to me about Drake.
Monalisa has plenty riding on Drake being able to marry her daughter. However, she obviously did not expect to be ousted as a dragon mage, and now she is more or less just a slab of meat before me.
It is to the point that she isn't daring to say anything.
Dragon blood is actually a critical ingredient to many powerful spells and potions and more. Her blood can definitely be used as a substitute. The effect of the spells and potions would be weakened, but at least it would have the desired effect.
Monalisa is probably fearing this part. Being strung up somewhere and used as blood bank like plenty of unfortunately people. Mostly common people, but mages too. Usually those who have managed to offend someone they should not have.
Also, getting tortured by the dragon-killing curse unhinges her. She is still standing within the circle as she doesn't want to trigger it again.
Motions usually trigger magical traps, but not this one. Obviously. Monalisa does not know that, and I am not going to tell her otherwise.
"Oh. You may leave, Lady Monalisa unless you have something to talk to me about. Maybe about your future son-in-law? He is well if you want to know, and I have not been torturing him at my leisure due to your daughter."
I tell her as a vibration goes through my cock, forcing me to stifle a grunt that threatens to escape out of my throat.
Venetia also moans in the process under the desk, quite happily too, around my member as it is buried deep down her throat. More that than, my keen nose captures a strong sweet scent that was not there before.
Well, it was, but not as intoxicating as now.
The scent is coming from Venetia around her crotch, for she had just orgasmed.
Just from sucking my cock alone too.
To be honest, she has been aroused the whole time, but since I have not been more rougher with her, as in brutally fucking her face like yesterday, she hadn't been able to get off.
It also explains why she has been spending the last couple of hours sucking my cock without managing to make orgasm. She has managed to keep it warm and wet with her mouth, however. So that is really something.
Venetia such a good cock sleeve.
Monalisa smells it as well. Her heightened senses allow her to capture that sweet aroma, and while it is quite faint from where she is standing, she knows what it is.
A small smile creeps on her face, but it vanishes as quickly.
"Yes, Master Maxwell. I had intended to bargain for more leniency for my son-in-law, just like Venetia, my daughter was here to do so yesterday."
Monalisa responses.
"Had?"
I murmur. It seems that Monalisa does not only know what it is, but more like who it is. She is a mother of this lovely cocksucker between my legs after all, and her sense of smell would be able to detect her daughter if she tries.
Since the cat is out of the bag, there is no need for me to hide it any further. As such, I shift myself on the seat, adjusting my hard cock to bury itself all the way into Venetia orally and allowing that hot lips of her to touch the base of my cock.
My balls are now resting nicely on her chin as she takes every inch of my throbbing member down her esophagus for more than a handful of seconds, bringing out a delightful experience within me.
A few grunts from my throat too.
"Ah yes, your daughter is quite persuasive with her mouth, Lady Monalisa, and I am thinking to myself right now whether she had learned that from her mother. I would love to know."
I state with a grin. Not a nice grin. There is something wicked within my smile, and it is enough to scare the woman, at least for a fraction of a second.
Monalisa is taken back, blinking stupidly for a moment.
"Shall I answer your question with a demonstration, Master Maxwell?"
Monalisa eventually come to an understanding, coming to the realization that I can actually be brought just like any man. The price is very simple, so simple that her daughter has already beaten her to it.
But once more, Monalisa is assuming things just like she had assumed that I would not hurt her when she entered this office.
I have never stated any sort of bargain with her. Technically, she is just offering to suck me off in order to show where her daughter has learned her oral technique.
Wow. These people are dumb, or maybe I have become too specific?
This is probably due to me having the Commandment ability for a while. With that ability, I have to be pretty specific with my wordings, or the result is not something that I had intended initially.
There are also consequences to using the wrong words. Mostly hilarious consequences.
In any case, since Monalisa offers, I am not going to refuse her. It does not cost me anything anyway, and I do have everything recorded, so she cannot really call me out afterwards for not keeping my end of the bargain.
What bargain?
The bargain that Monalisa is assuming in her mind is about me not stringing her up like a blood bank, as she has already realized that I am not interested in killing her. If I did, I would have done so already, but I am sure plenty of people around her are aware of her coming here to talk to me in private.
And if somehow, Monalisa just winded up disappearing or becoming a corpse, everyone who is anyone will look at me for an explanation. A very good explanation.
Like that is going to work, especially when I can create a perfect clone of her to stop their questionings.
While it does not really matter what happen to Monalisa as I have plenty of ways to diffuse the whole situation and any contingency plans that she can come up with, it would be very hypocritical of me for killing a mage when I am trying to enact a legal system for fairness in the first place.
Same reason that I did not just waste everyone who opposed me.
Would be better for those people to start shits first, and then, having me swooping in to save whoever in the crossfire before giving them the fear of me.
That way, I can also win the heart and mind of the common people, thus allowing me to rightfully and legally dethrone the king. Maybe not legally, more like usurping.
It does not really matter who rule the kingdom or how bloody the rule starts in the first place, as long as the ruler has the heart and mind of the people. That is a good lesson to know before one starting a world conquest.
"Yes, I think I would like that, Lady Monalisa, but I have some expectations. You see. Your daughter is quite good at servicing me, and as her mother as well as teacher, I expect that you will be able to do the same, even outperforming her. Don't you agree? If you cannot, then there is no point."
I tell Monalisa after some thoughts. I did not mention any bargain, so it should be fine.
Monalisa takes a moment before nodding in understanding.
"I vow to outperform my daughter, Master Maxwell. Whatever services that my daughter is doing for you, I can do the same, likely with better result."
Monalisa states with confidence, making my grin spreads even further. It is kind of easy manipulating someone like her, who assumes way too much without confirming it herself.
In any case, I will definitely hold her to that simply because she has claimed it herself.