Artificial Human

"Let's call him Mordred!"

After racking his brain for several days, Leon truly couldn't think of a name worthy of his child.

As for names like Imperator or Augustus, they felt too solemn, and he felt his child wasn't quite up to the weight of them yet.

He wanted to save those for his future self.

The child's father was hopeless at naming, so this heavy responsibility had to fall to the mother.

Morgan, however, had a name ready for the child in her womb.

"How about Mordred?"

Upon hearing this, Leon stared at Morgan in silence for a long while. His gaze made Morgan feel embarrassed; she dodged his eyes, looking quite uneasy, turning her face away as if to escape his scrutiny.

"W-what? Is there something dirty on my face? Or are you not satisfied with this name?"

"It's nothing. The name does have a sense of power to it."

In his past life, Leon had played a certain Type-Moon mobile game and watched various films and television shows about King Arthur, so how could he not understand the implications of that name?

In the game, Mordred was the "illegitimate child" of the witch Morgan and Artoria. Harboring a grudge against her sister, Morgan had used her sister's blood to create an artificial life form to overthrow her rule.

The final outcome was exactly as Morgan had planned: Mordred launched a rebellion, overturned the kingdom of his "father" Artoria, and was ultimately killed by Artoria at the Battle of Camlann.

But at this moment, what did it mean for Morgan to propose this name to Leon?

Did she want to use this child to overthrow his Britain? Or did she want to use this child as a Wu Zetian to seize control of Britain?

It seemed Morgan still hadn't abandoned her ambitions.

Leon felt that his companionship over these past few days had been in vain; he had failed to soften her cold heart after all.

Thinking back to the plot of Chapter 2.6 in the game from his past life, the fairy queen Morgan's obsession with Britain was not something that would be abandoned so easily.

No matter. He would just play along with her game.

In an instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Leon's mind, yet his expression remained unchanged.

"Fine, let's call him Mordred."

The current Mordred had no direct blood relation to Artoria; he was the child of the Lion King.

Leon refused to believe it. Under his careful cultivation, could Mordred really grow up to be that pathetic wretch from Type-Moon?

If he hadn't come to Type-Moon, Mordred would be a rebel; if he came and Mordred still rebelled, wouldn't he have come for nothing?

"Speaking of which, there is something I need to ask you to be clear about."

Bringing up Mordred, Leon had a question that had been stifled in his heart for days. He had been wanting to ask Morgan, and now that the child had a name, he could no longer hold it back and voiced his doubts.

"Since coming into this world, I have known that my constitution is special. As for natural reproduction, there has never been a precedent. Yet, I have only been with you for less than ten days, and you are already pregnant. Isn't this a bit fast?"

Leon's large hand stroked his wife's abdomen, which had yet to show, his movements gentle and cherished, his tone as calm as ever, yet it made Morgan's body stiffen.

"What is so strange about that? You carry a divine mandate, and with my blessing, isn't it normal to conceive a child?"

Morgan's tone was so stiff that even a three-year-old could tell something was wrong, let alone Leon.

"Just a blessing? Did you do nothing else?" Like human alchemy, synthesizing life forms, or homunculi.

Leon remembered that Morgan's magical prowess was extremely high; the original Mordred was an artificial life form she had created.

Watching her husband's unchanging expression, the pressure on Morgan increased significantly. She knew her words were too abnormal, which only further confirmed her husband's suspicions.

Morgan took a deep breath, suppressed her unease, and nodded, admitting it to Leon.

If she admitted it now, based on her understanding of Leon, there wouldn't be any dire consequences.

That's right, the child in her womb was created using alchemy.

She had begun planning this from the very first moment she saw Leon, and what followed had gone far more smoothly than she had imagined.

After Leon returned in triumph from his campaigns against Scotland and Vortigern, she had obtained his genetic material.

The human-creation experiments had failed a few times because she wasn't familiar with Leon's genetics, but fortunately, the raw materials were almost inexhaustible. She had stored some of her own materials for a rainy day, and as for Leon's, she had no shortage of them, as she could obtain fresh samples every day.

She had placed her most satisfactory creation into her own womb and couldn't help but tell Leon the good news the next day.

Now it seemed her actions had been too hasty, leading to her revealing a flaw. It was also her husband's fault for being so suspicious and distrustful.

"I'm sorry, Leon. I just wanted to be your wife so badly that I resorted to this method."

After hearing Morgan's explanation, Leon understood immediately.

It was basically artificial insemination or something like test-tube baby technology.

Did this even count as magic?

The only thing Leon didn't understand was how Morgan had managed to break through the genetic barriers so easily. Hadn't that golden giant placed restrictions on his and his brothers' genes?

Or perhaps only his genes were this stable and excellent, making him the most special and important one to the golden giant?

Leon couldn't figure it out in the short term, but he guessed it was likely the latter. After all, his brothers were truly not worth mentioning and were far inferior to him.

But listening to Morgan talk about such ruthless feats as creating homunculi, the thought that had been hidden in Leon's heart all along flared up like a wildfire, no longer to be suppressed.

Since Morgan can use my genetic material to create little people, can I not... use Morgan's technology to manufacture his own Astartes in advance.

Not many, a few hundred will suffice.

Anrokuzan has eight thousand Yeluohuo, Li Keyong has the Thirteen Taibao, Zhu Yuanzhang has over twenty adopted sons, so it is only reasonable for me to have a few hundred Astartes, right?

At this thought, Leon grew excited.

There is potential here.

This idea has immense potential!

"Morgan, how many works have you created? Is the technology mature?"

Seeing Leon interested in her alchemy, Morgan knew he had temporarily calmed down and would not punish her, so she hurriedly said, "Only three have succeeded so far; the technology is not yet mature."

"Take me to see them." Leon's words were ironclad and brooked no refusal.

"Very well, they are in my workshop."

Morgan mentioned her magic workshop, but seeing Leon unmoved, she couldn't tell if it was due to his confidence in his own martial prowess or if he truly didn't know the dangers of rashly entering a mage's workshop.

To soothe her husband's mood, Morgan immediately opened a mirror portal, leading him into her secret base.

In Morgan's mysterious laboratory, the light was dim yet sufficient to see clearly. Leon scanned the room; he saw no light source, only various bottles and jars filled with strange and peculiar things—animals and plants existing only in fantasy, living specimens, and dead remains, all present.

Under normal circumstances, Leon would have observed them carefully, but his current state of mind was too turbulent; he had no patience for such things.

Guided by Morgan, he walked into the deepest room.

Inside, three large, human-sized cultivation tanks stood in the center. The middle one was empty, as it had already entered Morgan's womb.

The tanks on either side were filled with a transparent, pale green liquid, within which a thumbnail-sized blue orb of light pulsed, flickering with an aura of pure mystery.

"These are my children..."

Leon looked at the small blue dots, his eyes shining with an inexplicable light.

He had expected them to look like infants, but seeing them now, they weren't even embryos; they were merely fertilized eggs.

He turned his head to ask Morgan, "Children... are they cultivated inside these?"

Morgan explained, "No, this is just a life-stabilization device used to maintain their vital energy. The cultivation apparatus is not yet complete. To successfully grow into adults, they must be transplanted into a host body to be nurtured."

Leon hurriedly asked, "It only requires the participation of a host?"

If that were the case, there was much to be done.

He had plenty of people.

"It requires my body." Seeing Leon's expression, Morgan knew what he was thinking and added, "Although they are artificial life forms created through alchemy, they are ultimately of your bloodline and mine; they can only be successfully cultivated by my body."

Glancing at Leon's abdomen, Morgan added, "Of course, you could do it too, provided you are transplanted with a womb—"

"Cough, cough, no need to say more."

Leon hurriedly interrupted Morgan, fearing she might say something that would shatter his worldview.

As for using other women and his own, Leon didn't even need to ask; he knew Morgan would never agree to it.

Although the current number was small, it was a good start.

The technology could be further researched and developed; once it matured, he could flood the world with soldiers.

If Old Man Huang could do such things, he certainly could too.

Leon buried this thought in his heart; for now, he had another question for Morgan.

"What did you mean by 'fresh ones every day'?"

The way Morgan had put it made it sound as if he were burning with insatiable desire.

Hearing Leon say this, Morgan knew her husband had forgiven her, and she felt much more at ease.

"It was my fault, it was my fault. Leon, please forgive me, won't you? I will make it up to you after the child is born."

Looking at the alluring Morgan, Leon swallowed hard. Ever since he learned his wife was pregnant, he hadn't touched her for the sake of the mother and child's safety.

Today, he would provide her with some more raw materials.

"If you want me to forgive you, you don't actually have to wait until the child is born..."

"Merlin, I have a favor to ask of you."

After leaving Morgan's workshop, it was already late at night. Morgan was exhausted and had fallen asleep early, but Leon was buzzing with energy and couldn't sleep at all.

Finding himself too bored, he ordered someone to drag Merlin out of bed and bring him to the palace to keep him company through the night.

Merlin mustered all his energy, wondering what kind of trouble Leon was brewing now.

"I wonder why my King has summoned me so late at night; is there some urgent matter?"

"Merlin, do you know where I can find talent to handle government affairs? Preferably someone mature, steady, and meticulous. Bring them to me, and I shall reward you handsomely."

Although his father helped him with administrative tasks, there were some things that required him, the King, to make the final decision.

Leon wanted a deputy head of state to handle the government for him so he could devote all his energy to making babies with Morgan.

When Merlin heard this, he took one look and saw that Leon's face was filled with absolute seriousness.

"My King, how would I know such a thing?" Merlin spread his hands, indifferent to the outcome.

"What about your Clairvoyance? Can't you peek at everyone in the world?"

"Clairvoyance cannot see through the human heart."

Leon immediately cursed, "You gill-breathing mongrel."

To this, Merlin expressed that he did not care at all; he possessed no emotions to begin with, so what did insults matter to him? He simply enjoyed watching Leon's exasperated expression.

Previously, the Lion King had used Artoria and the people of Britain to subtly threaten him, but now that Leon had no cards left to play, he could no longer restrain him, and it was Merlin's turn to mock and retaliate.

After all, Leon was the one who had dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night.

Seeing that Merlin had no intention of helping him, Leon did not bother arguing further and instead brought up another matter.

"Merlin, who was that gem merchant you mentioned earlier? I wish to meet him."

The gems and pearls consumed during the wedding of Leon and Morgan were no small sum; if those jewels were converted into currency, buying three or four small city-states would not be a problem.

Since this merchant was so wealthy, Leon wanted to fleece him for some research funding.

Merlin had already denied Leon the chance to vent his anger on the previous matter, so he dared not refuse this one. He could dance within the limits of Leon's patience, but he feared truly enraging Leon to the point where he would tear up their agreement.

"My King, although I know him, I am not familiar with him. If my King wishes to see him, I can notify him."

Since that gem merchant was willing to sponsor the wedding for free, he must have had some request, so Leon assumed he would not refuse to meet him.

A few days after discussing this, Merlin brought a gem and sought out Leon during a moment of leisure.

"My King, he has agreed to meet with you."

"Arrogant."

Upon hearing Merlin's reply, Leon's first reaction was anger.

Does he require his consent for me to see him?

Who dared to be so presumptuous in his presence?

After the initial anger, Leon became interested instead; he wanted to see this madman and see what capital he had to be so haughty.

After receiving Leon's consent, Merlin tossed the gem in his hand. The magic power within the gem erupted in mid-air, causing the air in the hall to stir without wind.

The gem acted like a heart, with blood vessels spreading out to form a human shape, followed by the growth of bones and muscles, and finally, a layer of skin wrapped over it. A face with aged features was carved onto it, and the body was clad in a black tuxedo.

Leon sat upright on his throne, observing the rather flashy entrance of the gem merchant.

The man was tall and robust, standing straight under his solemn black attire. His face was aged, likely in his fifties or sixties, with messy, graying short hair combed back and a beard.

Leon found him somewhat familiar.

The old man opened his blood-red eyes, his expression immediately becoming vivid. Despite being an old man, he was as full of vigor as a young man, with an unconcealable arrogance in his gaze as he observed the massive figure on the throne.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lion King. My name is Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. I offer you my greetings once more."

"I wondered who it was; so it is you."

Upon hearing the old man's self-introduction, Leon immediately remembered.

It is you, Kaleidoscope!

The Jeweled One!

Leon truly had quite a bit of interest in this Second Magician.