Salomon knew very well that if this grand plan, capable of changing the fate of the entire universe, could be completed, then the final result would be that he lost the power, wealth, and armies he had spent so long building. But that did not matter, because by then humanity would no longer be troubled by disease, hunger, poverty, or all the other threats to its right to survive. Wealth and knowledge would no longer be privileges reserved for the few. Everyone would possess long lives and sufficient wisdom to explore the mysteries of the universe.
By then, humanity would no longer need an immortal leader. Every human would be an omniscient and omnipotent being, capable of using reason to make the right judgments, while justice and fairness became the only laws. Once his task was complete, Salomon intended to find somewhere to retire in such a perfect world, raise two giant Siberian hamsters, and enjoy beaches and wine in the glow of the setting sun with the Witch. Then, amid the lingering orange-red warmth of summer in the air, he would yawn and fall into peaceful sleep on a balcony recliner, only to be woken at nightfall by the Witch tugging his ear so he could sit at the dining table and taste the dinner Dinah had spent all day preparing.
To achieve that goal, the road ahead was bound to be paved with blood and thorns.
Wanda could understand Salomon's thoughts, but until today, she had not known what his ultimate goal was. Her mentor had set his sights on a future thousands of years away, rather than on this race that fought until bloody-headed over survival and wealth measured in numbers. The ideal was so dreamlike that Wanda could not speak for a long while. She blinked,