After returning to his room, Karl saw a woman sleeping on his bed, dressed in gorgeous and elegant robes that contrasted sharply with her naturally alluring appearance.
Karl glanced at La before ignoring her for the moment.
He took out a Space Stone obtained from the TVA and activated it.
Buzz!
A blue spatial portal immediately opened before him.
Karl then tested the other five types of Infinity Stones one after another.
Space.
Reality.
Power.
Soul.
Mind.
Time.
All of them worked.
A smile appeared on Karl's face.
He now possessed ninety-six Infinity Stones!
The noise awakened La.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw Karl standing nearby with several Infinity Stones floating around him.
Realizing she had fallen asleep on Karl's bed, La immediately sat up, adjusted her royal robes, and walked behind him.
She gently wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his broad back.
Karl felt her embrace and returned from his thoughts.
Taking the small hands around his waist, he pulled La around in front of him.
Then he gently kissed her forehead.
"Later, go to the laboratory and find Yan."
"Have her inject you with the Kryptonian warrior gene serum and install a stellar-energy transmission system for you."
Karl gently lifted La's chin.
"From now on, you're officially one of my women."
"But you'll also remain my golden phoenix, kept here in my room."
"Understand?"
A different kind of satisfaction flashed through Karl's eyes as he looked at her.
La had once been a ruler.
Her beauty and natural charm had been enough to captivate countless people.
Yet now this former queen willingly dressed herself in magnificent royal clothing simply to please him.
"Yes, Master."
La lowered her head obediently.
"La understands."
"I will always be Master's golden phoenix."
"Thank you for your favor, Master."
She then knelt before him.
By now, La understood Karl's preferences very well.
The more noble and elaborate her appearance, the more he seemed to enjoy seeing her submit before him.
Since living aboard the Skyblade VII, La rarely left Karl's quarters unless he permitted it.
Vastness provided her meals and anything else she required.
Most of her free time was spent designing clothing.
Using Vastness's databases, she had studied garments from civilizations across countless planets.
At this point, her design ability probably surpassed even Earth's top fashion designers.
Once she completed a design, Vastness could manufacture it using the finest available materials.
The outfit La wore today resembled an imperial ceremonial robe, with genuine golden threads woven throughout its fabric.
Karl pinched her soft cheek.
Then he casually waved his hand.
Whoosh!
La disappeared.
The next moment, she appeared inside the laboratory where Yan was working alone.
Yan looked at her with slight surprise.
But after remembering Karl's instructions regarding La, she immediately understood who had sent her.
May, Raven, Helen Cho, Great Wanda, and the others already knew Karl kept a beautiful "golden phoenix" in his quarters.
None of them interfered.
They all understood by now that the number of women around Karl would probably only increase.
If they wanted more of his attention, they would have to earn it themselves.
La explained Karl's instructions.
Yan quickly understood.
She had La change out of her elaborate robes before entering the gene-modification chamber.
After Yan activated the equipment, nutrient and energy fluids began filling the chamber.
Then the Kryptonian warrior gene serum was injected into La's arm.
...
After sending La away, Karl entered the independent dimensional space where the new warship was being constructed.
The colossal vessel was continuously taking shape before him.
But Karl still felt the construction speed was too slow.
Then he remembered his ninety-six Infinity Stones.
"Vastness."
Karl raised his hand.
Ten Reality Stones appeared around him.
"Use these to accelerate construction."
"You may draw upon their energy and reality-altering properties."
The Reality Stone was capable of rewriting reality itself, including altering or creating matter under sufficient control.
Combined with Vastness's complete blueprints and manufacturing data, using ten of them would dramatically accelerate construction.
[Understood, Sir.]
The ten Reality Stones immediately vanished into the warship's construction network.
[Recalculating construction speed...]
[Estimated remaining construction time: three months.]
Karl nodded.
That was much better.
The enormous warship before him began forming at an astonishing rate.
Scarlet light flashed throughout the dimensional factory.
Entire sections of armor, internal facilities, mechanical structures, and advanced components materialized according to Vastness's designs.
Karl looked at the eighty-six Infinity Stones remaining in his System Space.
For a moment, he felt slightly regretful.
These artifacts were enormously powerful within compatible universes, but they weren't truly omnipotent outside the cosmological framework to which their laws belonged.
In incompatible spaces, some could become little more than enormous energy sources.
Karl sighed before returning to the Skyblade VII.
...
When he entered the laboratory, he found Yan still studying the temporal module taken from the TVA.
Karl silently appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
His hands rested over her lower abdomen.
Yan had sensed him the instant he arrived, so she wasn't surprised.
Neither spoke.
Karl rested his chin against her shoulder and quietly breathed in the fragrance of her golden hair while watching her work.
Streams of data invisible to ordinary eyes flowed through Yan's hands.
The temporal module on the workbench gradually disassembled itself.
Components separated.
Energy circuits reorganized.
Then, under Yan's continued manipulation, the entire device condensed into a tiny engine barely larger than a pill.
Karl smiled.
"These are for you."
"They should help increase your strength."
"And if your gene engine can analyze and replicate their abilities, even better."
Six Infinity Stones appeared before Yan.
One complete set.
Space.
Time.
Reality.
Power.
Soul.
Mind.
Yan's eyes widened slightly.
She looked toward Karl hesitantly.
She knew these Stones had always been among his most important weapons.
If she accepted them, wouldn't his own strength decrease?
Karl immediately understood what she was thinking.
He reached out and pinched her soft cheek twice.
Then—
another complete set of six Infinity Stones appeared beside the first.
Yan stared at the twelve Stones in disbelief.
Karl had previously told her that a universe normally possessed only one set of six Infinity Stones.
How come there were twelve now?
...
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.