Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1637: Would you really be capable of creating something beyond this?

The study room echoed with objections. Voices overlapped one after another, sharp and frustrated.

Every single one of them hated Aether’s idea, even if deep down they knew it was probably the best option left in this pointless, endless war.

For hours, Aether argued with them without backing down once. The discussion turned into chaos more than once. At one point, they even tried calling others (His other wives) for help just to physically restrain him before he could disappear again.

Unfortunately for them, duty dragged them away one after another. Emergency reports.

Using that brief opening, Aether shamelessly labelled his suicidal proposal as merely ’Postponed.’

Before leaving, every one of them kissed him. One softly, One angrily, One with trembling lips, carrying fear they refused to voice aloud.

And every single one of them warned him not to do anything behind their backs again.

After witnessing what had just happened today, they clearly understood one terrifying fact.

Aether absolutely could not be left alone.

Naturally, Aether nodded obediently without questioning anything.

As their dutiful husband, how could he possibly ignore the desperate pleas of his wonderful wives?

Absolutely impossible.

’I will execute the plan, ladies~’

So, as the perfect husband he believed himself to be, Aether faithfully relayed that message to his beloved wives.

After all, they only told him not to act without their awareness, right?

They never mentioned asking permission.

So yes... he was still technically a dutiful husband!!

Informed his ladies as a dutiful husband after they fell into the work deeply.

Behind the communication, furious voices immediately exploded.

’AETHER, DON’T YOU DARE!’

’You sneaky bastard!’

’Try it and I’ll personally break your legs!’

Sadly, Aether could no longer hear any of it.

The connection had already been cut off.

And once a conference call disconnected, could both parties still hear each other?

Of course not.

Absolutely not.

That wasn’t his fault at all.

They simply failed to say things fast enough~

Holding onto that flawless logic, Lackey calmly sat across from Amara Rosavere.

The luxurious office around them radiated quiet wealth. Golden chandeliers bathed the room in warm light while rain streaked silently across the massive glass windows behind Amara’s desk. Bottles of expensive wine rested untouched nearby, their crimson reflections shimmering across polished marble.

Beside Lackey stood a black-suited woman. Her face remained hidden beneath shadow, concealing even her scent.

Only her elegant figure escaped concealment, her feminine curves outlined beneath the perfectly tailored suit as she stood motionless beside him like a silent bodyguard.

"Mr. Lackey, you truly can’t imagine what happened during the Auction," Amara said between soft bursts of laughter. "Ahaha... honestly, you should’ve attended personally. Those rulers embarrassed themselves so badly I almost pitied them."

Her bright laughter filled the room naturally, without calculation or restraint.

"They were practically tearing each other apart over scraps. One threatened another Empire openly in front of everyone. Another nearly collapsed after the bidding war ended. Gods... the expressions on their faces..."

She covered her lips, failing to suppress another laugh.

"That ridiculous pride of theirs was completely shattered."

Genuine happiness flickered across her face.

Not the fake elegance nobles wore during negotiations. Not the cold professionalism of merchants calculating profit.

Real amusement and satisfaction.

That surprised Lackey more than the Auction itself.

The room gradually fell silent after her laughter faded. Realising her composure had slipped, Amara coughed lightly and straightened herself. A faint redness touched her cheeks before the professional mask returned smoothly.

"The agreed share has already been transferred to your usual bank account," she said calmly. "Every transaction was cleaned properly. No one will trace it back to you."

Lackey briefly glanced toward the black-suited woman beside him.

She gave a silent nod in confirmation.

Only then did Lackey look back at Amara. His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest before he asked in a calm voice,

"What about the Black Market Auction?"

Amara let out a quiet sigh and leaned slightly against her chair, the earlier amusement fading from her face.

"Unfortunately, the sudden movement of armies turned everything chaotic. Trade routes collapsed overnight, security tightened everywhere, and the situation became messy enough that I couldn’t proceed as planned."

Then her lips curved into a composed smile once more.

"Still, there’s no need to worry. I already contacted a list of possible candidates beforehand. It should take around three or four days to finalise the negotiations. Once that is finished, sometime next week, I’ll begin spreading the remaining artifacts among the local markets little by little."

"Good."

Lackey nodded with a serious expression as if the success of the auction mattered more than the war itself.

For a brief moment, silence settled between them.

Then Lackey finally spoke the words he actually came here to say.

"Have you heard the news?"

"What news?" Amara frowned slightly.

Lackey released a slow breath.

"I see... so you really haven’t heard yet."

Something in his voice felt wrong.

A cold uneasiness crept into Amara’s chest before she even knew why.

"What do you mean?" she asked quickly, her brows tightening. "Tell me properly, Mr. Lackey."

Her heartbeat started accelerating for no clear reason, instinctively sensing something terrible before the words even arrived.

Lackey inhaled deeply as though preparing to announce a truth heavy enough to shake the entire Empire.

"The guns we provided are starting to become useless."

"WHAT?!"

Amara nearly rose from her seat in shock, her voice echoing across the luxurious office. Even the black-suited woman beside Lackey slightly shifted her gaze.

For the first time since the meeting began, a genuine alarm appeared on Amara’s face.

Lackey lowered his eyes slightly before continuing in a bitter tone.

"This information hasn’t been publicly announced yet. The rulers are suppressing it for now to avoid panic."

He tapped the armrest once.

"During the fourth wave attack, our energy beam that once pierced straight through their metal bodies with a single shot..."

His voice paused for a second.

"...now require at least five shots just to create a hole."

Silence.

Amara’s mind froze.

She remembered the auction stage clearly. The empty mech-suit brought specifically for the demonstration. The bright beam tore through reinforced alloy in a single shot before the suit exploded apart under everyone’s horrified gaze.

That demonstration changed everything.

The rulers stopped seeing the weapons as mere artifacts.

They saw salvation.

Hope.

Power capable of reversing the war itself.

That single performance drove the bidding into madness and elevated her own worth alongside the weapons.

But now...

That hope was crumbling apart already?

Amara’s expression slowly turned ice cold.

"How do you know this?"

A faint smile appeared beneath Lackey’s rabbit mask.

"What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?"

His voice carried strange pride now, almost fanatical.

"I’ve been silently observing every battlefield attack possible. Watching the performance. Studying the flaws. Calculating abnormalities in my creations."

He slowly leaned back in his chair.

"As the engineer who designed this technology, I need to understand how my work evolves under real combat conditions.

That is the responsibility of an engineer."

His hand rested against his chest.

"And that is who I am."

Even beneath the mask, the conviction in his voice felt unwavering.

Like a man who would continue refining technology even while the world burned around him.

Amara stiffened briefly before letting out an awkward laugh under her breath.

She genuinely couldn’t decide whether this man deserved admiration... or restraint.

His obsession with technology bordered on madness.

A genius capable of changing the Empire.

And also the kind of fool who could get himself killed at any moment simply because curiosity dragged him too close to danger.

If someone like him died during this war, the Empire itself would suffer an immeasurable loss.

Amara slowly took a breath and regained her composure.

"First of all, Mr. Lackey..." her voice softened slightly, "you are both my benefactor and my business partner."

Her sharp eyes locked onto him seriously.

"So please refrain from personally visiting dangerous battle zones. Nobody can predict when death will arrive."

For the first time tonight, her words carried genuine concern instead of professionalism.

"I hope you understand what I’m saying... and listen to my advice."

"Of course. Of course."

Lackey nodded casually.

Unfortunately, the way he answered made Amara’s lips twitch slightly. The response sounded far too effortless, far too unconcerned, making it painfully obvious he had no intention of listening to her warning at all.

Amara had dealt with enough people throughout her life to recognise that expression immediately.

That dangerous spark hidden beneath calm eyes.

Obsession.

The kind of obsession that made people forget fear, responsibility, even their own survival.

She had seen similar individuals before. Scientists. Researchers. Generals. Madmen who chased their goals so relentlessly that death itself became nothing more than background noise.

And honestly, if this man had not become one of the greatest reasons behind her current success, she would have directly called him a complete fool.

A suicidal fool!

Still, she restrained herself and forced her expression to grow even more serious.

"So the artifact issue..." she asked carefully, "is it truly that bad?"

Lackey slowly nodded.

"It appears the invaders are adapting to our technology as well."

His fingers tapped lightly against the chair as his tone turned colder.

"At this rate, it will only be a matter of time before our current weapons become completely ineffective."

Those words sent a chill crawling down Amara’s spine.

Fear flickered visibly across her face now.

She still hadn’t sold the remaining containers.

And if news of this leaked out...

Everything would collapse.

The raw materials alone had cost a fortune. The contracts she signed to obtain Origin Core Crystals nearly drained the entire reserve accounts. She had invested enormous resources, political favours, secret transportation routes, connections... everything.

And now this?

No.

This couldn’t be happening.

Amara bit her lower lip hard enough to nearly leave marks. Beneath the desk, her fingers trembled faintly. The movement remained subtle enough that nobody noticed it directly, yet she herself felt every tiny shake clearly.

That frightened her even more.

’If I had known this would happen... I would’ve auctioned every single container to the rulers immediately!’

Her fist clenched tightly. A thin layer of sweat formed across her forehead despite the cold air inside the room.

It wasn’t merely about financial loss.

She could survive losses.

Especially after receiving such an absurd amount of wealth from Empress Mary. She had already recovered nearly seventy percent of her investments through that single transaction alone.

And according to her original calculations, the Black Market Auction would have multiplied her profits even further.

But now?

If word spread that the weapons were rapidly losing effectiveness, her entire carefully constructed strategy would shatter overnight like fragile glass.

’Should I just auction everything today?’

The thought flashed through her mind immediately.

But another problem surfaced just as fast.

’No... I already postponed the auction several times. The members are becoming irritated enough already.’

The black market thrived on patience only up to a certain point. Once influential buyers felt disrespected or manipulated, retaliation followed swiftly.

After all, Amara no longer needed demonstrations to convince people.

The Empire itself had witnessed the second invasion wave. Entire broadcasts showed her artifacts annihilating the invaders with overwhelming efficiency.

That battlefield became her greatest advertisement.

It was the reason nobles, rulers, merchants, and underground organisations desperately flooded her with appointment requests afterwards.

Her name had practically exploded across Empires overnight.

But now...

That glorious momentum threatened to rot beneath her feet.

Amara inhaled slowly before looking directly at Lackey again.

"Should I... get another type of artifact instead?" she asked carefully, a faint trace of hope surfacing in her eyes.

Right now, this felt like her only remaining option.

If she unveiled a newer, stronger generation of weapons, perhaps she could still salvage the situation. Even if the previous artifacts lost value, she could simply redirect public attention toward the next evolution.

After all, adaptation worked both ways.

If the invaders evolved... then they could evolve faster.

And honestly, from a business perspective, the situation could become even more profitable than before.

The stronger the invaders adapted, the more desperately the world would seek newer weapons.

And if she became the face of that technological evolution...

Her name would spread across the entire world like wildfire.

However, Lackey slowly shook his head.

His disappointed tone immediately darkened the atmosphere inside the office.

"That would be impossible..." he said quietly before adding, "At least for now."

"What do you mean?"

Amara frowned deeply.

Out of everyone in the Empire, Lackey was the last person she expected to say the word impossible.

Lackey released another tired sigh.

"Unfortunately, with the current technology we possess, keeping up with their evolution will be extremely difficult."

He leaned slightly back in his chair, his voice carrying visible frustration now.

"There simply isn’t enough equipment capable of handling the required analysis and production strain. The tools themselves can’t keep pace anymore."

"What equipment do you need?"

Amara spoke immediately, her tone turning sharp and decisive. She leaned back against her chair with a cold, haughty expression, though seriousness still lingered beneath it.

"Give me a complete list," she said confidently. "I’ll have everything delivered within a week."

For a brief second, Lackey appeared slightly surprised by her confidence.

Still, that wasn’t the reason he came here today.

"I don’t know."

"What?"

Amara’s brows knitted together in confusion.

Lackey slowly continued,

"You should already know it took me months just to create the current version."

As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously shifted toward his left arm.

Or rather... where his left arm used to be.

The illusionary limb looked perfectly real beneath the dim light, yet a faint heaviness entered his voice the moment he looked at it.

"And during that process..."

His tone lowered slightly.

"I lost something precious."

The room turned quiet again.

Amara’s eyes instinctively moved toward the fake arm.

She knew exactly what had happened to him.

Lackey inhaled deeply before continuing.

"The reason I lost it... You already know."

"But truthfully, the accident happened because the tools themselves broke apart while analysing the new components. They couldn’t withstand the strain."

A faint bitterness slipped into his voice.

"So even if you somehow acquire newer equipment, it still won’t solve the core problem. Their technology is evolving too fast as well."

He slowly shook his head.

"We can’t keep replacing everything endlessly. The cost alone would become monstrous."

Amara fell silent.

His logic made perfect sense.

Even if she continuously smuggled advanced equipment from those so-called Terra people, sooner or later, they would notice the abnormal transactions. Once that happened, they would immediately cut off her supply connections.

And honestly... warning signs had already started appearing.

After the second invasion wave, she secretly received reports regarding the Origin Core Crystals she purchased. Their Empire had already begun tracing the source behind the materials.

She spent enormous effort suppressing those investigations and making sure her own name never surfaced in the reports.

One mistake now could drag her straight into disaster.

Lackey glanced upward and noticed the thoughtful look on her face.

Then he let out a long, heavy sigh.

"If only I were inside the Terra Empire... I could’ve developed technology far beyond this level."

He slowly shook his head again.

"What a pity..."

Another sigh escaped him.

"What a terrible pity."

With that, Lackey finally stood up from his seat. The black-suited woman beside him silently followed as he turned toward the exit.

Amara watched him leave while countless calculations spun rapidly inside her mind.

Meanwhile, Lackey walked unusually slowly.

Painfully slowly~

"What a pity..." he muttered again while approaching the door. "If only... if only..."

His fingers reached the doorknob.

"Tsk. Truly unfortunate."

Right before he could open it, a voice suddenly echoed behind him.

"Wait."

Lackey paused.

Amara stared directly at his back,

"If you were truly inside Terra..." she asked slowly, "would you really be capable of creating something beyond this?"

A brief pause followed.

"Is it... actually possible?"

Behind the rabbit mask, a sly smile slowly curled across Lackey’s lips.

’Hehe~’

The fish swallowed the bait even faster than he expected.