Diana sat somewhat weakly in the Patriarch’s seat, a deeply appreciative smile playing on her lips. The glass of red wine in her hand swirled gently as she moved her wrist, causing the sunlight piercing it to refract into dancing ripples.
Audacious! Diana recalled everything that had transpired in this very room not long ago. Several young martial arts masters had banded together, forming a breathtaking alliance that shocked countless observers. But that wasn't what truly cemented her steadfast resolve.
As the acting head of the family, Diana had to ensure its continued stability. Even if it meant staking everything and fighting to the death, she could not allow Caesar to do as he pleased.
What truly moved Diana was the sheer audacity of Caesar and his companions! Just standing there, they exuded an almost palpable pressure! The unreserved camaraderie among men—that deep, shared loyalty—could deeply move everyone around them.
That sincerity, that reckless drive, utterly captivated Diana, leading her to stake the entire family on these young men, making it Alexander’s greatest gamble.
“Things are better for me here; David Solomon King will have a much harder time.” Diana crossed her arms over her chest, the gesture pushing her full breasts forward, accentuating them tantalizingly above the curve of her collar: “David Solomon King is no easy figure to deal with these days.”
The three martial arts masters standing behind Diana’s chair stiffened simultaneously. David Solomon King’s original name was David Solomon. The ‘King’ title was the appellation for the head of the Solomon family. Not only was this man reputed to possess seventeen-star martial strength, considered the strongest in Solomon family history, but his methods inspired profound dread in all who knew them.
Patricide! Fratricide! Usurpation!
Four years ago, when David Solomon’s strength reached the peak of the sixteenth star, he suddenly launched a rebellion during the family conclave. He struck down the sixteen-star Solomon King (his own father) and his fifteen-star elder brother, Del Solomon, instantly, seizing the headship of the Solomon family with an iron and bloody fist.
In that battle, David Solomon not only claimed the Patriarch’s throne but also gained deeper enlightenment from the acts of killing his father and brother. Six months later, he catapulted his power to the seventeenth star!
Warlord! Maniac! These were the two most fitting descriptions bestowed upon David Solomon by everyone familiar with him.
He was called a warlord naturally because he murdered his father and brother to reign over the Solomon family. He was called a maniac because, after achieving his coup, he spared his brother’s son—the only young man in the Solomon family possessing the illustrious surname but not yet granted a given name—Solomon.
Any family of influence in Europe knew that Solomon possessed immense martial talent. The cold exterior could not quite conceal the hatred burning within him for his uncle—the man who had slaughtered his closest relatives: his father, his mother, and even his own elder brother.
Of the entire lineage of Del Solomon, only the young Solomon survived. The reason for his survival was that when David Solomon saw the nephew refuse to kneel, that cold, unyielding backbone made him burst into laughter. He subsequently declared that Solomon would enjoy the highest honors within the family; no one save David himself could interfere with him in any way. Solomon could assassinate or challenge him at any moment, and neither victory nor defeat would incur punishment.
To cut the weeds and dig out the roots—that was the immutable principle of life.
No one believed that David Solomon, a man who killed even his own father and wiped out nearly his entire brother's family, could have felt a sliver of mercy upon seeing Solomon’s stubbornly cold expression.
Disbelief and incomprehension reigned. People ultimately attributed this insane action to the severe mental deterioration that followed his patricide and fratricide, concluding that he had descended into madness, thus inviting disaster upon himself by sparing a potential threat.
Initially, some members of the Solomon family suspected David Solomon was merely putting on a show of strength, intending to protect Solomon only superficially.
However, they soon realized this assumption was gravely mistaken. A young kinsman, around the same age as Solomon and backed by his powerful faction, deliberately provoked and bullied Solomon. The result was Solomon killing him on the spot.
The young man’s patriarch rushed to the scene immediately, only to find the contemporary head of the Solomon family, David Solomon King, standing behind Solomon!
Without explanation or dialogue, Patriarch David Solomon King executed the kinsman who had come seeking revenge for Solomon. From that moment on, no one dared question David Solomon’s word again.
To wrest control of the family from this man? Diana felt a familiar pang of worry for Caesar. Surely David Solomon wouldn't truly go mad and execute Caesar instantly, regardless of the Alexander family’s reaction?
A simple PV commercial magnetic levitation vehicle sped along the strait route toward Athens. The Solomon family headquarters was now situated in Athens, in the Greek region—the site of the ancient Parthenon.
Solomon’s eyes were narrowly closed, as if in sleep. His face betrayed no sign of the excitement, anxiety, or any other emotion associated with returning home, as if he were traveling to an utterly foreign family, not his own.
Listening to Yang Lie’s hushed murmurs about Solomon’s past, Qin Fen realized how little he understood about his companion’s life journey. Such a catastrophic family upheaval, the death of every relative—that kind of feeling could not be described by a single word like ‘pain.’
Qin Fen noticed that the expressionless Solomon was not devoid of emotion; the tightly clenched fists he held revealed the truth.
“Uncle, you are so strong! When I grow up, if I could be half as strong as you, that would be wonderful.”
“What nonsense are you speaking! Solomon, a man born into this world is meant to be a great hero! A peerless, leading hero across the world! What use is half of me?”
“Uncle, I heard you reached fifteen stars? A Martial Arts Master! That’s incredible!”
“Yes, fifteen stars. When you learn martial arts in the future, only learn from me; don’t learn from anyone else. Those people are trash; they can only tarnish a jade like you.”
“But Father and Grandfather are strong too; they could teach me. Still, I prefer learning from you, Uncle.”
“Your elder brother? Your father? They aren’t strong enough; teaching you would only ruin you. Learn only from your uncle, my little Solomon. You are inherently extraordinary and cannot be destroyed by them.”
“Uncle, I heard you entered the sixteenth star? That’s truly amazing!”
“Yes, sixteenth star. But is the sixteenth star really that amazing? I don't think so.”
“Of course it is! Grandfather is also sixteenth star; he is the King of our Solomon family.”
“Father? A King? Perhaps.”
“Uncle… you… you… that blood on you… blood? That’s the mark of my accession to Patriarch! Solomon, isn't it brilliant?”
“Uncle, what are you… what are you doing? That’s my mother…”
“What am I doing? What do you think?” Snap…
“You…!”
“Want to fight me? You are far too weak right now. Boy, daring to disrespect the Patriarch? Why aren’t you kneeling? Oh? What is flowing from your eyes? It’s not tears; it’s blood? Interesting! What kind of look is that? You want to kill me? Fine! I’ll give you the chance. I’ll wait for you to kill me.”
Flames roared skyward! The vast manor was engulfed in a frenzy of scorching fire that danced everywhere, and aside from the crackling sounds of combustion, no other noise could be discerned.
“David!”
Across the boundless ocean, within the PV vehicle, a thunderous roar suddenly pierced the sky. Solomon, who had been dozing, snapped his eyes open. The light in them, filled with ten thousand degrees of icy rage, instantly sharpened into tangible blades, shattering the glass panel before him into powder with a sharp crack.
Solomon sat upright. It was that dream again, the dream he had been having for years: his mother, her throat constricted by the uncle he once worshipped, the sudden crushing of her windpipe, the head falling lifelessly, the body convulsing involuntarily.
He charged forward in a desperate attempt to fight, only to be kicked violently to the ground. The brutal true energy that penetrated him forced him to lie there, watching helplessly as the uncle he had idolized—the uncle who seemed like a god to him—methodically slaughtered his closest kin: his elder brother, younger brothers, and sisters.
It was the first time Solomon understood how easily killing could be done. Wherever his uncle walked, a mere swing of his arm, as casual as greeting someone, easily extinguished every life in the manor.
From that day forward, Solomon, who had always been talkative and easily befriended others, sealed his heart, retreating into a solitary, confined space—until… the arrival of Qin Fen.
The PV commercial magnetic levitation vehicle traveled in profound silence. Even Xue Tian, usually the most talkative among them, merely bowed his head, softly wiping the blade of his Iai-giri sword.
Everyone clearly understood that this trip to the Alexander family was different. They were heading toward David Solomon, the warlord who committed patricide and fratricide!
The seventeen-star Patriarch, backed by the deep heritage of an ancient, powerful lineage, would absolutely not relinquish control of the family as easily as Alexander Diana might.
Zuo Lin sat quietly in a corner of the vehicle, his eyes darting back and forth, filled with surprise and worry. He covertly observed the silent figures around him, constantly doubting whether these young men had truly gone mad, aiming to help Solomon seize the Patriarchal seat from the maniac, David Solomon King!
“Maniac David Solomon King, while his strength isn't top-tier, his ambition surpasses the heavens. What truly makes him terrifying isn't his ambition, but his near-psychotic mind. When he loses control, he disregards all consequences. This is evident from his patricide and fratricide. At that time, his chance of success was less than thirty percent; if he had waited a few more years, his chances would have improved. Yet, he acted immediately, without considering the outcome. The willingness to bear the infamy of killing his father and brother, to sacrifice the strength of two major family pillars, just to seize power abruptly—that speaks volumes. So, Zuo Lin, in this world, you can do business with David Solomon, but it is best not to meet him face-to-face, especially when you lack sufficient strength. Never meet him for a discussion.”
Zuo Lin remembered his grandfather, Zuo Dongting, when reviewing the various forces of the Federation. His assessment of David Solomon was: a maniac! Even negotiations were best conducted over the phone. And what these people were doing now was storming the Parthenon to seize power? Wouldn't that cause the maniac to erupt in a frenzy of killing?
No matter how wide the strait, it eventually reached its end.
In Athens, the residence of David Solomon King was known to almost everyone.
Unlike the reserved demeanor of other family heads, David Solomon King conducted himself in a high-profile, bizarre manner. His office, residence, and training grounds were all located in one place: the Parthenon, built in 447 BC!
The most famous structure in Athens, it had briefly served as the venue for the Athens Olympics in previous years, but the most enduringly famous structure remained the Parthenon, erected in 447 BC.
This was the pride of the Greeks, the glory of Athens. Regardless of economic development, their dedication to preserving ancient cultural sites far surpassed that of the Central Plains people or the Shengjing residents.
Even in the Space Age, people spoke with infinite regret about how Central Plains, in the name of constructing an international city, personally destroyed Old Beijing, a city that had survived actual warfare.
It was an entire city’s cultural heritage! A unique, super-city built as a living heritage site that, after evading destruction by war, succumbed to the ambition of politicians seeking achievements, meeting the fate of being destroyed by concrete and steel.
Nineteen ten-meter-tall, two-meter-thick stone columns stood on the west, and seventeen on the north. This temple, thirty-one meters wide and seventy meters long, formed a structure built according to the golden ratio beloved by the Greeks.
Viewed from afar, it naturally inspired a sense of reverence.
Today, this temple housed the man deemed the most powerful in Athens: David Solomon!
A man who dared to reside in a temple—his underlying message was unmistakably clear. This contemporary Patriarch of the Solomon family considered himself a living deity! Otherwise, why would he inhabit a temple?
Coupled with his immense family power, his personal martial might added an imposing aura to the ancient temple, which had already weathered countless storms.
The Parthenon was quiet today, as usual. The entire Solomon family conducted their work as always. David Solomon’s office door was open, yet no one dared approach it at this hour.
Solomon family members waiting outside the temple could hear intermittent moans emanating from the far end of the long corridor.
Not long ago, David Solomon King’s private secretary had delivered documents requiring the Patriarch’s signature, materials pertaining to the Solomon family members.
Those waiting outside heard the sound of the secretary knocking and entering, immediately followed by the tearing sound of fabric, and then the woman’s groans of pain. People knew the King was in high spirits today, brutally claiming his private secretary in the roughest manner possible, currently engaged in fierce ‘combat.’
The female secretary’s voice shifted from initial pained moans to sounds of deep immersion, and after some time, the moans continued, now subtly laced with pleas for mercy.
The Solomon family members knew that their current Patriarch, David Solomon King, was not only supremely powerful in martial arts but also possessed exceptional stamina in one particular aspect of masculinity. Normally, others might have one female secretary; he kept fourteen! At his peak, he had as many as thirty.
Any female secretary who served the Patriarch usually required seven days of rest before being able to return to work.
This Patriarch was not limited to one bout of high spirits per day. Thus, it was common for one secretary to be present in the morning, and another in the afternoon.
The secretary’s moans gradually faded, replaced by intermittent sounds laced with weeping gasps. A young member of the Solomon family felt a physiological reaction just listening to the sounds.
After a while, the secretary’s moans ceased entirely, leaving only her heavy, ragged breathing.
David Solomon stood satisfied at the spot where sunlight streamed directly into the massive temple. Bare-chested, his muscular physique exposed to the air, he eyed the female secretary lying weakly on his desk, struggling only to gasp for breath, her limbs soft and useless.