Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the windowpanes, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor.

The room was a complete mess.

A few discarded linen shirts and trousers were tossed carelessly at the foot of the bed, one even draped over half an apple.

On the wooden table, several earthenware plates were stacked haphazardly, bearing the remnants of cheese crumbs and dried gravy.

Firewood crackled in the hearth, making the room toasty warm.

A bare foot swayed rhythmically up and down in the air, its toes curling and uncurling.

Her bare calves were smooth and lovely. With every casual swing of her leg, the oversized men’s shirt billowed, its hem just barely covering the tops of her thighs.

Her long silver hair was fanned out, a few strands clinging to her lightly perspiring neck.

The shirt’s collar was pulled askew, revealing a pale shoulder and delicate collarbone.

Mia lay sprawled on the soft bed, wearing a shirt she had "borrowed" from Velin’s old wardrobe.

She was engrossed in a small booklet.

Its pages were coarse, pressed from scrap wood pulp, and the inky words were printed somewhat blurrily.

This was the novelization of *Rocky*, a recent sensation in Newly Town and the work camps of Mi Port.

On a small table nearby sat a plate of fried potato chips.

A long, slender tail snaked out from under the hem of her shirt, deftly curling around a chip and lifting it to her mouth.

She bit into it with a CRUNCH, mumbling indistinctly.

’How stupid. With all that strength, wouldn’t it be easier to just steal?’

She scoffed at the book’s protagonist, finding it utterly absurd that he would toil away at the docks for some so-called dignity.

’In her view, why make things so complicated when you could get food so easily?’

Ever since Velin had resolved the survival crisis that had plagued her for over thirty years, her life had fallen into a state of comfort so profound it bordered on decay.

Although her bloodline modification was incomplete, leaving most of her succubus abilities sealed, she no longer had to undertake those perilous, life-or-death missions.

Her daily work now consisted of going to the training camp to instruct the new batch of spies under Kael’s command.

Kael was a master of combat and stealth, but when it came to the unwritten rules of the underworld, he was nowhere near as proficient as Mia.

The spies were fast learners, especially Xiaolan.

The timid girl had recently shown a remarkable talent; not only did she memorize the rules quickly, but there were times she’d stand in the shadows and even Mia herself could barely detect her presence.

Mia ate another chip, turned a page, and suddenly felt thirsty.

’Something just felt... missing.’

A knock echoed at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Miss Mia, the Lord summons you."

An unfamiliar male voice replied from outside.

’The master?’

Mia’s heart skipped a beat.

They hadn’t had a proper chance to meet since her master left for the Royal Capital.

"One moment!"

She scrambled off the bed, her bare feet hitting the cool wooden floor.

She rushed to the washbasin and splashed her face with cold water, trying to clear her head.

Then, she ran her fingers through her messy silver hair before rummaging through her wardrobe.

Finally, having changed into a slightly more presentable outfit, she opened the door.

...

「The study of the Lord’s Mansion.」

Velin stood behind his desk, looking over the latest research and development report from the Origin Association.

Mia entered, pausing awkwardly at the doorway.

Velin looked up, setting the report aside.

"Come, sit."

He gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

Mia sat, placing her hands on her knees, her posture ramrod straight.

"How have you been? Are you adjusting well?" Velin asked, breaking the silence.

"Thanks to you, Master, Mia is doing wonderful! I get to eat my fill every day and even sleep in!" Mia replied at once, her voice saccharine sweet.

"And Kael’s training? Are you managing?"

"A piece of cake." Mia relaxed, leaning back in her chair and reverting to her usual lazy demeanor. "Those little cubs are easy enough to teach. It’s Kael who’s the problem. He walks around with a face like a plank, stiffer than a stone from the Gray Marsh."

She started complaining to Velin, trying to win her master’s attention.

"Master, you have no idea. The way he looks at me, you’d think I was just a walking pile of trouble. If it weren’t for your orders, Mia wouldn’t give him the time of day. It’s much more comfortable by your side..."

She paused, her purple eyes glistening as she gazed at Velin, hoping for a word of comfort.

But Velin didn’t respond.

Mia felt a flicker of awkwardness and quickly added.

"But rest assured, your Mia has been working very hard. When you decide to make a move on the Blackrock Hand Merchant Guild next year, I’ll be sure to find out everything there is to know about them."

She deliberately stressed the words "your Mia" and threw what she considered a charming "wink" at Velin.

Velin watched her for a moment before finally speaking.

"The matter of the Blackrock Hand can wait."

"There’s another mission for you."

"What mission?" Mia perked up immediately. In her mind, missions equaled extra snacks and rewards from her master.

"A Priest has arrived in Minas Tirith. His name is Fabian."

"He’s very capable and very troublesome. I need someone to get close to him, to learn everything about him—his habits, his weaknesses. And then, to use some... ’special tactics’ on him."

Velin looked at Mia.

"You are the most suitable person for the job."

The study fell silent.

The smile on Mia’s face froze.

’A Priest?!’

The word burrowed into her ears, making the hairs on her body stand on end.

She remembered a time long ago, in Hector’s basement, watching her kin tied to racks, howling in agony as Priests splashed them with Holy Water. Their skin had steamed, their bodies melting as they convulsed.

The image was a lifelong nightmare.

"No..."

She slid from her chair and scrambled to the front of the desk, grabbing the hem of Velin’s robe.

"Master, no! I’m begging you!"

Her voice became shrill, tears instantly flooding her purple eyes.

"I’ll go anywhere else! I’ll kill, I’ll commit arson, anything! But I can’t go near a church... those Priests... they’ll burn me! Mia will be turned to ash!"

She looked up, her small face a mask of terror, streaked with tears. It was a sight that would soften any man’s heart.

Velin didn’t comfort her immediately.

He had seen Mia scared before, but never this out of control.

’It seemed the church and its clergy had struck her deepest trauma.’

’Forcing her would be useless.’

Fortunately, he had prepared a reward he knew Mia wouldn’t be able to refuse.

He stood and walked to a cabinet on the other side of the room.

Opening the cabinet, he retrieved an object from within.

It was a transparent glass bottle of a peculiar shape, with a sleek, curved body.

The bottle was half-full of a black liquid.

Tiny beads of condensation clung to the glass, exuding a faint chill.

Velin carried the bottle to his desk and twisted open the wooden cork.

HSSS—

With a soft hiss, a wisp of white vapor escaped the mouth of the bottle. Countless bubbles churned to the surface of the black liquid.

A peculiar, sweet, and refreshing aroma began to fill the study.

Mia stopped crying.

Her nose twitched.

The scent wafted into her nostrils, carrying an unprecedented allure that tickled her taste buds and piqued her curiosity.

Forgetting her fear, she stared, her purple eyes fixed on the bottle in Velin’s hand.

’What is that?’

’I’ve never smelled anything like it.’

’It looks... delicious.’