It was night, and the crescent moon hung high.
Holding the room key, Mera walked with a light step and pushed open the door to Room 91.
The motel owner, who had been in business for many years, clearly knew his stuff.
Mera's little scheme was completely seen through by him, and the room key he gave her was for a waterbed room, perfect for a couple's escapades.
After all, it was a motel right by the sea; having special waterbed rooms could generate more income.
Moreover, couples visiting this small town raved about the motel's waterbed rooms. They said it was soft and thoughtful. When someone moved on the bed, the bed itself would rock along. That unique sensation easily touched peculiar sensitive spots deep within a person.
In short, it was all about the thrill.
Perfect for restless young people who enjoyed variety.
"Oh, right, where does Woz sleep at night?"
After closing the door, Mera suddenly remembered an important question. Where did that big robotic cat by Lothar's side sleep at night?
"Please don't worry about Woz, Lady Mera."
"Woz does not require sleep. Generally, Woz is outside, responsible for His Highness Lothar's sleep security."
A blue light screen suddenly appeared before Mera, and the information displayed made her raise an eyebrow.
"In that case, I'll go take a bath first." Seeing Lothar still looking at the light screen analyzing data, Mera, holding her bathrobe, walked into the bathroom. She needed to sort out her thoughts.
"Why is this bed—"
Lothar, who had directly laid down on the bed, felt a bit uncomfortable.
Then Woz provided various data about waterbeds.
After confirming that there were no strange issues, Lothar actually began to enjoy the soft sensation. A slight movement of his body would cause a gentle flow of water, a completely new experience for Lothar. And enveloped in this soft embrace, Lothar quickly fell into a dream.
In his dream, he saw his adoptive father, Thanos, looking at him with affection; he saw his loyal minion, The Other, leading the Chitauri to flatten Asgard behind him; he also saw Hela.
But for some reason, Hela's attitude towards him was very poor. Her expression shifted from joy to anger in an instant. Then, Lothar felt an unusually unsettling sensation. It was as if a pair of eyes had been watching his every move from behind.
"Who?!"
Lothar suddenly opened his eyes, a surge of alert power erupting.
Mera, who had been quietly watching Lothar while lying on the pillow, looked bewildered. And then... the bed collapsed...
Wrapped in a damp bathrobe, Mera felt she would never forget the motel owner's knowing gaze for the rest of her life.
"Lothar, you owe me a thousand dollars..."
The next morning, that was the first thing Lothar heard after waking up in the new room.
It came from Mera's mouth.
As the Atlantean princess, Mera had fully demonstrated the saying, "women are made of water," last night. Her soft limbs clung to the sleeping Lothar in all sorts of strange positions, seemingly treating him like an unmoving doll. Her smooth calves, beneath the blanket, hooked his knees, and her bent knees pressed against his thighs. Her vibrant red hair lay casually scattered across his chest.
And then, Mera, muttering, "Lothar owes money, he's a bastard," woke up. She was startled awake by Lothar's movements.
????
Mera, watching Lothar go to wash up, was utterly confused, recalling what she had done last night. She pulled open her bathrobe and took a look... then another...
"Lothar, last night I—"
"Slept very soundly." Lothar, already accustomed to brushing his teeth, replied without turning his head.
Of course, he slept soundly; she was impossible to push away, always insisting on clinging to him. If it weren't for her continued usefulness, Lothar would have slapped her already. Not even Hela had ever clung to him like that.
"Then you—"
"I treated it as weighted training. I often slept with weights on my back when I was a kid."
"..." Mera directly closed the bathroom door, feeling both annoyed and amused. She truly didn't know how someone as eccentric as Lothar had grown up. And he even had Hela, the Goddess of Death, as his fiancée?
"So, if what you're saying is true, your childhood must have been very hard?"
Mera retorted huffily; no one would be in a good mood after being compared to a weight. And it was still early in the morning... Not to mention, she had already prepared herself for that...
Poke poke...
The robotic cat Woz, who had seemingly wandered back from nowhere, poked Mera's arm with its chubby little hand, signaling her not to bring up Lothar's childhood. Because that could easily touch upon the root of Lothar's hatred—Frieza.
Of course, without Lothar's permission, Woz wouldn't tell Mera any of this. It merely produced a small, blue notebook with a worn cover, along with some video recordings.
'Today marks the seventy-second day of the trials. My wounds haven't healed, and yet Corvus Glaive stabbed me near the heart again.'
'I nearly died. This grudge, I won't forget.'
On the blue light screen, a young Lothar meticulously wrote each stroke. His lean body, covered in blood, and the harsh survival environment profoundly shocked Mera.
That was Lothar's past.
That was the foundation for Lothar's future arrogance across most of the universe.
Mera fell silent. She thought back to herself at seven or eight years old, seemingly lost in play within the palace.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." When Lothar emerged after showering and changing, he was met with Mera's apology.
Lothar: "???"
The robotic cat Woz was intently studying A Hundred Interpretations of Congratulatory Speeches by The Other on the bedside table, oblivious to everything else.
...
Centauri Galaxy, Black Quadrant.
Two young figures stood inside the base, their timid gazes directed towards the figure on the throne.
"Gamora, Nebula."
"From today onward, you will undergo basic training as Daughters of Thanos."
"This training will be brutal, but I believe you two will persevere."
"The hardships you endure in your youth are solely for your complete transformation as adults."
"I trust you will not disappoint me, correct?"
"Yes, Father." The two girls exchanged glances and respectfully bowed to Thanos on the throne.
Proxima Midnight, hidden in the shadows, emerged after receiving Thanos's approval, leading Thanos's two newly adopted daughters towards the training base.
"Um, excuse me, is this training really that terrifying?"
Nebula, after exiting the base, shrank her neck, feeling a bit apprehensive.
"Don't worry, children. Your training intensity has been greatly reduced compared to that man's."
Proxima Midnight stroked Nebula's head, smiling.
"That... man?" The young Gamora looked up, her gaze filled with confusion.
"Ah, if he were still here, you should call him Big Brother."
"Big Brother? Is he also Father's child?" Gamora and Nebula exchanged glances, asking curiously.
"Of course. He is Lord Thanos's proudest successor."
"Really? What's his name?" Nebula's eyes lit up at the news, asking.
"His name?" Proxima Midnight stopped, her gaze directed towards the boundless starry sky above.
"His name is Lothar."
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are 50+ advance chapters available for you to read!