Through an intricate network of financial proxies and untraceable communication systems, Lucius established himself as an anonymous benefactor funding both Dante and Seraphina's research projects. His careful orchestration ensured their work developed along complementary paths—technological innovation for Dante, biological adaptation for Seraphina—without either Archduke suspecting the coordinated nature of their separate endeavors.

  The cryptic messages arrived through different channels for each recipient, always with sufficient resources to advance projects that showed little immediate value but aligned perfectly with Lucius's long-term vision. The extraordinary patience behind this sponsorship reflected his millennial perspective—supporting research that would not bear fruit for centuries, yet ying essential groundwork for eventual convergence.

  As decades passed and their separate research programs advanced, Lucius began introducing subtle cross-references in his communications. These casual mentions of parallel approaches remained vague enough that neither Archduke recognized the nearby source of these complementary developments. The territorial boundaries that divided vampire society had created such profound isotion that even brilliant minds in neighboring domains remained unaware of each other's work despite his measured hints.

  After nearly a century of this carefully managed separation, Lucius concluded that more direct intervention would be necessary. Despite his subtle guidance, the Archdukes showed no signs of discovering their parallel research independently. Their continued isotion threatened to dey crucial developments by centuries.

  His solution emerged in the form of Lilith, a human with unique psychological characteristics from one of Orlov's blood farms. After dreaming about her specific circumstances and recognizing her potential role, Lucius dispatched Valerian's soldiers to extract her in a precision operation. As he finalized arrangements for her delivery to the Archdukes' joint border, Lucius recognized this intervention as the inevitable next step in a pn spanning centuries—a calcuted catalyst that would force these brilliant minds to finally recognize the potential of their combined approaches.