Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1147 A Noble Epitaph (First Update)

The person who arranged the ceremony was Queen Mother Ramonda, because the ceremony was a matter of court affairs.

After T'Challa ascended to the throne, Princess Shuri, who should have held this power, received the Hahnburg Research Center. Leveraging her research capabilities and her reputation during the Wakanda Civil War, she fulfilled the original intention of her predecessor, King T'Chaka, in placing her in Hahnburg: to seize control of the research center from other tribes while avoiding political turmoil. The seemingly important but actually dispensable power of court affairs was, as originally planned, handed over to Queen Mother Ramonda, who was in an awkward position within the royal family, to ease the power conflict between the new Black Panther and his maternal family.

This is a very standard template for palace power struggles.

Court affairs have always been positions that can bring immense wealth and influence, yet they are also positions that rarely reach the true core of power. Furthermore, T'Chaka's weakening of other nobles and clearing obstacles for T'Challa's ascension to the throne demonstrates that any monarch who does this for their heir can be considered wise. However, T'Chaka certainly could not have imagined before his death that the child of his own blood relative, whom he had personally killed, would return to Wakanda for revenge, bringing a brief period of turmoil to the entire kingdom.

Latvinia, who spearheaded this upheaval, seized the opportunity to take control of a portion of Wakanda's industrial power, which to some extent exacerbated the conflict between the new king and the Queen Mother. Queen Mother Ramonda was not an isolationist, as evidenced by her agreement to her husband's idea of ​​sending their son and daughter abroad for education. In fact, she was not as opposed to cooperation with the outside world as other isolationist Wakandan nobles.

Therefore, when stating their reasons for opposing something, those reasons sound very emotional and irrational.

"Think about how the Latvian soldiers treated those nobles, Shuri! I'm even surprised that the noble offspring who were taken away by En Jadaka survived! My daughter, the Latvians don't care about the lives of Wakandans at all. The only reason they don't kill civilians is because civilians can't satisfy their bloodlust!"

Following the coup ceremony and military parade, Queen Mother Ramonda quietly inquired with the War Dogs about the negative impact of Emperor Latvinia's swaggering display at the ceremony, while simultaneously instilling her thoughts in her daughter. The news from the War Dogs wasn't good. The coup had tarnished N' Jadaka's image to provide a pretext for civil war, and Emperor Latvinia's charisma at the ceremony was truly astonishing. Many Wakandans residing in the Golden City even began to thank the Latvinians and the Hellfire Knights as allies of Wakandans, readily responding to the call of the rightful heir to the throne and overthrowing the Black Panther who had betrayed Wakandan. The emperor even helped his close friend T'Challa reclaim the throne.

Although these were merely the thoughts of Wakandas outside the Golden City who hadn't been affected by the civil war, they still represented the views of ordinary Wakandas to some extent. The initial propaganda had already shaped the current situation, and for Queen Mother Ramonda, there couldn't have been worse news. This report was supposed to be given to Shuri and Nakia, but she used her power to take a second look. This report solidified her conviction. "We cannot cooperate with those barbarians." Queen Mother Ramonda glanced at the investigation feedback and closed her eyes in despair. "This is my bottom line," she said. "The Latvinians must never be Wakanda's industrial aristocracy."

"Their mission is to save you, Mom! And they're soldiers, and soldiers are meant to kill!"

"This cannot change my decision. Even if we have to cooperate with Latvia, we must keep our distance from them and reclaim the power we have given them. That is the bloodline power of Klangga and the tribes that are subservient to Klangga. Your act of signing the contract without negotiation is a disrespect to royal authority. I would rather die than let you sign that contract."

"So you mean, you're breaking the contract?" Su Rui calmed down. "I signed the contract in exchange for your life."

"That was an immoral, coercive contract," Queen Mother Ramonda said. "Go and persuade your brother to reject it; he has the right to do so. We can cooperate with Latvinia, but that industrial noble seat must be reclaimed. All the Wakandan nobles support my idea, and even your brother must listen to them. Besides… do you think the Latvinian emperor won't pay a price for doing this? Don't forget, the protagonist of the coronation ceremony is always Black Panther, not anyone else!"

"I apologize for stealing your thunder, but I had to do it," Emperor Latvinia explained. Contrary to Queen Mother Ramonda's expectations, after the coronation ceremony, Emperor Latvinia and the King of Wakanda did not develop any animosity; they even shared a large bottle of ice-cold cola. T'Challa, finally the true King of Wakanda, breathed a sigh of relief, temporarily escaping the almost endless meetings. "I haven't forgotten the feedback from the agents. When the Hell Knights fired thermobaric bombs at the palace as a deterrent, those nobles who disliked Latvinia practically wanted to bite their fingers. I need to remind them of Latvinia's capabilities, otherwise those arrogant Wakandan nobles will definitely cause trouble for me or the Royal Guard behind the scenes, and we don't have much interest in dealing with them."

"Maybe they want to thank you for not taking them all down with them."

"If you're referring to this, I can only explain it as a tactical choice by the Fire Knights. You can't send a bunch of warriors who only care about destroying everything on a rescue mission. If it weren't for orders, they wouldn't have gone to save your mother, and they might even have killed any nobles in their way. You knew they would do that; it's all about efficiency."

"I know, I'm not upset about it, my friend." T'Challa opened his eyes. "I would have been much happier if you hadn't been communicating with me telepathically. I don't understand why you and your warriors left in such a hurry after the ritual."

"Because there is still much evil in this world, T'Challa. The Hell Knights are my most important fighting force. Sending them to rituals would be a waste. I must use them effectively within the limited time available, letting them create the peaceful environment my people need." The phantom of the Emperor of Latveria reached out, passing through a Coke bottle on the table. "I really wish I could drink a Coke using the Mind Vessel. But the Mind Vessel used to disguise my identity is still holding my mind at Oxford University. If that Mind Vessel were to disappear one day, my true identity would be exposed. Perhaps I should expand the Mind Vessel's range of activity, letting that cyborg body wander around the pub."

The conversation fell silent, and the phantom of the Latvian emperor sat in the chair as if he really needed that support.

"You know where our differences lie. I don't approve of your use of genetically modified soldiers," T'Challa suddenly said. "I know you have some valid reasons, but you've created a bunch of cold-blooded war machines. You've not only violated their will, but also scientific ethics, which is one of the biggest controversies surrounding Latvinia in the international community. If you want international support, you must make a statement."

"But they're incredibly useful. The international community condemns them because they can't manufacture super soldiers; if they acquired the technology, they could mass-produce them. Each Infernal Knight is worth a thousand fully armed human soldiers. They have no fear, no pity, and will never betray their ideals for any reason. Their bodies can withstand the most arduous combat missions, their enhanced brains allow them to remain alert for extended periods, and their bones can even withstand conventional bullets… Any one of them could single-handedly kill any self-proclaimed superhero. If I don't use them, do you really expect superheroes—marketed products—to save the world?"

"We have soldiers, my friends. We must be nobler than other countries, only then can we lead them."

"Like a king, T'Challa." Emperor Latvinia shook his head. "Nobility may not guarantee humanity's survival, but humanity certainly needs a class that specializes in highly efficient warfare. For no other reason than to survive, that is justice."

I've been very busy lately, so updates will be a bit late.

(End of this chapter)