Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1148 Economical and Practical (Second Update)

Upon returning to the capital, Emperor Latvian met with Regent Victor von Doom in the reception room.

During his absence, Victor von Doom's work had gone well; the Emperor hadn't found a need for him at all. "Except for this," the Regent said, accessing the encrypted data channel's database, "have you forgotten that some guests remain in Latvinia? Heinrich Zemo, whom you sent the Infernal Knights to rescue from prison during the Wakanda Civil War, is now imprisoned in a new jail, awaiting his fate. The Avengers… you've practically brought the entire Avengers over; those guys aren't exactly peaceful."

"Oh, I really forgot." Salomon laughed awkwardly. "But our offices aren't far apart, so was it really necessary for you to use telepathy to talk to me?"

"Because you've dumped all the official duties on me!" Victor von Doom's tone was filled with anger, seemingly deeply dissatisfied with the Emperor's laziness. "I'm currently overseeing the experiments in the underground prison, and in five minutes I have to approve a series of architectural plans. If you're still sitting on the throne, then urge the Ministry of the Interior to expedite the handling of the banking crisis and private lending in the Albanian province. Until those economic problems are resolved, our infrastructure construction in Albania will face enormous difficulties, and the construction of the Poch Shipyard will also encounter obstacles. A navy is more economical than aircraft carriers; we must dedicate a navy to control the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and those nuclear submarines..."

Once Viktor von Doom starts talking, he can't stop.

Currently, numerous projects are under construction in Latvinia, and the Fire Knights have been dispatched to various regions to suppress rebellious forces, ensuring that all orders from the Emperor and Regent can be carried out without hindrance. Latvinia's astonishing achievements in the First Expansion War were due not only to the incredible combat power of its genetically modified warriors, but also to the strategic and technological advantages brought by its high mobility in aerospace warfare, its advanced information technology, and its precision missile strikes. Behind these advantages lies the wealth and resources accumulated by the Immortal City over many years. With increased investment in domestic economic development yet to yield returns, the navy, a relatively cost-effective branch of the military, became the preferred choice. While building a navy is a huge investment for other countries, for Latvinia, it is a relatively inexpensive option, as the Void Army is prohibitively expensive, and even the Skysword Space Station as a logistical hub cannot save much money.

Latvia's current economic situation makes a second expansion war utterly unsustainable. The reason NATO countries have hesitated to launch a full-scale offensive is simply because they are temporarily unable to counter the Latvian emperor's formidable personal fighting capabilities. If Mars is still unable to repair its starships before the second phase of the expansion war, then Latvia will need a naval fleet capable of controlling the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Building naval vessels wasn't a major problem for the Martian sages, and the expanding Martian foundry could spare some manpower and resources. However, even if they were built, no one except Victor von Dum and Emperor Latvinia could transport them from Mars to Earth's surface. This wasn't the economical military option the Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted, and doing so would contradict the original purpose of building a navy.

"The Mars Foundry has already produced design blueprints, including a giant maritime platform capable of accommodating Pegasus super-heavy assault transport ships, Eagle-type assault transport ships, and Vulture fighter jets. As for escort ships, the Mars Foundry suggests purchasing old Soviet-era vessels and then modernizing them, which would save a considerable amount of money." Before the Emperor could respond, the Regent continued. "Anyway, we don't really need a powerful navy. Once the starship repairs are complete, there will be no need for a planetary navy other than nuclear submarines. Now we only need a floating dock to begin construction on this project. If the deal goes smoothly, the first batch of modernized escort ships will be cruising the Mediterranean in about six months."

"My friend, you are perfectly capable of making this decision on your own." The Emperor of Latvia spread his hands and shrugged. "I know that we both view power as a tool rather than an ability, and I don't mind you sitting on the throne to exercise that power. You are the regent, my representative, and I don't need to reiterate my trust in you once again. Even if you advocate buying Syrian refugees from Turkey to work as laborers, I will agree to your decision; that is my trust in you."

An ordinary person would surely be moved by such a speech, but Victor von Doumgan chuckled twice, fully expressing his disdain after seeing through the Emperor's intentions. "This is no excuse for your laziness," he said. "You'd be better off saying that to Stephanie; those Hydras you've tamed love to hear this."

"Alright, alright! I'll handle official business until dinner time!" Emperor Latvinia, his excuse exposed, raised his hands in surrender. "But don't expect me to stay a minute longer. I promised Bayonetta I'd go back for dinner. That means I have four hours left to deal with banking matters, speak with infrastructure project reviewers, and meet with the army staff. Let me see what other work is scheduled..."

"This is a work report. I don't understand, wasn't all I supposed to do to cooperate with law enforcement and film the video?" Steve Rogers, accompanied by Sam Wilson, sat on the sofa in the living room awaiting his summons. "I thought we wouldn't have any more work after filming the video."

“Actually, because we can’t go back to the US, we need a job now,” Sam Wilson shrugged. Natasha Romanoff had asked him to politely convey to Steve Rogers that they were now completely rejected by Western culture. The moment they stepped outside Latvian territory, the CIA and all of NATO's intelligence agencies would be after them; there was nowhere else for them in the world but Latvian. Although this was vastly different from the short-term work Steve Rogers had initially envisioned, reality forced them to stay. “Here we can truly help the people, instead of staying in the base training and waiting for something bad to happen, right?” Sam Wilson said. “Now that the Hydra remnants have been wiped out, we need to find something to do. Isn’t the sense of accomplishment from peaceful streets much greater than taking down some supervillain?”

"Including letting those kids call you a birdman?"

“Oh, I admit the entertainment industry here is a bit…out of touch with the times, but I’m sure one day those kids will realize I’m called Falcon, not Birdman,” Sam Wilson chuckled. “And they even give Bucky free treatment, don’t they? They’re supposedly planning to get him a more advanced prosthetic leg, the free kind.”

"Do you know what Xiaona has been up to lately?"

"She's been a bit mysterious lately, but that's just how she is. I don't think it would do us any good to pry into those things. If she thinks we need to know, she'll tell us. She's in this with us now, and she won't harm us."

Sam Wilson's calm made Steve Rogers uncomfortable, but after a sigh, he decided to compromise with reality. "As long as they don't send us on missions overseas," Rogers said. "I hope Latvia and the United States will be different, you know what I mean? We can't become a tool for any country to suppress its competitors, that's why I rejected the Sokovia Agreement, and I hope you share my opinion."

"Are you serious? I don't think Latvia needs us to do those things; they have plenty of super soldiers."

Steve Rogers clenched his fists, speechless. "Maybe I'm getting old. This world changes too fast. The super-soldier legions I used to stop are now appearing, Stark's planetary defense program is underway, and I can't stop any of them, because they all have a reason to exist. But I think… Sam, I think we have to make sure these programs don't fall into the hands of worse people, you know what I mean?"

"We can't do that. Think about Harley Airfield, one super soldier could blow our clothes off," Sam said in street slang. "Anyone knows not to mess with those big guys."

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(End of this chapter)