Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1184 The Provocative Tongue (First Update)

The Emperor and his Royal Guard, clad in power armor, stood at the foot of the castle's main gate, flanked by two twenty-meter-tall war engines. A full company of Fire Knights stood on either side of the red carpet behind the Emperor and the Royal Guard. They wore ceremonial armor with numerous embellishments, and MK2 Martian-type explosive guns, which to mortals could be considered large-caliber anti-materiel weapons, were neatly held in front of their chests. Their magnetic weapon belts were uniformly fitted with sheathed energy longswords as tall as a person, instead of the cheaper chainsaw swords. The lower edges of their shoulder armor and the upper parts of their leg armor, used to indicate their rank and unit, were decorated with ceremonial eagles, lightning bolts, laurel wreaths, and oak leaf wreaths. Their helmets had also been replaced with centurion-style blood-red feathers.

The lead standard-bearer carried an eagle banner topped with a golden eagle sculpture. These more ceremonial Fire Knights carried only plasma pistols, but wore blood-red cloaks symbolizing war. The overall style of the entire honor guard was gold and red, and even the power armor of the Emperor and the Royal Guard, the banners hanging from the war engines, and the decorations on the outer armor all followed the same style, running counter to the high-tech minimalism that people love.

Therefore, when Shuri led the delegation onto the red carpet to shake hands with the Emperor, the contrast between the two different styles was extremely striking. However, no one would object to Latvinia's highly artistic style, because all Wakandans still clearly remembered the consequences of the Infernal Knights joining the Wakandan civil war. Even those who had never seen the Infernal Knights in person felt immense psychological pressure from the red carpet surrounded by giants. Ordinary people had to crane their necks to see the mechanical buckles on the lower edge of the Infernal Knights' helmets.

The weather in Latvian capital was excessively sunny. Surrey glimpsed the castle's renovated spires, almost black under the overly blue sky. The once somber, gray-black giant building had shed its gloom, now bathed in a touch of brightness thanks to the deciduous plants lining its walls. August and September are the best months for tourism in the Balkans, and the Wakanda delegation's arrival was perfectly timed. The humid, sweltering summer was drawing to a close, and the dry, cool autumn was just around the corner. This season was also ideal for enjoying Tokajiozú sweet wine, a specialty of the Hungarian province, and Romanian wines.

Everyone who knew the Emperor knew he loved strong liquor, and thus preferred Palinka brandy, which everyone in every Hungarian province made, to the smooth sweet wine of Tokaji. The common people of all the Hungarian provinces learned through the media that the Emperor had to drink a glass of his own homemade, undiluted Palinka brandy every morning after his morning exercise, before he could handle official business or wage war with renewed vigor—this news was fabricated by the State Council's press office. While the Emperor certainly loved strong liquor, he wasn't limited to any particular type. The photographs in the news report, taken in public, showed the Hungarian province's common people watching the Emperor drink a large glass of 50% ABV brandy and still be energetic, allowing Stephanie Malik to cultivate an image of both an iron-fisted leader and an approachable figure.

Drinking this Hungarian favorite spirit helped populists see the emperor as one of their own, thus reducing resistance to reforms among the Hungarian populists. Everything the emperor did and decided was in the service of politics, the nation, and ideals; even his lunches in public had to be accompanied by the Romanian spirit UIC. This was one of the few pleasures of the crown, as the spirits provided to the castles were rare and precious.

"I am delighted that you have come, Princess Shuri." The Emperor smiled and shook hands with the head of the Wakanda delegation. "The castle has prepared a banquet for Wakanda, and I sincerely hope that the Wakandans and Latvinians can get along well. Two capable and idealistic nations in this world dedicated to the progress of humanity should cooperate closely."

These polite exchanges were all filmed. Until the banquet began, the Emperor and Stephanie Malik had many issues to discuss with the Wakanda delegation, conversations that were not to be recorded by the media. Wakanda and Latvinia reached numerous agreements, one of which was to rebuild a nationwide high-speed civilian network system in conjunction with the Martian Foundry and the Immortal City to replace the aging network system in the Balkans. This cooperation would establish three state-owned telecommunications companies belonging to Wakanda, the Immortal City, and the Martian Foundry respectively, as well as a large number of factories producing equipment necessary for the information industry, thus solving employment problems across different social classes.

This alone can bring Wakanda a steady stream of revenue, not to mention other industries such as engine manufacturing and civilian metal processing brought by the hovercar company. With an entire Mars as its industrial base, Latvinia doesn't need to endure the pros and cons of globalization.

Having gained the advantage of decapitation strikes during the First Expansion War, Latvia has now largely escaped its food crisis through the grain harvests of the Romanian provinces. It even has the capacity to use this to drive up food prices in Europe, using it as leverage in international political maneuvering to force Western Europe to trade with Latvia. Furthermore, its restructured and cleansed oil reserves have been completely withdrawn from export due to Latvia's own needs. It is now utilizing Wakanda's advanced exploration technology for deep extraction, intentionally or unintentionally cooperating with its allies to drive up European energy prices in exchange for greater influence in international politics.

Wakanda would receive a large amount of grain exports from Romania in exchange for a portion of its industrial production lines. This was yet another conspiracy between the Emperor and the industrial nobles of the Golden Tribe, and one of the means to accelerate Wakanda's industrial expansion. The benefits generated by this lucrative contract satisfied all the Wakandan nobles. Even the agricultural nobles, whose power had been weakened by the terms, were pleased to gain access to bio-farm technology from Latvinia—including genetic engineering technologies such as the cultivation of transgenic crops, in which Latvinia was far more advanced than Wakanda—and to create more valuable agricultural products. They were completely unaware of the impact these terms would have on Wakanda.

They were even less likely to notice the whispers between the emperor and Princess Surrey during the banquet, when the emperor had changed into casual clothes.

"Controlling the food is equivalent to controlling the country," the Emperor said softly, raising his cup. "Wakanda's centralized power relies on religious legitimacy. Without religious legitimacy, the Fourth Dynasty's bloodline loses its ruling legitimacy and the foundation that binds the tribes together. Food is even more sacred than religious legitimacy, because hungry people won't listen to priests' sermons. I sincerely suggest that my allies find a more stable foundation for their rule, such as agricultural production outside of royal control."

"I never knew your tongue was so good at provoking," Su Rui said.

"This is just a suggestion, my friend." The Emperor maintained his smile. "I believe that many rulers throughout Wakanda's history have tried to solve this problem, but an alliance of interests comprised of industry, commerce, and agriculture is something that no Black Panther can challenge. No matter who sits on the throne, this alliance is so unbreakable; they are the uncrowned kings."

"You're still trying to sow discord."

"But you listened, didn't you?" The Emperor refilled his and Su Rui's goblets. Romanian wine was the main beverage at the banquet, and this news would be sent to official media and private individuals. The wine merchant who received this honor would have the right to add a laurel wreath to their label for a year. If they wished to renew after a year, they would have to submit their best wine to a competition and win. "Every word I speak is like a fine wine brewing in your mind, influencing you and prompting your thoughts," he said. "There is no impregnable fortress in this world. I am willing to help my ally, and coincidentally, I am also an industrial noble of Wakanda, and the most powerful one at that."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)