Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1437 Gideon's Lessons Learned (First Update)

"Those who once held power would rather see the whole world burn than relinquish it, because they know what they have done and what kind of destruction they will face after losing power."

As the head of the Interior Ministry, the most powerful person in the most powerful department, Stephanie Malik was a mysterious figure to the entire Federal Government of New Yugoslavia. Few people were able to see her in person, and even in the Royal Castle, she had an entire floor of office space, layers of security, and a direct elevator. Natasha Romanov knew her identity, but Black Widow couldn't understand how an old American political family could wield such great power in the Emperor's hands.

As a member of a long-established German-American political family, Stephanie Malik learned a great deal from her father, Gideon Malik, including how to work with Regent Viktor von Dum to deal with officials from the former Yugoslav federal provinces who might rebel.

"Those who resist reform will try to undermine the sense of security. Such tactics are common. For example, a union organizes a strike to bring a government department and social public services to a standstill, causing countless social problems. At that time, all the damage caused by the other side is a consequence of reform." Gideon Malik squinted, recalling the tactics he had used when pushing for legislation. Once, he was telling Stephanie about his political experience while watching the TV series "House of Cards".

The outcome of this presidential election is self-evident.

As someone who navigates between the two parties, acting as a lubricant between the military-industrial complex and Wall Street tycoons, even though he is not a Jewish tycoon himself, Gideon Malik would still reap considerable benefits regardless of whether the Democratic or Republican party is elected. He can be considered one of the biggest winners of this election, with an opportunity to return to the pinnacle of politics. However, he also has his own concerns, because he doesn't know how much of these benefits he has gained is driven by that emperor, or how many of his allies and enemies have secretly sided with that "human nuclear weapon," intending to replace him at any time.

However, such concerns came too late for him. He had been forced to gamble with his family's sole heir, personally destroying the Malik family's and the conservative Hydra's belief system, and uniting Hydra with a new consensus. In return, he became the CIA's chairman of the council managing S.H.I.E.L.D. and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee—rewards that allowed him to temporarily ignore these issues. But Gideon Malik never knew what the Emperor had gained from the Malik family; his daughter was merely one of the spoils, the greater prize being Attilan on the moon.

"You must recognize the reality that reform inevitably damages the old distribution of benefits, and when the peace brought about by the old distribution of benefits is no longer there, war will break out. If you brutally and directly purge all the mobs and opponents, then you are letting the enemy declare their victory, because you will never find them hiding behind the scenes, because the real opponents are always hidden among the crowd that flatters you. At that time, all those who bear the consequences of the security destroyed by the real opponents will have one thought: the past was better, they don't need a new ruler, even if the reforms are beneficial to them."

Gideon Malik shook his head, very pleased with himself.

He had used these tricks more than once, but what made him happiest was that he finally had the opportunity to teach these methods to his daughter.

"You can call it shortsightedness. Ordinary people are always shortsighted and easily misled. They are not well-educated elites; they don't know the tricks we're playing. They even believe that cutting taxes for the rich will create more jobs for them. In the past, we instilled knowledge through authoritative newspapers; now, we only need to use social networks—it's cheaper and faster. All you need to do is claim you're doing it for their own good, and they'll support you, regardless of the facts. The premise is that you don't mess with that old guy Murdoch. Nobody dares to mess with him, whether Democrat or Republican. Controlling the news is equivalent to controlling the vote."

He poured himself a little Napoleon brandy.

This was a gift from Stephanie to him, and also a gift from the Emperor to Stephanie. Although the bottle looked terrible, with even the label rotten and only half remaining, it was a bottle of Napoleon Brandy made during the reign of Napoleon I. Gideon barely resisted the urge to drink it all, intending to pour only a tiny bit to wet his lips.

"Don't rush to fulfill your promises after the election, because you've reached a higher position. All you need to do is make candy that suits their tastes." He held up his wrinkled finger, pointing at the scene on TV. "But you don't need that skill right now, do you?"

Stephanie Malik shook her head.

Although her father's account contradicted that of the Emperor's "Unified Truth," she did not refute him, for her loyalty lay with the Emperor, not with his ideals. Now, Stephanie Malik hoped the Emperor would forget his past obsession with family mythology, his fervent worship of the nonexistent Hydra Progenitor, for she now worshipped the Emperor, not a false god—a practice that Stephanie and Tita viewed with tacit approval. The Emperor had gifted her not only a set of Sorority power armor but also claws capable of slicing through it, clearly indicating his approval of her worship and praise for her "abandonment of a false god."

At least that's what Tita thought, and that's what Stephanie Malik thought too. As the latter's mentor, the Sorority Commander Tita guided her to secretly join the Sorority's outer monastery to learn rituals and how to educate those civilian Sorority members, since not all girls in the academy could become combatants.

Using this connection, Stephanie can now command the Sorority's armed personnel responsible for security at the Malik family estate. However, Gideon Malik assumes this is due to Stephanie's own authority, completely unaware that the Sorority only obeys the Emperor and the Chief Commander.

"Forgive this old man, I don't have many years left to live."

Gideon Malik wore a sly smile. In fact, after undergoing the first stage of life-extending surgery, his life expectancy had been extended by at least twenty years. With proper care, he could even exceed his life expectancy by five to ten years. Otherwise, he would absolutely not dare to risk a stroke by drinking alcohol now.

"I've heard about the meeting the Emperor convened. There's been a lot of gossip going around that land lately, and I'm worried about you." He was telling the truth. "A lot of blood has been shed there, and I'm afraid your blood might be among it."

“I know, so I’m taking a temporary leave of absence to give the Regent some time to select a target. I haven’t made any public appearances, so no one knows who the Chief of the Interior is.” Stephanie Malik stretched, completely relaxing. She grew up in this house, and although her memories of her mother were very vague, she vaguely remembered her mother sitting on this sofa. Since her mother’s death, her father had become increasingly strict with her until the day she truly came of age. “He invited you to the space station, the one that journalists and researchers from various countries go to. Not in an official capacity, but in a personal capacity, to be precise, in the name of the Malik family.”

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)