Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1486 The Isolated Island Mansion (Part 2)

This place was once a deserted island, its dense jungle stretching along the mountain ridges to the sea, only to be poisoned, withered, and die by the salty water. The emperor's arrival completely changed everything. The haphazardly growing primeval forest and the withered trees along the coast were burned to ashes, nourishing the barren sandy soil. Hard rocks were softened into arable mud under the influence of spells, the toxic substances in the seawater were filtered out, and even the weather in and around the island was modified by unseen forces. The sunlight was no longer too intense, the waves no longer too turbulent, and even marine predators and poisonous creatures were driven away from this area. Countless coral polyps rapidly grew and multiplied in the shallows, forming a vast expanse of colorful coral reefs.

The castle atop the highest point of this deserted island, along with several roads, underground hangars, warehouses, and other infrastructure, were all sculpted by Him using magic. Using reinforced concrete transported from a portal, He built them intermittently in His leisure time over a period of six months. Salomon even had the leisure to melt local sand into glass, then, through incantations, dye and shape it, solidifying it into Gothic rose windows under the influence of unseen forces, before inlaying them into gilded, massive window frames.

This was a survival plan, and there were many similar bases, each with different defensive capabilities and unique climates due to His selection. Laura Crawford couldn't possibly be unaware that this isolated island possessed its own unique climate, but compared to the spectacle of cherry, lemon, peach, and fig trees bearing fruit simultaneously, the portal spanning Oxfordshire and the island intrigued her more. Now, part of this plan had come in handy, freeing Him to deal with a potential nuclear war and the ever-present threat of extradimensional beings.

He could imagine how many diplomatic letters and protests the unfortunate man appointed Foreign Minister by Regent Viktor von Dum must be facing at this moment. But this was not the first time the Yugoslav Federation had provoked the United Nations, especially NATO countries, and seized the initiative in the matter. Even the unified Yugoslav Federation was only officially recognized after the emperor arrived at the United Nations headquarters in New York and led a squadron of fighter jets directly into the United States, scaring the US president into hiding in a metal bunker.

Even if the emperor didn't care about the so-called United Nations, appearances can be very useful. Viktor von Dum's response to the Swiss bank's threat to freeze Yugoslav assets pleased the emperor greatly. He declared that the Ministry of Justice would investigate the Swiss bank and arrest those responsible if necessary. The regent specifically stated that if he could remove war criminals from the Hague Tribunal, he could also drag Swiss bankers out of their beds. Those targeted by the Ministry of Justice would find no true safety, no matter where on Earth; warships, tanks, and nuclear weapons could not protect criminals from the Ministry of Justice's righteous blade.

However, the judges appointed by Regent Viktor von Dum are still focused on the proceedings of the former Yugoslav Federal Civil War Tribunal. Compared to the fervor of the last century, this generation of Yugoslavs is much more level-headed, as the lessons of war have been profound enough that many have realized their folly. Although the war criminals still have supporters, the army has cleared most of the civilian armed groups, and the current police force is sufficient to control and de-escalate the situation, ensuring that the court's rulings are not influenced by any external factors.

Viktor von Doom assured the Emperor that the trial would not affect preparations for the three material universe wars, as the current federal government was already tangibly benefiting the lower-class Albanians, Croats, Serbs, and other Balkan peoples. Medical teams from the Immortal City and Wakanda were even driving to provide medical services to Albanian women who distrusted Serbian hospitals. This work was initially extremely difficult because the rural Albanian civilians refused education and were unwilling to obey anyone except for respected religious leaders and clans.

The situation only gradually improved after the army destroyed the church, cleared out the armed forces entrenched in the mountains, established schools and local hospitals, and re-established the judicial and law enforcement system. It is said that to improve trust between the police and the community, and to prevent them from seeking help from their fellow villagers instead of the law, Viktor von Doom added courses including, but not limited to, inviting underage students to visit the newly established police station. However, this process was not so smooth; it is said that when a policeman was showing the children the evidence room, he showed them a severed hand, which frightened the group of snotty-nosed children so much that they cried.

Rebuilding morality and trust in this land is a truly agonizing task. Viktor von Doom has to eradicate both liberal ideology and religious conservatism. However, this isn't without its advantages: no one will complain about that thick-skinned policeman. The people here have an extremely high tolerance for bloodshed and violence, to the point that they take responsibility for their lives if they go out at night. Perhaps those children have already seen corpses on the roadside sometime during the night; a severed hand is simply not creative.

Viktor von Doom argued that trials would not provoke resentment from the comprador class until their accumulated wealth was fully absorbed and the newly created vested interest class blocked social mobility. The Emperor, however, remained noncommittal. He was acutely aware of how easily people could be manipulated; while a small minority might incite a herd mentality, they could drive the majority to blindly oppose anything, regardless of how flawed or impractical their arguments. The Yugoslav Wars had been a prime example, resulting in a complete split fueled by the instigation of ambitious individuals—something that must never be repeated. Therefore, He ordered Regent Viktor von Doom to maintain a high level of riot control; no ambitious individual could be allowed to overthrow the federation that had been painstakingly forged through military superiority.

"In fact, the problem would be solved simply by Him going around; humanity's yearning for divinity surpasses everything else."

Constantine pretended not to hear the regent's complaints, nor did he relay them to the emperor, for he knew the regent made similar jokes daily. The emperor, when not in public, would reduce his public appearances, believing that humanity's unwarranted worship of him violated the courage and reason praised in the *United Truth*.

Immediately after concluding his court speech, Viktor von Dum did not summon the Foreign Minister first, but instead went straight to address military affairs. A Greek Orthodox and Catholic militia had participated in the Yugoslav Wars, and these religious organizations were also within the scope of the Yugoslav Federal Civil War Tribunal's pursuit.

But the regent did not only have this one method.

In the later stages of the unification war, the regent dispatched military forces to squeeze and expel Kosovo militias to Albanian settlements in North Macedonia, then brought the weakened North Macedonian province under his control. The North Macedonian government had previously signed an agreement with these militias, ceding autonomy in the north in exchange for a reduction in Albanian crime. However, under pressure from the regent, Kosovo militias composed of criminals returned south, weakening most of the North Macedonian government's security forces. This time, the Kosovo militias will travel to Greece armed to prepare for future military operations. Nominally, these Kosovo militias are exiled groups forcibly driven out of Yugoslavia; no one has control over them, and only a select few know that the regent holds the reins of these armed groups and criminal organizations firmly in his grasp.

The Greek government certainly wouldn't hand over that militia, nor could it, because control of the organization wasn't in the hands of the Greek government, but rather in the hands of other European countries. However, this was, in any case, a very formal pretext for declaring war. Just like in the battles of the First Unification War, the Latvians' slogan was "For Unification," which, while appealing, was limited to the former Yugoslav Federation. This time, Viktor von Dum wanted to choose a more palatable slogan.

"Alright, let's face a more troublesome problem. The moon, or rather, the damn moon, is raising the Inhuman threat level to this extent an overreaction? Or does He consider the operation against Attilan a large-scale exercise against the Dark Order? Please give me the data from the asteroid boarding exercise and the Mars drop exercise, Ms. Lister… It seems that our genetically modified warriors can withstand frequent supersonic drops. This is exactly what Dr. Maya Hansen designed."

"This is the data from the first type of exercise. This time, He believes that Type 19 and Type 20 are needed to participate in the Greek-Attila war, but the genetically modified warriors of these two types are still undergoing basic training and war memory infusion, so they can't be considered veterans," Constantine said. "Currently, we only have sufficient numbers of Type 2, 3, and 4 to be deployed to the war in the material universe, while the number of Type 19 and Type 20 is far from enough."

"If we consider the genetically modified warriors in power armor as armored targets (referring to armored personnel carriers and tanks), then these numbers are sufficient," Regent Victor von Doom said calmly. "His tactical doctrine is partly derived from the operational thinking of Soviet mechanized forces, which allows for a reduction in armored forces under certain circumstances, in favor of a blitzkrieg strategy of air penetration and decapitation strikes. It's clear he's in a hurry; otherwise, he wouldn't have demanded the direct deployment of those still-developing legions. Deploy the Type XIX and Type 20 to the battlefield; they need to be trained to adapt to the Asgardian war."

"I will communicate with Malcolm."

"He's certainly suited for clerical work, isn't he?" Victor von Doom couldn't help but smile as he thought of the legion commander, who had exceeded everyone's expectations. "What talent did He give Malcolm that allowed him to suppress his aggressive mentality and handle the paperwork for the genetically modified soldiers? No wonder He gave him that spear; it seems Malcolm truly has the ability to be the frontline commander. Malcolm is Type 13, and most mid-level officers are also Type 13, Type 4, Type 7, or Type 1. His favorite number is also 13, but it's certainly not because it's a lucky number."

Constantine remained calm, saying, "Malcolm's rise to power is something He is happy to see; it's the result of genetic obedience selection."

"I thought nobody knew about this!" Viktor von Doom seemed to read the emotions in the eyes of the Imperial Guard. But even in the face of the Regent's mocking tone, the latter's face showed no micro-expressions that could be interpreted by spies, at least not Diana Lister beside her—as a member of Hydra, she was now in charge of liaison work for a large part of the informal armed groups, and the behind-the-scenes controllers of those Kosovo militias were actually this seemingly very young female college student—it was unclear whether this was a political game between conservative Hydra members, but Stephanie seemed to have exchanged this compromise for Diana Lister's support, and the Regent turned a blind eye to the internal politics of Hydra, refusing to interfere excessively.

As long as Hydra could accomplish its assigned tasks, such as weakening the power of provincial legislators to allow the federal government to breach the agreement and take direct control, it wouldn't interfere much. This proved to be not difficult; collusion between politicians and corporations was commonplace, and whether or not to pursue the matter was only a matter of time.

"Fortunately, Malcolm did not disappoint Him in the drills and actual combat, otherwise He would have had to replace the genetically modified warriors' representative in the council."

"He was worried about those warriors."

"He worries about everything and everyone, and He should have concerns, otherwise He would be an unfit ruler. Except for you, the Praetorian Guard He created himself." Victor von Dum sighed deeply. "So far, the genetically modified soldiers have performed exceptionally well. Without this disciplined army, we simply couldn't have trained the already subpar Yugoslavian mortal army. Go and carry out your mission. The war must end as soon as possible. I want to obtain Greek debt sovereignty as quickly as possible; only then can we threaten the International Monetary Fund. Greece has the Olive Mountains and the Wine Lake to sell; without this revenue, the common people won't have an easy time."

"Things haven't gone as planned, Your Excellency. I've studied EU trade data, and Greek agricultural products are difficult to sell without the EU."

“I don’t need you to remind me, Constantine. Ever since I sat behind this desk, this world has never failed to disappoint me. What can I do but reshape it according to His methods?” the Regent said. “I do hope He plays some tricks during Ragnarok. Do you think it’s possible that Hela, the goddess of death, can be manipulated?”

"What do you mean?"

"If we could get that Asgardian madwoman to violently wipe out all government organizations in Europe and even North America, doing what He doesn't want to do for the time being... it doesn't seem impossible right now. I'll discuss the arrangements with Him... Don't look at me like that, Constantine, you know He wouldn't mind if this happened."

(End of this chapter)