Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1647 Kamar-Taj: The Propaganda Offensive

Behind a thick glass door in the hall, a portal, technically called the "Controllable Singularity of Permanent Matter Dimension Curvature Folding Subspace Jump," was locked to several specific psionic frequencies via a knob. The scenery behind the glass door then shifted from natural landscapes like deserts, rainforests, and oceans to a gray-white wasteland filled with transport vehicles, a bizarre city defying the physical laws of the material world, and a religious site filled with armed personnel. After the adjustments, Mage Daniel was drenched in sweat, but he still had to follow Amphitriteon's instructions to adjust the frequencies. Amphitriteon used coordinate data obtained through the Guardian Order's network to ensure all teleportation facilities connected accurately.

"And a military band from the Immortal City?" Having received the order, Mage Daniel desperately wanted to abandon his work at this moment, but guests had to arrive before the coronation ceremony, and preparations, including the guard of honor and music, had to be completed. "It's necessary to invite them, isn't it? I hope Mage Hamil won't be surprised to see this symphony orchestra. Normally, shouldn't a military band travel on a transport plane along with the guard of honor?"

"The Royal Guard is like a ceremonial guard; they set off separately to avoid revealing the coordinates of Kamar-Taj."

"A very good reason. I don't think that annoying guy Hamil will be angry."

"Please stop your mockery, Master Daniel. I've had enough of your prejudice against our Lord. The Sorcerer Supreme was our Lord's mentor, and his death will not please our Lord, even if it means He will wield immense power. The Sorcerer Supreme's death is still a tragedy." Amphitryon stood before Master Daniel with a displeased expression. "If he could, he would rather not have this power. Without power, the ideals of the Sorcerer Supreme and our Lord cannot be realized. You understand this, Master Daniel. You have never experienced a large-scale war in your life, nor do you understand how important it is to wield power in war. So please stop your mockery and show our Lord some respect. Focus on the mission, or I will have no choice but to imprison you and await Master Hamil's return to Kamar-Taj to deal with you."

"Haha." Mage Daniel chuckled dryly. "You're right, you're holding a gun."

"He wants you to be better, Master Daniel." Amphitryon frowned, unable to understand why Master Daniel's attitude was so negative. Although Master Daniel was a Temple Guardian, he was significantly different from all the Kamar-Taj sorcerers. His aged, wrinkled face, a mix of Native American and Caucasian, showed no passion; even upon hearing of the Sorcerer Supreme's death, he merely nodded and sighed. It didn't seem like sadness, but rather a sigh of relief. Amphitryon didn't possess the talent to delve into others' hearts, but he still sensed something amiss. "Don't disappoint His expectations, Master Daniel. The Sorcerer Supreme's ideals, the ideals of our Lord, require the efforts of everyone."

"I'm tired, Royal Guard," said Mage Daniel lazily. "I'm tired of everything, of all the arguments with you, of all the future. Let me finish my work and then leave me alone, okay? I should have died long ago. The family curse should have killed me long ago. I've paid a heavy price to live this long, and I don't want to pay that bill anymore. So don't talk to me about the future. I have no future, and I don't want to think about anyone else's future."

Amphitryon couldn't understand, so he could only shake his head and continue his call with the medical officer.

He didn't understand why the differences between mortals were so vast.

Some people (specifically referring to Master Daniel) are unwilling to acknowledge the path that is clearly beneficial to the future of all groups, instead choosing to respond passively (meaning reducing work efficiency) or even denying and attacking others who have contributed to this path. He can only guess that this is because they are afraid of giving up what little they have (whether it is life or wealth), or because they are short-sighted and indulging in the sense of superiority brought by wealth and social status, or simply because they are swept up by some ideology and cannot see that the future development direction of the human race is the vast universe, where everyone can be full of rationality, the material world and technological civilization are extremely advanced, there will be no more injustice, hunger and disease, and everyone can spend their time improving their own spiritual civilization.

After witnessing the horrors that descended, some people wholeheartedly believed in the future depicted by the Emperor and were willing to dedicate everything. These included Wanda Maximov, Pietro Maximov, and Tatiana, as well as the elite soldiers recruited from all over the world by the Emperor and the Royal Guard in the Immortal City. Alternatively, there were free mercenary organizations that had cooperated with the Immortal City and were willing to accept its jurisdiction, leadership, and support (it is said that an organization called Diamond Dogs received an offshore oil field donated by the Immortal City and exchanged the blueprints of a prototype bipedal war machine for a treatment plan for a psionic virus that spreads through sound).

Amphitryon knew he wasn't human; more accurately, he could be called a subspecies of humanity, a future evolutionary sample of humanity induced by artificial intervention. However, he believed that the will of mortals should be as steadfast as his own. It would be too ironic for mortals to refuse to acknowledge the future created by the Emperor and instead embrace all the rights that future would grant. Therefore, he planned to submit a propaganda offensive plan to the Royal Guard after this mission. He didn't know if the proposal would pass at the group meeting, nor whether the Emperor would approve it. However, the Emperor encouraged the Royal Guard to form a study group under the leadership of the Royal Guard Commander to offer suggestions to Him. In any case, Amphitryon hoped the Emperor would take note of cases like that of the mage Daniel and recognize the importance of propaganda.

The first glass door connecting to the greyish-white desert opened, revealing several Royal Guards clad in golden armor and others in bronze-colored power armor. Commander Constantine, along with tribunes Hannibal, Hammurabi, and Derrickson, and other Royal Guards, passed through the portal to Kamar-Taj. Accompanying them were important officers, including Malcolm, commander of the First Regiment, who had just completed a massacre at the Battle of Attilan. All of them reeked of blood, and traces of blood still lingered in the gaps of their armor.

"Your Excellency," Amphitrite bowed to Constantine, "Tribunal Amon has accompanied the Emperor to the Kamar-Taj Catacombs, and the gunships are autonomously patrolling the vicinity of the catacombs."

“Then we’ll go to the catacombs.” Constantine nodded. “We’ll be wherever He is. It’s already a dereliction of duty of us to have only one Royal Guard protecting us.”

"I don't know why this ceremony is so important that I'm wasting my time and cutting off fewer mutant heads," Aparishia said in a low voice to his adjutant, Nelson, though everyone present could hear him clearly. "If the Emperor wishes, I certainly won't attend the banquet after the ceremony."

Constantine pretended not to hear Aparisha's complaints, while Malcolm simply gave Aparisha a cold laugh.

"Is there anything else that needs to be reported?"

"Athena was waiting at the entrance to the catacombs."

"Then let's speed things up and order the transport planes to prepare for takeoff immediately," said Tribunal Hannibal. "That so-called deity must have her own purpose; we can't let her get too close to the Emperor."

Hammurabi and Deriksen, along with other members of the Praetorian Guard, expressed their approval.

"Then why is this psionicist allowed to stay here?" Malcolm scrutinized the robed mage Daniel. "Is he the one responsible for opening the portal? Is he reliable? Should we bring in another trustworthy psionicist from the Immortal City?"

"As long as I'm present, Mage Daniel is reliable," Amphitrite said. "This is the Emperor's arrangement; no one else needs to question it."

"You've finally arrived." Athena turned her head, no longer looking at the royal guards standing behind her, clad in golden armor and wielding halberds. She had shed her mortal disguise when she arrived at Kamar-Taj, her height far exceeding that of ordinary people; even so, she was still considerably shorter than the royal guards. She had already vented her anger on the royal guards, but their commander, Constantine, had completely ignored all her demands with impeccable indifference, refusing to remove the golden gunboats patrolling overhead. It wasn't until several hours later, when the Emperor and Amun finally emerged from the catacombs, that she couldn't help but complain, "Your little minions practically killed me with their eyes. If they weren't your warriors, I wouldn't have let them look at me with such hostility. It's utterly impolite."

"They are not followers; they are the future benchmarks of human evolution."

"Don't take it so seriously. I'm not speaking to you as a mentor now, but as a friend and foster mother." Athena took out the laurel wreath and, under the vehemently disapproving gaze of Constantine, the commander of the royal guard standing beside the emperor, attempted to place it on his head. "Shouldn't I be the one to crown you? I don't think there's anyone more suitable in this world than me. The coronation ceremony needs to be expedited; you have a crisis to face, and the one behind the veil won't be long."

The emperor refused without hesitation.

"I will crown myself, Athena. Dormammu must wait; I will give that coward the chance to attack me."

"Then you should at least invite a painter, or wear a robe painted with bees." Athena followed her toward the transport plane. "You need to announce to the entire galaxy that you have succeeded the Sorcerer Supreme, otherwise those psionic alien races will rekindle their ambitions and launch an attack on humanity and Earth."

"I need a crisis, Athena. I need a crisis that can unite the human race, a crisis that makes humanity realize our ecological niche among the stars."

(End of this chapter)