Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 877 Intrigue and Deception (First Update)

"Hey, my friend!" T'Challa found Salomon in front of the Black Panther Temple and gave him a warm hug. However, the enthusiastic response T'Challa expected didn't come. Salomon quickly rummaged in his robe pocket and then cradled a small, coal-black kitten in his hands. T'Challa asked apologetically, "I didn't know you had a little one with you! Is it alright?"

“Don’t worry, it’s been vaccinated.” Salomon put the cat back in after confirming it was still fast asleep and not unconscious. “It’s slept for seven hours, and it didn’t pee in my pocket, which is very lucky,” he said. “I’m not here for a cat, T’Challa. You should know why I’m here.”

"I've already seen the files on the Battle of Finnbowent," T'Challa laughed. "You did a great job, saving the world. I think this is the outcome of the cooperation between Wakanda and the Immortal City." The information T'Challa saw came from Shuri, the only channel through which the Wakandans could access the Immortal City's classified documents. Stephanie had rejected countless requests from the Wakandans to gain access to the Ministry of the Interior and the military, keeping them firmly confined to the research and development departments.

This was an inevitable outcome; even the Immortal City was subject to political struggles. The Wakanda wanted to change the Immortal City's system to a parliamentary one, and to bring the weapons and technology manufactured in the Immortal City under regulation, ostensibly out of fear of weapon misuse. Especially after the Battle of Finnbowent, in which the Immortal City destroyed an entire mountain, some people became even more uneasy, thus instigating protests by Wakanda's researchers. However, Stephanie was supported by Salomon, so the Wakanda remained on the sidelines of decision-making.

T'Challa wasn't an idiot; he already knew about the internal struggles within the Immortal City from Shuri. However, what he didn't expect was that every file Shuri saw had been edited. Victoria Hand's intelligence analysts had created a special archive for the Wakandas to access, used to conceal certain secrets from them.

However, he still knew Salomon's purpose for this trip, something Shuri had been constantly complaining about to him about lately. T'Challa and Salomon walked along the stone bricks and gold threads surrounding the temple, strolling through the rainforest and landscaped plants maintained by the environmental modification system. They both knew that the fewer people who heard their upcoming conversation, the better. "As you can see, Wakanda has a limited population and doesn't need any large factories, so the industrial orders from the Immortal City can't be completed so quickly," he said. "And does the Immortal City really need that much industrial raw material?"

"Are you doubting that the enemies the Immortal City will face aren't powerful enough, and that the Immortal City's existing weapons are sufficient to deal with all threats?" Salomon replied slowly, his footsteps echoing on the wet stone floor. "Or do you believe the Immortal City is powerful enough?" These were two different questions. The former implied that Wakanda believed the Immortal City currently had excessive military power and didn't need to engage in large-scale weapons production. The latter indicated that Wakanda didn't want to see the Immortal City develop more powerful weapons and was concerned about its current level of military strength.

T'Challa did not fall into the trap.

"I think if the king knew what kind of enemy all of humanity would face, he would definitely support your actions."

"I hope so, but you and I have seen the results of the Immortal City today: the giant worm monster on the East Coast of America, the demon of Finnbowent. I try my best to rule out magic as a result, and let human technology solve the problem, just as I hope, human wisdom and courage can overcome all threats."

"That's right, just as Wakanda hoped."

Their conversation fell silent for a moment.

The conversation between T'Challa and Salomon was far from superficial. T'Challa first demanded that the Wakandans have the right to know, while Salomon countered that the Immortal City had already protected the world without the Wakandans' knowledge, and that the Wakandans' involvement would only cause unnecessary trouble. However, T'Challa argued that the Immortal City's goals aligned with the Wakandans' goals, and that as long as their objectives were aligned, the Wakandans would give their full support.

"One hundred and fifty-seven," Salomon suddenly said.

"What?"

"One hundred and fifty-seven. That's the number of casualties in the Battle of Finnbowent, not including the wounded. As for the number of wounded, you can tell from the prosthetics Shuri recently made," the arcane mage said. "I want to build the Immortal City into another Kamar-Taj, and bloodshed is an inevitable price to pay, just like the arcane mages of Kamar-Taj who have sacrificed themselves for thousands of years. I need to give the soldiers the best equipment to face future threats, and even without it, they will still be representatives of human courage. It's not just so-called superheroes who can fight threats. T'Challa, superheroes are just humans who have gained power; their minds are no different from humans."

"I know, and I admire the sacrifices these people have made."

"Then tell me, T'Challa, do the people of Wakanda share this concept of sacrifice?" Salomon said. "Think carefully before you answer. When the solar system is filled with alien fleets, does Wakanda, which considers itself a thousand years ahead of the world in technology, have the ability to fight back? This isn't some small-scale conflict like in New York. The Chitauri are merely biological weapons with obvious weaknesses, and their cultivation cost is only a day. Think carefully before you tell me whether the Wakanda can fight to the last man and never surrender."

"And what about you?" T'Cha Ramen did not choose to answer Salomon's increasingly pointed question directly.

"This is my duty, the duty of the wielder of the Sword of Terra. I have fought for this duty since birth, and it will continue to be so in the future."

"So, the Wakandans agreed to start mass production?" Stephanie asked, puzzled. "What exactly did you say to the Wakandans?"

"It was merely a questioning of the Wakandans' courage." Salomon, as always, sat on the sofa in the Ministry of the Interior, flipping through documents. "T'Challa is a decent collaborator; he'll gradually strengthen cooperation under future threats. But for the current King T'Chaka, bringing the Immortal City under his rule is the only problem. That cunning old man has never experienced war; his only battles have been fighting vibranium smugglers and human traffickers."

"So how are you going to deal with him?"

"I've already set his death date. For the Black Panther God, the current Black Panther agent is no longer sufficient to face the future." Salomon pointed to the little black cat scratching the sofa. "Of course, T'Challa isn't the only option; for Bastet, as long as he's of royal blood, it'll do. The specifics depend on how well Victoria Hand and her men perform. Poor Prince Nicholas, after joining the Black Panther Party and embarking on the right path, he didn't die at the hands of the FBI but at the hands of his own brother—it's truly ridiculous. For King T'Chaka, peace is everything, regardless of whether that peace is fraught with oppression."

“Prince Nijadaka, son of Prince Nijab, is a mercenary, and he might be a little mentally unstable,” Stephanie wrinkled her nose. “He won’t obey orders, my lord. Such a person will only bring us trouble.”

“I never intended to go through the entire cooperation process with Nijadaka,” Salomon said. “There are advantages to cooperating with someone like him; we can kill him when necessary without any qualms. In any case, we need him to help us disrupt Wakanda's political landscape and create a power vacuum. Do it well, Stephanie.”

"Of course, but this is my plan, not yours."

"Thanks."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)