Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 947 The Vision of Utopia (First Update)

"Let me introduce you. This is Stephanie Malik, the heiress of the Malik family. As you should know, her father was once a member of the World Security Council and is now part of the Foreign Relations Committee. The Malik family is responsible for providing the Immortal City with official cover, and Stephanie is also an important ally of mine, having helped a great deal in the acquisition of assets within Latvinia."

Stephanie knew Salomon had a very important guest, but she was still startled by the horrific scars on Viktor von Doom's face when she entered the office. Although she tried to conceal it politely, her unease was palpable. This wasn't surprising, because without the Iron Mask, Viktor von Doom's face was almost indistinguishable from that of a leper, a horrifying expression capable of frightening anyone—he had originally been disfigured in the school laboratory, but at Kamar-Taj, he had placed the still-warm Iron Mask on his face, enduring immense pain with unwavering willpower. This will stemmed from his desire to save his homeland, and he would only remove the Iron Mask in front of a select few, such as the Sorcerer Supreme, Salomon, Mordo, and Kasirius.

Victor von Doom gave Stephanie a deep look, then put the iron mask back on and breathed through the breathing grille and filter.

"My lord, I've heard you want to start a war," Stephanie said breathlessly.

She was the head of the Ministry of the Interior, and although she always knew that Salomon's ideals had to be realized through war, and that the Immortal City had been producing weapons and equipment, she still felt a sense of unreality when the day of the declaration of war arrived.

“Yes, a modern war. The target is this gentleman’s hometown, Latvia.” Salomon gestured to Victor von Doom sitting across from him at the desk. “Mr. Doom’s wish is to save the people of Latvia from the rule of a tyrant. My wish is to establish industrial and research bases in Latvia, to recruit and train troops, and to recruit and educate scientists. Therefore, we are of one mind. Mr. Victor von Doom strongly agrees with my ideals, and before I can realize my ideals, I need to prove the ruling capacity of the Immortal City.”

Stephanie breathed a long sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't a full-scale war, so it wouldn't put too much pressure on the Immortal City's logistics for the time being. She felt that if she ever heard Salomon want to start a global war, she'd be in a hospital bed rather than signing documents.

"If we're to liberate Latvia, we'll inevitably clash with the US military; that's what modern warfare is all about," Victor von Dum's voice came through a speaker in his helmet. The speaker was old, so his voice crackled with static. Although Salomon had promised to use the Immortal City's equipment to upgrade his power armor, he hadn't yet taken action. "The US won't easily withdraw from Eastern Europe; we'll be facing the entire NATO."

“That’s right.” Stephanie found herself a chair. Salomon kindly poured her a cup of hot tea—it’s not advisable to drink alcohol while discussing war, lest it impair the brain and lead to poor decisions. Although Salomon wasn’t worried about the effects of alcohol, the others still needed to be careful. “I’ve looked into Latvinia. Conquering the entire borders isn’t the problem for the Immortal City; the problem is what happens afterward. We need to govern a country with productivity roughly equivalent to that of the Middle Ages. Even with Wakanda’s industrial base and support, building a nation is a very slow process. Can we withstand the external pressure until it’s completed?” She glanced at Victor von Doom. “I’m sorry, sir. But the fact is, the Latvinian royal family is a comprador class; all the Latvinians are only temporarily escaping starvation.”

"We will demonstrate the Immortal City's void strike capabilities and nuclear weapons delivery capabilities. To date, no country in the world possesses a space combat capability exceeding that of the Immortal City, a devastating blow to militaries still confined to the atmosphere. We will unveil the Immortal City's nuclear arsenal, at which point even NATO will have to reconsider its invasion of Latvia," Salomon stated. "This work has been ongoing since I founded the Immortal City; the armed satellite launch sites deployed in orbit are for global nuclear deterrence. Before we launch our spaceships and begin warfare, these armed satellite launch sites will be our most powerful weapon."

"When did you start this project?" Viktor von Doom asked with interest. "Ten years old? Fifteen? Eighteen?"

"This plan has been refined over time until it becomes what you see now. Stephanie, as you've noticed, I didn't bring the Wakandans into this meeting. I can tell you that a coup will occur in Wakandan soon, which will be a good opportunity for us to completely assimilate Wakandan. But before that, I need to check with Mr. Victor von Doom on the future ruling policy of Latvinia, which is the so-called Imperial Truth."

Salomon kept adding sugar to Stephanie's teacup, and the Hydra's daughter knew from this she was about to be given another difficult task. "Speak," she sighed, "You give the order, and I'll find a way to carry it out. That's my job. Stop adding sugar, my lord. I don't really like tea-flavored syrup."

"Stephanie, the Immortal City needs to allocate a significant amount of funds for education this time, and I need you to take charge of it. I want you to replace the ignorance in the minds of those Latvians with science and reason, just like the academy system established by the Immortal City. Even if our strategic goal is achieved—that is, to deter NATO from invading Latvian—if the people remain ignorant, then everything we have done will be meaningless." Salomon's eyes shone with a different light, and even Victor von Doom's gaze became serious.

"Ten years from now, Latvinia will produce its own scientists, who will enrich the education, research, administration, and industrial systems of the Immortal City. The Latvinians will become key to humanity's journey into the stars. Until then, we must persevere, using our technological advantage to acquire money on the international market and break the likely food and industrial embargoes. Only then can Latvinia survive. If possible, establishing a spaceport to directly exchange resources with Mars would be ideal. It's a very worthwhile deal, after all, all of this is possible, isn't it?"

"But we don't have enough manpower." Stephanie pointed out the Immortal City's fatal weakness again. "Once the Immortal City has too few loyal followers, anything can happen. Bureaucrats who haven't received the Immortal City's education will only care about their own money and lives. Your ideals will only be seen as unattainable dreams. At that time, embezzling funds and selling intelligence will become the norm."

"I will train a team," Victor von Doom said in a deep voice. "This team will be responsible for monitoring every move within the entire system and will never communicate with the administrative system. I will bear the responsibility for all the misdeeds, and I will bring all traitors to trial. As long as you can do all of the above, you will bring the Latvians a life of abundance they have never known before."

"You're too humble, Victor von Doom." Salomon shook his head. "The rule of Latveria will always be in your hands; that's my promise to you. I only ask that you broaden your horizons, look beyond Earth and even into the solar system. A great expedition awaits us. Diana, remember to take the meeting minutes, and Stephanie, remember to sign them."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)