My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Tony offered a few perfunctory congratulatory words, then rather jarringly picked up the manuscript paper, blueprints, and the production equation for Pym particles, and asked the Ancient One for advice, "...However, I've encountered a troublesome problem here, so I hope to draw upon your wisdom and experience."

—It must be said that compared to Tony Stark, a magical genius who achieved enlightenment quickly, the Ancient One, who has lived for centuries, is obviously much more proficient in understanding and knowledge of other dimensions, and is an expert in rescuing people from other worlds.

Tony struggled to solve the problem of finding Janet, the Wasp, but the Ancient One accomplished it with a single incantation, easily locating her trapped in the gap between time and space, and casually opening a spatial portal directly to her location.

Next came the reunion of the couple after decades, a heartwarming outpouring of love and joy... In short, everything was truly a cause for celebration.

Only Phil, who had been squatting in the corner watching coldly, muttered to himself, "...Meow, this means the entire Ant-Man movie plot is ruined. Scott, the second Ant-Man, might not even get a chance to appear, and Hope, the second Wasp, is waiting for who knows when she'll be able to take over her mother's mantle... Sigh, I feel like if this continues, the world will become really boring, meow!"

Chapter 303, Even African Black Chiefs Need to Learn Magic!

Time flies, presidents change, teddy bears become frizzy, corporate slaves go bald, and orange cats get fat.

Before we knew it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had entered the summer of 2018.

Boninzana, capital of the Kingdom of Wakanda, Africa

This is a strange and deformed city, an isolated city that has been cut off from the world since its construction.

—In order to keep the secrets of vibranium to themselves and maintain their backward rule, the Kingdom of Wakanda implemented a complete policy of isolationism towards its subjects.

Therefore, Boninzana has both cool skyscrapers and futuristic holographic communication equipment, and retains the backward system of primitive tribal chiefdoms.

The abnormal race of the Kingdom of Wakanda lives a medieval life completely disconnected from the outside world, residing in magnificent buildings created by vibranium technology. There are no bustling vehicles on the streets, no developed finance and trade in the cities, no rich entertainment and information in their daily lives, and no luxurious business hotels or bustling travelers.

Aside from having enough to eat and wear and access to high-tech equipment, their spiritual life remains largely unchanged from the Middle Ages or even the tribal era.

To prevent their subjects from being influenced by the outside world, the Black Panther family and other nobles who ruled the area maintained strict security, even jamming radio signals. The citizens of Boninzana were barred from internet access, satellite TV, communication with the outside world, playing video games, and obtaining goods from outside. Aside from official Wakanda news and royally mandated textbooks, these imprisoned Black men knew virtually nothing about the outside world.

Like medieval serfs, they lived a self-sufficient life in a small manor from birth to death.

Rather than describing Boninzana as an isolated, high-tech city, it's more accurate to describe Wakanda as a tribal chiefdom cloaked in science fiction.

— Beneath the seemingly high-end, sophisticated, and futuristic sci-fi exterior lies a young soul from a primitive and ignorant era.

If we had to find a similar example on Earth, it would probably be Pyongyang in North Korea.

Similar isolation and seclusion, similar hereditary rule, similar brainwashing and ignorance, similar mystique...

However, even Pyongyang, North Korea, has civilian hotels and an airport, and maintains a certain level of trade with the outside world. It is far from being as closed off as Bonynzana, which cannot be found on a map and is like a mythical Shangri-La.

Until a few years ago, no foreigner had ever successfully set foot in Boninzana.

(Ulysses Klaue never entered Boninzana; he obtained the vibranium in the countryside outside the Kingdom of Wakanda.)

However, in recent years, with the exposure of the vibranium secret and pressure from the international community, as well as the relatively open-minded Crown Prince T'Challa working on his father, this once completely isolated Black hermit kingdom has finally managed to open a crack in its door to the outside world...

Foreign tour groups have begun to appear on the streets of Bonynzana, but they are still subject to many restrictions—only one small group of twenty people is allowed per week, and they can only tour according to a prescribed route under the guidance of a tour guide. They cannot act independently or travel on their own, otherwise they will be treated as espionage. Furthermore, they are limited to one-day tours and are not allowed to stay overnight in Bonynzana city, which actually has no decent hotels at all.

In conclusion, although pressured by various parties to open its borders, the rulers of the Kingdom of Wakanda, whose tradition of isolation has become a habit, seem to subconsciously regard external influences as a plague and try their best to avoid their subjects having too much contact with the outside world.

Then, embassies of various countries appeared in the border tribal settlements of the Kingdom of Wakanda. Representatives from various countries stated at the United Nations General Assembly that it was strange and absurd for a country to refuse entry to any other country's embassy while demanding to legally send diplomats and students to other countries. This was completely contrary to the principle of reciprocity in modern international diplomacy.

However, even with Prince T'Challa's support and King T'Chaka showing some signs of being persuaded, the Wakanda nobles, who already suffered from "foreigner phobia," still insisted on not allowing foreigners to reside permanently in the capital, at most agreeing to let them come in when they needed something.

Finally, under strong opposition from conservatives, King Tchaka had no choice but to move the foreign embassies out of the capital and place them on the territory of border tribes.

—In any case, according to the previously released information, the city of Boninzana does not exist at all. The location of the capital of the Kingdom of Wakanda, registered with the United Nations, is actually on the border of a town disguised as a tribal thatched-roof village…

Let's assume there's one legal capital and one de facto capital!

Isn't Israel the same? Its legal capital is Jerusalem, but its de facto capital is Tel Aviv…

However, it seems that because they have been isolated from the world for too long, the Kingdom of Wakanda has no idea what kind of big news will be caused by a group of foreign envoys with ulterior motives and a border town with a long-standing grudge.

However, no matter what setbacks or obstacles there may be, no matter how many steps forward or backward there may be, no matter how many undercurrents there may be, the Kingdom of Wakanda has finally slowly embarked on the path of reform and opening up, and has begun to contact and integrate with the world.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

At this very moment, in Boninzana, the Wakanda royal family is extending invitations to guests from all directions for a grand celebration in the palace's main hall.

The theme is to celebrate the inauguration and opening of Africa's first magic school in the Kingdom of Wakanda.

This is the only magic school in Africa, and the fourth magic school built in the world, following those in New York, London, and Hong Kong.

The headmaster is T'Challa, the former headmaster of the Royal School of Magic at Greenwich in London, England, and the crown prince of Wakanda. Many of the teachers were also poached from magic schools in New York, Hong Kong, and London, making the teaching staff quite impressive.

Combined with Wakanda's unique vibranium technology, this fusion of science and magic is truly unique.

Because the Kingdom of Wakanda lacks underground ley lines of the scale of London or New York, the wealthy Black Panther royal family specifically purchased a magical version of a large arc reactor from Stark Industries to convert nuclear power into magical energy to power the magic school.

To create a lively and grand atmosphere, countless prominent figures from around the world, including politicians and business leaders from many European and American countries, as well as celebrities, talk shows, and Avengers superheroes, gathered today for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the magic school in the capital of Wakanda.

Even Firi, the cat representing the fantastical otherworld, and the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj came to witness the ceremony.

The only thing missing was representatives from Wakanda's neighboring countries... In fact, representatives from all countries in Africa were turned away by the Kingdom of Wakanda!

—Because the magic schools of the Kingdom of Wakanda, like the kingdom itself, adhere to an xenophobic policy and refuse to accept magic students from other African countries, the African Union member states are outraged and have condemned this through various channels, strongly protesting Wakanda's betrayal of its race and its attempt to secede from Africa and join Europe…

Right now, on the border of the Kingdom of Wakanda, a large group of people, carrying donations from international charities, have crossed the borders of Kenya and Somalia to arrive outside the Kingdom of Wakanda, where they have set up various protest banners and loudspeakers to make a lot of noise.

"Wakanda's magic school is also Africa's magic school!" "Wakandas, don't forget your skin color!" "Severing yourself from Africa will lead to no good!" "Even vibranium can't turn you into white people!" "Only when everyone progresses together can there be true progress!"

However, these protesters were unlikely to break through the border tribes' blockade, so the opening ceremony of the Boninzana Magic School proceeded smoothly.

First, the handsome Prince T'Challa spoke a few words in fluent American English. Then, Phil, sitting in the VIP section, saw a chubby, current Black Panther—yes, Prince T'Challa's father, King T'Chaka—slowly stroll out and walk onto the stage…

There was no way around it; after all, age catches up with everyone. Although the old King T'Chaka seemed to have been a muscular warrior with eight-pack abs in his youth, decades of pampered life after becoming king inevitably caused him to gain weight!

Rather than describing King T'Chaka, with his protruding belly, as an agile black panther... he's more like a black tiger—a dark-skinned version of a fat tiger...

However, upon closer reflection, I realized I didn't really have the right to laugh at this old man!

—Lowering her head, Phili reached out and stroked her slightly protruding belly, lost in thought…

Although Ferry is not using his original body in the Marvel universe at this time, but a temporary body formed by magic, if no deliberate modifications are made beforehand, the temporary body formed by magic will be basically the same as his body in Totoro Town.

—Clearly, as she's gotten older, Phil, no longer a kitten, has finally gotten fat like a normal orange tabby cat… and this is in her relatively slender cat-human form. If she were in her orange tabby form, she'd probably be a rolling, chubby blob by now, right?

However, despite this, Phil has no plans to lose weight for the time being: after all, cats have always considered being fat to be beautiful!

As he thought this, he squinted his cat-like eyes, trying to concentrate and continue listening to King T'Chaka the fat black panther speak.

However, the king's speech was so long-winded and boring that it made people want to doze off... In order to avoid actually falling asleep in public, Phil had no choice but to take out a small bottle of crushed "Fat Cat Happy Leaf" (catnip) from his pocket, intending to use it to stay awake.

What amazed Phil was that Wakanda, despite its isolation, also produced catnip, and the quality was quite good!

Chapter 304, The Turmoil in the Kingdom of Pet Owners

But then again, it would be really strange if a nation like Wakanda, where everyone worships cats and is a cat-loving country, didn't produce catnip, right?

Don't underestimate the black panther!

All felines, from lions to tigers, love catnip!

Therefore, in order to please the great, noble, powerful, beautiful, and real leopard goddess, even if the soil and climate of the Kingdom of Wakanda are not suitable for the growth of catnip, the local cat-loving natives will probably use vibranium technology to forcibly cultivate some.

In fact, the bottle of catnip that Ferry is holding now was originally a top-grade offering to the panther goddess, carefully selected from flower gardens throughout the kingdom of Wakanda. Prince T'Challa, the black panther, obtained some from the temple for Ferry to entertain distinguished guests from another world.

According to the fat, hippo-like high priest, whenever the Wakandans offer this seemingly insignificant little grass, the great leopard goddess (the big black cat) will happily roll around, bringing more happiness and joy to her people (their human servants).

However, Phil thought that even if he was really into catnip, he would never be so shameful as to roll around on the ground like that.

Well, even if he really can't resist rolling around, he'll first transform into his chubby orange cat form to avoid embarrassing himself or hurting himself...

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Then, compared to Firi, the cat in the VIP seats who was happily sucking on Fat Cat Happy Leaf, looking completely absorbed and joyful, King T'Chaka behind the podium looked rather haggard. Not only did he look old, but he also stumbled over his words, making the audience quite sleepy.

Compared to his witty and spirited demeanor at UN conferences a few years earlier, he is completely different now.

Unfortunately, ever since the secrets of Vibranium Technology and the true nature of the Kingdom of Wakanda were all exposed, the Kingdom of Wakanda has been struggling in the vortex of historical change in recent years, and King T'Chaka, overwhelmed with problems, is almost exhausted.

First, due to its long-standing policy of deception (pretending to be poor), the Wakanda Kingdom was subjected to immense pressure from the international community after its colossal lie was exposed. It was instantly overwhelmed by angry condemnations from all sides. Although Wakanda tried to explain its predicament, various international organizations, feeling that their hearts had been shattered, refused to accept it: deception is deception, and helplessness is not an excuse!

If Wakanda can conceal the true nature of the entire nation in order to monopolize precious minerals and an entire technology tree, then can other countries also use false economic data and crime rate reports to attract investment in order to boost their economies?

If every country follows suit and uses fabricated data to deceive international organizations, how can various international activities be carried out?

Not to mention, Wakanda's long-standing habit of refusing to pay its dues under the pretext of "poverty" has infuriated the United Nations headquarters, which is now sharpening its knives in desperation! After all, since its inception, the United Nations has always upheld the virtue of poverty…

(It's not that Black Panther couldn't afford the money, but rather that they had to avoid paying their UN dues as much as possible in order to appear poor.)

To make matters worse, behind these seemingly powerless international organizations, there are the shadowy figures of many major powers, including the US, Europe, China, and Russia.

—You black uncles from this remote mountain village actually told a colossal lie, deceiving the whole world… and more importantly, they actually fooled every single country! Countless intelligence agencies suffered terribly because of this, getting thoroughly slammed by their own leaders, parliaments, and the media, losing all face and suffering a crushing blow to their confidence—how could we possibly feel at peace if we didn't retaliate by giving you a good beating?

Don't think that the rule of "the law does not apply to the Five Constants and etiquette does not apply to Black Uncle" can be an exception when it comes to Wakanda!

Even if you're rich, it doesn't change the fact that you're unlucky!

In an instant, the Kingdom of Wakanda was almost universally condemned and targeted by the world, almost being labeled as part of the axis of evil!

Caught off guard, King T'Chaka felt wronged, arguing that he neither interfered in the internal affairs of foreign countries, nor engaged in subversion—he even killed his own brother to suppress domestic radicals who attempted to unite blacks worldwide to seize power and maintain the policy of seclusion; he did not swindle or cheat people out of money, nor did he use his strong army to collect protection money everywhere… Why do you still keep attacking me?

Is it because you bully the weak and fear the strong? Do you really think the Kingdom of Wakanda is so weak and easy to bully?

Honestly, King T'Chaka, in his rage, even had the urge to flex his muscles to the world!

However, looking at the overwhelming global condemnation, the major powers lurking behind the scenes with predatory intent, and the Wakanda army, which has been unaccustomed to warfare for over a century since its founding and only knows how to launch primitive tribal boar assaults with a roar...

Even if these high-tech tribal warriors, wielding vibranium spears, draped in armored blankets, and riding genetically modified rhinos, could not possibly withstand the carpet bombing of rocket artillery and the saturation bombing of bomber groups, and be invincible in front of their armored forces!

Not to mention that most of the regular army of the Kingdom of Wakanda is in the border tribes, and the border tribes have great conflicts with the royal family.

Oh well, Wakanda has been lying low for so many years, let's just keep playing it safe!

Left with no other option, King Tchaikovsky had to spend money to resolve the crisis. He paid a large sum of dues to the United Nations, made additional donations, bribed various influential international organizations, and also spent money to influence major news media outlets and Facebook. He also placed numerous trade orders with the permanent members of the UN Security Council and other major powers, and publicly disclosed some vibranium technology... which finally managed to calm the situation down.

Even so, the international credit and reputation that the Kingdom of Wakanda had painstakingly built up were completely wiped out, even falling into negative territory, and it was burdened with all sorts of accusations of being corrupt and reactionary, fooling the world, a psychopath, and a fraudster... which really frustrated the old king.

Furthermore, despite Wakanda's "reform and opening up" efforts in recent years, it has only come close to the level of North Korea at best. Its level of openness to the outside world is actually far inferior to that of Saudi Arabia. In order to receive pilgrims from all over the world in its two holy cities, the degree of openness and "universalization" in some parts of Saudi Arabia is actually higher than many people imagine. Of course, the capital Riyadh is definitely the stronghold of conservatives.

In particular, King T'Chaka insisted on refusing to open up the financial and entertainment industries within the Kingdom of Wakanda, and refused to allow major global banks to establish branches in Wakanda; he also refused to introduce Hollywood films and the international internet, for fear of "poisoning the youth" and "corrupting people's hearts"...

Therefore, it naturally offended a host of big names who control the discourse, including those in the international media, internet, and financial industries.

In the past, everyone thought that Wakanda was a backwater with little to offer and was similar to the primitive tribes in the Amazon River basin. So no matter what bizarre systems they implemented or how xenophobic and closed off they were, they would just laugh it off and ignore it, even calling it "respect for the customs of primitive peoples".

But now that he's discovered that the Wakanda people are actually so wealthy, and he's been turned away... how can he accept this?

In this way, even though King Tchaka managed to bribe governments and international organizations to temporarily stop interfering with Wakanda, the financial sector, media, and various news outlets continued to relentlessly attack the Kingdom of Wakanda, readily labeling it with accusations of being reactionary, dictatorial, evil, perverse, disgusting, violating human rights, suppressing freedom, and deceiving the world—most of which were clichés used in the past to smear the Soviet Union and China.

Moreover, compared to China and the Soviet Union, which are at least considered modern people, the Kingdom of Wakanda can wear the hat of "high-tech primitives" and can never get rid of it: because that is indeed the case!

Furthermore, to morally and ethically undermine a country's leaders, a representative must be introduced, such as Nelson Mandela in South Africa or Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. Wakanda happens to have such a figure, albeit a mediocre one.

Thus, Eric Killmonger, the "Cheetah," nephew of the late King T'Chaka, the orphan of Prince Nicholas II who was killed for treason, and currently serving in the U.S. military, was promoted by the Pentagon's propaganda department and packaged as a fighter for "democracy and human rights." He was sent around the international stage to loudly advocate and give speeches criticizing Wakanda's human rights record. Various international organizations and human rights groups also generously awarded him numerous prizes... During this time, the Cheetah even survived several assassination attempts, some real and some not, which further enhanced his prestige.

In short, the reputation of the Kingdom of Wakanda, which has been thoroughly tarnished and ruined in global public opinion, is unlikely to recover for quite some time.

Secondly, while developed powers and international organizations located on other continents could only exert indirect pressure on the Kingdom of Wakanda, which was deep in the heart of the African continent, and this pressure often had little practical effect due to Wakanda's long-term isolation, the neighboring countries around Wakanda caused King T'Chaka a close and personal concern.

—The Wakandans, who have mastered vibranium technology, are an oddity among the African black people, but they are still members of the black people family. Moreover, they are native black people living in the heart of the African continent, and they are super rich people surrounded by a circle of poor neighbors.

Look at the neighboring countries of Wakanda! Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia... they're basically all extremely poor!

Moreover, each of these poor neighbors is larger than the Kingdom of Wakanda, and their populations are many times greater (Wakanda only has 500,000 people).

Ironically, the combined assets of all the neighboring countries surrounding Wakanda are less than a fraction of the hundreds of billions of dollars in assets held by the Kingdom of Wakanda!

For the Kingdom of Wakanda to be located among them is as explosive and reckless as a Hollywood billionaire building a villa in the slums of Detroit!

However, while billionaires can move to safer, upper-class neighborhoods, Wakanda's land and vibranium mines cannot be moved.

In this context, the successive rulers of Wakanda were well aware that, given Wakanda's small size, standing among a pack of hungry wolves, no matter how rigorously they defended themselves, they were always at risk of being ambushed and breached. Only poverty, and the kind of extreme poverty that followed, was the best form of defense.

Therefore, for the Kingdom of Wakanda, feigning poverty is the best defense strategy, and it has been quite effective in the past.

For centuries, Wakanda and its neighboring countries maintained a state of near-total isolation, barely interacting with each other. In the eyes of its neighbors, Wakanda was an even poorer, more desolate place than their own, with extremely inconvenient transportation, so naturally, no one bothered to care about it.

—Just like Laos has always lacked a presence on the political stage in Southeast Asia.

Moreover, Wakanda's territory is much smaller than Laos, roughly the size of Luxembourg, making it even less noticeable.

However, now that the truth about Wakanda's immense wealth has been exposed, it has immediately attracted the greedy eyes of neighboring countries, as if they have only just discovered that there is such a huge gold mine right next to them! So, naturally, what follows is... we are all black brothers, so we should share the benefits when we meet!

At the very least, you can't monopolize the vibranium resources that have fallen from the sky. Why can't we move into such a bustling, high-tech city?

Inconvenient transportation is not a problem. Since these African uncles can cross the Sahara Desert in Toyota pickup trucks and then cross the Mediterranean Sea in severely overloaded kayaks to become refugees in Europe in pursuit of a better life, what is a little mountain road on the Wakanda border?

As a result, a surge of illegal immigrants attempted to infiltrate Wakanda, including spies, thieves, and even terrorists with ulterior motives. This led to a dramatic increase in the workload and casualties among Wakanda's border patrols. The border tribes of Wakanda, who had just begun to experience modern life without having to pretend to be poor, were quickly overwhelmed by the endless counterinsurgency campaign.

The above only represent conflicts at the grassroots level. At the official level, Kenya and Ethiopia have jointly exerted pressure on the Kingdom of Wakanda, raising a host of issues including territorial disputes, water resource disputes, religious problems, and the issue of "expatriates," frequently resorting to airspace blockades as a threat—even though they cannot effectively block Wakanda's vibranium-powered stealth aircraft. This doesn't stop their diplomats from internationally lamenting the violation of their legitimate airspace. Furthermore, a large number of Western media outlets have helped to sensationalize the situation, portraying Wakanda as even more tyrannical than the original bullies.

In addition, the border troops of these countries have repeatedly clashed with the border tribes of the Kingdom of Wakanda. Although they have been defeated by the Wakanda warriors with vibranium weapons every time, they still continue to engage in friction relentlessly—after all, the lives of people in these countries are not worth much.

Especially behind the armies of these countries, there is a group of unidentified foreign spies and military observers who provide them with support, money, guns, and ammunition, paying for and offering bounties for every military conflict, all in order to observe the true combat power of the vibranium weapons of the Kingdom of Wakanda...