Solomon was fully aware of the Sisterhood's little maneuverings—after all, it was Tita and Dana who had told him. Even so, he remained uncompromising, issuing extremely strict orders forbidding the spread of the Sisterhood's ideology beyond its ranks. Not even the heavy losses they suffered in the Battle of Finbowinter changed his stance. The artificial beings' worship of their creator was something he couldn't alter, but if he was to cultivate the Undying City's earliest and most loyal military force, he had no choice but to let the Sisterhood oversee the training and daily life of the girls. After all, this was one of the rare opportunities for the city to directly manage a population from secular society.
Only after that did the African base get built, with Wakanda's assistance. The Sisterhood contributed heavily, and as a result, many of the industries there were officially listed under the Ministry of Internal Affairs as being under the Sisterhood's control, giving them a financial source beyond regular funding. Solomon wanted them to buy casual wear, evening gowns, and cosmetics for themselves—even if they didn't need them, it was better to have than not.
As for the Lord's command, the artificial beings showed unwavering submission and obedience.
To the young human girls, the artificial ones explained: "This is a test given to us by our Lord, to prove the strength of our faith." But when asked why they didn't spread this belief to others, their answer was: "Faith is a blessing He has granted us." Solomon could only feel unspeakably awkward when he heard about this. Nevertheless, he entrusted the Sisterhood with several trump cards, allowing them to wield dangerous weapons due to their combat prowess and absolute loyalty. Yet as the Sisterhood accumulated more dangerous tools, Solomon's disciplinary measures tightened. Power and responsibility were inseparable—even the Sisterhood, who lived under the weight of his "tough love," could not escape this truth.
"I need to know which one will happen first," Stephanie said, lifting a dossier. Her desk was covered in similar folders, while in the next room, twenty-six internal affairs clerks were drafted to sort through the mountain of parchment. These were all war preparedness requests—Solomon had just disclosed to the top brass of the Undying City two impending wars. One: Ragnarök, which could affect Earth and the entire cosmic order. Two: a campaign to subdue the Inhumans. As head of Internal Affairs, Stephanie needed to know the sequence so she could allocate resources—weapon manufacturing, soldier training programs, bulk materials procurement—accordingly.
"I don't know," Solomon said, spreading his hands as he lounged on the department's sofa. "Ragnarök is getting closer by the day. It's never a bad idea to prepare for war with Asgard first. Whether it's Ragnarök or Attilan, we'll need the Martian Foundry to repair the starship, build drop pods and landing bays. With current manpower, we can only crew the smallest class. But if we had one full warship, the Attilan campaign would be much easier. Still, I'm worried that such firepower might be insufficient for Ragnarök. Every faction in the cosmos will be scrambling for a piece, and I must make sure we get the largest share."
The truth was, the effects of Ragnarök extended beyond the material realm. But Stephanie knew nothing of the world beyond the Veil, and Solomon had no interest in wasting time explaining truths that sounded either fantastical or downright disturbing—it would only burden her with unnecessary mental strain. She was already overwhelmed, so much so she didn't even have time to comment on the love bites visible on Solomon's neck. She merely pointed at them, rolled her eyes, and gave him a look that screamed disdain before silently gesturing for him to fix his collar.
"There's no factory on Earth currently capable of supplying such a large volume of high-grade alloys. As for Wakanda, we've already placed the orders, but Shuri claims that for environmental reasons, production can only proceed in small batches—barely on par with a laboratory," Stephanie said, fuming the moment Shuri's name came up. True, Wakanda had provided initial technical and material support for the Undying City, but they'd also walked away with a considerable share of the Brotherhood of the Shield's legacy. Thanks to vibranium, Wakanda's tech now vastly outpaced the rest of humanity—but the Brotherhood's tech was from another dimension altogether, involving arcane principles and unknowable black-box designs. Stephanie strongly suspected Wakandans were hiding major breakthroughs during their "joint research." After meeting with royal representatives in Wakanda herself, her suspicions only deepened.
However, since much of the Shield Legacy Research Commission's technical support came from Wakanda, Stephanie had no choice but to tell Solomon to keep a close eye and, when the time was right, swallow Wakanda whole—along with all that precious tech.
Especially that vibranium mine—it was irresistible. Even just skimming the surface had provided Wakanda with an abundance of resources. The Undying City couldn't possibly say no. Repairing starships required it. So did space stations, weaponry, and power armor. Since the alliance began, Wakanda had provided a significant amount of vibranium—but it was still nowhere near enough. The Wakandans knew full well that vibranium was the backbone of their nation, and they treated even a sliver of it like gold dust, sucking up any scrap with vacuums. Now Shuri had added environmental preservation to the list of excuses, dragging production timelines to a crawl. No matter who sat in the internal affairs chair, they'd be popping blood pressure meds daily.
"Wakanda already thinks of the Undying City as its tool," Stephanie said with a cold laugh. "We've given them so much, and they respond with stinginess. My Lord, whether through negotiation or force, we must shift Wakanda's stance."
Solomon nodded gravely.
He had just read the internal affairs agenda for tomorrow's meeting. Pushing Wakanda to deliver industrial materials that met spec was the first item. Stephanie's concern was valid. The Undying City had accepted Wakanda's support from day one, and some Wakandans now saw it as charity, not partnership.
Take King T'Chaka, for instance.
The ideal outcome would be complete annexation of Wakanda—but only if they were ready to face the consequences of Wakanda's all-out resistance. Solomon could take the country by force, no doubt, but that didn't mean the Wakandan scientists would work wholeheartedly for him. The Malik family's hired scientists and private labs were already operating at full capacity, yet it still wasn't enough to meet the Undying City's R&D demands. The city still needed Wakanda. That was a hard truth.
"Some people need to die," he said simply. "How's your end coming along?"
"Assassinations combined with financial maneuvers are producing excellent results. We've already begun acquiring shares in ExxonMobil. You've now fulfilled your promise to Tony Stark," Stephanie said, pulling a document from the towering pile and handing it to Solomon. "It's time to bring Tony into the research team. When are you planning to take him on a tour of the Martian Foundry?"
"Right now!" the sorcerer exclaimed, leaping up from the sofa. "He just tweeted that he's bored out of his mind!"
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