"Crack!"
Lately, Brian had been going around fighting crime with Spider-Woman as a new hero. Although the American public generally felt this guy draped in the British flag was a bit of a meddler, many busybodies on the internet gave him the title 'Captain Britain.' Although Brian's fame couldn't surpass Spider-Woman's, he still persisted in these hero activities.
But he seemed to have forgotten one of the most important things: the box Merlin gave him to hand over to the King. With the recent move and being busy with superhero business, that box had been forgotten in a corner of the Underground Room. The Holy Sword, which had been immersed in the box for a long time, finally couldn't take it anymore. Fine cracks began to split across the box, and a holy light leaked out from the crevices.
"I knew that guy Merlin couldn't have just shown his face so simply."
Unfortunately, just as the Holy Sword was prepared to use all its strength to break its shackles, a hand gently covered the box. The Ancient One's arrival directly suppressed the power erupting from the Holy Sword. Behind the Ancient One was a round golden circle, indicating she had sensed something was wrong and used magic to rush over.
"Sending this Holy Sword over... it seems you have some other ideas, Merlin."
The Ancient One naturally knew this sword and understood its origin and name. But for this sword representing 'Kingship' to appear here meant Merlin intended to assist a monarch, just like during the glorious era of King Arthur in Great Britain centuries ago, which was filled with Merlin's activities.
"First not following the previous contract, then Morgan, and now this Holy Sword—it seems they all have a certain connection to you, Artoria."
Resealing the box containing the Holy Sword, the Ancient One carried it into the golden circle. Then the golden circle slowly shrank and disappeared, but her self-muttering still echoed in the air. It seemed she understood who this sword was ultimately meant to be given to.
"What is it? I have important things to do."
Artoria answered the call on her headset while watching Natasha, who was quietly lying on the bed for an examination. Artoria had finally decided to agree to Natasha's request to help her fulfill her dream of becoming a mother. However, it looked like her body was in bad shape—not bad in that sense, and no 'little tadpoles' were removed—but as a woman's reproductive organ, half of it had been excised, resulting in complete physical destruction. If this were a time when medicine was underdeveloped, this person would never want children in this lifetime. But in this Marvel Universe full of black technology, Artoria only needed half a dose of Extremis plus a small surgery to fulfill Natasha's dream.
"Artoria, do you have time to come to your brother's place lately? I'm planning to open..."
"No time, not going, don't call me."
After waking up, Tony had resumed his party life. Didn't he know that at every party he couldn't control himself and would bring back a beautiful model or two to spend the night? The next day, Pepper was so angry she almost wanted to break all three of his legs. He was truly a headache-inducing brother, without the slightest appearance of a hero.
"Tony calling again, little sister Artoria?"
After the check-up, Natasha lay charmingly on her side on the cold bed. Her beautiful eyes were full of smiles as she spoke suggestively to Artoria. But Artoria didn't fall for it; she directly rolled her eyes at Natasha. Every day Tony had various excuses to find her to go out and play; Natasha had heard the siblings' bickering quite a few times.
"Who's a little sister? How has Stacy been lately? She hasn't contacted me in a long time. It seems your work at S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't very easy! That girl is really suffering."
Sending the electronic version of Natasha's check-up report to Maya, Artoria began chatting with Natasha. Quake, Stacy, was someone who had come from her side. This girl, for whom she had a lot of fond feelings, hadn't been seen for a long time. Her Asian face made Artoria feel a sense of kinship. But from the look of it, she was being exploited for labor quite a bit by that black-hearted Director Egg inside S.H.I.E.L.D., to the point where her initial weekly phone greetings had turned into once a month.
"Uh! Actually, I'm not very sure about this either..."
Upon hearing Artoria's words, Natasha felt quite awkward. She had interacted with this girl before and had a good impression of her. However, regarding the work issue Artoria mentioned, Natasha truly didn't know how Director Nick had arranged for the young girl to work there. In S.H.I.E.L.D., you might not even see a familiar face for several years. This was all thanks to Director Nick of S.H.I.E.L.D.; as soon as one returned, a new mission would be assigned immediately. You might have just finished one task and be on your way back when the next one is already sent over. He really doesn't waste a single moment.
He wished he could split one person into several to use. How could such a thing be said out loud? Natasha was very embarrassed and couldn't say anything. She could only smile, using that smile to explain everything.
"I heard the King of Wakanda is preparing to visit the United States and plans to join the United Nations, right?"
Seeing Natasha's smile, Artoria understood she didn't need to ask further. However, there was one thing she was very curious about. News of the King of Wakanda's upcoming visit to the United States had already been reported by major newspapers. This wasn't originally something noteworthy, but when it came to the country of Wakanda, Artoria had to take it seriously. This was a country full of black technology and was the wealthiest nation on Earth. They sat on the only source of the world's most precious mineral, the 'Vibranium' mine, essentially building their nation on a mountain of gold.
Thinking about the astronomical prices of Vibranium on the black market, and how it wasn't even guaranteed to be available in large quantities, it was hard not to be envious. But none of that was the key. The most critical point was the trigger for the Civil War—the assassination of the Old King of Wakanda. That was the flashpoint for the Civil War's outbreak, and it was definitely not good news.
"Although that's what's being said publicly, they are extremely isolationist. This time, the King of Wakanda has only released a friendly message. The specific time for the visit to the United States hasn't been set yet; it's estimated to be unlikely within the next two years!"
Natasha's words allowed Artoria's heart, which had been in her throat, to settle back down. If that was the case, there was still time. As long as she could find the Winter Soldier before then and either kill or arrest him, the Civil War might not break out.
"When they are about to visit the United States, let me know."
To be safe, Artoria still gave Natasha instructions. This was very important to her.
"Do you intend to cooperate with the Kingdom of Wakanda?"
Within her Level 10 Special Agent clearance, the secrets of the Kingdom of Wakanda were practically non-existent. She knew the primary source of Vibranium was the Kingdom of Wakanda and assumed Artoria was planning to purchase Vibranium through its King. This was indeed a good plan.
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