These past few days, Stephanie had been fully occupied with sending supplies and personnel into the mountains of Latveria to support the local guerrilla forces. This included large amounts of Immortal City currency, administrative staff tasked with setting up temporary banks, and many ideologists responsible for spreading Immortal City's philosophies. These ideologists also took on the task of educating the local youth and establishing schools. Stephanie was heavily invested in this mission, handling everything personally to ensure not a single detail deviated from plan.
Victor Von Doom's original idea was to storm the castle of Latveria's ruling family, drag them out for a public trial, and hang them all—only then moving on to develop the nation's science and economy. However, the Lord of Immortal City had a different opinion. He believed Latveria must be thoroughly liberated—from economics to culture. The temporary banks and the goods sent to rural guerrilla units were all meant to establish Immortal City's credibility among the local populace. This credibility, along with the currency, would form the foundation of another hidden war—one in which Stephanie was the commanding general.
Even the illiterate, toothless grandmothers in the countryside needed to understand that this war was being fought for the future of Latverians. The time bought through Immortal City's advantage in information warfare was meant to change hearts and minds, to summon the Latverian people to fight not only for their own future, but eventually for others—for all of humanity. Only then could Latveria become a core pillar of Immortal City. Only then could Solomon reap the harvest: a new army of idealists—children of laborers from rural backwaters, or scavengers from the cities—given brand new lives, just like what he had done across Eastern Europe. Hardened by war, this army would eventually produce more talent, the seeds of a human civilization ready to reach into space—an asset worthy of Immortal City's careful nurturing.
There would be no more gentle wars in the future. The dark future shown by prophecy allowed no space for humanity.
This was a massive social experiment. If successful, it would prove that Immortal City's vision wasn't a distant fantasy.
To ensure this experiment's success, Solomon and Stephanie had gone to Wakanda to negotiate, placing a massive order. King T'Chaka fully understood Solomon's true intent. However, Solomon's speech in the palace—perfectly aligned with the Wakandan messianic complex born from their possession of advanced technology—along with Prince T'Challa's persuasion and Shuri's close collaboration with Immortal City, convinced Wakanda to take the deal. Solomon would use the world's fastest development model to turn impoverished Latveria into his envisioned industrial utopia. It would take on production tasks that even the Mars Foundry couldn't handle, and fully integrate into Immortal City's industrial system.
Ten to twenty years—that was the projected development time for Latveria. It would require massive investment from Immortal City.
The proud Victor Von Doom ultimately agreed with this approach, recognizing that Solomon considered things far more comprehensively than he did. As the future monarch of Latveria, he set aside his pride and crawled into the mountains to establish connections with guerrilla forces, while Stephanie, based on the outcomes of their negotiations, dispatched personnel to build basic administrative and financial departments in these isolated locations. Meanwhile, the intelligence department and Lost City's Sophia led newly trained discipline officers to instruct guerrillas in proper intel gathering and command procedures, transforming them into a regular army with professional training.
Victor Von Doom had another key mission: to eradicate religion from the guerrilla forces and instill Solomon's ideology. This would inevitably lead to bloody conflict, as Eastern Orthodoxy was deeply rooted in Latverian society. But Doom was prepared—he would rather destroy those who refused to put down the cross and pick up a textbook than persuade them. It was the only way to ensure that religious influence wouldn't infect the future Latverian military.
In truth, Solomon had never asked Doom to go that far. He saw religious belief as something that could be reshaped through education. But as regent, Doom had chosen to deal with the issue thoroughly, leaving no room for future trouble. When Solomon, relaxing in his countryside estate, received these reports, he began to seriously consider Doom's obsessive need for mental cleanliness.
Amidst the immense workload, Stephanie had even come to treat reviewing Praetorian Guard mission footage as a form of recreation.
Even though redacted mission reports already sat neatly on her desk, she told her secretary that she insisted on watching the video to ensure she didn't miss even the smallest detail. Diana Liszt rolled her eyes in secret, then continued to heap meaningless flattery upon her direct superior.
Only after Diana left the office did Stephanie press play. Watching mission reports from the Praetorian Guard's first-person perspective often overwhelmed the brain's information processing capacity. Still, only Solomon and Stephanie had clearance to view them. Even though what she received was an edited version, Stephanie still deeply enjoyed the feeling of holding exclusive power.
"It's you!" Constantine leveled his long halberd at the breach in the concrete wall caused during his fight with the Ghost Rider. Daisy Johnson instantly felt a sharp gust slice across her cheek. She didn't hesitate—she raised both hands to show she meant no harm. She saw Robbie Reyes lying on the ground, exhaling heavily, his expression dazed. Wanda Maximoff knelt beside him, chanting softly. Wanda stood unharmed, her face solemn—a far cry from how Mike had described her. Still, the scorch mark on the ceiling—right above Wanda's head—matched the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. Daisy smelled the sulfur-scorched air mixed with the distinct scent of burnt protein, something she knew well—especially from the first time she'd used a curling iron.
"Daisy!" Mike came sliding in, boots screeching across the floor. He raised his axe-mounted shotgun and pointed it at Constantine. Even knowing it was useless, he stepped in front of Daisy and shouted at the Praetorian Guard and Wanda, "Drop your weapons!"
"No!" Daisy shouted at Constantine, "Don't hurt him!"
"We won't," Wanda Maximoff blinked her dry eyes, her fingers subconsciously tugging at the singed ends of her hair. The exorcism had worked—but not without complications. Traditional methods had proven ineffective against the Spirit of Vengeance. Even after shedding blood, it had been Solomon's secret technique that ultimately succeeded. Wanda stood up with a bitter expression. "It's over. Robbie Reyes is coming with us. This case is now under Immortal City jurisdiction. S.H.I.E.L.D. has no authority to interfere."
"You're not—" Mike hesitated. Fitz arrived, freeze-gun in hand. He joined Mike on the front line, though he didn't raise his weapon. Mike glanced at him, his expression a mixture of approval and disapproval, then turned back to the three beings in front of them—if they could still be called human. "I know who you are. But this is a S.H.I.E.L.D. case—authorized by Congress."
Constantine lowered his halberd and silently walked straight toward Mike's gun. To Fitz and Mike's shock, he grabbed the shotgun and crushed both the barrel and the axe head with one hand. Daisy almost triggered her powers out of panic.
"Don't say stupid things like that again," the Praetorian Guard said coldly. "The incapable should not meddle in affairs beyond their reach."
"That's kind of harsh," Fitz muttered. "We can help."
Wanda thought back to how she'd narrowly escaped death moments ago. She now fully understood what the Praetorian Guard really was—a creature of pure logic, devoid of empathy. If she hadn't completed the ritual in time, Constantine would've killed her without hesitation. She still didn't know why her gentle teacher had created such a being.
"Don't talk back. The only reason he didn't kill you is because you're still useful," Wanda warned.
Daisy looked at Wanda as she helped Robbie Reyes struggle to his feet. "Fitz is right," she said. "No matter what, we all want the same thing—to stop whatever came out of that lab from endangering the world. Let us help you. Please."
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.