As Wanda's voice fell, Black Bolt suddenly felt something was wrong.
He reached up to touch the lower half of his face, only to find that his mouth had disappeared, as if there had never been anything there at all.
Black Bolt: ∑(O_O;)
The Inhumans beside him were equally dumbfounded.
Black Bolt's mouth had actually vanished into thin air; wouldn't that mean his ability was completely nullified?
One must know that Black Bolt was the Inhumans' greatest reliance; without him, the overall strength of the entire Inhuman race was reduced by at least 99.999999... percent.
"I advise you not to try and speak, or you might hurt yourself."
Wanda was still kind-hearted and gave Black Bolt a well-meaning reminder.
Actually, he didn't need her reminder. As the King of the Inhumans, how could Black Bolt panic because of his own change and accidentally make a sound, blowing himself up alive? Such a way to die would be too stupid.
Black Bolt considered his IQ to be higher than that of a normal person, so he naturally wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, he quickly raised his hands and began gesturing.
Medusa immediately provided a simultaneous translation: "What did you do to him!?"
Wanda smiled: "His ability is too dangerous. I could only use magic to temporarily seal it. Don't worry, once the time is up, the magic will automatically dissipate, and his mouth will return."
Wanda's magical talent was beyond doubt.
Back then, the Kamar-Taj scriptures Darian brought back for her—she understood them almost at a glance. Her application of Chaos Magic was becoming more refined by the day, and her strength was soaring as if she had a cheat code.
She often thought that if fishing were as simple as magic, it would be great.
Although Wanda couldn't yet perform advanced operations like creating conscious life forms out of nothing, she could still manage to modify a part of reality.
Upon hearing Maximonov's words, Wanda used magic to quietly read a portion of his memories and learned about Black Bolt's ability.
Thus, she decisively used Chaos Magic to seal Black Bolt's mouth, forcibly silencing him to prevent him from posing a threat to them.
Thinking of this, Wanda said sincerely to Maximonov: "However, I still have to thank you for your reminder. If you hadn't reminded me in time, we would have been in trouble."
Maximonov: "..."
"...."
The Inhumans: "....."
"..."
At this moment, the Inhumans felt like hacking Maximonov to pieces.
Who on Earth reveals their own trump card so completely right from the start?
Are you a freaking mole or something?!
No wonder the previous King of the Inhumans chose Black Bolt to succeed the throne without hesitation; he truly was farsighted. If Maximonov were the King of the Inhumans, their race would probably become an endangered species by the next day.
Darian was amused, giving Wanda's mockery a perfect score in his heart.
He naturally couldn't fall behind. Looking at Maximonov, he mocked: "Moon-dweller, what were you saying just now?"
Maximonov's face turned ashen. Just as he was about to speak, he was stopped by Black Bolt.
Black Bolt's hands flew, his gestures so fast they almost left afterimages—at least six seals per second.
"We Inhumans have lived here in seclusion since ancient times, strictly maintaining neutrality and never initiating any conflicts. We pursue peace and have no intention of making enemies. Therefore, no matter why you have come, as long as you do not pose a threat to the safety of Attilan, we welcome your arrival."
Medusa's voice rang out almost simultaneously, with zero delay and incredible fluency. Even her tone was deeply expressive, making it feel completely natural.
Darian thought to himself that they were indeed a couple; their chemistry was so perfect that even simultaneous interpretation wasn't this smooth.
"We think so too."
Seeing Black Bolt's friendly attitude, Darian's tone also became exceptionally kind: "To be honest, we actually all come from an organization called HYDRA. You might not have heard of it, so let me give a brief introduction."
"This is a long-standing public welfare organization on Earth, dedicated to maintaining World peace and order, promoting human unity, and actively pushing for technological development. Therefore, countries all over the World favor us. So, our philosophies are aligned."
Wanda: "..."
Are you sure that's HYDRA you're describing?
Having stayed in the HYDRA research Base for so long, Wanda and Pietro had long known the true nature of the Base, but they didn't care. It was obvious to everyone that Sokovia was gradually improving.
To them, whether it was S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA, as long as it benefited Sokovia, it was fine.
Of course, there wasn't much difference between the two anyway.
Black Bolt knew nothing about the situation on Earth and assumed Darian was telling the truth. His hands continued to form seals: "In that case, why don't you all follow me to the Council Chamber? We can sit down and talk in detail."
Black Bolt had personally experienced Wanda's ability; his mouth still hadn't returned. His wariness of Wanda had reached its peak.
Not to mention there was also Darian, who appeared to be the leader.
If even the subordinates were this powerful, then the leader must be off the charts.
After careful consideration, Black Bolt decided to prioritize harmony. A gentleman uses his mouth... cough, neither his mouth nor his hands.
"That works."
Darian didn't refuse and signaled the Sokovian soldiers to stay and guard the spaceship.
Meanwhile, he took Wanda, Bucky, and the Interstellar Warrior and followed Black Bolt's group toward the royal palace.
Arriving at the spacious Council Chamber, everyone sat down and exchanged some pleasantries.
Soon, Black Bolt got straight to the point: "I have a request that I hope you will grant. Attilan is the ancestral home of our Inhuman race. We do not wish to be disturbed by the outside World or have the peace here interrupted. Therefore, I implore you not to reveal what has happened here."
Darian nodded: "Don't worry, my lips are sealed. I guarantee on the honor of HYDRA that what we have seen today will never be leaked by us."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Black Bolt secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Regardless of whether Darian's guarantee was effective, it at least gave him some peace of mind.
"However, correspondingly, I also have a small request that I hope you will consider," Darian said with a smile.
"What request?"
Medusa relayed Black Bolt's question.
Darian said bluntly: "I want your Inhuman technology, especially the technology for that protective shield."
He was quite interested in Attilan's protective shield.
The physical fitness of ordinary Inhumans was no different from that of ordinary humans, yet they could live so comfortably in the lunar environment. The reason was precisely the ecological environment provided by the protective shield, making it no different from Earth's environment.
If they mastered this technology, they could also establish their own Base on the moon.
"Don't even think about it.!"
As soon as Darian finished speaking, Maximonov said excitedly: "The protective shield is the core technology of our Inhuman race. How could we possibly hand it over to you Earthlings!"
Black Bolt frowned, a clear expression of difficulty appearing on his face.
Darian added: "Don't be so quick to refuse. We can exchange other technologies. A fair trade."
"That's still a no!"
Maximonov turned to Black Bolt, his words intense: "This technology is our lifeblood; it must never fall into the hands of outsiders! Besides, these Earthlings are not to be trusted at all. They want technology today, and tomorrow they might want our city!"
He spoke with high-sounding words, but in reality, he just didn't want Darian and Black Bolt to reach a cooperation.
If the two sides cooperated, wouldn't his plan fall through? Then his throne and his sister-in-law would both slip away.
Black Bolt raised his hand to signal Maximonov to calm down. After a moment of contemplation, he formed seals to ask.
"What technology do you want to exchange?"
"That depends on what you need. I have a list here; you can choose from it."
A document appeared out of thin air in Darian's hand, recording the technologies HYDRA currently possessed and could exchange.
This list was originally prepared for contacting other interstellar civilizations; he hadn't expected to use it so soon.
Black Bolt took the document and read it carefully, truly shocked in his heart.
Wasn't it said that Earth's level was backward?
Every single technology on this list almost matched the Inhumans' current technological level, and some even surpassed it completely.
After a while, Darian asked: "Have you finished looking? Is there any technology you want?"
Black Bolt took a deep breath, nodded, and made a very intuitive gesture. He drew a circle in the air with his finger and then clenched his fist. The meaning couldn't be clearer.
He wanted them all!
"No need to translate this; I understand."
Darian interrupted Medusa's translation and shook his head: "Sorry, your protective shield technology can at most be exchanged for two items on that list."
Black Bolt was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.
But the technologies on the list were indeed very tempting. Several of them could easily solve the current predicament Attilan was facing.
Although the city inside the protective shield looked peaceful, it was, after all, an entire city forcibly placed on the moon. Various problems cropped up constantly, giving Black Bolt, the king, a headache every day. His hairline was quietly receding, and he often felt inadequate, which even drew complaints from Medusa, leaving him to use his hands to soothe her anger.
Black Bolt was truly tired, looking after the big family and the small family...
He knew his younger brother Maximonov had long coveted the throne. If possible, he would have liked to hand the position over to him.
Unfortunately, the King of the Inhumans must be an Inhuman.
Only a tiger can lead a pack of wolves, never a husky.
However, Maximonov did not understand Black Bolt's painstaking efforts; he only wanted to send his big brother to reunite with their parents.
Seeing that Black Bolt was about to agree to Darian's proposal, a fierce look suddenly appeared in Maximonov's eyes, and he covertly made a hand signal.
"Do it!"
With a loud shout, several Inhumans who had been standing solemnly suddenly attacked!
Their movements were swift and their targets clear, pouncing directly on their unsuspecting companions beside them.
Among the attackers, there was even a high-ranking member of the Inhuman race; clearly, all of this had been planned in advance.
Black Bolt was also attacked. A beam of scorching energy shot from a blind spot on his side, aimed straight at his vitals.
Although Black Bolt couldn't use his ability, his physical skills were also extraordinary. He leaned aside almost by instinct at the last second, and the beam grazed past his Crown, leaving a scorch mark on the wall.
He scanned the chaotic scene and quickly guessed what was happening, looking at Maximonov in disbelief.
"Brother, why?"
Medusa translated for him while fending off the rebels around her.
Her tone carried three parts shock, three parts incomprehension, and four parts disappointment—no less impressive than a professional voice actor.
Darian: "..."
"..."
Even at a time like this, she doesn't forget to translate. So dedicated.
"Why?"
Seeing that the matter was exposed, Maximonov simply stopped hiding it.
A long-suppressed, sinister smile appeared on his face: "My dear brother, you are actually still asking why. Then let me tell you—it's because your set of stale philosophies should have been swept into the trash heap of history long ago!"
"We Inhumans are clearly more powerful than Earthlings, yet we can only huddle on this moon where there is nothing, clinging to life in a daily aging city! While they get to enjoy Earth with its more abundant resources—that should have been ours!"
"But not only do you not think about leading our people to take what we deserve, you repeatedly suppress my plans and stop me from invading Earth and using Earth's resources to nourish the Inhuman race! You are a sinner of the Inhumans. It is your cowardice and short-sightedness that have strangled the future of our entire species!"
"You are not fit to be the King of the Inhumans!"
"Only I can lead the Inhumans to victory!"
Black Bolt couldn't believe his own brother had betrayed him and even criticized him as a racial sinner; he felt only a pang of heartache and sorrow.
In the center of this tension-filled scene, the vibe on the sidelines was quite different.
"I already felt this guy had the look of a traitor; he didn't seem like a good person. Turns out I wasn't wrong."
"Indeed."
Darian and Wanda were eating the provided fruit, watching this exciting family drama and whispering to each other, for fear of disturbing the people on the field.
Watching Family Fights is human nature; there's no changing that.
Seeing Black Bolt being attacked by two rebels, Medusa's long hair grew and danced like wild grass, tightly entangling them.
Her ability was to freely control her hair, making it hard and long; she was destined to never be bald in this life.
Medusa stood in front of Black Bolt and shouted sternly at Maximonov: "Your ambition and madness are the greatest threats to Attilan! Black Bolt has always been protecting you, yet you betrayed him!"
"Protecting me?"
Maximonov said disdainfully: "I don't need his high-and-mighty protection! What I need is the throne! Power! Medusa, once I become King, you will understand who is better suited to lead Attilan... and who truly deserves you!"
Medusa: "???"
Black Bolt: "???"
Darian and Wanda: Holy crap, there's even this kind of gossip to enjoy. This trip was really worth it!
At this moment, Black Bolt's face turned green.
He thought Maximonov only coveted his throne; he didn't expect him to also covet Medusa as his 'throne'.
Black Bolt gnashed his teeth, and a thousand words eventually converged into a single finger.
Black Bolt: convex(▼dish▼)
Medusa: "The King says your conspiracy will not succeed, and you and your accomplices will all be brought to justice!"
Darian: "..."
"...Bullshit, he clearly just flipped a middle finger; how can there be so many layers of meaning?