While Merlin was talking to Queen Lamonda, another conversation was going on in the royal palace of Wakanda.

Wakanda is a feudal country, but the development of science and technology has brought many scenes to this country that are completely different from traditional feudal countries. At the entrance of the palace of the black panther, there is a vivid statue of the black panther, which creates the image of a beast roaring in the sky, the whole is very powerful, and the head of the black panther is very perfect, so that it is almost out of the beast's hideousness, showing a domineering spirit similar to the king of all beasts.

But the most surprising thing is that this sculpture is made of pure vibranium.

Extravagant...

Very extravagant.

In recent years, in the world's major black markets, the price of one gram of vibranium has soared to more than 10,000 US dollars, according to this price, the price of this black panther statue alone has exceeded hundreds of millions of dollars.

And this is just one of several sculptures in the royal palace of Wakanda.

Around the throne room, located on the top floor of the palace, there are also four smaller statues of black panthers of different shapes, as well as ornaments made of metal, most of which are also made of pure vibranium.

This shocked and regretted Eric who followed T'Challa into the palace.

As an engineer, Eric had studied vibranium, and he had samples, and he knew that vibranium was a special metal that was very hard, arguably one of the hardest items in the world, and had the property of storing and conducting energy, but it also had drawbacks.

In the absence of Wakanda's unique storage technology, vibranium can only be converted into a liquid at extremely high temperatures, and the metal is quenched once, and if it is heated and cast again, the internal structure of vibranium will be destroyed, resulting in a much reduction in its strength.

In other words, these vibraniums that have been shaped into sculptures can no longer be used for other purposes, they can only be used as a symbol of the royal power of the feudal dynasty, and there is no other use except for shocking people's hearts.

"It's a waste."

When he saw the four sculptures in the throne room, Eric finally couldn't help but complain to his cousin:

"Although I know that Wakanda is rich in vibranium, I think even for you, vibranium is a very valuable strategic material, is it really appropriate to use it for this purpose?"

"These sculptures weren't made by my father, Eric."

T'Challa also seemed to have a lot of criticism on this issue, and he looked at the statues, and he sighed:

"These sculptures existed hundreds of years ago, you have to understand that the world environment at that time was still relatively ignorant, at that time Wakanda with the special effect of vibranium, has entered the electric age in advance, at that time the ancestors treated other civilizations like barbarians, they thought that Wakanda was the first in the world, there must be a symbol in line with Wakanda's status."

"These sculptures were made at that time, when the rulers of Wakanda thought that vibranium was an inexhaustible gift from the world, but unfortunately, when my father first succeeded to the throne, he carried out a large-scale exploration of the vibranium mines under Wakanda, and the vibranium buried under this land is not infinite."

The prince of Wakanda whispered:

"Since then, the kingdom's use of vibranium has shifted from extravagant to budget-conscious, and there has never been such extravagant and stupid waste."

"Wakanda's vibranium resources are running out?"

Eric Says:

"That's not really good news."

"Depleted?"

T'Challa glanced back at Eric, and he said with a smile:

"No, not yet. At the current rate of excavation, Wakanda's vibranium resources will be depleted in a few hundred years, and if a new resource bill is passed, that time will be extended again. ”

"We're now looking for minerals that will be associated with vibranium to ease the kingdom's dependence on vibranium... Personally, I believe that Wakanda's strength begins with vibranium, but long-term prosperity cannot always rely on vibranium, we must find a force that can continue to support Wakanda's progress after the vibranium is exhausted. ”

"Well, you're a wise man."

Eric said:

"In the future, he will definitely become a wise ruler, in fact, in my opinion, Wakanda is not in any difficult situation. With your level of technology, as long as you are in contact with the outside world, just relying on dumping high-tech goods, you can make Wakanda's wealth and social status increase rapidly... The world is a huge market, and who doesn't love high-tech stuff? ”

"This, it's difficult."

T'Challa nodded, and he said to Eric with a serious face:

"You've just returned to Wakanda, my brother, and you don't understand the state of Wakanda at all... There have always been people of insight, but unfortunately, their opinions have never become mainstream. ”

"The dominant thinking is that it is independence from the world that allows Wakanda to survive for a long time, and this is an order that has existed for thousands of years, and Erik, to change it, it is not something that can be done overnight."

The prince glanced at the stands in the throne room and said:

"Let's not talk about that, let's go, Eric, father is waiting for us."

Two young men walked up to the second floor of the throne room, and at the front of the stand in front of them, a gray-haired man in a Wakanda robe was standing.

Compared to 10 years ago, the current Black Panther Majesty is much older.

His body, once as muscular as a real panther, had become bloated, and he could no longer fight as before.

But this is not because of the debilitation caused by the passage of time, but more because of psychological pressure, as Queen Lamonda said, there is always a ghost in His Majesty's heart that torments him.

"Father, I'm back."

T'Challa stood behind his father, and he whispered:

"I brought back Uncle Enjob's son."

"Hmm."

The panther T'Chaka nodded, and from above his throne, he looked out over his kingdom like a ruler in the twilight, and he turned around, holding in his hand the scepter representing the king's power, and at the top of the scepter was a leopard skull carved from black vibranium.

He didn't look at his son, but at Eric, and there was something shining in his eyes, a kind of nostalgia, a hint of relief and relief.

"You're like your father, Eric."

His Majesty T'Chaka whispered:

"When I see you, I can't help but think of the time when I was young with Njob, we were brothers, and we used to walk through the land of Wakanda with you and T'Challa, discussing the future of the country together."

"You should call me uncle."

Facing T'Chaca's welcome, Eric leaned over slightly, and said:

"Hello, Your Majesty... Uncle. ”

"Well, that's good."

A smile flashed across T'Chaca's wrinkled face, and he waved his hand to signal Eric to sit down in the chair beside him, and he turned to his son and said:

"T'Challa, my son, I have something to talk about with Eric, can you leave first?"

"No, father."

His Royal Highness Prince Wakanda said with some stubbornness:

"I want to get an answer, why did you leave Eric alone outside Wakanda, he also has Wakanda blood, he should be brought back to our country, he should be treated as he deserves, and not be displaced far from home... You made a terrible mistake, you abandoned our loved ones, and I have to know the answer. ”

"That's a mistake, T'Challa, and I've been haunted by it all these years."

The panther was not angry at his son's stubbornness, he sighed, shook his head, sat down on the sofa, and with his scepter in both hands, he said to Eric in front of him, and to T'Challa beside him:

"Our country, from the dawn of time, has been in turmoil. When I say turmoil, I don't mean society and order, but the thinking in people's hearts. ”

"Some people are eager to get out of this land and into a wider world."

"Others, on the other hand, believe that this land has sheltered us and will always shelter us, that we should not leave the cradle of Wakanda, that we should stay here and live our own lives."

The panther looked at Eric, then at his son, and said:

"Can you tell me which idea is correct?"

No one answered.

Eric considered himself an outsider, he was well educated by Merlin, and he didn't want to say much about things like the country. T'Challa was still young and had his own thoughts on the question, but he also knew that his father was not looking for an answer.

Therefore, he also remained silent.

"Njob and I are representatives of these two kinds of thinking."

His Majesty T'Chaka closed his eyes and whispered:

"I think the order laid down by the ancestors is correct, and Njob is eager to see a more inclusive and liberal Wakanda. But this opposition of minds did not destroy our brotherhood, even in the face of the temptation of power... I used to think that this throne should belong to Njob, who was always smarter and more able to lead people than I was. ”

"But when I entered the Presbyterian Church and wanted to give up my inheritance, I found that Njob was one step ahead of me as always."

"He renounced his inheritance, he cut it off with those who wanted to put him on the throne, and then chose the most brutal form of self-exile, all because he didn't want to see the throne stained with blood, he didn't want to see brothers kill each other."

"Although he left, we were still brothers, and we kept in touch until he joined forces with that hateful Crow and stole a batch of vibranium from the state's warehouse..."

T'Chaka took a deep breath, he opened his eyes, looked at Eric, and said:

"Do you know, your father, a really good man, why did he do that?"

Facing His Majesty's gaze from Techaca, Eric nodded.

He said with a calm face:

"At once I couldn't understand it, but after I arrived in Wakanda, I knew why."

Eric turned his head to look out the window at the bustling city, and said:

"My father was born in a great country where there was no oppression, no discrimination, no hardship, no chaos. He left here and went out into the outside world, and he wandered all the way to Auckland, where he met my mother. ”

"I didn't meet my mother, but in my father's diary, I knew that it was a very gentle, very kind girl who grew up in a black neighborhood in Oakland, which was a slum... My parents had a very good relationship, and my father was determined to hide his past and spend his life with my mother as an ordinary person. ”

Eric closed his eyes in some pain, and said:

"Until, my mother died in an accidental shootout and a black gang in the Oakland neighborhood grabbed turf and got my mother involved, just to buy some food for her husband and newborn son..."

"It was very painful for the father, who felt that he was not protecting his wife, but he also saw the factors behind the chaos."

"It was a world that was alien to Wakanda, a world of malice, of discrimination and inequality, and that it was the darkness that bred the crime that led to my mother's death."

"The reason why my father teamed up with Crowe to steal vibranium was not for pure revenge, he wanted to show a new power to those who were oppressed."

Eric opened his eyes and looked at the old king in front of him, and he said:

"He wants to let those who don't see hope know that there is a black country in this world that is more advanced than a white country... He wanted them to know that all the disdain from above, all the discrimination from the populace, was just an unbearable joke. ”

"Those people... In this world, the nobility and humility are never determined by skin color and race! ”

Eric shook his head and said:

"My father, as you say, is a somewhat simple idealist, and he is really stupid and cute."

"This is Njob."

T'Chaka said to Eric:

"This is your father, this is my brother, he is such a person..."

"People like Njob are not uncommon in the history of Wakanda, as early as when the slaves were sold, they tried to intervene and stop those evil acts, and under their leadership, the slave traders operating in the vicinity of East Africa were wiped out overnight, but within a few years, the evil trade began to continue, and that was the first time they were defeated."

"Our people think they are strong, but the reality is that they can't change the general trend of the world by relying on Wakanda, and this has been the case in the past, and it will be the same in the future."

"And Entjobe, he knows this very well, but he still chooses between his country and his suffering people, he has broken the law of Wakanda, he deserves to be judged, but he will not die... I'm not going to let him die. ”

"It's a pity... As fate would have it, I couldn't save him from the thugs, and that's the regret of my life. And the death of you, Eric, Njob, will inevitably cause a storm in Wakanda, I can't bring you back to this country, I am afraid that those who desire to open the country will use you as a new symbol... I fear that a storm will tear my country apart. ”

The old panther spoke in a heavy tone, and he said:

"I'm sorry, Eric, for the sake of my country, that's all I can do. But as T'Challa said, it was wrong then... That pained me. I long for atonement, Erik, if you're willing... I can give you the birthright of Njobe's bloodline, and you can compete with my son T'Challa for the throne of the next Black Panther. ”

T'Chaka looked at Eric in front of him, and he said in a firm tone:

"You are the prince of Wakanda... Born to be! No one can deny it! ”

This sentence stunned Eric and T'Challa at the same time, neither of them expected that things would come to this point.

After a while, Eric looked up, he looked at the old king, and he asked softly:

"Actually, it was my father who begged you to keep me, right? Uncle. ”

The old panther was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I knew it."

Eric smiled softly, and there was no regret in his eyes, and he stood up and said to the panther and the prince in front of him:

"When I was a child, my father used to recite some verses."

"He said I was a beautiful bird, every feather shone with the breath of freedom, and I couldn't be kept in a cage."

He turned his head to look out the window at the capital of Wakanda, and he said with relief:

"It's a delicate birdcage, and my father wants me to come back here and get to know my hometown, but he doesn't want me to stay here."

"There are still people waiting for me outside, a kind and gentle girl like my mother, an older brother who took care of me like a father, and some younger sisters who I don't know very well, but who have already moved into my house, I can't just leave them."

"I'm leaving, uncle, and T'Challa."

"I don't belong here..."