Silver City Palace
In the palace reception room, Natasha and Banner sat together on one side, while Wolverine and Sabretooth occupied the other.
Looking at the four of them, Richard addressed Natasha and Banner first. "Do you want to return to the United States now, or stay a few days longer?"
Banner replied with slight embarrassment. "I'm rather interested in the technology used on those alien spacecraft. If you need researchers, I'd be happy to stay and help."
Though Banner's expertise wasn't in mechanical engineering, he remained a scientist with seven doctoral degrees. His scientific curiosity far exceeded that of ordinary people—even compared to those with a single PhD. For Banner, alien technology held more attraction than beauty or power ever could.
"If you're interested, you're welcome to stay," Richard replied. "On one condition: you cannot share your research results with S.H.I.E.L.D. Meet that requirement, and you can study here alongside me."
Though Richard approved of Hulk more, he didn't genuinely dislike Banner. Among the Avengers, Captain America was the only one he truly despised.
"No problem. I guarantee I won't share any alien technology with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Banner answered without hesitation.
Richard nodded and spoke to the AI that seemed present everywhere. "Tifa, arrange a laboratory for Dr. Banner in the inner city. Send the items recovered from the spacecraft directly to his lab."
"Right away, sir," Tifa's voice responded immediately. Her voice had changed significantly from three days ago—now matching the Tifa in Richard's memory perfectly.
"What about you, Natasha? Staying or going back?" Richard asked.
"I'll stay for now and return to S.H.I.E.L.D. later," she replied slowly, glancing at Banner's excited expression. Though the alien technology didn't interest her personally, she wouldn't leave immediately since Banner had chosen to stay.
"There's nothing else for now. You can both go rest," Richard told them.
"Sounds good," Banner and Natasha replied in unison before standing and leaving the reception room.
After their departure, Richard turned to Wolverine and Sabretooth. "You were detained for some time, so you may not know where you are. This is Silver City—formerly the capital of Wakanda, a small African nation. It's now my private territory and will become a city of mutants."
From the mercenaries' memories, Richard knew that Wolverine and Sabretooth had been captured before Magneto's public call for mutants to relocate to Silver City.
A mutant city? Both men showed surprise at Richard's words. Though they had been to Wakanda before, neither recognized it.
This connection related to the adamantium in Wolverine's body. The special metal discovered by Colonel Stryker had actually been vibranium. The tribe they had attacked years ago was a border tribe of Wakanda—they had essentially stolen vibranium from Wakanda decades earlier without realizing the tribe's affiliation.
Even if they had known, the name "Wakanda" would have meant nothing to them. Wolverine had lost his memories, and Sabretooth had never cared about the tribe's origins—he only remembered that Wolverine had abandoned him back then.
Though Sabretooth had no impression of Wakanda, Wolverine immediately showed interest in the concept of a mutant city.
"What happened to the original residents?" Wolverine asked.
"I drove them out," Richard replied simply.
"They had no objections to you taking their capital?"
"Of course they objected, but after I killed some of them, the rest kept their opinions to themselves. Or if they have objections, they don't dare express them to my face," Richard said. "But that's not important. You're both mutants—if you want to live here, I can provide houses in the inner city since we're acquainted. Of course, if you're not interested, just disregard the offer."
Though not an X-Man and having only met Wolverine a few times, Richard didn't mind offering them homes. Sabretooth was Clarice's adoptive father, after all, and many houses in the inner city remained vacant.
"Where's Clarice? Is she in Silver City now?" Sabretooth asked immediately.
"Yes, she's in the palace. If you want to see her, I can call her here."
"I'd better see her later," Sabretooth replied. "I don't want her knowing I was captured by alien."
"You probably can't hide that from her," Richard noted, understanding Sabretooth's concern. "But you could clean yourself up first and look more presentable."
Even if Sabretooth said nothing, Clarice would learn about it from other sources—Tifa or Natasha, for instance.
"I need to contact Jean first and get her opinion," Wolverine said slowly.
Richard's expression said "as expected." Though Wolverine wasn't young anymore and resembled an uncle in appearance, he remained Jean's devoted follower.
"No problem." Richard retrieved a phone from his system space and tossed it to Wolverine. Though Jean's contact wasn't saved in his phone, Wolverine undoubtedly knew her number by heart.
Wolverine dialed Phoenix's number without hesitation. The call connected quickly.
"Jean, it's Logan. I'm in Silver City now..." He quickly explained the situation.
After a moment, he nodded. "Okay, I understand." Rather than ending the call, he handed the phone to Richard. "Jean wants to speak with you."
Richard took the phone casually. "Go ahead. What did you want to discuss?"
"We'd like to move to Silver City as well. Would you agree to that?" Jean's voice came through clearly.
"There's nothing to agree or disagree with. You must have seen Magneto's announcement—Silver City welcomes all mutants. As long as you're mutants, there's a place for you here."
Though the current X-Men weren't as powerful as before, Jean and Cyclops remained substantially stronger than ordinary mutants. Their relocation would strengthen Silver City's defenses and serve as an example for pacifist mutants who might otherwise hesitate to move there.
In terms of appeal, Richard's influence exceeded that of Magneto and Jean combined, but some mutants—particularly those with pacifist leanings—disapproved of his methods. To these pacifists, he represented the type of mutant who abused his powers for selfish ends.
While Richard didn't require their support or approval, from a security perspective, pacifist mutants would create a more balanced environment in Silver City. After all, these pacifists wouldn't relocate without good reason.
"I understand," Jean replied. "And thank you for rescuing Logan. On behalf of the X-Men, I'm grateful for your help."
"Anything else? If not, I'll end the call," Richard said.
"No, I won't take more of your time." Jean disconnected.
Richard turned to Wolverine. "Jean told me they want to move here as well. You can stay with peace of mind."
Wolverine nodded.
"That's all for now. I'll arrange for someone to show you to your accommodations in the inner city."
"Sounds good," Wolverine and Sabretooth replied together.
After instructing Tifa to arrange their housing and guides, Richard teleported to his study. Though they'd dealt with the Grandmaster's mercenaries, no one could predict when he might send more.
Seated behind his desk, Richard considered whether to let Hulk completely replace Banner and have Hulk remain in Silver City permanently. After reflection, he abandoned the idea. While he preferred Hulk's company, Banner possessed qualities Hulk lacked—particularly his scientific genius. In research fields, a hundred Hulks couldn't match one Banner with his seven doctorates.
Never mind. Let's leave things as they are for now. We'll reconsider when the Grandmaster sends more agents.
Richard set the question aside and asked Tifa to display the optimization plan for Compound V.
After reviewing Tifa's proposal, he instructed, "Begin with animal experiments. Collect data to identify any omissions or areas for further optimization."
"Yes, sir," Tifa responded.
Time passed quickly. A month elapsed before they realized it.
During this period, Richard spent most of his time in Silver City, either engaged in daily training or interacting with his women. As mutants continued relocating to Silver City, his responsibilities multiplied.
Having grown accustomed to a hands-off leadership style, he established a Silver City Outer District Affairs Department to manage these matters. He appointed Magneto and Jean as department heads.
Beyond the Outer District Affairs Department, he instructed Tifa to establish several additional departments managing the inner district, logistics, technology, and city defense. He entrusted all these departments to Emma Frost for comprehensive oversight.
To distribute her workload, Emma followed Richard's example, delegating different responsibilities to Clarice and Scarlett. She allowed them to determine appropriate staffing levels for each department.
Meanwhile, Tifa—originally Richard's personal assistant—was promoted to Deputy City Lord. Within Silver City's hierarchy, Tifa's authority ranked below only Richard and Emma, exceeding that of Magneto and Jean, who managed only the outer district.
Though Richard minimized his involvement in Silver City's daily management, he remained productive. After a month of intensive work, Banner and Tifa successfully constructed Silver City's first vibranium spacecraft: "Fantasy."
Unlike the shabby vessels used by the mercenaries, Fantasy boasted superior performance and firepower. Banner and Tifa had completely disassembled the three alien ships, then integrated their technology with vibranium engineering to create Fantasy.
To ensure reliability, they had consumed an astonishing quantity of vibranium. The completed vessel measured 150 meters in length with a sleek, silvery-white streamlined form resembling a luxury cruise ship.
Though no weapons were visible on its exterior, Fantasy was undeniably a space battleship. Within its silver-white hull resided various armaments incorporating vibranium technology. Essentially, everything from Wakanda's arsenal had been adapted and installed by Banner and Tifa.
When Fantasy was completed, Richard immediately boarded it for inspection. Despite its brief construction period—just one month—the vessel's performance and comfort exceeded his expectations.
After confirming Fantasy's readiness, Richard instructed Tifa to create a clone program, Aerith, to serve as the vessel's artificial intelligence.
Back in the study of Silver City Palace, Richard sat in a high-backed chair, casually reviewing documents before him. Though he delegated most matters to Emma and others, certain decisions required his personal attention—whether to sell vibranium and vibranium products to other nations, whether to establish diplomatic relations, whether to permit ordinary foreigners to enter Silver City, and so forth.
Emma and her team could manage Silver City's daily operations on his behalf, but only Richard could make these strategic decisions.
After reviewing the documents, he addressed Emma, who sat opposite him. "You may sell some vibranium and civilian vibranium products to foreign countries, but nothing related to military or advanced applications. Regarding diplomatic relations—Silver City is just a city, not a country, so disregard that issue. Don't allow ordinary foreigners into Silver City for now. If they want to sightsee, they can visit the Wakandans. Silver City isn't a zoo or an amusement park."
"Understood," Emma replied quickly. "By the way, Magneto has sent an invitation for you to attend dinner at his residence tonight."
"Dinner?" Richard frowned slightly. "What kind of dinner?"
"He didn't specify. It's likely a private affair," Emma answered.
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