Silence—a long, drawn-out silence.
Even though they had witnessed the Dweller-in-Darkness's absolute demise with their very own eyes, the villagers of Ta Lo still felt as though they were trapped inside a dream.
That was the Dweller-in-Darkness! The legendary, undying monolith that their ancestors had expended every ounce of their might just to barely seal away! Had it actually died just like that?
Furthermore, its death was so incredibly simple, completely devoid of any counterplay—a straight-up, logically defying one-shot delete.
To these Ta Lo villagers who had remained completely isolated from the outside world for over a thousand years, this was practically akin to primitive, raw-meat-eating tribesmen suddenly beholding the ironclad battleships and roaring cannons of the Western powers.
The absolute subversion of their worldview couldn't possibly be processed in just a brief moment!
"All taken care of~"
A relaxed, lazy voice was the first to smash through the heavy silence.
Glancing at the surrounding Ta Lo villagers who were still frozen with expressions of pure, unadulterated shock, Peter gave a faint smile. He then addressed the similarly stunned Great Protector:
"Old Dragon, seeing as you passed such a useful energy inheritance down to me, I'll do you guys one more favor!"
While speaking, Peter pressed his hand flat onto the ground, the healing radiance of the Horse Talisman abruptly manifesting within his palm.
Under the effect of the Horse Talisman, the surrounding messy ruins and broken walls were instantly restored to their pristine, original states, looking as if absolutely nothing had occurred here in the first place.
Having completed all of this, Peter nodded in thorough satisfaction and subsequently waved his hand toward Daisy.
Once Daisy wrapped her arms securely around his elbow, Peter lightly brushed his hand toward Guang Bo and Ying Nan as a brief farewell. He then smoothly produced the Eye of Aurora:
"To the royal palace of Wakanda, Africa!"
WUUUM~!
The mysterious, diamond-shaped teleportation portal manifested once more. Under the awestruck gazes of the Ta Lo villagers—who now looked at him as if he were a living god—Peter vanished right from the spot, bringing Daisy along with him.
Talk about "brushing off your clothes once the deed is done, hiding both your presence and your fame away" (tactical lean back).
It wasn't until the forms of the two had thoroughly vanished that Ying Nan finally snapped out of her absolute shock, unable to resist murmuring under her breath:
"He... he just disappeared like that?!"
Guang Bo also couldn't resist speaking up at this moment, his face entirely painted with an expression of profound shame:
"We have truly failed to properly show our respect to that noble benefactor!"
Reaching this point, he slapped his own thigh and instantly commanded:
"Our benefactor doesn't seek any rewards, but we cannot be blind to the realities! Pass down my orders immediately to cast statues and monuments for our benefactor and his wife... let's call it... let's call him the True Dragon Star Sovereign!
From this day forward, the generations of Ta Lo villagers must perpetually worship the statue of the True Dragon Star Sovereign to fully display our profound gratitude toward him."
...
Leaving aside how the villagers of Ta Lo were currently crafting a "golden body" for Peter.
Meanwhile, far away in Wakanda. Inside the brilliantly lit royal palace.
King T'Chaka was currently convening with his children and the captain of the Dora Milaje, Okoye, discussing the vital affairs of the state:
"Regarding the matter of the Ten Rings organization, can we truly place absolute trust in the Arbiter?"
T'Chaka's brows were tightly knitted into a deep frown, his heart feeling somewhat complicated.
Previously, he really hadn't taken Peter completely to heart. The only reason he had chosen to support Peter back then was simply to let him serve as a check against the high-ranking officials of America, preventing those greedy politicians from turning their gazes toward Wakanda too early.
But what he had completely failed to anticipate was that Peter's growth velocity would actually be this absurdly fast.
In just a short span of one or two months, he had transformed into the guardian deity of the entire United States.
He had even forcibly driven the President and the rest of the administration out of office. As things stood now, it could be said that the entirety of America had fallen squarely under Peter's control.
This inevitably caused T'Chaka to feel a potent wave of deep unrest. He was constantly worried that after Peter seized absolute power, his desires would continuously swell along with it.
If Peter made up his mind to forcibly plunder Wakanda's Vibranium... that would be infinitely more troublesome than the previous American politicians!
The more T'Chaka pondered it, the more he felt a shiver run down his spine, causing him to instinctively shift his gaze toward his most prideful son and daughter.
"Father, Mr. Arbiter said he would help us resolve the matter of the Ten Rings, so he will definitely accomplish it!" Shuri stood firmly on Peter's side without a single shred of hesitation, her mouth practically ready to praise Peter straight into the heavens:
"Even those alien vampires from the multiverse were beaten so badly by him that they ran away crying! What does a mere Ten Rings gang even amount to before him!"
Right beside Shuri, although T'Challa didn't praise Peter as brainlessly as his sister did, he still offered his sincere advice:
"Father, as things stand now, our sole remaining option is to trust and cooperate with the Arbiter, isn't it? I understand your concerns, but from my point of view, if Mr. Arbitrer truly wanted to take our Vibranium by force, our Wakanda would have suffered absolute destruction months ago.
Now, instead of choosing to loot and plunder, Mr. Arbiter has chosen to open up a partnership with Wakanda. This alone proves he is still the same person he always was. We ought to grant our ally our full, unstinting trust."
The exact instant he finished speaking, and before T'Chaka could even open his mouth, Peter's voice abruptly echoed out from the empty air:
"T'Challa, I truly appreciate your attitude. Now that's what I call widening your path in life~"
Accompanied by this heavily teasing voice, the air rippled and distorted without a single warning in the next split second. Immediately following, Peter and Daisy stepped clean out of the diamond-shaped teleportation portal.
When they clearly recognized the face of the newcomer, Shuri was first stunned before instantly letting out a delighted shriek.
"Mr. Arbiter!"
She instinctively lifted the hems of her dress, resembling a joyful little deer as she skipped and bounced forward, fully prepared to lunge forward and embrace Peter.
But before she could even take more than two steps, she caught sight of Daisy, who was currently wrapping her arms around Peter's elbow with a face completely painted in "absolute bliss."
BOOM!
In that singular split second, Shuri felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck her straight out of the blue. Her forward momentum was forcibly ground to a screeching halt.
To the side, T'Chaka and T'Challa exchanged a look, both of them unable to resist shaking their heads in helpless resignation...
What a pity. The falling blossoms carry intent, but the flowing water remains emotionless!
Peter naturally noticed the sudden shift in Shuri's expression. However, in order to prevent himself from catching fire, he decisively chose to play completely blind. You really couldn't blame him for being heartless.
Right now, he was already surrounded by Gwen, Felicia, Natasha, Daisy, and Sif... Peter truly couldn't manage to "sacrifice himself for others."
"Hey, Shuri, long time no see." He thus smiled and greeted Shuri, subsequently shifting his gaze to King T'Chaka as he spoke: "Old T'Chaka, the Ten Rings organization has already been wiped out by me.
According to our previous agreement, shouldn't we start talking about the specifics of the Vibranium trade?"
The Ten Rings... wiped out!
This single sentence exploded inside the grand hall like a sudden clap of thunder over a flat plain.
T'Challa's pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpricks. The spear gripped in Okoye's hand nearly slipped clean out of her grasp.
Even Shuri, who had been heavily immersed in the profound sorrow of a broken heart, abruptly snapped her head up, her face utterly written with absolute disbelief.
The Ten Rings! The very organization that had caused the royal family of Wakanda to twist and writhe in agonizing headaches for so long... it was just gone like that? How many days had even passed since then?!
"Mr. Arbiter... are you, are you being serious right now?"
"Truer than pearls," Peter opened his mouth with an utterly relaxed expression. "Their leader, Wenwu, along with every single core member under his command and their entire main headquarters, have been completely and utterly erased from this world by me."
Hearing these words, and taking another look at Peter and Daisy who had materialized out of thin air, the old King whose face had previously been entirely painted with deep concern instantly put on a masterclass performance of a sudden face-change:
"Mr. Arbiter, I knew you would definitely succeed!"
"As for our Vibranium trade with you, I shall take absolute responsibility for this matter all on my own! Even if some sort of issue truly crops up down the line, I will be the sole person to shoulder all the infamy and blame!"
T'Challa: Σ(°Д°;?!
Royal Father, you definitely didn't say it like this before!
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