Chapter 144: The Problematic Vibranium

After leaving the Dragon Bone Wand and the Darkhold with Mr. Fantastic, Gu Chongyan departed from the Baxter Building.

Losing two weapons at once left Gu Chongyan feeling somewhat unsettled. Although his return to his peak state made wandless magic effortless for him, the difference between having a weapon and not having one was significant. To compare it in terms of combat power, Gu Chongyan’s current magical level was roughly at the peak of planetary level. With his weapons and utilizing his full arsenal, he could reach a level comparable to a weak Skyfather—equal to a standard Omega-level mutant and superior to the standard forms of Thor or the Hulk. However, without his weapons, the inherent reliance of the Harry Potter magic system on wands—even as his own system gradually matured and became less dependent on them—still took a toll. He estimated he could only perform at the level of Loki.

Still, there was no helping it; he had other plans in mind. As his strength improved, the Dragon Bone Wand had become dispensable, offering little assistance. While the Darkhold was of high quality, its properties were too singular; though the corrosive power of the darkness did not significantly impact him, it was a case of constant dripping wearing away the stone—prolonged contact would inevitably have an effect.

Consequently, Gu Chongyan intended to forge a new weapon, or rather, an artifact. Given his current strength, items below the artifact level were of little use. Creating an artifact was no small feat, and making one that met his high standards was even harder. Had it not been for Nick Fury accidentally producing a Philosopher’s Stone, he might not have even considered the idea. In addition to the stone, he possessed a supply of Uru metal extracted from the Destroyer armor. As a metal unique to Asgard, it was an excellent foundation for crafting an artifact. If he merely wanted to make a standard one, these materials would suffice. However, Gu Chongyan held grand ambitions for his future; he could not settle for an ordinary artifact. This was why he had asked Loki for the Eternal Flame, and why he was now enlisting Reed Richards’ help to build an exploration device—he hoped to collect as many copies of the Darkhold as possible. While these copies were far inferior to the original, finding several and combining them would yield power far beyond that of an average artifact. These would serve as the foundation for his new weapon.

Beyond these materials, Gu Chongyan had also collected Adamantium. Now, the only major missing component was Vibranium. Marvel’s three great metals each had their own strengths: Vibranium could absorb energy, Uru could channel magic, and Adamantium was indestructible. Using all three to forge a magical weapon would be ideal.

However, acquiring Vibranium was not easy. Anyone with even a slight knowledge of the Marvel Universe knew that the primary source of Vibranium was Wakanda. Relying on this resource, Wakanda’s technology was decades ahead of the rest of the world, possessing equipment as advanced as interstellar spacecraft. If the superheroes did not intervene, Wakanda could easily look down upon the entire globe. Because of this, Wakanda guarded its Vibranium with extreme severity; even for a stray fragment, they would dispatch individuals as high-ranking as princes to retrieve it. The amount Gu Chongyan required was substantial—enough that even scavenging every stray piece of Vibranium in existence would not be sufficient.

With his current strength, infiltrating Wakanda to secure some Vibranium would not be difficult, but there was one entity he had to respect: Bast, the Panther Goddess. As the deity worshipped by the Wakandans, her strength was unknown, but she undoubtedly possessed planetary-level power; otherwise, she could not have held sway over Wakanda for so long.

What gave Gu Chongyan pause, however, was not Bast’s strength, but her status. Even if Bast were a Skyfather-level being, he would not fear her so long as she remained below the level of the Ancient One or Odin. But she was the faith of the Wakandan people; to offend her was to offend the entire nation. Even if he didn't fear them, being an enemy of a whole country was unpleasant. Besides, he was no executioner; he could not justify slaughtering the entire population of Wakanda just for a bit of metal. Human life was not that cheap.

Most importantly, what truly made Gu Chongyan wary was that Bast was a Primordial Deity. It was well known that the Marvel Universe contained numerous pantheons—from the Five Cosmic Entities down to the gods of Asgard, Greece, Egypt, and beyond. Primordial Deities were a subtle but significant group among them.

The origins of all gods in the Marvel Universe could be traced back to the Elder Gods. In ancient times, the Elder Gods slaughtered one another until only Gaea (the Earth Mother), Chthon (God of Black Magic), Set (the Serpent God), and Oshtur (Goddess of White Magic) remained. All other Elder Gods were consumed by the Demogorge, who later became the God-Eater. After that being perished, the first generation of Earth’s sky-fathers emerged from his corpse, giving rise to the various pantheons.

The Primordial Deities were the only group unrelated to the God-Eater. To escape the ancient wars, Chthon, Set, and Oshtur fled Earth for other dimensions, growing into Multiversal-level entities comparable to the Five Cosmic Entities. Only Gaea, whose power was inextricably linked to the Earth, remained, eventually merging her essence into the planet itself. The Primordial Deities were birthed from Earth’s elements under the influence of Gaea’s power; most took the form of animals or plants, and their power was derived from the land itself, much like the local land gods of Eastern folklore.

Unlike the Greek pantheon, which tried to elevate itself by bestowing the title of "Mother of the Gods" upon Gaea, the Primordial Deities were the ones most closely connected to her. Although Gaea rarely appeared in the Marvel Universe, as one of the four surviving Elder Gods, her power was undoubtedly at the Multiversal level. As her descendants, the Primordial Deities were blessed and protected by her. While it was unlikely that battling Bast would summon Gaea herself, harming her would naturally cause the Earth to reject Gu Chongyan.

As a mage operating on Earth, Gu Chongyan did not want to cause such a massive stir for the sake of some Vibranium. Otherwise, he would have already slipped into Wakanda and dug up hundreds of pounds of the metal without a trace. Since the covert approach was problematic, he had to consider how to obtain it openly. After much deliberation, a flash of inspiration hit him. There was one person who might be able to secure enough Vibranium for him.