Chapter 156: T'Challa

Silently sweeping his gaze across everyone present, he finally let it rest once more upon the old king.

Killmonger stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and executed a traditional Wakandan greeting.

"Erik Killmonger, son of Prince N'Jobu, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Good, good, good. Rise, quickly rise. Come closer, let me take a good look at you," the old king said with a hint of emotion, gesturing with his hand.

Hearing this, Killmonger stood up and took two steps forward.

The old king looked him up and down, nodding repeatedly, tears welling up in his eyes.

"The resemblance, the uncanny resemblance! You look so much like your father. Looking at you, it feels as though I am seeing N'Jobu from twenty years ago."

Killmonger said nothing, merely standing quietly in place, allowing the old king to inspect him.

Fortunately, the old king was, after all, a ruler of a nation and did not remain overly emotional for long. Gradually regaining his composure, he smiled and pointed toward the queen. "Look at me, I was so overjoyed I completely forgot to make introductions. Come, this is your aunt; you should greet her."

At these words, Killmonger turned toward the queen, once again dropping to one knee in a salute.

"Greetings, Queen."

"Mm." The queen nodded faintly, a trace of coldness and even hostility flashing in her eyes.

Killmonger was not surprised by this. Wakanda was a monarchical nation, with supreme state power firmly held in the hands of the royal family.

In Wakanda, male members of the royal family's primary bloodline were all eligible to contend for the throne.

Originally, following N'Jobu's death, the only remaining member of the royal primary line was the old king, and the next generation's sole male royal was T'Challa. The throne was practically guaranteed to belong to T'Challa.

Yet now, Killmonger had suddenly emerged. Even though he had returned from the outside world, according to Wakandan royal custom, he too possessed the qualification to compete for the throne.

Especially given the old king's excited demeanor, it was evident he longed to treat Killmonger as his own son.

Consequently, T'Challa's succession went from a certainty to a fifty-fifty toss-up. How could the queen possibly be happy about this?

The Border Tribe's previous preferential treatment of Killmonger had been precisely for this reason.

The queen's coolness did not cause Killmonger the slightest bit of dissatisfaction. Maintaining his usual expression, he stood up and turned his attention back to the old king.

The old king seemed entirely unaware of the undercurrents flowing between the two, and instead pointed to T'Challa beside him and Princess Shuri near the queen.

"This is your cousin T'Challa, and your cousin Shuri. From now on, we are a family, and you must get along well with one another."

"T'Challa, your cousin has just returned. You must look after him well and make sure he doesn't feel out of place, you understand?"

"Understood," the two replied in unison.

Then, exchanging a glance, Killmonger took the initiative to address T'Challa as "cousin," showing not a shred of reserve.

T'Challa possessed an equally gentle temperament. Faced with Killmonger's overture of goodwill, he smiled warmly and replied with "cousin" as well.

Immediately afterward, the old king introduced Killmonger to the leaders of the four great tribes.

With this, his identity was officially legitimized, and he became a recognized prince of Wakanda.

However, despite holding the status of a prince, Killmonger had only just returned after all, and he naturally would not be allowed to touch upon critical matters yet—such as vibranium, a strategic resource of paramount importance.

Neither Killmonger nor Gu Chongyang was in any hurry regarding this.

Once successfully embedded in Wakanda and possessing the status of a prince, gaining access to vibranium and obtaining what he desired would eventually become possible.

"How is it? Are you getting used to it? Would you like me to show you around?"

Following the grand welcoming ceremony, T'Challa walked over to Killmonger with a smile.

Clearly, in contrast to the queen who held hostility toward him, the very person whose throne was genuinely threatened was showing profound friendliness toward Killmonger.

"Of course, if it's not too much trouble." Killmonger's eyes lit up at the suggestion.

"What trouble could there be? Come with me," T'Challa said with a smile.

With that, the two men, both striking in appearance, physique, and bearing, stepped out of the royal palace.

Perched atop a mountain peak, the Wakandan royal palace was the highest point in the nation. Though not sprawling in area, its unique exotic culture blended with ultra-modern high technology made it second to no palace on Earth.

Standing together on a high observation platform bathed in the glow of the setting sun, they overlooked the intensely futuristic Wakandan capital while discussing the history of Wakanda.

Leaning against the railing, Killmonger gazed at the city before him and sighed with emotion. "Though I learned of Wakanda's existence from my father's journals, to be honest, before witnessing all of this with my own eyes, I truly couldn't believe the real Wakanda would look like this."

"Alas, what a pity..." Killmonger let out a deep sigh.

"What's a pity?" T'Challa asked with curiosity.

"It's a pity that such a magnificent spectacle can only remain hidden among the mountains, beneath a barrier."

A flicker of nostalgic yearning appeared in Killmonger's eyes as he continued, "In the past, my father once longed to share Wakandan technology with the rest of Africa, to help defeat oppressors and make the world a better place, rather than remaining tucked away in a corner like this."

"Over the years, I've served in the Navy SEALs, worked as an international mercenary, and fought in battles big and small. I have witnessed far too much suffering."

"The more I've seen, the more I've come to understand why my father left Wakanda."

"There is so much suffering in this world, yet Wakanda possesses the technology to help the entire globe and instead chooses to hide away here living its own comfortable life. It is truly a waste."

Hearing this, T'Challa furrowed his brow slightly, prompting Killmonger to quickly offer an explanation.

"Pardon me, I didn't mean to criticize Wakanda. After all, it is entirely proper for people to use their own possessions however they see fit, and outsiders have no right to pass judgment."

"It's just that I've lived out in the world for many years and endured a great deal of hardship. During those grueling days, I couldn't help but wonder: if the world had become a better place with Wakanda's help, would I have had to suffer so much?"

"No, no, no," T'Challa shook his head. "Actually, I feel the same way you and Uncle N'Jobu do. I also do not agree with Wakanda remaining so isolated forever."

"I studied at Oxford University, and I know the world is changing faster and faster. Although Wakanda's current technology far surpasses the rest of the globe, if we remain sealed off indefinitely, problems will inevitably arise sooner or later."

With that, T'Challa sighed, speaking with a sense of helplessness, "I have voiced these thoughts to my father as well, but he told me the leaders of the five tribes would never agree. They do not trust outsiders and fiercely oppose letting the outside world learn the truth about Wakanda."

"Even my father must take the opinions of the five tribes into account. Sending me to study in England back then was actually an effort to use me to let our own people experience the changes in the outside world and slowly alter their mindset, bit by bit."