Chapter 26: Meeting T’Chaka

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Meeting T’Chaka

Daniel knocked on the transparent energy barrier in front of him.

This plain-looking shield had taken him an entire afternoon to find.

While he and Carol had been eating earlier, Daniel had noticed a black man suddenly vanish at this exact spot.

The moment he saw that happen, he realized he had finally found Wakanda’s border.

Staring at the barrier, Daniel fell into thought.

How was he supposed to get in?

Punch it?

Fire a laser through it?

He could feel eyes on him.

Daniel knew people inside were observing them right now. They probably assumed he and Carol had wandered here by accident and would eventually leave after finding nothing unusual.

After a moment, Daniel made a decision.

He’d knock.

If he controlled his strength and gave the shield a few solid hits, the people inside would definitely notice and come out to investigate.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Daniel hammered the barrier three times.

Since he hadn’t exactly held back, the noise was loud enough to echo across the area.

After waiting for a while, a black man emerged from within the barrier.

"What are you doing here? Outsiders aren’t welcome."

The man didn’t bother with pleasantries.

Daniel wasn’t offended in the slightest. He smiled warmly.

"We’re friends who traveled a long way to visit Wakanda."

His attitude was exceptionally friendly.

After all, he had come here hoping to get some equipment.

Ever since carrying Carol all the way here through the air, an idea had taken root in his mind.

At his current speed, if he flew at full power, his clothes would probably disintegrate before long.

So he couldn’t help wondering...

Was there any chance he could get himself a Vibranium suit?

Clark had it easy.

The guy inherited equipment, knowledge, and experience from those before him.

Daniel had none of that.

Other than Superman’s abilities, he had to build everything from scratch.

Life was hard.

Very hard.

Still, complaining wasn’t going to get him gear.

Daniel had already made up his mind.

If the old king refused to get him a suit, he’d send Carol home first and then stay here himself.

Permanently.

With Wakanda’s strength, they couldn’t force him to leave anyway.

He’d just follow the king around every day until the man lost his mind.

Destroying things wasn’t an option.

Robbing them by force wasn’t exactly appropriate either.

So, this seemed like a perfectly reasonable solution.

"We do not welcome outsiders."

The man repeated himself.

Daniel grinned.

"But once I get inside, won’t we be friends? How can friends be considered outsiders?"

The man’s expression twitched.

"You..."

Before he could continue, a voice came through his earpiece.

He immediately responded in Wakandan with obvious respect.

After a brief exchange, he looked Daniel and Carol over once more.

"The king has invited you inside."

"I knew it."

Daniel beamed.

"I told you we’re friends."

The man ignored him completely.

He tapped the bracelet on his wrist several times, and a doorway-sized opening appeared in the barrier.

"Come in."

Daniel and Carol stepped through.

The moment they entered, a vast open plain stretched out before them.

Far in the distance, the outline of a city could barely be seen.

Thanks to his super vision, Daniel could see it clearly.

It was an incredibly advanced modern metropolis.

In terms of technology and infrastructure, it surpassed New York City by a considerable margin.

But unlike New York, the clothing worn by its residents looked... rather primitive.

It was a city where ancient traditions and cutting edge technology collided.

To the outside world, Wakanda appeared to be a poor and underdeveloped agricultural nation.

In reality, it was the most technologically advanced country on Earth.

Thinking about that, Daniel couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

He still couldn’t understand how King T’Chaka would later stand before the United Nations asking for aid.

Seriously... the man was unbelievably rich.

It was absolutely shameless.

"The king is waiting for you in the capital, Birnin Zana," the man said.

"How far is it?" Daniel asked.

"A little over one hundred miles."

"Oh, right. Let me introduce myself. I’m Daniel Danvers, and this is my sister, Carol Danvers."

Carol offered the man a polite smile.

Ever since arriving in Wakanda, she’d been unusually quiet and had hardly spoken at all.

"My name is Inaki Seth."

Inaki clearly wasn’t interested in conversation.

After giving his name, he fell silent again.

"So how are we getting to Birnin Zana?" Daniel asked.

Inaki pointed toward a small aircraft parked nearby.

Daniel looked it over.

"That thing doesn’t look like it can fit three people."

"It’s a single person patrol craft," Inaki explained. "Used by border patrol units."

"So?" Daniel asked as he watched Inaki begin activating the vehicle.

"You’ll wait here. I’ll go find transportation to pick you up."

"Actually, that’s not necessary."

Daniel suddenly grabbed Carol, who looked completely confused, and lifted off the ground.

A moment later, he hovered in the air at eye level with Inaki.

"As you can see..... I can fly."

Daniel flashed a bright smile.

Inaki stared at him in disbelief.

For a second, he looked genuinely shocked.

Then years of training and discipline took over, and he quickly regained his composure.

He didn’t ask questions.

He simply said, "Follow me."

The patrol craft accelerated toward Birnin Zana.

Daniel and Carol followed behind.

They crossed a broad river and soon approached a city built along its banks.

From afar, a flag could be seen fluttering in the wind.

The flag of Wakanda.

Red, black, and green, with the image of a black panther at its center.

It looked pretty impressive.

What felt strange, however, was the contrast everywhere around them.

Most residents still wore traditional tribal clothing adorned with bones and animal teeth.

Meanwhile, on smooth modern roads, people casually walked cattle through the streets.

The combination was bizarre.

After landing, Daniel looked around.

"So, this is Birnin Zana?"

"That’s right," Inaki replied.

"This place isn’t bad."

Inaki immediately straightened his posture.

"Wakanda is the most beautiful place in the world. We are all children of the Panther Goddess."

Wakanda’s primary religion centered around the Panther Goddess, Bast.

According to legend, Bast had once saved the nation, which was why every Black Panther throughout history inherited the mantle of the panther rather than symbols like lions, rhinos, or crocodiles.

Other beliefs existed as well.

There were followers of the White Gorilla God, Crocodile Gods, Lion Gods, and others.

However, none of those religions enjoyed official recognition.

After observing the city, Daniel came to a conclusion.

Wakanda was a very strange country.

Virtually all national resources were concentrated in the hands of the elite class.

It’s overwhelming technological superiority made rebellion from the lower classes nearly impossible.

Perhaps everything had developed too smoothly.

Thanks to Vibranium, Wakanda’s technology had advanced at an absurd rate.

But culturally and politically, it still resembled a feudal monarchy.

"We’re here."

Inaki led them toward a palace filled with modern architectural design.

Upon arriving, Daniel and Carol saw the royal guards.

Every single one of them was a woman.

Their heads were shaved bald, and they carried long spears.

Not ordinary spears, either.

These were energy weapons capable of firing powerful blasts.

The technology already existed at this point.

The members of the royal guard were selected from Wakanda’s various tribes.

In many ways, they represented political alliances between the royal family and the tribes.

Traditionally, some could even become potential royal consorts in the future.

It was a form of political marriage.

Years later, the future Black Panther would consider abolishing the royal guard system.

In the end, however, he chose not to because of opposition from conservative factions.

Instead, T’Challa viewed the women of the royal guard as sisters rather than potential wives.

If Daniel were in his position, he’d probably think the same way.

Following Inaki into the palace, Daniel finally met T’Chaka, the reigning king of Wakanda and father of the future Black Panther.

At this point, T’Chaka already had a noticeable belly.

Well, considering the royal family controlled practically all the wealth in the nation, he probably ate extremely well.

"Friends who have traveled from afar," King T’Chaka said, studying them carefully. "What brings you to Wakanda?"

Daniel answered without hesitation.

"We’ve come for the future of Wakanda."

The moment the words left his mouth, he internally applauded himself.

Pure nonsense that he completely made up.

But what else was he supposed to say?

’Hello, Your Majesty. I’m here for your Heart-Shaped Herb and Vibranium.’

That would probably start a fight before the conversation even began.

T’Chaka raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" he said.