The United Nations headquarters building in Vienna stood on the banks of the Danube River, its blue-gray granite exterior gleaming with a cold, hard sheen in the morning mist.
The main body of the building was a long horizontal rectangle, and the observation deck jutting out from the top was like a straight blade, slicing through the low-hanging clouds.
The United Nations flag at the top of the main building unfurled in the breeze, its blue-and-white surface forming a solemn contrast with the gray tones of the structure.
But now, this place that should have been a sacred symbol of peace was covered in a tense shadow because of the signing of the Sokovia Accords.
Outside the main building, crowds had gathered, preparing to witness the signing of this important agreement. Inside the security barriers, reporters from many well-known news outlets had already begun their coverage.
"This is BBC, live from the scene!" A blonde female reporter gripped her microphone and spoke with crisp, clear diction. "How will the agreement signed by 117 countries across the globe bring an end to the 'lawless age' of superheroes?"
She suddenly stepped aside as three sharply dressed security personnel pushed a wheelchair through the crowd, and the vibranium necklace around King T'Chaka of Wakanda's neck flashed across the camera lens, becoming the focus of the live broadcast.
...
Inside the United Nations headquarters building, on a balcony, a tall, powerful Black man watched the scene below, lost in thought.
He was T'Challa, Prince of Wakanda, the man who would one day inherit the title of Black Panther.
Today, he and his father, King T'Chaka, had come to attend the meeting as representatives of Wakanda.
Because dozens of Wakandan civilians had been killed as collateral damage in a superhero battle some time ago, they needed to act as representatives this time and support the United Nations' signing of the Sokovia Accords!
T'Challa turned around and suddenly encountered a beautiful red-haired woman. His eyes could not help lighting up.
From the woman's appearance and her conversations with others, he learned that this woman was one of the superheroes in the Avengers, Black Widow!
T'Challa thought for a moment and decided to step forward and greet her, taking a closer look at what these superheroes were really like.
"Hello. It seems neither of us is used to public attention."
Of course, Black Widow recognized who the Black man in front of her was right away. She put on her signature warm smile, took a few steps forward, and said gently, "Being watched isn't always a good thing."
"So far, you've been handling it very well." The woman in front of him was standing too close, and this time it was T'Challa who could not help taking a step back to create some distance. He pretended to casually glance to the side and continued, "But you've been doing very well so far. Considering what you experienced at the last congressional hearing, I thought this kind of environment would make you uncomfortable."
"It does…"
Although Black Widow, as an agent, did not want to appear in public for long periods of time, she had already cleaned up her public image. With her temperament, she did not really care about these things.
Now that T'Challa had misunderstood slightly, Black Widow naturally had no intention of denying it.
"For that alone, I'm very grateful you were willing to come…" T'Challa said with a hint of gratitude.
With superheroes present, the signing of the Sokovia Accords would go more smoothly, and resistance from the superhero side would be greatly reduced.
At that moment, a voice came from nearby.
"No way. Seriously? You actually believed Black Widow? Don't you know the prettier a woman is, the less trustworthy she is?"
The voice sounded slightly exaggerated, carrying a trace of carelessness. T'Challa considered himself a serious person, and he disliked that kind of tone. So he looked toward the direction the voice had come from, wanting to see which rude fellow had spoken.
From that direction came the faint crackling sound of sparks.
A portal about two meters wide opened beside them, and then a young man dressed in an elegant silver-white starry robe stepped out.
The instant T'Challa saw him, he forcibly swallowed the complaint that had almost left his mouth.
For no other reason than that he could not afford to offend the person in front of him.
Of course, there were not many people in the world who could afford to offend him!
And this person was none other than the Sorcerer Supreme!
So T'Challa put on the kindest smile he could and greeted him warmly.
"Sorcerer Supreme, Prince T'Challa of Wakanda is very pleased to meet you."
"Hello, Prince T'Challa."
"I didn't expect even the Sorcerer Supreme to attend this meeting. It seems the Sokovia Accords are already guaranteed to pass."
T'Challa asked tentatively, wanting to learn the Sorcerer Supreme's purpose for coming, whether he wanted to promote the Sokovia Accords or stop them.
Although he did not know which side the Sorcerer Supreme stood on, whether he chose to support or oppose them, he would produce an enormous impact.
If he supported them, then the Sokovia Accords would be absolutely guaranteed.
But if he opposed them, then even if 117 countries had already agreed to sign the Sokovia Accords, whether the Accords could actually be signed would become uncertain.
After all, the strength of a nation also represented the strength of its voice. Kamar-Taj, which possessed many powerful sorcerers and even an overpowered combat force like the Sorcerer Supreme, undoubtedly held a pivotal position in the international community.
"That's right. I also hope the Sokovia Accords will be signed. That is precisely why I came this time."
Harry's first sentence brought joy to T'Challa's face, but soon, he could no longer smile.
Harry continued, "However, the Sokovia Accords as I understand them are somewhat different from yours. Some of the contents may need to be revised, though the final goal remains the same."
Although the Sorcerer Supreme had clearly stated that he supported the signing of the Sokovia Accords, for some reason, T'Challa still had an ominous feeling.
Because he felt that when the Sorcerer Supreme mentioned changing "some" of the contents, that "some" probably was not the same "some" he was imagining!
At that moment, an announcement sounded from the distance.
"Attention, everyone. The meeting is about to begin!"
T'Challa took a deep breath and joked, "Let's go. The future is calling us."
...
Inside the solemn hall, representatives from all over the world had gathered. Their gazes were fixed on the old king of Wakanda, who was about to speak onstage.
The old king stood tall and wore traditional Wakandan attire. The exquisite patterns on his clothing shimmered with unique light beneath the lamps, displaying Wakanda's long and mysterious culture.
He slowly walked to the podium, gently rested both hands on its surface, and swept his steady gaze across the audience below.
He cleared his throat and began his speech.
"Honored representatives, today we gather here to discuss the Sokovia Accords.
"For a long time, we in Wakanda have quietly developed in one corner of the world, protecting our culture and traditions, as well as our precious resources."
His voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable firmness as it echoed through the entire hall.
"However, as the world changes, the actions of superheroes have brought help, but they have also caused many problems. Just as in the incident in Lagos, Nigeria, innocent lives were lost, including citizens of Wakanda."
His tone grew heavy, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"We understand that the superheroes' original intention is to protect the world, but if their great power is not restrained, then it becomes like a wild horse without reins, capable of causing consequences beyond prediction."
The representatives below nodded one after another, expressing agreement with his words.
"Though Wakanda has always remained relatively closed off, we are not blind to the state of the world.
"These Sokovia Accords are a form of regulation over the power of superheroes, as well as a safeguard for world peace.
"Wakanda is willing to contribute its strength to the stability of the world and support the signing of the Accords."
King T'Chaka's words were firm and powerful, his face filled with determination.
Thunderous applause rang through the hall, and the representatives of various nations praised the Wakandan king's speech.
"I agree to sign the Sokovia Accords!" the leader of one country spoke first.
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
Soon, almost all the national leaders agreed to sign the Sokovia Accords. However, at that moment, an ill-timed voice rang out.
"Wait. I agree as well, but some of the contents of the Sokovia Accords need to be changed!"
One country's representative frowned tightly and snapped, "Who are you? How can you be so rude? This is an agreement jointly discussed by more than a hundred countries. Do you think it can be changed just because you say so?"
But when his words fell, he had been expecting his friends to join him in scolding this rude fellow. Instead, there was no reaction around him at all, only deathly silence.
Just as the representative was wondering why, one of his friends finally mustered the courage to tug on his suit sleeve and whisper in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? That's the leader of Kamar-Taj, the Sorcerer Supreme!"
"The Sorcerer Supreme?" The representative felt that this name sounded familiar. Then, his face instantly turned deathly pale as he remembered the man's exact identity.
The Sorcerer Supreme, the most powerful superhero alive, a superhuman with the combat power to destroy nations!
Because the Sorcerer Supreme had always covered his face with gray mist whenever he appeared in public before, and because he was not covering his face now, this representative had failed to recognize him.
Now that he remembered, even though he was sitting in a chair, his legs were still trembling nonstop.
I'm cooked!
When he went back this time, his position as a diplomat was definitely finished!
The representative was about to go apologize when he suddenly realized that the Sorcerer Supreme had already left. At this moment, Harry was standing beside T'Chaka, preparing to speak.
Clearly, a small figure like him had not been taken seriously by the Sorcerer Supreme at all.
So the representative could only sit back down in disgrace, his face full of despair.
...
Harry arrived beside T'Chaka and nodded to him. Then he faced the representatives of the many nations and said solemnly, "I am the Sorcerer Supreme. Today, I speak at the United Nations for the first time on behalf of Kamar-Taj!"
All the representatives immediately quieted down. The entire meeting hall became far quieter than it had been when T'Chaka had been speaking.
They all wanted to see what the extremely mysterious Sorcerer Supreme would say, and which clauses of the Sokovia Accords he wanted to revise on Kamar-Taj's behalf.
Some national representatives were also puzzled as to why the Sorcerer Supreme had shown his face at this event.
What they did not know was that the reason Harry showed his face this time was not only because his information was no longer some great mystery to the ruling classes of various countries, but also because his current strength meant he no longer feared enemies retaliating against his family!
Seeing everyone's attention focused on him, Harry revealed a polite smile and said word by word, "Regarding the general content of the Sokovia Accords, Kamar-Taj has no objections. However, Kamar-Taj does not agree with the clause requiring the Avengers to obey the orders of a special United Nations panel!"
The moment those words came out, even though it was the Sorcerer Supreme speaking, the meeting hall could no longer stay quiet.
Many representatives began whispering among themselves.
Everyone knew that the most important part of the Sokovia Accords was that the Avengers needed to obey United Nations orders and could not act rashly. If this clause were changed, then the Sokovia Accords would have no reason to exist.
So what difference was there between Kamar-Taj opposing this clause and opposing the Sokovia Accords altogether?
If any other representative had said such a thing, they would have been attacked from every side long ago. But because the representatives of various nations feared the Sorcerer Supreme's power, they still had no choice but to speak calmly with him.
"Mr. Sorcerer Supreme, if this clause is changed, then the Sokovia Accords will have no reason to exist."
"That's right, Sorcerer Supreme. We can satisfy your other conditions, but this condition is impossible!"
"Correct. Even if you are the Sorcerer Supreme, this is no exception!"
Once someone stepped forward and made the first objection, others followed one after another, opposing him together.
This had already harmed the interests of every nation. They definitely would not agree. Even when facing the Sorcerer Supreme, they would unite and resist him together!
Harry also understood what everyone was thinking and knew they had misunderstood him, so he explained, "You have misunderstood. I am only dissatisfied with the requirement to obey a special United Nations team. After all, ordinary humans can never truly understand battles between enhanced individuals. If they hesitate for even one second before a battle, it may result in many innocent civilians being killed by supervillains."
"Then what do you mean? Are you suggesting we form a special team made entirely of enhanced individuals to monitor the Avengers?"
"You know that would be very difficult. After all, every enhanced individual is a tremendous asset to any nation. We cannot waste combat power of that level by having them watch other enhanced individuals."
"That's right. I understand everyone's difficulties as well." Harry nodded, expressing his understanding. Then the smile on his face became even brighter, and he finally exposed his real idea.
"So Kamar-Taj can help share your burden. We at Kamar-Taj can assign a special team composed entirely of sorcerers to come and monitor the Avengers, preventing them from acting impulsively!"
However, the moment he finished speaking, the meeting hall once again sank into a long silence.
Dozens of seconds later, seeing that the representatives of the many countries below had all fallen silent and given no reply, Harry asked in confusion, "What do you think of my suggestion?"
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