hotmtlnovel Chapter 4164 is about the Supreme Sorcerer (4)
Chapter 4164 is about the Supreme Sorcerer (4)
Chapter 4164 is, The Supreme Mage (Part Four)
In his meditation room at Kamar-Taj, Strange was changing his clothes. Because the three great empires in the universe are all humanoid beings—or more accurately, most advanced civilizations are humanoid—they also have standard formal attire similar to human suits. And coincidentally, while very similar to human suits, they are actually derived from the military uniforms of the two great mechanical empires, making them far more ornate than ordinary suits. They typically feature a sash on the left breast and a badge on the right, with a sharp cut that exudes a solemn aura.
In the universe, this type of clothing is generally referred to as "Imperial Attire." However, even those who are not members of the three great empires consider it formal attire for important occasions, a kind of unwritten etiquette in the universe.
The Shi'ar Empire favored opulent colors, typically using bright red or light blue as a base, then adorned with gold or silver ribbons. Their belts were also made of shimmering fabric, and a large gemstone was always set in the very center.
The Skrull and Kree Empires, on the other hand, were much more understated. They preferred old-fashioned clothing, mostly black and dark blue, with white reserved for very important and formal occasions. Sashes were generally in the same color family as their clothing, with only subtle metal embellishments on the belts.
There are also some differences between these two empires. When both appear simultaneously, the Skrull Empire chooses warm colors, while the Kree Empire chooses cool colors, which makes it easy to distinguish between the two countries.
Of course, one can also choose to wear their own ethnic clothing. For example, when Asgardians attend interstellar meetings, they never wear imperial attire; they either wear traditional Asgardian clothing or human suits.
In fact, because human superheroes and mutants love wearing tight-fitting suits, many aliens have stereotypes about humans, assuming that all humans wear them. However, as humanity's activities in the universe have expanded, many have come to know that humans do wear normal clothing. Especially with humanity's defeat of the three great empires, and Jarvis's dismantling of their online media dominance, humanity has become increasingly prominent on the interstellar internet, leading to a greater understanding of humankind among many aliens.
Although Strange also has an Imperial outfit, he decided that when he goes to participate in the election, he will still wear the Sorcerer Supreme outfit, and it is his most frequently worn and classic skin.
There was no other way; even if it was just a formality, he would still face plenty of verbal sparring. Transmigrating as the Sorcerer Supreme would at least make the other party think twice. If they really angered him, he wouldn't be the prospective Speaker standing here, but the Sorcerer Supreme.
Strange adjusted his collar in front of the mirror, while his cloak swayed restlessly behind him. Strange quickly pressed the cloak down and said in a low voice, "Behave yourself. This is a serious occasion. Don't fly around and affect my performance."
The cloak tugged at Strange forcefully, and Strange shook his head helplessly, saying, "There's no way around it, I have to go. The beginning is the hardest, but it gets much better after a while. Besides, isn't there Schiller?"
The cloak looked helpless as well, folding the two sides of its robe together in mid-air, assuming a cross-legged posture, and shaking its collar as if shaking its head.
"Alright, get down quickly. It's almost time, let's get ready to go."
Strange beckoned to the cloak. The cloak flew down and hung around his neck. He passed through a portal and found himself in a brightly lit hall. This was the headquarters of the Interstellar Council, located on the central twelve stars of the Circular District.
This is a very special sector, where twelve artificial planets are connected by a shield system: nine on the outer perimeter and three on the inner perimeter. These three planets can be understood as the parliament building, the executive building, and the military building.
The election was held on the planet Parliament. Strange was on one of the outer planets, a planet used for receiving guests. The Shi'ar officials in charge of receiving him were quite surprised to see him arrive.
"Oh, Sorcerer Supreme, you didn't come in a spaceship?"
Strange looked at him like he was an idiot. He said, "I could just open a portal from Kamar-Taj to get here. Why would I spend half a day bouncing around on this ship?"
"Well..." The other person seemed to be at a loss for words. He smoothed the feathers around his head and said, "The main thing is that candidates have always flown their spaceships directly to the council planet. It's a campaign tradition. I'm not sure if it would be too shocking for you to just open a portal and go in."
Strange sighed inwardly. If we were to use a human analogy, the normal diplomatic process would be to get off the plane, take a car, and visit places like the Capitol Building. But Strange was essentially flying the plane directly to the top of the Capitol Building, and he did it himself. He could get there, but it was just too astonishing.
Humanity's teleportation technology is unique, and the Sorcerer Supreme's teleportation techniques are unparalleled. However, in the eyes of other civilizations, this teleportation technology is primarily for military purposes. Opening a teleportation portal directly in someone's face is tantamount to declaring war.
“Get me a spaceship,” Strange said.
The Shi'ar Empire employee visibly relaxed, a smile immediately spreading across his face. He then said, "Yes, Sorcerer Supreme, we will prepare the most luxurious private spaceship for you immediately."
Not long after, a small spaceship docked at the port of an outer planet. Strange went inside and found the interior to be quite luxurious. It looked like a spaceship from the Shi'ar Empire, decorated with a strong bird theme and feather patterns everywhere.
The planets in this star sector were very close together; Strange arrived almost as soon as he boarded the ship. The reception staff seemed quite surprised when he stepped off the ship.
"Oh, Your Excellency the Sorcerer Supreme, we thought you would teleport directly here. Nice spaceship, is it new?"
“I did want to teleport, but the reception staff stopped me. I figured there would be a lot of important people coming today, so it was better not to frighten them.” Strange spoke in a very understanding manner, but his tone was actually cold and sarcastic, as if to say, “If this can frighten you, you might as well go find a block of tofu and kill yourself.”
The receptionist wiped his brow and led Strange inside. After passing through a corridor, they arrived at an exceptionally spacious hall. The entire hall was spherical, with countless seats suspended in mid-air. With a wave of the receptionist's hand, Strange's seat floated over.
Strange wasn't stupid. Instead of stepping onto the suspended seat, he waved to the receptionist behind him and asked, "Where is my seat?"
The receptionist pointed him out and was about to say something when Strange had already flown over by himself.
After flying to his destination, he sat cross-legged in mid-air, closed his eyes, and began to meditate, looking unfathomable.
There were already many people in the hall, and everyone had been watching Strange when he arrived. Some whispered, while others openly discussed the matter; clearly, everyone had anticipated the choice of Speaker.
However, Strange adopted the demeanor of the Sorcerer Supreme, so no one dared to say anything more, and even the discussions quieted down considerably.
Humans don't appear in the council often, not because humans can't come, nor because the council forbids them from coming, but mainly because there are very few humans who are reasonable enough to sit down in the council and talk properly with the victims.
About a thousand years ago, the Ancient One came once. Of course, it wasn't because of the joint complaint from the demon gods, nor because she had damaged too much of the property of the three great empires during the fight. Rather, it was because they had encountered a magic-related incident and asked the Ancient One to be their expert advisor.
Professor X had come here once before, but not because Magneto had been robbing fleets for a month, nor because the mutants had seized the mining rights of the three great empires' colonies. Rather, it was because a special binary star system was approaching the ring sector at an extremely high speed. In order to ensure that their political centers were not destroyed, the three great empires specifically invited Magneto to adjust the magnetic field of the ring sector.
As for those who wanted to sue humanity, those who had been attacked by humanity and wanted the three great empires to intervene, and those who wanted to put pressure on humanity in the interstellar political arena, they basically failed to get humanity to come here. Back when the Ancient One debuted, the three great empires already understood that helping any civilization under their rule to cause trouble for humanity was an absolute losing proposition, so they wouldn't do something so foolish.
Therefore, many people felt a bit strange when they saw Strange sitting there. They could always find scenes of suffering at the hands of humanity by flipping through their own history and genealogy. Since the other side was already here, they should also give a tearful accusation, letting the many interstellar civilizations know how wronged they were.
But when he looked up at his own life bar and the attack power of the Supreme Master sitting in the center, he swallowed his grievances again. The main reason was that there were just too many people who felt wronged. If they were to complain one by one, this meeting would last until next year. But if they all cried together, the scene would inevitably be a bit comical.
So everyone chose to remain silent and let bygones be bygones. As an established civilization in interstellar space, they really didn't need to bother with such a hothead.
However, letting go of the past doesn't mean they've truly stopped holding grudges. If you humans are like savages crouching in the primeval forest, we naturally can't do anything about you, but aren't you just walking into a trap? Then what happens next can't be blamed on us.
Politics is the same everywhere; those who sit in these positions are not fools, but rather shrewd individuals. They understand perfectly well that force is indeed the backing of all political means. If you don't want to integrate into interstellar society, like Asgard before you, then no one can do anything about it. But if you care about interstellar reputation and want to have both profit and fame, then relying too much on force sometimes not only fails to bring benefits but can also backfire and hasten your demise.
They've waited so many years, and now that humanity has finally entered the fray, they'd be truly letting down their ancestors if they didn't seize this opportunity.
Regardless, the election proceeded as scheduled. A Skrull, dressed in Imperial attire, walked to the center of the meeting hall. His voice, translated into tens of thousands of languages, resonated in the ears of every attendee, including Strange.
After about half an hour of rambling, the election finally got down to business. First, the representatives of the participating civilizations raised their hands to vote, then the attending councilors voted, followed by the three great empires' review. Each of these three steps was more important than the last.
After all, there are hundreds of candidates here, all from different civilizations. When the civilization representatives vote, they can clearly see the number of supporters behind each candidate and get a general idea of their reputation. Those who are too obscure will be eliminated in this round.
This certainly doesn't include Strange. Putting aside the fact that his name as the Sorcerer Supreme resounds throughout the universe, many civilizations under the three great empires have raised their hands in support. The position of Speaker was originally intended for him, and the three great empires would certainly have made arrangements in advance.