Ke Xue: I picked up a bottle of sherry at the beginning.

Ryoko quickly opened the information:

"Heh, the underground resources of the Mewat Kingdom are very valuable. They're said to be a treasure trove of rare metals."

"What do you mean by very valuable, based on current market prices?"

"About three trillion dollars."

"Wow, that's indeed... a lot"

Three trillion US dollars is an astronomical figure for ordinary people, and it has no real meaning at all. However, if it is true that there are extremely valuable rare metals underground, no one would do anything untimely like criticize or interfere with the Mewat Kingdom's system, no matter how big the flaws are.

"Speaking of the Kingdom of Mewat, it seems like a rather outdated absolute monarchy, right?"

"correct."

"They're called 'rare metals' because they're so rare. That's pretty self-explanatory based on the literal meaning of the Chinese characters, right?"

"So, what are the rare metals?"

"First, platinum."

"I understand that, too."

"Tungsten, nickel, cobalt, chromium, vanadium..."

For some reason she spoke faster and faster:

"Titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, gallium, indium, thallium, germanium, rhenium, scandium, yttrium, lithium..."

"Hey, wait a minute!"

"what's wrong?"

"What kind of spell is this?"

"I'm naming the rare metals one by one."

"Please stop joking."

“So we need to investigate.”

Ryoko held a mint chocolate flavored ice cream in her right hand and threw a honey milk flavored one to Shiraizumi with her right hand. Shiraizumi had no choice but to catch this sweet and cold "ball" from the air.

"What are you investigating? The Mewat royal family itself is shrouded in a dark cloud right now."

While eating the premium ice cream that was highly praised by gourmets, Her Majesty began to narrate:

Originally, the Mewat Kingdom was ruled by the royal family for six hundred years, and the current king, Vikraram II, is the 123th king.

Roughly speaking, the country is located to the east of India, with a slight border there. More specifically, it is situated in an area bounded by the Himalayas to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the south, the Ganges River to the west, and the Burmese Plateau to the east.

It's not a very large country these days, larger than Kyushu, Japan, but smaller than Hokkaido. With a population of approximately 1.5 million, the Kingdom of Mewat was formally a protectorate of the British Empire as it expanded across India and the Asian continent. However, it still adhered to Theravada Buddhism and retained internal autonomy.

After World War II, the Kingdom of Mewat regained its independence, but saw no substantial changes. Although it joined the United Nations, it mostly accepted aid rather than paying its fair share of the burden, making it a classic example of a backward nation. Furthermore, its "backwardness" was compounded by its lack of a constitution, parliament, elections, or freedom of speech, leaving it completely entrenched in a medieval state.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, this country has undergone a dramatic transformation. Multinational corporations keen on developing Southeast Asian resources have extended their exploration efforts slightly westward, unexpectedly discovering vast veins of rare metals beneath the Kingdom of Mewat. For centuries, the people of Mewat have lived atop a priceless treasure trove, cultivating barren lands.

The desires of developed countries and other major powers, including Japan, were aroused. The 21st century was an era of resource scramble among nations, and everyone was vying to curry favor with the Kingdom of Mewat and establish friendly relations.

Political problems arose in this way. At this time, Rudra III of Mewat was determined to transform Mewat into a developed modern country in terms of both political and social forms.

Regardless of the actual situation, at least in form, he invited American advisors and prepared to completely overhaul the system of constitutional democracy. He drafted a constitution, established a parliament, and took steps to allow the establishment of political parties and freedom of speech. He even abolished the long-standing practice of mixing state assets and royal property, establishing a strict separation between the two.

The direction of these reforms was positive in every respect. If successful, Rudra III would surely have gone down in Mewat history as a wise ruler. However, he may have been a bit too hasty. The discontent of the conservative faction opposed to the reforms seethed like molten lava, with the king's younger brother, His Highness Vikram, as the most prominent figure.

Thus, three years ago, a tragedy that shocked the world occurred in the Kingdom of Mewat.

Rudra III's birthday fell on August 1st, and the royal family gathered at his summer palace high in the Himalayan foothills. That evening, the palace resounded with the crackle of gunfire—not just one or two rounds, but bursts of automatic rifle fire.

On August 2, the Mewat Kingdom government issued a public statement that King Rudra III had passed away and his younger brother Vikram had declared himself the successor.

According to public statements, Rudra III's eldest son, Crown Prince Kradi, had been a heroin addict and had always been dissatisfied with his father's strict discipline. On that day, he shot and killed his entire family with his own automatic rifle, then turned the gun around and committed suicide, dying from a head explosion.

The royal family members killed in this tragedy included:

King Rudra III and his wife

The King's eldest son, Crown Prince Claudius and his wife, and their eldest son and daughter

The king's second son, Prince Jondiru, and his wife, and their two eldest daughters

The King's eldest daughter, Princess Runalakshumi, and her husband, and their eldest son

Princess Manimadi, the king's second daughter

The king's third son, Prince Pradhapuram

Fourteen people died in total, meaning that all of the king's immediate family members were killed.

Meanwhile, his brother Vikram and his family, including his wife, two sons, and three daughters, were all safe and sound. It was said that his wife had accidentally hit her right little toe while dodging, sustaining a minor bruise that healed in three days.

Upon his accession to the throne, His Royal Highness, Prince Vikram II, became King. His wife became the princess, and his eldest son, Janka, became the Crown Prince, concurrently serving as Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. His second son, Prince Gadka, became Minister of the Interior, overseeing the police. The King also served concurrently as Prime Minister, a position he would eventually cede to the Crown Prince.

The American advisor hired by former King Rudra III was a rather rebellious international political scholar, and he was also dismissed and expelled from the country.

"We, the people of Mewat, have a strong sense of national pride and do not need the Americans to instill in us any constitution."

Vikram II's statement doesn't necessarily mean he's anti-American. He gave American companies priority in mining and exploration rights for rare metals, acquired a large quantity of weapons in exchange for strengthening the 15,000-man Mewat Army, and, under the guise of funding counter-terrorism activities, received substantial donations from US government-affiliated corporations and institutions.

Even so, international opinion remained indifferent, while Vikram II continued to act recklessly at home. He jailed supporters of the former king, executed leaders of the pro-democracy movement, and built a vast palace so extravagant that he even had a gold-encrusted toilet.

"A bloody palace revolution and usurpation of the throne..."

Bai Quanyi couldn't help but sigh.

"It doesn't seem like something that would happen in the 21st century."

"So what do you think should happen in the 21st century?"

"This one……"

"How about sightseeing trips to Mars, flying cars, building underwater cities at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and establishing a world federation?"

Ryoko listed a number of examples that were common in science fiction novels in the past.

"Come to think of it, I often heard stories like 'flying cars' when I was a kid, but nowadays I rarely hear them."

"Even in the 21st century, the only things that have seen significant improvements in performance are surveillance cameras, cell phones, and cluster bombs. Look!"

Having said that, Ryoko suddenly stared at the half-eaten ice cream in Shiraizumi's hand.

"what happened?"

"I want to taste your ice cream too, let's trade!"

"Alright alright."

Baiquan Yi handed the ice cream to Ryoko, and then took the half-eaten ice cream from Ryoko. The so-called exchanging of flavors really felt like a couple.

Outside the window was a purgatory-like summer day with the lingering heat raging, but Bai Quanyi was alone with a beautiful woman in an air-conditioned room, enjoying high-end ice cream. It looked like a paradise in every sense.

However, the Kingdom of Mewat was indeed a problematic country.

After all, it has rare metals worth three trillion US dollars. If all the governments around the world were to gather together, it would probably be enough to form an artificial lake.

Bai Quanyi threw the cup of ice cream into the trash can and asked casually:

"So when did you first start paying attention to the Kingdom of Mewat?"

“It’s not targeting Mewat Kingdom directly, but through APC.”

"APC?"

"Anglo Pacific Corporation, APC for short."

This is a giant international conglomerate headquartered in Silicon Valley, USA, with capital of $5 billion and annual revenue of $75 billion. Its operations include the extraction, sale, and distribution of underground resources, as well as energy and civil engineering. Its primary commodities include oil, coal, natural gas, uranium, iron ore, gold, diamonds, and, of course, rare metals. It also engages in the construction of hydropower dams, roads, power plants, and pipelines. In recent years, the conglomerate's ties with the Kingdom of Mewat have significantly strengthened.

"APC's activities cover all areas of the Pacific Rim. Its main locations are Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Santiago, and Mumbai..."

"Tokyo?"

"Of course there's Tokyo too. Hey, what do you think, Izumi?"

"Maybe it's my bias, but in my opinion, this group is full of the strong smell of power and money transactions."

"It's not prejudice. The APC has bribed politicians in over forty countries, and it's said there are over ten thousand of them. And..."

"besides?"

"Since World War II alone, there have been over thirty coups and power grabs involving them."

"oh oh……"

Many years ago, in Laos, Southeast Asia, a group of Laotian desperadoes joined forces with the Americans to seize power. Equipped with a large number of weapons, they were quickly captured by the US government just as they were about to launch an attack. Shortly thereafter, Australian companies discovered large gold deposits in Laos. The use of private armies by large resource development companies to provoke coups is not uncommon in history, whether in Africa, the Middle East, or Southeast Asia.

“So, the coup in Mewat Kingdom three years ago was also related to the APC?”

"Well..."

Ryoko's eyes gleamed with an eerie light—a midnight rainbow, perhaps? Though brimming with a sinister desire for destruction, they shone like a cursed gem bathed in moonlight. I heard Ryoko recently sold a large sum of IT company stock at a high price; military funds for sabotage activities would likely be plentiful.

As a shareholder in an IT company, Ryoko is both cold-blooded and ruthless. She seems to possess an unearthly intuition, always able to detect the peak price of her stocks and sell them in one fell swoop, reaping enormous profits. After selling at a high price and retreating to safety, she enjoys the plummeting stock price with a glass of gloating wine—a true witch's hobby.

"For those idiots who believe stock prices will keep rising, there are even worse lessons waiting for them. Oh, ha ha ha, why not let them experience the cruelty of capitalism so they can spend the rest of their lives firmly in the cracks of the world."

Bai Quanyi said speechlessly, "You're manipulating the stock price. This isn't capitalism being cruel, it's you who's more cruel!"

Ryoko said nonchalantly:

"Oh, are you saying I'm manipulating stock prices? What goes up must come down, what thrives must fall, that's the truth of the world. Babylon fell, Rome fell, and sooner or later, Japan will too!"

This is a bit exaggerated, Bai Quanyi just said it casually.

"Hmph, a country that doesn't teach elementary school students the joy of creating value, but instead teaches them to play the game of stock trading, is bound to decline."

"So you're profiting from the country's decline while contributing to its decline?"

Ryoko wasn't moved by this bit of irony.

"Yes, it kills two birds with one stone. The more a country is in decline, the more opportunities there are to exploit."

What to do after taking advantage of these opportunities - there is no need to ask such questions. The country and power are just the witch's toys.

"Oh, don't worry, Izumida-kun. If I were to gain full power over life and death in this country, I wouldn't be any worse than the current Prime Minister no matter how I mess around."

At this time, there was another knock on the door, and Sato Miwako walked in:

"Well, Inspector, the thing you mentioned is already prepared. I brought it here."

"Thank you, Sato Miwako. Then you can put on today's stickers first."

"Ok."

Ryoko had no intention of explaining this to Shiraizumi Masu, and he had no intention of interfering, so he just observed silently. Sato Miwako walked over to the calendar on the wall and pressed her right hand on today's square. Unexpectedly, a terrifying skull sticker appeared.

"Hey, Sato, this is..."

Shiraizumi Mashi couldn't help but ask, and Sato Miwako showed me a skull sticker about an inch thick in her hand.

"I made this on the computer. From today until His Royal Highness leaves Japan, you have to post one every day."

"They all need to be posted..."

"His Highness Gadega..."

As her slender fingers turned the pages of the document, Ryoko's smile, like a midnight rainbow, appeared again.

"If he really could leave Japan safely, oh, who would be crying in secret?"

The sky outside the window darkened, and a flash of lightning flashed across the sky. The atmospheric conditions were extremely unstable, and a thunderstorm seemed imminent.

Amusement park trip

By eight o'clock in the evening, the sky had completely darkened, and the temperature was still above thirty degrees Celsius. The vast city of Tokyo continuously radiated a swelling heat into the night sky. The Meteorological Agency predicted that tonight would be a night comparable to the tropics. The sky was cloudy, and the clouds reflected the nighttime streetlights, casting a reddish shadow on the ground.

His Highness Gadja, the second prince of the Kingdom of Mewat and the Minister of the Interior, has a typical South Asian appearance, tan skin, and a mouthful of snow-white teeth. He visits Zenad Paradise in Tokyo.

This was his second day in Japan.

From Monday to Tuesday, the prince will be meeting and conferring with a steady stream of politicians and business leaders, including the prime minister. On Wednesday, he'll visit the Emperor and his family, then take the Shinkansen to Kyoto on Thursday. He'll then visit Nara, and finally return home via Kansai International Airport—this is his itinerary. As a fellow Buddhist nation, he seems to have a keen interest in Buddhist art and temple architecture. If that's the case, he's a step above the Japanese Foreign Minister, who reads nothing but manga.

Prince Gadjia, who is 31 years old and still single, has a face as clear as a sculpture, a high nose bridge, straight eyebrows and lips, eyes as deep as obsidian, and a slender figure and well-proportioned body like a first-class athlete.

Such a talent, as the second in line to the throne of a country, with a net worth of three trillion US dollars, is simply the ideal image of a prince.

Yakushiji Ryoko received an invitation from Prince Kadeja as a reward for the loan of Zenad Paradise. Ryoko took it for granted and ordered Shiraizumi Masu to accompany her on the journey.

Not only Ryoko was invited, but Prince Kadejia also had a good impression of the Japanese media and invited a group of people from the media.