amaotonovel Chapter 4694 The Demise of the X Royal Family (The End)
Chapter 4694 The Demise of the X Royal Family (The End)
Chapter 4694 The X Royal Family: Demise (The End)
Because if we categorize them this way, from Homo sapiens' perspective, mutants are indeed wild animals. But similarly, from mutants' perspective, Homo sapiens are also wild animals, much like the difference between humans and chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees are far more intelligent than many people imagine. They are not only intelligent but also possess emotions. Many chimpanzees who have lived with humans for extended periods suffer from severe mental illnesses after being abandoned. Admittedly, in terms of intelligence, they are not as intelligent as Homo sapiens. However, in terms of strength, Homo sapiens are far inferior to mutants. Does that mean that Homo sapiens are just chimpanzees in the eyes of mutants?
This conclusion is terrifying. Humans know all too well what they've done to chimpanzees. If they were to categorize them this way, wouldn't it also be perfectly justifiable for mutants to do anything to humans?
"Nonsense!" one of the ambassadors said. "The difference between mutants and humans isn't that great. Don't forget, ordinary people mating can also produce mutants. How can you separate yourselves from Homo sapiens?"
This wasn't a scientific conclusion, and Sebastian also realized that their current situation offered them both an offensive and a defensive advantage. So he stated quite confidently, "This is just a politically motivated division among mutants. After all, most humans don't consider mutants their fellow human beings, do they?"
"But...but..."
The ambassador was speechless. He only now realized that this was a double-edged sword. If you don't acknowledge that we are human, then we'll separate and treat each other like wild animals, with no one letting anyone else get away with anything. If you acknowledge that we are human, then you have to overturn all previous statements that are detrimental to mutants, or else you're persecuting your fellow human beings.
In fact, many countries practice hate education against mutants. This has led to widespread opposition to mutants joining human society. If the ambassador dared to say "we are compatriots," his domestic anti-mutant supporters would not let him off the hook.
So the ambassador fell silent. Sebastian continued, "Mutants aren't entirely ignoring science; they also conduct research in ethics and sociology. Since we are indeed quite different from humans, living together wouldn't benefit either side. Why don't we establish a nature reserve to house all mutants? Wouldn't that contribute to improving average social welfare and security for humans?"
Sebastian's meaning was essentially: "We'll take a loss, live on just one island, and let everyone keep to themselves and make do."
His words did indeed sway many ambassadors, mainly those from smaller countries. Smaller countries aren't as wealthy as larger ones, and the social welfare and security issues arising from mutants have always existed. This is a significant burden for many small governments. They would be happy to get rid of this burden.
“I have a question,” the Chinese ambassador suddenly asked, “Will you force all mutants to go to Clarkia?”
“Of course not,” Sebastian said. “We can’t force them. If mutants consider their birth country their home, and that country accepts and cares for them, providing them with the same civil benefits, then there’s nothing we can do to force them to come to Clarkia.”
"But I've heard that the Flower of Krakia that you're promoting isn't just a medicine, but also a portal initiator?"
Sebastian pondered for a moment. He figured the Chinese ambassador meant they wanted the medicinal properties of the Krakia Flower, but not the teleportation portal. He thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps we can extract the medicinal components of the Krakia Flower and make it into a simple potion without any teleportation effect. However, whether this is feasible, we need to consult with experts within the mutant community."
The Chinese ambassador nodded and asked no more questions. With him setting an example, the other four permanent members of the Security Council also began to raise questions, but unlike before, they were no longer inclined to find fault; instead, they began to inquire about the feasibility of implementing the plan. For example, they asked about the delineation of nature reserves, especially the territorial waters, how the foundation would be established, who would oversee it, and how to resolve any problems that arose within the nature reserves.
Sebastian himself found it absurd. How could such an utterly ridiculous plan have been implemented? How could a mutant objectify himself as a wild animal and then lock himself up in a nature reserve? It was simply incomprehensible!
But then Sebastian thought again, "What kind of nature is a human nation? Isn't it just a nature reserve that humans have created for themselves?"
Humans are no different from other social animals. They need society, territory, and resources. And to obtain these, they establish nations. Mutants are the same; they also need these things, so they also want to establish a nation.
However, the truth is that acquiring these things doesn't necessarily require establishing a nation. It's just that every human race follows the same path of nation-building, and mutants, born from human society, have developed a path dependency, believing they must have a legitimate nation. But in reality, the things that can be obtained through a nation—including society, territory, and resources—are the most important. Whether these things are manifested as a nation is irrelevant, as long as one can possess them.
Establishing a nature reserve means they will have a territory. Living together will inevitably lead to a society. As for resources, mutants don't have a high demand for Earth's resources, and Clarkia can meet their needs. With all these needs met, whether or not they have the appearance of a nation-state is unimportant. In fact, not having the guise of a nation-state might even give them more freedom.
After all, you can impose a 1600% tariff on another country, but you can't tax chimpanzees. Of course, some eccentric presidents aren't incapable of doing such a thing. However, taxing nature reserves will inevitably face greater political and public opinion resistance than taxing enemy countries, because they are disguised under the guise of environmental protection.
Environmental protection is a weapon that humans can use, and so can mutants. In fact, mutants wield it far more effectively than humans, as many mutants possess the ability to manipulate plants and natural resources. They could leverage their advantages to become academic power brokers in the natural sciences and biology communities, gaining control over the discourse on environmental issues. This would also allow them to manipulate international public opinion and elevate their own status.
After the meeting, Sebastian knew that the plan was likely set in stone. Now, only some details needed to be discussed to complete the establishment of the nature reserve and the foundation.
However, he rushed back to Clarkia as soon as possible because he knew that abandoning the nation-building effort would likely put Magneto under immense internal pressure. After all, everyone had worked so hard for so long to establish the nation, and to give it up voluntarily would certainly cause discontent among many. Even Professor X might not be able to suppress it.
But upon returning to Krakia, everything was quiet. Sebastian found Magneto in the royal court, where Magneto was leisurely drinking tea. Seeing Sebastian approach, Magneto gestured for him to sit down.
"What happened?" Sebastian asked. "Didn't those guys cause a scene?"
“Nathaniel is gone. It’s good that he’s gone,” Magneto said. “The White Queen is still helping Professor X recover and doesn’t know about this yet, but I don’t think she’ll cause a scene.”
“How could that be!” Sebastian exclaimed. “If that crazy woman knew the country had become some kind of nature reserve, she would go insane!”
Schiller, standing beside him, shook his head and said, "Do you know what it means to have an island that isn't a country but can engage in free trade?"
Sebastian blinked; he hadn't actually thought of it that way before. But as soon as he did, his eyes lit up. "...A duty-free zone?!"
Schiller smiled and nodded. "Magneto and Professor X have decided to move Clarkia to the high seas and build a large deep-water port there as a trading hub. All goods leaving and entering the port here will be subject to little or no tax."
Sebastian jumped to his feet and exclaimed, "Then wouldn't this be the largest duty-free trade zone on Earth?!"
“That’s exactly right,” Schiller said.
“But isn’t that illegal?” Sebastian said. “Isn’t this equivalent to circumventing tariffs in various countries? Other countries won’t agree to that, will they?”
“I really don’t know what you’re so obsessed with regarding legality,” Schiller said, shaking his head. “What ‘duty-free trade zone’? It’s just the world’s largest smuggling base. I’ve only ever heard of smuggling being illegal, never that it’s not profitable. As long as the trade business is handed over to the Hellfire Group, what could the White Queen possibly be unhappy about?”
"Satisfied, extremely satisfied!" Sebastian exclaimed excitedly. "Does he still stand by his promise to let me return to Hellfire Group?"
"That's not all, Sebastian. To thank you for your outstanding performance at the United Nations General Assembly, we've decided to put you in charge of the port of Krakia. You can take office once the port is completed."
Sebastian slammed his fist on the table in excitement.
Everyone knows how much profit can be made at a port. Especially since this is a completely duty-free smuggling port. As long as the price he asks for doesn't exceed the tax, the other party will definitely be willing to pay.
Moreover, even without engaging in smuggling, simply serving as a transit point on the high seas would attract countless ships willing to dock and resupply. They could make a fortune just by selling resources or providing services.
Furthermore, while Clarke is indeed not a suitable place for ordinary people to stay for extended periods, seafarers don't need to. They simply need to get some fresh air during cargo voyages. Seafarers on ocean-going freighters from various countries are well-paid, have money to burn, and are always very generous when they disembark. Just taking money from them is a substantial income.
What's even better is that with mutants around, crime is hard to breed here. Ordinary people, gangs, or pirates have no place to survive here. Instead, it becomes a rare peaceful corner on the perilous high seas.
Regarding mutant crime, Schiller's initial question, seemingly about law and order, was actually a test of Magneto and Professor X's attitudes towards mutant crime. Now it seems there's little to worry about; Professor X will guide them properly and help them reform willingly.
Given this, mutants could easily become a crime-free gang. Their main income would come from acting as a smuggling hub on the high seas, while also providing docking and lodging services. Either of these would be more profitable than selling the Flower of Krakia.
"Believe it or not, we truly hope that the Flower of Clarkia can heal more humans," Magneto said, looking at the flower in Schiller's hand. "We came up with this plan with good intentions."
“The goodwill is not the problem,” Schiller said. “The key is the means to achieve it. This plan can help you spread goodwill better, and more importantly, help ordinary people who really need the flower of Krakya.”
Magneto looked at him, and Schiller waved the flower in his hand before saying, "In most countries, smuggling is the only way for most ordinary people to access this miraculous drug. Freedom from government control means no monopoly, and no tariffs mean lower prices. Believe me, many terminally ill ordinary people will thank you."
The X Royal Family was divided into several smaller units, and there are more to come.