Web of the Multiverse - 175 (Patreon)

Chapter 175: The Quiet Council of Krakoa, Mister Sinister

“Mr. Shaw would like to meet with Spider-Man privately. I’ll take the others to Blackstone City first and get them settled in. After that, Spider-Man, please come with me.”

Megan Gwynn, who called herself Pixie, was quite courteous about it.

Peter gave a slight nod in agreement and raised no objections.

Only Venompool, standing behind Peter, muttered under his breath.

“Another private meeting? Why does this keep feeling like a job interview? Peter, want me to get you a suit?”

Pixie Megan simply pretended not to hear Venompool’s remark. She turned and led the group deeper into Krakoa.

Along the way, countless towering trees they couldn’t name stood among clusters of shorter plants, forming an exceptionally dense stretch of greenery.

The air on Krakoa was extraordinarily fresh, a stark contrast to the post-apocalyptic ruins of New York.

Walking along the forest paths naturally lifted everyone’s spirits.

Before they knew it, their steps had grown lighter. It almost felt as though they had entered a secluded paradise.

As Pixie Megan led the way, she began explaining the situation on the island.

Krakoa was nominally governed by the Quiet Council of Krakoa.

The Quiet Council of Krakoa was the governing structure established by Magneto and Professor X when they founded the Mutant Nation.

The Quiet Council of Krakoa was divided into four Tables: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each Table had three councilors, for a total of twelve.

All twelve councilors were Mutants, and every one of them was a highly prominent figure among Mutants.

The Spring Table controlled Krakoa’s economic lifeline and maintained trade between the island and the outside world.

Its three councilors were primarily core members of the Hellfire Club.

The three councilors of the Summer Table were mostly Mutants with a strong sense of justice and exceptional combat ability, primarily core members of the X-Men.

The three councilors of the Autumn Table were the most exceptional, because they were among the most powerful beings in Mutant history.

They were Magneto, Professor X, and Apocalypse.

The three councilors of the Winter Table were comparatively less important.

They represented the small faction within the Mutant community with the most radical beliefs and the most extreme methods, so their presence was less prominent than that of the other councilors.

Everyone became absorbed in Pixie Megan’s explanation.

As outsiders, they rarely had any opportunity to learn the inner workings of the Mutant Nation.

Now that they had such a rare chance, they naturally listened with great interest.

The only exception was Venom Wolverine. He seemed completely uninterested in the explanation and focused most of his attention on their surroundings. From time to time, a trace of nostalgia and emotion flickered through his eyes.

Although Venom Wolverine came from another universe, Krakoa and the Quiet Council of Krakoa existed in his universe as well.

In fact, if Venom Wolverine had not been such a heavy drinker, and if he were not so prone to losing control and causing trouble whenever he got drunk, he would have been more than qualified to serve as a member of the Quiet Council of Krakoa in his own universe.

After Pixie Megan finished explaining the Quiet Council of Krakoa, her tone suddenly grew much heavier.

“The twelve councilors once led the Mutants of Krakoa into the golden age of Mutants.”

“Unfortunately, those alien creatures from outer space destroyed everything.”

“The Quiet Council of Krakoa suffered a devastating blow. Nearly all the X-Men of the Summer Table fell on the battlefield in New York. Some died in battle, while others were transformed into Poison Hosts.”

“Even the three members of the Autumn Table were caught up in the disaster. Their whereabouts remain unknown. No one knows whether they died or were transformed into Poison Hosts.”

“Only six councilors remain on Krakoa now. The place you’ll be heading next is the private castle of one of those six councilors. Blackstone City.”

Pixie Megan’s explanation was nearly finished by then.

At that moment, the group officially entered Hellfire Harbor on Krakoa’s southern shore.

Three castles with completely different architectural styles stood in a row along the coastline, each occupying an enormous stretch of land.

Blackstone City, belonging to the Black King Sebastian Shaw, stood in the center.

To the left was a pure white castle belonging to the White Queen, known as the White Palace.

To the right stood a cold, dark-red fortress belonging to another core member of the Hellfire Club, the Red Queen. It was called the Red Keep.

As Peter stared at the distinctive Red Keep, a name surfaced in his mind.

Madelyne Pryor.

Some called her the Goblin Queen. Others called her the Red Queen.

She was not a naturally born Mutant.

She was a Clone created by Mister Sinister using Jean Grey’s genetic material.

As a Clone, she naturally could not match the original in sheer power.

Even so, among the vast number of Mutants, the Red Queen still ranked among the absolute strongest.

And because she possessed Jean Grey’s genetic material, the Red Queen also had a connection to one of the greatest powers in the Marvel Universe, the Phoenix Force.

If the Red Queen was also on Krakoa, the island’s security would be greatly strengthened.

She was probably one of the few trump cards the Mutant faction still had left.

Before long, Pixie Megan led the group into Blackstone City.

The entire structure was built from massive blocks of black stone, and its walls had no unnecessary decoration.

The only adornments were rings of faint golden energy patterns flowing through the gaps between the stones, resembling some kind of power circuit.

The first-floor hall of Blackstone City had an extraordinarily high ceiling and stretched so deep that its end was impossible to see. Walking through it gave the solemn, imposing sensation of entering the dwelling of some ancient titan.

After crossing the hall, the group did not linger. They entered the first corridor branching off from the side.

Eventually, they reached a small reception room furnished with tables and chairs. Corridors lined with doors extended from both sides.

“Please wait here for a moment. Someone will be here shortly to arrange rooms for you.”

Pixie Megan wore a perfectly measured smile.

Then she turned to Peter and spoke softly.

“Please follow me.”

Peter said nothing and simply followed her.

The two walked side by side down an extremely long black corridor. Every sound around them seemed to vanish, leaving only their footsteps echoing through the air.

Eventually, Pixie Megan stopped in front of a black wooden door. A golden pattern resembling a Krakoan flower was carved into its surface.

“Mr. Shaw is waiting for you inside. Please go in.”

With that, she stepped aside, making it clear she would not be accompanying him.

Peter did not hesitate. He placed a hand against the wooden door and gave it a gentle push.

The heavy door swung open without making a sound.

Beyond it was the same auditorium where the video conference had taken place.

This time, however, the White Queen was nowhere to be seen. Only the Black King remained.

Sebastian Shaw stood perfectly upright in the center of the auditorium, his white-gloved hands clasped behind his back. His expression was as calm as still water, revealing nothing of what he was thinking.

“Welcome, Spider-Man... or should I call you Mr. Parker?”

“Either is fine. I don’t really care what people call me.”

Peter answered casually, then closed the wooden door behind him.

He stood face-to-face with Sebastian Shaw, less than three meters separating them.

It was a dangerous distance.

If Sebastian wanted to try anything, he could attack at any moment.

The two men studied each other closely, each scrutinizing the other.

“Very few people make me wait for them personally.”

Sebastian spoke first. His voice was as flat and unreadable as his expression.

“And very few people make me come all this way personally.”

Peter had no intention of indulging him and answered in kind.

Sebastian’s eyebrow twitched slightly, apparently surprised by the response.

But he quickly realized that his own attitude had been inappropriate, and an apologetic smile appeared on his face.

“My apologies. I’ve been isolated from the outside world for too long, and I seem to have picked up some bad habits. Please excuse me.”

After apologizing, Sebastian finally moved on to the real subject.

“You’re more articulate than I expected. But Krakoa doesn’t need clever people who can merely talk. It needs clever people with real ability. I believe you belong to the latter category.”

“In that case, I’ll get straight to the point.”

Peter had no intention of beating around the bush.

“Are you Mutants developing a specialized drug against the Poisons?”

Sebastian’s fingers, which had been lightly tapping against the armrest of his chair, immediately stopped.

“Mr. Parker, where did you hear that?”

“You didn’t deny it, so I’m guessing I was right?”

Peter had already gotten the answer he wanted.

Sebastian hesitated for several seconds before finally nodding.

“That’s right. We are indeed attempting to decode the genetics of Poison, these extraterrestrial organisms. Unfortunately, we haven’t made any meaningful progress so far.”

“The genetics of Poison possess an almost unbelievable degree of adaptability. Any attack directed at a specific genetic target only works briefly. They develop resistance very quickly, rendering the treatment completely ineffective.”

Sebastian explained the problem they were facing.

But as he reached the end of his explanation, an unusual gleam appeared in his eyes.

“However, Mr. Parker, your arrival has given us new hope. The white fluid you released in the video appears to be extremely destructive to the Poisons’ cells. If we can strengthen that destructive effect even further, we may be able to create a super-targeted drug capable of outpacing the adaptation of Poison cells!”

A super-targeted drug?

The moment Peter heard the term, he understood the direction of the Mutants’ research.

Targeted drugs were precision treatments commonly used against cancer.

They worked by identifying specific genetic sequences or protein targets in cancer cells and destroying those cells with extreme precision.

Targeted drugs caused little harm to normal human cells while being highly destructive to cancer cells.

Clearly, the Mutant who had proposed this research direction was treating Poison cells as a special kind of cancer cell.

It was an interesting approach, and Peter had to admit that it was genuinely feasible.

After all, Poison cells and cancer cells really did share many similar characteristics.

However, targeted drugs had one fatal weakness.

Their development cycle was far too long.

A typical targeted drug took around three to five years to develop.

Obviously, neither humans nor Mutants could afford to wait that long.

Unless something extraordinary accelerated the process, Krakoa would have fallen long before the targeted drug was successfully developed.

Krakoa might still look peaceful and tranquil now, but that was only because the Poisons had not yet committed their full strength to attacking the island.

Once the real offensive began, whether Krakoa could survive even a month would be uncertain.

“Mr. Shaw, I’m willing to cooperate with you. As for the white fluid I possess, you can call it Anti-Venom. It’s a special substance produced when Venom combines with human white blood cells.”

The moment Sebastian heard Peter agree to cooperate so readily, delight flashed in his eyes.

But Peter’s next words immediately crushed the hope that had just risen in him.

“There’s something else I need to tell you. I found some files on the main server at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Every one of them was about Krakoa. So I believe the Poisons have already set their sights on this place. They’ll probably launch a full-scale attack very soon.”

Peter laid out the harsh truth.

Sebastian’s emotions visibly surged, but after taking several deep breaths, the turmoil in his eyes gradually faded.

“I had already expected this day to come. I simply didn’t expect it to come so soon.”

“Then we shouldn’t waste any more time. There’s someone I’d like you to meet first. He’ll be leading the development of the super-targeted drug.”

Sebastian slowly rose to his feet, then walked toward a half-open door on the left side of the auditorium and gestured for Peter to enter.

When Peter pushed the door open, he immediately saw the imposing back of a man standing amid a complex array of instruments, waiting for him.

The man was exceptionally tall, nearly two meters by Peter’s estimate.

His skin was deathly pale, and his long black hair was slicked back.

A small red diamond-shaped mark sat in the center of his forehead. His features were stern, and his expression was cold.

He wore a tight-fitting black-and-blue battle suit, with another red diamond-shaped mark on his chest.

A massive, ornate cape hung from his shoulders. Its inner lining was vivid red, while the outer layer consisted of numerous strip-like decorations resembling black leather straps.

“Allow me to introduce him.”

Sebastian pointed toward the man.

“Mister Sinister, Nathaniel Essex.”