BXBX NOVEL Chapter 368: King To King
Chapter 368: King To King
Bangkok,
“Nice,” Magnus couldn’t help but say it after reading the big sign over the airport building.
“What nice?” Emma asked him.
He shook his head, “You are far too young to understand the complexities of our reality, girl. Be happy in your ignorance.”
(ಠ_ಠ)
Before she could retaliate, Magnus walked away. It was a fresh breath of air in a new country he’s never visited before. Bangkok was pretty westernised in some cases and not so much in others. The government clearly didn’t know where their priorities should be.
He knew that this was the era of investing in healthcare and education so that in the future they can have a skilled workforce.
But here, money was spent on the army, building new offices and stuff. What was the point when the people remained poor? This was the problem with a majority of Asian countries that were not Japan.
Magnus admired Japan, how it came out as an economic powerhouse was something to be taught for generations. But a few flaws in their society were already clear. Toxic work culture would destroy them, he reckoned.
In the United Kingdom, he was going to issue new labour laws with designated better minimum wage, holidays and benefits. Of course, it cannot be too much or else producing things will become too expensive.
“Sir, the car is waiting.” an assistant directed them.
A whole entourage of 7 cars were there, all Rolls Royce, black in colour. There was a UK and Thailand flag on the hoods. The truth was that the Thai King was more interested in Magnus’ wealth and business tycoon image than his prince status. That’s why he was ready to provide the best treatment possible.
On their way to the reserved hotel, Magnus saw a variety of things. The roads were mixed with modern vehicles and also traditional animal pulled carts. There were nice shops as well as traditional small stalls. The country gave the feeling of one stuck between two eras. The same was the case for most countries in the region.
“Why are there so many police?” Emma asked.
“Just a few days ago, a violent crackdown by Thai police and right-wing paramilitaries was carried out against leftist protesters who had occupied Bangkok’s Thammasat University. Papers in our country are calling it the 6 October event. The official statement says 44 dead, unofficially says 100.” Magnus briefed her.
She was taken aback, “The world is so strange, who needs a Voldemort when we got mini Voldemorts in all countries?”
Magnus chuckled, this was similar to what he had said at his royal crown prince coronation ceremony.
…
“Why did the Prince come here just after that incident?” A General asked the King.
“He didn’t come all of a sudden, it was planned a month ago. And it was you who couldn’t even do a little crowd control. Know this, the more such incidents occur, the less likely we are to get any kind of investment.” The King warned the General.
But the General was dumb, “Why should we worry about outsiders, as long as we control the country we can have money.”
“But the people will be poor and angry, you can’t kill everyone who raises a voice, at one time, they just won’t care as they’ll have nothing to lose. You will not have enough billets then, you will scream as they shred you to pieces. And… You’re fat, can’t even run.” The King mocked the guy. If Magnus was here he would’ve burst into laughter and given the King brownie points.
…
The next day, the official meeting was to take place. Magnus’ Dragon Service had already checked the country’s magical community. It was also done for Magnus’ security, it was, after all, better to know if any enemies were hiding.
Simple to say, Thailand’s magical community was not unified. Spread around into various smaller communities. Thankfully, they were not communists.
He sent Emma on a sightseeing trip with Adrian, while he came to the Palace with Edgar and Ted. The muggle diplomats would deal with their things while he did his own. He soon arrived at the Grand Palace, the official ceremonial residence.
The king was 49 years old, he was crowned in 1946, Magnus was somewhat disappointed in the fact that he wasn’t able to achieve anything worth mentioning until now. He didn’t have complete control over his country, there was so much violence going on around.
He was received by king Adulyadej, the man wore a military-styled royal dress. Magnus quickly checked his mental shields, and there were none. Strange for a King.
“Welcome to Thailand, prince Pendragon.” The king greeted him and shook his hand.
~So he does not know about my other identities? Hmm, ignorance is bliss… for me.~ he happily looked inside the man’s head while talking to him normally. There were the usual things, lunch, serious talks about useless stuff. The real talking would happen in their secret discussion.
With Magnus was Ted, while with the King had some random guy, a translator. Magnus started, “Do you know why I came here?”
The king was taken aback by Magnus’ way of talking to him informally. However, Magnus was going to give him the shock of his life, as he had read the mind and knew that the King didn’t really have anything against the wizards, instead, it was the wizards who didn’t give him any importance.
“Do you really not know anything about my other identity? Fine, Ted, show it to him. It’s better to start the real talk after we both know where the other one stands.” Magnus instructed.
Ted quickly took out a file from his bag and handed it to the King. There were a few things written about his identity. The magical one as well, including whose descendent he was and his standing in the magical community.
“So, now that we are on somewhat equal footing, let’s talk a king to a king. We don’t need any third person listening to us, I can speak your language just fine. Ted, take this gentleman translator outside.” Magnus ordered. His words were taken much more seriously now, as King Adulyadej also nodded.
Once they were along, Magnus rested back on this chair, “Man, you are one incompetent king, even with all your resources you were not able to bring your nation to the right path. You made the classic mistake that every other dictator or overly-confident king does, you thought you were better than everybody else.
“You tried to micromanage the country, ending up doing more harm. There is a reason why in democracies there are specialised departments and ministries to deal with every aspect. Just one person can not be best at economics, healthcare and the military.
“So tell me, Adulyadej, what is even your endgame? Are you just interested in staying the king or do you want to actually make something out of your nation?” Magnus asked him, staring him directly into the eyes.
King Adulyadej felt like he was being stared down by a predator and he was a small mouse. He gulped and thought about his next words. The Thai king was under great pressure right now, it was coming from his own generals as well as from USSR. There were a lot of communists in his country. The student unions supported communism more than monarchy, but he knew that in the long run, communism was worse. He hoped to make the country a democracy, a real constitutional monarchy, but the truth was, his generals were so power-hungry that they would not allow this, they’d rather launch a coup, kill him and seize power.
His options were limited and his status as a King didn’t mean shit right now. “I… I want the people of Thailand to enjoy the same calming life as the people of your nation. As people of other successful European nations. I want to remain a king, one who is loved. I want there to be peace and unity among the various communities.”
Magnus nodded, he took out a document from his bag and gave it to the man, “Then sign this and have everything you want. If you agree, you will be a close ally of the United Kingdom, your nation will get industrial technologies, security and trade agreements. Your people will have Visa-Free access to the United Kingdom as well, they can come and study there, get a better education, return and bring greatness to this ancient land.
“You saw Bhutan, I did all that, the nation that was suffering from poverty is now a middle-income country. Poverty is eradicated, everyone lives a decent life. I won’t promise you the same as your country is big, it has a population of 43 million. But, as long as you can bring better healthcare, education and jobs, the population graph will become better and the per capita income will increase.”
King Adulyadej looked at the document in his hand. It had the title written in big bold letters, “Proposal for the creation of the THAI CANAL”
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Give Monke Stones!
[A/N: Late today cuz I went to watch Spiderman.]
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Special thanks to *DougErNuts* *Oluwatimileyin Olayemi* *BirdRant* *Franklin Walley* *Brennan Tubbs*