To the southwest of Asia lies a continental landmass called Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Spanning thirty million square kilometers, it accounts for twenty percent of the world’s total land area, making it the second-largest continent after Asia, often abbreviated as Africa.

This is the ancestral home of Black people, one of the ancient cradles of world civilization—a world one-third desert, arid and water-scarce, yet simultaneously blessed with lush forests and vast, fertile grasslands.

Due to slow economic and cultural development, the general level of civilization here is relatively poor. Rich mineral resources are difficult to develop effectively, and the economic structure remains largely irrational. Compounded by extreme natural environments—either too dry or too wet—along with chaotic and unstable politics in many nations, frequent ethnic conflicts, and the rampant spread of AIDS, most countries remain mired in poverty.

Africa is the poorest continent globally; economic indices in many regions have even declined for consecutive years, characterized by low life expectancy, political turmoil, rampant violence, and vast disparities between rich and poor.

Poverty, hunger, disease, and war are the main themes in the lives of many.

Of course, these are merely phenomena in localized areas; overall, this continent is still moving toward progress, albeit at a slower pace.

The astonishing news brought to Wang Zhuo came from his friend Maimun in Abu Dhabi. This Prince informed Wang Zhuo, with a tone bordering on schadenfreude, that yet another African nation had undergone a coup!

“You have three chances to guess which country it is,” Maimun chuckled. “If you guess correctly, there will be a surprise waiting.”

“Tell me what the surprise is first,” Wang Zhuo calmly switched to a search page on his computer.

This time, it was Maimun’s turn to orchestrate the situation. He laughed proudly, “Dear Wang, don't try to get the news through internet searches. The coup has only just begun; it will take at least another day before the latest information surfaces online.”

“Oh?” Wang Zhuo showed a flicker of surprise and said playfully, “If that’s the case, may I assume the nation that experienced the coup is a small, impoverished, backward country where information dissemination is underdeveloped?”

“A sharp fellow, truly,” Maimun muttered, urging him on, “Then guess quickly!”

Wang Zhuo’s fingers paused over the keyboard. The predetermined search keywords shifted from “Africa” space “Coup” to “Africa” space “Map.” He quickly pulled up the latest map of Africa and surveyed it, locking onto a few nations known for their volatile political situations.

However, when he began guessing from the most likely candidate, he failed all three times—each guess exposing his superficial geographical and political knowledge and making him the target of Maimun’s ridicule.

“It seems you’ll never get it!” Maimun finally declared triumphantly. “That country is called Eswatini. Have you heard of that grand annual Reed Festival?”

Eswatini? The Reed Festival?

Wang Zhuo blinked, then burst into a knowing smile. This was a truly fascinating country, though its territory was rather small!

He couldn't help but chuckle, asking, “Even such a small country experiences internal upheaval?”

“Even an office with only three people has factions vying for power, let alone an entire nation?” Maimun replied. “Though, it is certainly small—only a little over a million people. Staging a coup there is like playing house.”

“But is this news important to me?” Wang Zhuo asked, puzzled. “I don’t know a single person from Eswatini… and to my knowledge, it doesn't have formal diplomatic relations with my nation. So why call me specifically to relay this news?”

Maimun chuckled slyly, “Let me explain it to you slowly.”

Eswatini is a nation operating under feudal hereditary rule. Two years have passed since the death of the previous King, Mswati III, and the succession of his son, Mswati IV.

Records indicate that Sobhuza II had seventy wives and, by the time of his death, over a thousand grandchildren, one of whom is the current Mswati, now forty years old.

Many people know of Eswatini because of its Reed Festival, and Wang Zhuo was no exception. Eswatini is a country governed by hereditary monarchy, and the annual Reed Festival in August celebrates the coming of age for young women, simultaneously serving as the King’s annual selection ceremony for new consorts.

Why is the Reed Festival world-famous? Because the maidens attending wear colorful short skirts and dance and sing bare-chested, holding reeds—a spectacle both fiery and magnificent!

Starting in 2000, political instability gradually accumulated in the country. Public demonstrations erupted one after another, with continuous calls for democratic reform sparking protests. However, under the support of the United States and the authorities’ attempts at improvement and suppression, these efforts never achieved substantive results.

The country decreed that girls under eighteen were forbidden from engaging in sexual relations, yet in 2005, King III personally violated this rule by