Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1043, Section 1039: Idol Worship (First Update)

"You're really strange." Silver Sablinova raised an eyebrow. "The whole world loves superheroes, why don't you? And in a way, someone who can cut through a heavy tank with a sword could also be considered a superhero. The whole world has seen your abilities, are you denying your own identity?"

"Have you ever seen those psionicists? You know, the ones with black collars and wires."

"Of course, their superpowers are a great help in combat, especially when it comes to predicting the enemy's location," Silver Sablinova nodded. Although those people's abilities were always chilling when they used them, the Wild Chapter still welcomed trained combat psionicists to join them. However, because these psionicists needed to consume large amounts of psychotropic drugs after each battle, coupled with the problem of drug supply in the early stages, the Wild Chapter reduced their appearance frequency until the next batch of psychotropic drugs arrived. These psionicists were all "unsuccessful" apprentices that Salomon had picked out from Kamar-Taj. These people originally did not even qualify to become Kamar-Taj apprentices because their talents did not meet the entry requirements of Kamar-Taj, and they would generally only be chosen by other schools. But because Salomon needed to build the corresponding department, His Holiness allowed him to select those spellcasters who had undergone short-term training and posed a greater psychological risk from that list.

To this end, Salomon specifically developed a set of behavioral norms, supervision systems, and review measures for these individuals. Some spellcasters who had stabilized their minds and were no longer too dangerous were assigned to various combat departments. Many of them even performed outstandingly during the Latvian Civil War, rising to become high-ranking personnel managing other spellcasters and gaining access to relevant knowledge within a limited scope.

"Does this have anything to do with superheroes?"

"Psionic abilities stem from an exceptionally active spirit, a spirit capable of breaking through the barriers of reality to draw power from another dimension. My power is the same; everyone possesses this potential, regardless of age, gender, skin color, language, or culture. Therefore, combat psionicists are no different from ordinary people, and I am no different from them, except for the difference in talent. The only problem is that their abilities may harm themselves and others, hence the need for strict control. The same applies to enhanced individuals; there is no need to treat them as some kind of superior special person. No one is inherently more noble than anyone else. To worship superheroes is to believe that you cannot do certain things and need the intervention of a powerful external force."

Salomon slowed his speech, giving "Silver Sable" Silver Sablinova time to think. In fact, he glossed over many ancient secrets, such as the blood of the Celestials, the extradimensional forces rooted in human bodies and souls that led to the emergence of enhanced beings, and so on, because he believed that Silver Sable did not need to know about the Earth's ecosystem or why humans were so special.

"I believe you've read the chapter on demystifying religion in 'The Unified Truth.' Tell me, what's the difference between worshipping superheroes and worshipping God? Aren't superheroes just the saviors from the Bible before the Council of Nicaea, only with a bit more entertainment value? Captain America could be Abraham, Iron Man could be Moses, anyone can be anyone, as long as it acknowledges the weakness and powerlessness of ordinary people and their need for external help. Idol worship itself is an admission of one's own powerlessness, a plea for something that doesn't belong to oneself. The essence of superhero worship is no different from religious superstition."

“I’ve never thought about this, and you haven’t asked the Wild Chapter to renounce their religious beliefs. I won’t force my friends to do things they don’t want to do unless you can persuade or force them—you know my stance.” Silver Sablinova shook her head. Salomon’s words gave her a new perspective, but compared to the campaigns the preachers were conducting among the people to eradicate religious superstition, she felt a sense of crisis. “We fight against the new Nazis; that’s our shared ideal, nothing more.”

"I have five minutes left in my office. I can use that time to tell you why I advocate materialism in 'The Unified Truth'," Salomon said casually, stuffing a sweet cream tart into his mouth as he ate, seemingly unconcerned about Silver Sablinova's threat (persuasion). He licked his fingers, put away secret diplomatic invitations from several countries in his drawer, and looked ready to give a lecture. "In Latvia, we teach ordinary people how to gain power. We tell them that there is nothing in this world that they cannot do with their own hands and wisdom. Superstitious people believe that language barriers are God's punishment for arrogant humanity, so the communication translators issued to every resident completely break down language barriers; weak people believe that humanity cannot challenge the heavens, but now there is a starship hovering in the void above Latvia, and the spaceport that is about to be built is called the Tower of Babel. Latvia doesn't need gods, nor does it need superheroes; we are ourselves. If Superman from the comics landed in the Soviet Union, Clark Kent wouldn't be anything special, because everyone there is Superman. Read Nietzsche and Marx; it will help you. I believe in humanity more than gods, even though humanity is weak now, I believe in human potential."

"Arrogance, that is the first major sin."

"So what? You're going to convict me with some idiotic, who-knows-which version of fan fiction?" Salomon exhaled through his nose, sounding almost mocking. "I am the judge, I am the jury, I am the executioner. Humanity doesn't need to follow the guidance of some fictitious god. At the end of the path I've laid out, humanity is god. If those who call themselves gods stand in our way, then kill them all, burn any evidence of their existence. That's my attitude towards superheroes, towards religious superstition. Despise them, destroy them. What they did, we can do too, and we'll do it better."

Silver Sablinova blinked rapidly, as if his eyes had been stung by a slice of onion. "Wow, I knew you were a bit crazy, but I didn't expect you to be this crazy. A starship? You could conquer the world with just a few missiles launched from space, why stay stuck in Eastern Europe, especially in that poor place like Latvia?"

Salomon shrugged helplessly, not telling her about the destruction of the carrier battle group. Silver Sablinova would see it in tomorrow's documents and notices; the propaganda department was preparing a perfect story, and Salomon didn't intend to bring it up, as it wasn't the focus of today's conversation.

"You're sitting right across from me now, but even you struggle to grasp the ideas behind 'Unified Truth.' If I were to do that, it would only lead to endless rebellions, a waste of manpower and resources. I came to Latvinia to stop this from happening, to cultivate people who understand me and share my dreams from a blank slate. However, you might be moving a little faster, and you and your chapter will soon face some different enemies. You have a week to prepare. After that, the Latvinian regular army will go to the Transylvanian countryside to wipe out the local tycoon's armed forces, but that's not their ultimate goal; it's just a side mission. I need the Wild Chapter to join this campaign as the main offensive force, working alongside the genetically modified warriors and the Sisterhood."

"Transylvania?" Silver Sablinova asked, frowning. "Who's in such trouble that it requires the combined efforts of genetically modified warriors and the Sorority? Has some country secretly deployed troops to a border city? Or is some separatist group receiving foreign aid and preparing to launch a rebellion?"

"I never said the problem was people. The problem I'm talking about is vampires, and vampires who can use modern weapons." Salomon picked up another crepe and stuffed it into his mouth. The mercenary was completely astonished; the word "vampire" occupied her entire mind, and she hadn't even paid attention to the news of Peggy Carter's death on TV. Salomon still remembered the vampires who attacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. airbus during the Son of the Devil incident. In the past, he could only rely on the limited manpower in Kamar-Taj to find ways to kill vampires. Now, with cannons and missiles, he could solve the problem faster and cleaner.

"That's right, vampires. Transylvania is the origin of these filthy creatures. I need a campaign to wipe out all the vampire forces there and completely eradicate those parasites from the Balkans. The Immortal City will issue special textbooks, and the Wild Chapters need to learn that professional knowledge as quickly as possible. Silver, think carefully about the future of the Wild Chapters. Those who can't keep up with the times will eventually be abandoned."

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(End of this chapter)