Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1155 A Series of Surprises (Second Update)

"Oh, I think it's almost time."

The Emperor abruptly interrupted his conversation and bid farewell to the Regent, turning to look at Natasha Romanov, startling the somewhat impatient female spy waiting nearby. It wasn't just that the space scenery had become tedious after a while, but also because listening to the Emperor of Latvia always provided a wealth of new knowledge that was difficult to process. Regent Viktor von Dum was equally knowledgeable, and their conversation wasn't going to end easily. She had assumed the two, who had been chatting by the porthole for half an hour, would continue their discussion until the space station crossed the terminator, and piles of papers filled with writing overwhelmed everyone present.

"There are some people you need to meet."

"Who?"

"I made a promise to you, and I will keep it." The Emperor and Regent nodded in farewell, then gestured for Natasha Romanov to follow him and the Imperial Guard deeper into the Skysword Space Station corridor. The security here was much tighter; Natasha saw that the soldiers coming and going were all wearing the same Void Combat Suit that the soldiers from before had been equipped with, and the safety mechanisms on their directed energy weapons were all engaged. They passed through several more corridors protected by heavy weaponry and several alloy blast doors, until Natasha thought they had gone in a huge circle, at which point they stopped.

After distancing herself from the extremely imposing Viktor von Doom, Natasha Romanov regained her composure. If anyone claimed that the three-meter-tall Imperial Guard was the more intimidating one, she would certainly refute those who had never been glared at by Viktor von Doom. As for the Latvian Emperor, whose emotions fluctuated wildly, he was generally unperturbed, and Natasha Romanov knew she could joke freely as long as she didn't ask confidential questions.

"Which wish do you want granted today, Saint Nicholas (the prototype of Santa Claus)? Is it the one to make me pregnant?"

The emperor glanced at Hammurabi, but the guards pretended not to hear.

"I'm not just fulfilling your wish. You have temporary permission to open this door, which expires in two hours." The Emperor pointed to a door. Natasha placed her hand on the scanner next to the doorframe, just as she had done before. The alloy explosion-proof door slowly opened, revealing a spacious room with warm, family-style decor. There were corridors leading to various smaller rooms, and in the living room, a woman with three children and a man sitting on a sofa. A look of surprise and delight spread across Natasha's face. She recognized not only the man on the sofa but also the woman and children in the room.

"This boy, whose surname is Patton, also had a dream of going to space, so I granted his wish—but your wish is still the most important." Natasha could no longer hear the last part of the Emperor's words.

"Clint! Laura! What are you doing here?"

The emperor, supporting her shoulders, gently ushered her into the room. In her haste, Natasha also caught a glimpse of another door in the room, clearly not the only way in. However, she was quite satisfied with how her wish had been fulfilled and had no time to dwell on the details.

Natasha first excitedly hugged Laura Barton, then habitually played around with the two older children for a while, completely ignoring Clint Barton who was sitting on the sofa drinking beer. After a while, a satisfied Natasha finally looked up, a smile on her face, and asked, "When did you bring them over?"

"Nick Fury executed this plan before we departed for Seraphim, with the Guardians in full command." Emperor Latvinia glanced at the corner of the room, then smiled and shook hands with Laura Barton. "Ms. Barton, how was the journey? I hope you and the children enjoyed the food provided on the space station. We have a wide variety of dishes to choose from, including all sorts of Earth ingredients, and our chefs are from prestigious families. I recommend the French, Italian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Japanese cuisine at the officers' mess hall. The ingredients are limited to Earth; it's not easy to buy alien ingredients these days."

Laura Barton was amused by the Emperor's humor.

She is Agent 19 of S.H.I.E.L.D., an identity she retained even after marriage, and one of the few people Nick Fury truly trusts. During the Ultron incident, when the Emperor used the identity of Salomon, he spoke with Nick Fury in the Barton family barn. However, Laura Barton had never met the Emperor of Latvinia before, and Nick Fury wouldn't tell his agents such a thing; she had only heard her husband mention Salomon's name and appearance. Now, she finally connected it with the identity of the Emperor of Latvinia.

Perhaps due to supernatural powers, or perhaps due to the calm demeanor typical of agents, Laura Patton did not show any panic or vigilance when she saw the Royal Guards and the Emperor, who were much taller than ordinary people.

“Very humorous.” Laura Barton’s response was quite polite, making her seem like an ordinary housewife. However, the calluses on her fingers and the slightly sluggish movements of her shoulders suggested she was an injured field agent. “This is practically a luxury hotel in space, thank you for your help. It’s a pity Nassoni (the youngest son, currently around one year old) is still sleeping; Cooper (the eldest son) and Lyra (the eldest daughter) will definitely argue about this experience later. But I’m sure Cooper will talk about it every day, just thinking about it makes me want to know how annoying it is. Clint…”

Hearing his wife's call, Hawkeye lazily raised his beer, a gesture that served as a greeting to the Emperor. While he wasn't exactly acquainted with Salomon, they weren't complete strangers either, and he'd heard Natasha talk about their relationship. However, this wasn't the place for gossip. "Isn't this opportunity to vacation in a luxury space hotel a steal?" he grinned, only to be met with a fierce glare from his wife. "I still prefer American barbecue with beer; making me drink those expensive wines would be a waste. But the whiskey here is quite good; I really like it."

"I haven't formally thanked you yet, Clint. Standing on the side of the anti-agreement faction is no easy task." Emperor Latvinia looked at Mrs. Barton. "If you plan to settle in the United States in the future, I think providing college tuition for these three little ones shouldn't be a problem."

"This is too much," Laura Barton said seriously. Tuition at American universities is incredibly expensive; many ordinary students take out student loans and then work for many years to pay them off. Some unlucky ones even have to pay them off into middle age—it's often considered a young person's first long-term loan. For the Barton family, whose income depends entirely on Nick Fury's ill-gotten gains, while they might be able to save this money, the nature of Nick Fury's work means this isn't a predictable future.

"I owe her a favor," Clint Barton agreed with his wife, "and we're friends."

"This isn't government spending, but rather spending from my legitimate personal account—you can think of it as income from my real estate in New York," the Emperor said casually. "As the heir to Kamar-Taj, I own the vast majority of commercial real estate in New York. If possible, I'd like to write several checks in the name of trust fund dividends, since my everyday identity and my professional identity are quite different. This isn't charity, Mrs. Barton; it's reasonable compensation. Because of siding with the anti-Avengers faction, the Barton family has lost its legal status to operate in the Western world, and Mr. Barton is still wanted. The difficulties and losses caused by this need to be compensated by the beneficiaries. To put it bluntly, I am the biggest beneficiary of the Avengers' split, and I have the reason and obligation to provide compensation."

Natasha Romanov blinked happily; she hadn't expected there to be more surprises today.

"And I believe that as Nick Fury's boss, I have a reason to continue paying him after I've drained his slush fund." The Emperor pointed to the corner of the room. "Why don't we hear if he has any objections?"

"What you're about to say might be considered racial discrimination, you bastard!" Nick Fury stepped forward. "No, I have no problem with it. Laura, there's no problem with the money, you can take it. And you, Clint, remember to exercise more, you're starting to gain weight."

The Emperor leaned down and whispered in Natasha's ear, "See? I told you I like happy endings. This is delightful, isn't it? I think you're ready for the next mission."

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(End of this chapter)