Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1158 Dropnir (First Update)

When powerful spiritual energy stirs ripples in the sea of ​​the soul due to intense emotions, it often creates a colossal wave on the boundless ocean of the collective subconscious of living beings. As one of the three elements of alchemy, consciousness has always been a key focus of research for all schools of spellcasting. Many spells that can influence the minds of a group do so by instilling emotions and thoughts into the sea of ​​the soul, guiding the generation and extinguishing of emotions. People with strong spiritual power unconsciously influence those around them with their every move, affecting the emotions and thoughts of countless people with their every action.

So what is the Sea of ​​Souls? No one can say for sure. Even spellcasters with a second vision have completely different descriptions of what they observe. Not to mention the millions of descriptions in the Kamar-Taj Library, written in different languages ​​and on stone tablets, scrolls, and books from different civilizations. Almost all the phenomena observed by spellcasters are intricately linked to civilization memes.

Some describe it as a pitch-black outer space, where countless points of light from the souls of intelligent beings form a shimmering, undulating galaxy, with ferocious predators lurking beneath the surface. Others describe it as an endless, impenetrable world of mist, emitting a dizzying glow, where anyone who enters can only stumble and stagger forward, ultimately being abducted by deformed limbs emerging from the suffocating fog. Regardless of the description, whether it's called the Sea of ​​Souls, Aether, Astral Plane, High Heaven, Paradise, or Hell, all spellcasters share the consensus that this spiritual dimension is far too dangerous for beings in the real world.

"I knew this day would come sooner or later." As Kasirius got out of the car in the farm parking lot, his mood, influenced by Salomon, was incredibly heavy, as if they were about to face a life-or-death battle rather than a routine visit. "I was there when you were born, child. I know the destiny the Venerable One ordained for you is the ultimate destiny of Kamar-Taj—to grant humanity free will. Now you possess the power to fulfill that destiny, but that doesn't mean we arcane mages are useless. I can do more than this. Give me that thing…"

"What?"

"It's the thing you summoned at the UN headquarters. I know you've always carried that thing with you. I've seen the technical details and the documents written by the Venerable One. In addition to controlling combat robots, arcane mages can also control war engines."

"This is a last resort." Salomon took a summoning scroll from his briefcase. "And it's only a special model."

The giant war engines, reaching heights of over 60 meters, often require a large number of crew members for maintenance and operation. However, some special models of war engines have their crews entirely replaced by hardware and intelligent components, achieving near-complete automation. Only the control center still utilizes artificially cultivated biochemical components from fortress-type combat robots, directly connected to neural synapse sensors. This allows the arcane mage to immerse their consciousness in the surging energy circuits and volatile plasma core, interacting with the semi-intelligent operating system and manipulating the war engine as if it were their own body. Although the technological approach differs, it can be seen as a way of fulfilling Salomon's past dream of piloting a Gundam.

Kasirius took the scroll, opened it, and glanced at it. "Item summoning, creative."

Although it was somewhat expected, the way Salomon constructed this spell still amazed Cassirios. Concise, ingenious, and remarkably stable, the four-dimensional topological diagram and the densely packed mental constructs on the parchment were all created and written by him, corresponding one-to-one with the teleportation beacon numbers and energy radiation waveforms on those special war engines. Based on his more than ten years of experience as a sorcerer, Cassirios judged that creating such a scroll, from design to writing, would take an ordinary sorcerer at least two to three years to complete initially. This doesn't include subsequent calibration, adjustments, and testing—if you include the time spent designing the war engine, testing, and establishing a laboratory, the data on this scroll needs constant adjustment, then just one scroll would be enough for an ordinary sorcerer to study for half a lifetime.

"I thought you'd bring the war engine down to a toy size," he said. "That would be more scientifically accurate."

"Witchcraft is simply a science that humans cannot yet use, just like..."

"Like the science of Asgard, I know, you've said it many times." Kasirius folded the scroll and put it in his inner suit pocket, then pointed to his ear, indicating that he hadn't forgotten Salomon's idea. "Get your composure. We need to face Frigga and Odin. Don't let them see that you're ready for battle."

Starting from the parking lot, a path lined with ankle-high grass leads through a canyon and a rushing stream. Less than two hundred meters later, you reach a wide pasture. Lead-gray clouds gather on the distant mountain ridge, and the familiar cabin sits at the foot of the mountain overlooking the entire verdant pasture. The further you walk, the colder the air becomes. Salomon and Kasiris can see Frigga, dressed in her courtly attire, sitting in a chaise longue on the porch, holding a well-worn book and awaiting their arrival.

In the arcane vision, every rock and every blade of grass was etched with golden runes; even the surging waves, the reefs standing in the sea, and the seagulls flying overhead became part of the spell. The ever-flowing magic spread from the ground to the sky, like gears meshing in a massive machine, even leading Salomon and Kasirios to believe they heard the runes rubbing against each other, singing a long, mournful song in the Sea of ​​Souls.

"I suggest you accept that personal gift. After all, this house is yours, and we've bothered you for far too long." Frigga's gaze shifted from the old-fashioned book to Salomon standing on the porch. Even as inevitable death slowly approached, her expression showed no sadness, as if it were just an ordinary, uneventful afternoon. She spoke slowly, "This is a gift. The short-lived yearn for life, the long-lived despise it. Although your fate is unclear, I can still see the long future. May you find meaning in your long life. Go inside; he wants to speak with you."

Salomon nodded, walked past the recliner, pushed open the wooden door, and went inside.

Kasirius initially wanted to follow him inside, but Frigga shook her head, leaving him outside the porch, anxiously waiting for the conversation inside the cabin to end. During this time, Kasirius kept his hand near his suit pocket, a glance Frigga gave him with interest. It seemed that entering the barrier Frigga had created had caused him to lose his sense of time. Kasirius worried that the massive aerial gunship would suddenly land after losing contact, or that the missile hovering in orbit would suddenly launch, forcing him to take hostile measures—or worse, that a conflict had already occurred inside the cabin without his knowledge. This anxiety made Kasirius feel himself plummeting; he saw dark cliffs and roaring venomous dragons, ancient, petrified roots spreading to every corner of the universe, and beneath the petrified surface, a dazzling rainbow of light.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as Kasirius was about to rush in to check, Salomon, his face grave, opened the door and came out. The stench of death emanating from the dimly lit room sent a chill down Kasirius's spine. The temperature around the cabin plummeted, and the vast expanse of grass that had been rustling in the breeze was now covered with a layer of frost. Two black ravens perched on the roof of the cabin, emitting incessant, piercing cries, while two giant wolves with grey fur appeared and disappeared across the vast pasture.

Kasirius had no idea what had happened inside the cabin, but when Salomon emerged, his long, jet-black hair was braided into a warrior's braid, and he reeked of burning animal hides and blood. His once clean skin and shirt were now smeared with sweat and ash. Even more striking were his fingers; his already numerous rings now bore a new gold ring with a distinctly Asgardian artistic style. The ring's face was intricately engraved with the roots of the World Tree, dragons, and numerous war blessings written in runes. Kasirius immediately recognized it as the Asgardian treasure, Dropnir.

"Are you willing to take on this oath?" Frigga looked up at Salomon, who exuded a fierce aura. "Are you sure you're ready?"

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(End of this chapter)