Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1226 Cumulonimbus Clouds (First Update)

"His Holiness is on Mars and cannot come. If you have any objections to this arrangement, you can wait until His Holiness returns from Mars. I believe His Holiness will gently answer all your questions." Faced with the questioning, Master Wang directly retorted. He was currently too busy to deal with the trivial matters concerning the temple deacons during this operation. Mystics were on call 24/7; threats wouldn't cease just because you went to bed.

Some of the lower-ranking deacons had never seen the Emperor, only heard about his studies and compilation of laws at Kamar-Taj from others. The sorcerer Daniel of the New York Temple couldn't control his subordinates, and some fools, upon learning that this mission was led by a spellcaster completely outside of Kamar-Taj (referring to Wanda Maximov), were immediately overcome by the pride and rebellious spirit typical of young upstarts.

Immediately afterwards, Master Wang slapped the idiot who was leading the group.

The loud crash of flesh colliding echoed through the temple hall, startling almost everyone. The low-ranking deacon who had been hit remained frozen in the same position, his face filled with terror, anxiously checking to see if his head had been severed.

"His Holiness rarely gets angry, and neither do I, but you'd better not mistake this for leniency. I now declare you, you, and you unqualified. In five minutes, return to headquarters through the portal to continue learning self-control until Mordo nods." The young mage pointed at the terrified lower-ranking deacons, approaching them and staring intently. "In the past, you were merely apprentices, and Kamar-Taj treated you as kindly as possible, allowing you to concentrate fully on your studies. Now you should understand that no one here deserves special treatment unless you demonstrate your worth. Kamar-Taj has dealt with its own sorcerers many times, so you'd better understand that this is a militarized school; talent alone is not everything. Mage Daniel…"

"Huh?" The guardian mage Daniel of the New York Temple shook his head as if waking from a dream. "What did you say?"

"Are you managing these deacons properly? Should I invite others to help?" Before the old man could answer, Master Wang turned to Wanda. He knew what kind of answer Master Daniel would give; apart from the Venerable One, no one knew why this senile old man was still in that position. "He trusts you to solve this problem, so you should try it yourself. I believe he still has some leniency towards you."

"I thought Kamar-Taj would send a more experienced sorcerer," Wanda said, sounding a little nervous.

"This incident has caused a catastrophe not only in the material universe. Wanda, the Guardian of Wu Guiyue, my father, and other senior mages have to deal with another battlefield. Even those who are not involved in the battle have their own tasks, and their threat level is no less than that of Quetzalcoatl. Kamar-Taj must use all available manpower, in addition to the people guarding the temple and headquarters, even these low-ranking deacons must help."

The weariness on Master Wang's face made him look very painful.

"We still have too few people. Every year, many unsung heroes sacrifice their lives. The older generation is getting fewer and fewer, and there are almost no young people left who can stand on their own."

"He's still here, isn't he?"

Wanda leaned on the snake-bone staff, her earrings—exquisite gifts from the witch—dangling from her ears, utterly captivating. These magical artifacts, true to the witches' extravagant style, were as flamboyant as a raptor, making Wanda's long, tied-up hair appear blood-red. The young sorcerer took a deep breath, nodded, and walked towards a portal. He had received authorization from the Sorcerer Supreme to retrieve an artifact from the Sacred Relic Chamber to deal with the upcoming situation.

"That's the only consolation."

Hundreds of financial flows scrolled across the data panel, and Hammurabi rapidly processed them, his extraordinary mind verifying the numbers at a speed far exceeding that of a computer. He could judge distances within his line of sight to the millimeter with the naked eye alone, and instinctively determine three-dimensional data without the need for combat assistance systems. This was thanks to the precise calculation talent and spatial imagination that the Emperor had bestowed upon him in his genetic archives, making Hammurabi an excellent architect, accountant, and bodyguard.

"There is no problem with the flow of funds; the funds sent by the Holy Trinity Order to Peru have been verified correctly."

Maria Hill visibly relaxed, her expression becoming much more relaxed in the holographic projection.

Her report did not surprise the Guards. Nick Fury's unauthorized actions were no secret, and the Emperor's decision to grant him full autonomy was absolutely correct. Relatively rule-abiding agents like Victoria Hand and Maria Hill needed clear instructions and could only function effectively within established frameworks. An unconventional agent like Nick Fury, however, needed no framework; clear instructions would only limit his effectiveness.

But her former colleague, Victoria Hand, thought differently.

Although the Guardians' intelligence department was just one of many subordinate organizations, it held the same authority and rank as the defense intelligence department under Victoria Hand's control. This meant Nick Fury was effectively on par with Victoria Hand, while Maria Hill's rank was lower. The Guardians operated independently, and even within the defense intelligence department's Sky Carrier command center, Victoria Hand could not interfere with its operations and decisions. However, the current situation was different; she was attending a departmental meeting. Driven by a slight sense of revenge, Victoria Hand's comments on Maria Hill's report at the intelligence staff meeting were inevitably somewhat overly harsh.

Hammurabi glanced at the Emperor, who sat at the information command center. The Emperor quickly noticed the guard's gaze and nodded. The inner thoughts of Maria Hill, Victoria Hand, and Nick Fury were not beyond the Emperor's expectations. This healthy competition was still under his control, even encouraged. Different intelligence agencies must never produce identical reports; such results only indicate negligence, stupidity, flattery, and corruption. The intelligence agencies, as the Emperor's eyes, must ensure absolute purity and accuracy. Different conclusions from different information sources must be aggregated and judged at the central level.

Maria Hill argued vehemently, trying to justify Nick Fury's actions. After all, such behavior was tantamount to treason, unless pardoned by the Emperor, who possessed supreme authority. However, Maria Hill only saw a multitude of holographic projections surrounding the Emperor, layers upon layers of numbers and images piled up like clouds on a mountainside, flashes of light intertwining between the projections.

"Castro's life is nearing its end, and the expedition to Peru is drawing to a close. We cannot remain on track any longer," the Emperor spoke. Though only slightly louder than the noise of a running server cooling system, it was like a thunderclap to everyone present, including Maria Hill on the other end of the communication channel. Victoria Hand saw the Emperor open his eyes, a supernatural light emanating from them. "Ignore the Fourth Fleet's blockade; they dare not fire on us. They lack the capability to destroy us."

She noticed that the cumulonimbus clouds below the aircraft carrier were moving rapidly like vortices, with dazzling bolts of lightning striking upwards. This environment was extremely dangerous and unsuitable for landing. The coordinates of the U.S. Navy's Fourth Fleet were directly below the cumulonimbus cloud vortex, and Victoria Hand believed this might be some kind of "magic" from the Emperor.

"I will land at the Cuban airport in a grand manner with the escort fleet," the Emperor said. "Diana told me that the world's news media have gathered at the airport, and I believe this will have a rather positive political impact."

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(End of this chapter)