Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1254 (Second Update)

Once the distance becomes too great, the speed of information transmission becomes very slow.

Just as atomic data storage devices gradually lose electrons, human physical perception also becomes sluggish and incomplete. At least for the people on the Tianjian Space Station, receiving information from low Earth orbit is much slower than receiving information in the Kobo I belt. To Earth, a behemoth twenty kilometers long is quite terrifying, but this scale seems rather insignificant in space. Perhaps for this reason, all the early ground operations seem to have been aimed at keeping the target away from Earth.

The aftershocks of the battle between the Emperor and Quetzalcoatl are still visible to the naked eye, but without the aid of the space telescopes tracking the battle, even the most discerning eye can only perceive a blurry flash and occasional bursts of golden explosive rays. Using probes and space telescopes borrowed from extrasolar experiments, astronomers on the SkySword space station meticulously analyzed the collected information, revealing the details of the battle in a way that humans can understand.

The reason for using "methods understandable to humans" is that this is not a battle confined to the material universe, but a life-or-death struggle involving willpower, physical strength, mental fortitude, and arcane knowledge. The abilities displayed by the Emperor and Quetzalcoatl far exceed the limits of what ordinary humans can imagine. The Koboi Belt is filled with icy asteroids ranging from several kilometers to thousands of kilometers in diameter, and the number of Koboi Belt objects recorded within the Sky Sword Space Station far exceeds the number known to humans on Earth. This is the current end point of humanity's journey, and the future will be its beginning; all the scientific professionals within the Sky Sword Space Station are confident of this.

However, they disagreed with the emperor's actions and even lamented the data they deciphered. Many Koboi Belt microstars suffered devastating damage; a vast amount of information containing the secrets of the early formation of the solar system was stripped from their orbits by Quetzalcoatl's giant wings or simply incinerated by the golden beam. Optimistically, in the coming decades, humanity will observe hundreds of previously unrecorded comets, while simultaneously losing records of some.

Astronomers at the SkySword Space Station have already started naming asteroids after themselves, completely disregarding the possibility of a comet colliding with Earth. For Latvinia, however, this is hardly a crisis. Many of the atomic weapons previously manufactured by the Immortal City have become obsolete due to technological and material limitations, resulting in manufacturing processes and component materials that do not meet current safety standards. Maintenance would require substantial costs and manpower, making it more efficient to launch them directly to collide with comets or transport them to Mars to blast open rock layers and mine mineral veins.

Steve Rogers gripped his shield tightly as the astronomer began to analyze the battle's impact on the Kobo Belt. This was indeed a battle beyond the comprehension of most humans. Even after awakening and beginning his studies, even with the astronomer's tireless explanations of certain astronomical phenomena in plain language, he still couldn't understand the meaning of those numbers.

Sam Wilson was the same; although he had been a member of the U.S. Air Force, that didn't mean he needed to learn the concept of astronomical units (AUs). Having lost the most direct visual impact, he was already yawning. Natasha Romanoff, however, was different. As a highly educated agent, she was very clear about the concept of AUs. That was a standard unit established after 2012, 149597870700 meters. Multiplying this number by 40 to 50 times gave them the distance to the Koboye Belt and their location, as well as the distance between the Emperor and Quetzalcoatl.

Wealth, power, and personal connections on Earth are of no help in this battle.

"Faster-than-light travel," Natasha Romanov suddenly said to Mabas on the bridge command seat. She scanned the Sky Station bridge and, unsurprisingly, found no researchers present except for those from Latvinia and the Martian foundry; the Wakanda were completely excluded from the station. "You possess faster-than-light travel technology."

"To be precise, he owns it, not us. Although he'd love to popularize this technology, getting technicians to understand and manufacture it is another matter entirely," Marbas said leisurely, tapping the armrest of his chair with his steel fingers. Compared to his initial excitement and tension, the Martian High Sage was now quite relaxed. His contract with the Emperor involved tens of thousands of unknown ancient oaths and new clauses. As part of the deal, he and the Emperor each gained and lost. As a special being who knew the Emperor's secrets, he felt none of the tension found in ordinary people, because he knew what power the Emperor would gain after unlocking the Stigmata and the Holy Sword. "Didn't he tell you that he was a pirate in the galaxy?"

"That's impossible, he's so young."

"Time is not a concept but a phenomenon, madam. We have many ways to manipulate time." Although his facial expression had been replaced by an iron mask, Mabas still conveyed a hint of sarcasm through his human-like voice-emitting device and deep green bionic eyes. He had summoned these people to the bridge purely because of the Emperor's request, not his true will. "And I don't believe he would be completely honest with anyone. Even I cannot fully gain his trust, let alone mortals like you."

"I know I need more data."

Viktor von Doom ended his encrypted conference call with Victoria Hand and Stephanie Malik, refocusing on his work. Only a few regions remained unaffected by this global natural disaster, one of which was Latvia, bordered by the sea on two sides. This was certainly not a natural phenomenon, given that the Balkans lie on the Mediterranean-Himalayan seismic belt, with both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea experiencing varying degrees of earthquake impact and facing the risk of tsunamis at any moment.

Along this earthquake zone, many volcanoes that should have been dormant suddenly awoke and erupted, but the Balkan Mountains remained eerily quiet, showing no signs of activity, and the excessive rainfall that was everywhere seemed unable to reach Latvia. Even so, Victor von Doom still faced post-disaster administrative tasks such as volcanic ash brought by the monsoon, soaring river levels, and the risk of tsunamis. However, what worried him even more was the battle taking place in the Koboj Belt. If the Emperor were to lose, everything he was doing now would be meaningless. He desperately wanted to help the Emperor, but reality and the Emperor's orders prevented him from doing so.

After a while, Victor von Doom finally couldn't hold back any longer. "The planetary defense system is activated; those temple deacons can handle their missions on their own." The communication grille on the iron mask buzzed. He irritably removed the mask, revealing his handsome face of mixed Gypsy and Yugoslavian descent. "Teacher, why are you still here? He needs your help; he needs victory to keep everything going!"

"He could have won on his own." The Sorcerer Supreme shook his head dismissively. "He was less than ten years old when you left Kamar-Taj, so you naturally didn't understand the talent he displayed."

"I have witnessed his abilities, Venerable One."

"But not all. Your knowledge is too limited; you don't understand what a Stigmata is."

“Few people can say that,” Victor von Doom said, brushing his sweat-dampened hair back. “Then why are you here again? This has caused quite a stir in the castle. If you hadn’t brought two Royal Guards, the Black Armor Guards might have opened fire! Do you know what that means?”

The Sorcerer Supreme flicked his finger, his expression relaxed, as if breaking through his disciple's spell to teleport from Kamar-Taj to Latvia was no big deal. "I'm here simply to maintain the magic he left behind, to minimize natural disasters, and to allow you to focus your attention elsewhere. He values ​​your administrative abilities, so he wants to ease your burdens. Of course, this is only part of my previous work; I'll soon be moving on. He wants me to remind you that temporary compromise doesn't mean defeat. Agreements can be torn up at any time, and it's best to show your fangs when you're ready to bite."

Victor von Doom curled his lip, his gaze shifting to the two guards who had never appeared before. These two guards had special duties and had remained at Kamar-Taj since the armor-donning ceremony. "Hmph, I accept this meaningless kindness, but I can manage on my own." He naturally knew what magic the Sorcerer Supreme was referring to; he had personally witnessed the Emperor perform a ritual to subtly adjust the weather across the Balkans. This ritual came at a great cost, and there was rarely a second chance to perform it. "So, do you know when he will return?"

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(End of this chapter)