Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1305 (First Update)

“Superpowers can be explained by science, but magic can’t. Just as the Asgardians cannot be explained by past human knowledge, everything here cannot be explained by the current human knowledge system.” Laura Crawford stroked the fluffy little animal in her arms while looking up at the Emperor’s face, trying to find an expression that could prove her conjecture. However, she failed; the Emperor’s face remained calm. “The prevailing theory is that Asgard possesses technology that uses dark energy, but everything I’ve experienced tells me that the correct answer is not that simple. I appreciate you funding my adventure, but that doesn’t mean I want you to deceive me. You still haven’t told me what happened in Kit City and Jacob.”

"Kite and Jacob are my future and my past," the Emperor said. "For me, entropy increase is not irreversible. Your work constantly unveils the secrets of the past, dispels the fog of history, and provides me with guidance. This is the real reason I funded you, because you are the discoverer of historical truth, and what I need most is the truth."

Laura Crawford, as astute as she was, immediately guessed the answer. To be precise, after experiencing so many bizarre events, she no longer confined them to common human sense; the whole world had gone mad. Aliens, magic—what was impossible? "Are you denying your own free will?" she said. "You're going to travel through time to guide Jacob away from Constantinople?"

"You can think of it that way: that's my future, and their past." The Emperor nodded. "The timeline keeps moving forward, and the superimposed future continues to extend until we observe it. Free will still exists, and we still need to make choices about the future."

"But no matter what you choose, Jacob will lead his followers to Siberia," Laura Crawford pointed out the fallacy in the Emperor's words. "Since the outcome is predetermined, what is the point of free will?"

"Historical truth doesn't reveal all the details, Laura, and we are human, not machines," the Emperor said with a smile. "Even if fate is predetermined, we can still choose how to live up to it. We create humanity protected by reason, not choose to fall into the abyss of nihilism or cosmic indifference. We must pay attention to the material universe, because that is our world."

"Only grand principles?"

"I can give you an example you can understand. Wanda told you about her past, didn't she?" The Emperor looked at Laura Crawford and nodded, indicating that he had indeed heard Wanda talk about her past, including war, prison, learning, and freedom. "She would have walked the path of arcane magic no matter what, because her talent is very powerful, but there are many different ways to walk that path. She could have become a learned witch like she is now, with a warm family despite her strained relationship with her blood relatives. Or she could have become a wild mage who knows nothing, acting entirely on instinct, lonely and pitiful to the point of falling in love with a robot, and ultimately driven mad by her own talent."

The Emperor extended both hands, his palms displaying holographic projections of two tiny figures. Laura Crawford recognized these figures as Wanda, though their demeanor and attire were strikingly different. "This is how we live up to our destiny," the Emperor declared. "The heroes of Greek mythology are great precisely because of the brilliance of humanity they displayed in their struggle against fate. This is the positive aspect of ancient Greek tragedy." A natural orator, the Emperor was adept at persuading others with his reasoning, and this time was no exception. "We are never slaves to fate; we can still control our own destiny. We have united Latvia. Teachers, workers, farmers, merchants, soldiers, and even children have used their will to break free from the six-hundred-year tyranny of the Vladimir family and reclaim their own destiny. This cause will continue, and this future will continue for everyone."

"I've noticed you really enjoy quoting stories from ancient Greece."

"There's a reason for that, but I can't tell you now. However, I'm confident you'll have a pleasant conversation with her." The Emperor nodded, his tone calm. He withdrew his hands, and the projection of Wanda Maximov's fate vanished. "I hope you can complete your archaeological work on the Eastern Roman Empire and pre-colonial Peruvian period in the tenth century. Although those papers are destined not to be published now, I'm still willing to collect them for you and place them in a library. They will endure for generations and be known to the world at the appropriate time. Richard Crawford and Laura Crawford will be remembered for their archaeological discoveries."

"I'm very grateful, but...who is she?" Laura Crawford was clearly becoming curious about the woman the Emperor was referring to. "Who is it that you keep bringing her up?"

"Haven't you always wanted to temporarily step away from the adventure and uncover my secrets?" He offered Laura Crawford a lure she would willingly take. "She's my foster mother and governess; I'll introduce you to her. You'll also have the chance to learn more about the truth of history, Laura. You'll understand who she is once you meet her."

The Emperor had long harbored the idea of ​​introducing Laura Crawford to Athena; this was merely a convenient step. He believed Athena would enthusiastically recount her nearly unread book, *The Mythical Journey*, to someone intelligent and powerful enough, and he could then casually discuss witches with her, demanding that his proud foster mother show respect to mortals. Compared to his conversation with Laura Crawford, his exchanges with Wanda Maximoff were much simpler. Much of the information he gleaned after entering the Silver Gate concerned her, but the Emperor carefully selected only what he could share with her, the key being the truth about the Blood Moon Goddess and the Yasok.

Wanda waited for a long time in the guest room.

When Wanda learned that the Emperor had included her on the time-travel list, she was overjoyed. She was already deeply involved in the time-travel journey and held a pivotal position. As the mists of the past were gradually lifted, the Emperor also realized that the day of the time jump was drawing ever closer. He had prepared for this time jump for many years, but he hadn't expected that the impending time jump would be so closely linked to the cause of the Sorcerer Supreme's death, and that he had even been deeply involved in and driven the latter. This was the reason for his excessive tension and resentment during this period. He knew that he had to do this to fulfill the Sorcerer Supreme's wish, and he was willing to bear this sin, but that didn't mean he would swallow his anger and not seek revenge on the mastermind behind it all.

The awakening of the demon from the 31st-century timeline triggered a series of chain reactions, initiating this time-travel journey and impacting the Sorcerer Supreme of the 21st century. The Emperor's mission is to utterly destroy the demon. Prophecy has revealed the timing of the Emperor's first encounter with the demon: at the time of the Sorcerer Supreme's death. The second encounter will be at the first landing point after the time jump, in the distant past, during the nascent, primitive era of human civilization. The third encounter will be in the 31st century, when the demon has just awakened. The Emperor understands that his destiny will involve three encounters with the Great Old One, and he understands that he will ultimately kill it. The Great Old One understands this fact as well, which is why it traveled from the sealed 31st century to the 21st century, attempting to find a way to kill the Emperor.

"So His Holiness... He also knows about this?" Faced with Wanda Maximoff's question, the Emperor nodded. Although he was extremely unwilling, he had to admit that he could not interfere with this destiny, not only because the Sorcerer Supreme refused to let him interfere, but also because he knew that only by not interfering could he completely kill the Great Old One Shuma-Gorath and save humanity from the terrible fate that might befall them in the future.

"Are we just supposed to watch like this?"

"No, we're already involved, Wanda." The Emperor's expression remained unchanged, but Wanda still sensed the sorrow in his heart. The impending fate was incredibly difficult for him to accept, because the Sorcerer Supreme had played an extremely important role in his life, but he had to accept it, even push fate forward and do things he himself could not forgive. Because it was the Sorcerer Supreme's wish, and the future of humanity had to be built upon great sacrifices. "Prepare for battle now; our time is running out."

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(End of this chapter)