Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 134 Finding a Clue (Second Update!)

The sorcerer opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented. After a few seconds, he recalled the events of the past two days. Though still suffering from a headache, he could now cast spells and roughly guessed what had happened. His next step was to find the mastermind and banish them from this world. Salomon reached into his dimensional bag, took a potion, drank it, then got up, opened the door, and called for hot water in the guest room; he hadn't showered for two days. Although the inn wasn't particularly luxurious, the necessary services were readily available with a bribe.

As he soaked in the large wooden bathtub, enjoying the hard-won warmth of the cold morning, Natasha walked in dressed in local clothing. "Finished?" Salomon raised an eyebrow and asked, "How's Titusa?"

Natasha looked a little tired. She yawned and blinked. "I stayed with her all night," Natasha said. "She woke up once, and the medicine you gave her worked well; she's asleep again now. Coulson said we need to hide her well. He's already renewed his room for another month. The gold you gave us is still somewhat useful; at least it's still hard currency. Make some room; I need to come in. By the way, can you do laundry here? I only have one set of underwear left."

"I'll dry them with magic, and you can leave your clothes to my invisible servant," Salomon said. "Including the water temperature, keeping it at the perfect temperature—these are just tricks."

"But it's incredible for ordinary people." Natasha Romanov casually took off her local clothes, mud-caked shoes, and other garments, making no attempt to hide it from the sorcerer's gaze, and stepped into the bathtub. Leaning against the tub, she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. She had had a tough two days, even her sleep had been sacrificed for the mission.

"I have a great figure, don't I?" She glanced at the water, then smiled and squinted her eyes. "Your reaction says it all."

"I didn't expect you to be so direct." Salomon rolled his eyes. "I'm still a minor, so don't try to use your tricks on me. I won't fall for it. Ms. Romanov, you should know that I respect you a lot, I respect your efforts... So, you can tell me directly if you have anything to say, you don't need to go through this."

"You're developing quite well, and you have a great figure. It's obvious you've been training." Natasha winked at the sorcerer. She didn't reveal her true purpose, but rather intended to increase her importance in Salomon's eyes, knowing that what she wanted might be difficult to obtain. She said, "Adult men often act impulsively under the influence of hormones. How did you manage to restrain yourself? Puberty is an age of surging hormones. Or is this what you call gentlemanly conduct?"

"This has nothing to do with being a gentleman, it's about self-control." Salomon pulled a towel over Natasha's body to cover her private parts; it wasn't very effective, but it was better than nothing. He said, "Learning magic requires self-control, and I'm quite good at controlling my desires... well, except for my thirst for knowledge. But your black stockings really appeal to me, and I'm quite pleased. You can rest here; I'll go to town with Agent Coulson to investigate. To be honest, Agent Coulson's actions were rather ill-considered; it would have been more practical to just assassinate that witch inquisitor. I'll leave my gun with you; remember to lock the door. I'll summon a magical servant to attend to you before I leave."

Natasha stuck her legs out of the water, pressing them against Salomon's chest to keep him from leaving the tub. "Agent Coulson is still asleep; we can stay a little longer," she said. "He helped a lot yesterday too. Outsiders who are too concerned with town affairs are conspicuous. In fact, Agent Coulson is quite conspicuous, because these past few days, not many boats have docked at that little pier in town, and not many outsiders have come here. I suggest you and Coulson go to the tavern; I can already imagine those idiots bragging about their bravery in capturing witches."

“If they know the prisoner is missing, they’ll definitely claim to have had foresight, and it’ll only make those fools even more fanatical and superstitious. I’m going to the forest, to that suspicious clearing we found earlier. I have a feeling… last night, those witches in town must have held a meeting, and those strange magical things in the forest were their doing.” Salomon grabbed Natasha’s foot, trying to move it away, but the female agent wouldn’t let it go, even dipping her foot into the water. The sorcerer caught her just in time. “Stop it, I’m leaving.”

"I feel like you're more like you're running away in a panic, magician," the female agent said with a laugh. "I never expected you to be such a shy person."

"If you continue like this, I think you might end up fighting another lady," Salomon shrugged. "I'm her guardian, and she's a demon wizard."

"Ha, her, a witch!" Natasha chuckled twice. "Are witches more attractive to magicians?"

"No, she just... has longer legs than you."

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"I haven't had a proper chat with you yet," Agent Coulson yawned, speaking fluently as he stood on the street. "This is the first time I've seen you since I met the Asgardians in New Mexico. How did you meet Director Fury?"

"I barged into his office and showed him the horrors of the wizarding world." Salomon and Agent Coulson walked side by side. "Don't even think about finding anything in my file. I'm sure Nick Fury will keep this secret well hidden, just like he lost an eye."

"You even know this?" Coulson asked, somewhat surprised. "Did Chief Fury tell you about that?"

"The Skrulls, I know them, and you know them too," Salomon said, "but he certainly didn't tell you the whole truth."

"Fighting aliens."

"That's the right way to think of it. He definitely won't tell you the truth." Salomon patted his dimensional pouch at his waist, taking out a few ginnies (£1.05) and a few half-pound coins. This was the currency he'd exchanged for the gold he provided. Coulson had been cheated on the currency exchange, but nobody cared. "This should be enough for you to drink all day," he said. "If you can, bring me a bottle of rum, or wine if you like, I don't mind. After we get out, you can ask Nick Fury for Asgardian mead; I brought it."

"But you're still a minor." Coulson shook his head disapprovingly. "According to the law..."

"America isn't independent yet." Salomon stuffed gold and silver coins into Coulson's hand. "I need you to find out if there's anything unusual in town. Monsters have appeared in the forest, but no one in town has seen them. That's strange."

“I know, I’ve seen what that monster looked like,” Coulson said. “But those little girls thought it was a wild dog. I’m going to Randolph Carter’s house today, remember, I’m going to tell you about my adventure.”

"I already know Randolph Carter's identity." Salomon subconsciously touched his forehead. "But it's good to observe Abigail Williams. Remember, don't delve too deeply into certain issues; you don't have anything to protect your mind."

"Ever since I learned about magic the day before yesterday..." Coulson looked around, then lowered his voice, "I feel like I don't recognize this world anymore."

"This world is more complex than you imagine, Agent Coulson." Salomon shook his head dismissively. "S.H.I.E.L.D. always claims to be the line of defense against the bizarre world, but in reality, this world is far more bizarre than humans know. Don't take it to heart; after all, there are many things we can't understand, and we shouldn't try to understand them—that will only drive us crazy."

"Thanks for the suggestion." Coulson gestured. "See you tonight. When you get back, I'll tell you about my days with the mustache."

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Two wooden staffs lay scattered in the dark forest clearing. Salomon observed these two objects, which had never been seen before—one end was charred, and the other end, through the powder, revealed the shape of a hand. The sorcerer guessed this was the work of Randolph Carter, who, according to legend, had thwarted a conspiracy. This time, the mastermind was even more elusive, perhaps summoned through a witch's gathering. The eeriness of the forest indicated this was the scene of the incident; besides the ghouls that had only appeared once, the crows in the forest were also singing ominous songs. Salomon followed the newly appeared footprints and saw the face of an Algonquin Indian youth growing from a tree trunk, his eyes wide open, his pupils seemingly focused on nothingness.

The sorcerer cautiously reached out and touched the face. It was a face of flesh and blood, once belonging to some Native American, but now growing from a tree trunk. Salomon's heart pounded; he heard the whispers again. The sorcerer shook his head, banishing the inappropriate sounds.

He continued walking, and there he saw a pile of burnt charcoal. Perhaps because he had arrived early, the burning charcoal hadn't completely turned into white ash, and bluish smoke rose wisps from the pile. Besides the charcoal, there were also pieces of unburnt wood, allowing Salomon to estimate just how large the campfire had been the previous night. In addition to the fire, there were two piles of dead maggots on the ground; Salomon had no idea what they were used for. He forced himself to bend down and sniff them, but only detected a sour smell.

It's stomach acid.

This was yet another witches' gathering, and they were even performing some kind of ritual. Salomon made this judgment.

The sorcerer followed a line of somewhat large, fresh footprints toward the north of the forest. When he emerged from the forest and looked north, he knew where the clue he was looking for was.

That's a private farm.

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(End of this chapter)