Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1449 The Records of the Eternal Clan (Part 1)

Please do not violate the rules and regulations; this is for your safety.

In Wanda Maximoff's memory, Dinah was a gentle and professional person. She could arrange all the schedules and necessary items in the blink of an eye and was very patient in listening to other people's opinions. But the cold attitude Dinah displayed at this moment startled Wanda. Apart from the two witches, no one could give her orders. To be precise, the orders of the two witches would be overridden by her higher-priority orders—before the Custodian's genetic alchemy rig was perfected and began experimentation, it was Dinah who accompanied her on her campaigns, carrying out secret missions issued by the Sorcerer Supreme—whatever the original purpose of this Homunculus, she was essentially a powerful, tireless humanoid weapon. Dinah maintained her politeness with difficulty, because that was what she required.

She approached Wanda Maximov, speaking softly to avoid startling the frail old man beside the door.

"As long as the ritual is performed correctly, all evil and defilement will be driven away, and we will ensure the physical and mental safety of all guests. This time is very short; we have done it many times, so please stay in the reception room. This will be over in a few minutes." She looked at the witches, but not to ask for help. The tense atmosphere did not affect the two witches' nonchalant and relaxed demeanor. Bayonetta waved her hand, signaling Dinah and Wanda to calm down.

"The aftermath of this is that the manor is covered in dust."

The sound of the champagne being opened startled Wanda.

Bayonetta took the freshly filled champagne glass, swirling it casually. She and Joan of Arc had no interest in dealing with those weak extradimensional spiritual entities, so fragile they could be crushed with a finger. She didn't like Salomon studying those dangerous books here, nor did she like crushing those tiny insects with her bare hands, but the situation at Kamar-Taj needed stability, so she couldn't voice her objections. The Kamar-Taj Library relied on tens of thousands of spells to prevent extradimensional invasion; reading magic books in a secular manor was simply asking for trouble, as the manor's extradimensional defense system couldn't possibly be as powerful as Kamar-Taj's. If there was any advantage to this, it was the vibrant roses and lilies blooming year-round in the glass greenhouse. Under the influence of supernatural forces, the growth and reproduction of those rose and lily plants were astonishingly fast.

Bayonetta asked Dinah to hand Wanda a glass of champagne.

Seeing that nonchalant attitude, even Laura Crawford relaxed. Although what had just happened was somewhat frightening, being asked to stay in the drawing room for a few minutes wouldn't infringe on any of her rights. Bayonetta gave a pointed warning, "He's much more capable than you, Wanda. There's no need to make things difficult for yourself."

"You always come to me when I'm busiest, Victor."

He sat on the ground, turning the pages of the enormous book with care, avoiding any damage to the old, gilded lettering and ink illustrations. It was a medieval grimoire, which at that time was more like a storybook, using stories, real or fictional, to reveal secrets known only to the spellcaster—methods for controlling demons, local folklore, and so on. Therefore, reading a grimoire was a very arduous task; one had to sift through a jumble of irrelevant and tedious information to find the key spells, and also confirm that the magic was safe. But this time was different. He was focused on a folktale within the book. Due to the limitations of painting techniques at the time, pre-Renaissance portraits lacked perspective, but for Him, the simple, crude drawings and the eloquent text were enough. Athena had revealed the abilities and characteristics of the Eternals, and His extensive reading subconsciously recalled books He had seen before. Even when He first read this book, He was unaware of the Eternals' existence; the book's fantastical accounts still left a deep impression.

It was a description of a court jester. The magician who wrote the book vividly described a short, ugly court jester who had served generations of nobles in local folklore. Rumor had it that the noble family's bloodline had died out, the castle was abandoned, the servants had fled, and their finances had steadily declined. After the last member of the noble family died on his bed, every villager would hear the jester's cries in the abandoned castle. The magician believed the jester was a summoned demon, summoned by the nobles for wealth or some other reason, and then, after the family line died out, having completely lost control of the demon, it had been allowed to roam the world. The magician who wrote the book then actively searched for the demon's whereabouts. After spending a long time in the castle, the jester demon reappeared and taught the magician his knowledge.

"What happened?"

"I just wanted to let you know that the census information system is complete," Victor von Doom sighed. The lack of grassroots departments in Latvia had forced him to handle more official duties; the person who had agreed to share the workload had retreated to his estate to peruse old books. "The Ministry of Justice used that system to dismantle a child trafficking ring spanning Kosovo and Romania, rescuing thousands of children. I know you're eager to get things cleaned up there as soon as possible, but this will take time."

"You didn't come to me about a human trafficking organization, Victor."

"I'm telling you this beforehand so you can control your emotions. Killing people in Kosovo won't help resolve things." Regent Viktor von Doom's concerns were well-founded. Protectionism was rampant in the Balkans, and directly arresting the criminals could easily provoke a backlash from the local population. Those unaware of the truth would be organized by influential and wealthy individuals (such as gangsters and members of parliament) to stage protests and clash with the Ministry of Justice. Separatists would blame the government's lies for all the crimes committed by the criminals and then demand independence. The Emperor's ultimate solution was to agree to independence and then send troops to conquer it. Under this threat, Latvia successfully took over Kosovo and began to drastically reduce the number of criminals and officials involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and human trafficking. He had also considered the consequences of handing over two departments, one with law enforcement power and the other with judicial power, to Victoria Hand, but the circumstances at the time did not allow him and the Regent to create a perfect system.

Regent Victor von Doom took two steps forward, his illusory human form passing by a nearby table, and looked down at the enormous book, nearly half a person's height, spread out on the floor. He was curious; books that could make Him risk danger to read were rare. "It seems you really don't care. What's capturing your attention?"

"The Eternals, the master of the Dark Order possesses Eternal blood," He told the Regent. Victor von Doom remained remarkably calm upon hearing this, for there was always something worse to come, and Thanos's bloodline wasn't entirely insignificant. He knew about the Eternals earlier than He had, having already graduated from Kamar-Taj and left the Himalayas. "Athena didn't directly reveal the location of the machine the Eternals use for resurrection, but we cannot ignore the possibility that Thanos could have been resurrected using that machine. Although he was merely a space pirate, the Dark Order is still far too powerful for humanity as a whole… The Dark Order is a direct translation of Kree and Shia languages; I didn't give it such a foolish name."

Please vote! I wrote this with a headache, I really can't keep going.

(End of this chapter)