Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 145 Detective Puppy (First Update! Please Vote!)

What exactly is this Matteo Hopkins before us? Is it an undead creature, or a corpse being manipulated? Nyarlathotep seems to have gained the upper hand in this conspiracy, mocking Salomon and this fool who has fallen into his trap.

Salomon had no time to think; he swung his longsword and severed Matthew Hopkins's neck. Even as Matthew Hopkins's body lay motionless on the ground, his half-rotten, foul-smelling head continued to ramble on and on. Nyarlathotep seemed to understand that the corpse he controlled couldn't last long, and in his final moments, He still tried to disrupt the sorcerer's thoughts with words.

"Ah, my sweetheart," He said in a hoarse, middle-aged male voice, uttering incredibly cheesy words, "I know you hate your powerlessness, your inability to save your companions. How pitiful. Don't you long to go find them?"

The Many-Faced God's plan was very effective. Even though Salomon successfully silenced Matthew Hopkins by severing his head in two, the many mysteries he left behind were successfully crammed into Salomon's mind—Where is Nyarlathotep? Are Coulson and Natasha in danger? If Nyarlathotep really attacks them, who will be the target? How can he find Nyarlathotep's avatar?

The sorcerer strode out of the mansion. Before the royal army arrived, he cast a spell to open a portal, gripped his longsword, and cautiously entered. In Natasha's room (previously Tituba's room), Salomon didn't find her. He frowned, examining his surroundings—shell casings, bullet holes, a small, blackened bloodstain, and the remains of a trampled rat. The door was open, and the window was open as well. He found no footprints on the windowsill, but there were many marks of coming and going near the doorway, large and small, indicating both men and women.

It's no longer safe here. Salomon thought to himself that Natasha's gunshots after she returned fire had probably drawn attention, and now many people likely knew what had happened. But he didn't know where Natasha had gone—had she been taken away or escaped? To avoid wasting time, the sorcerer could only go and check on the other person's safety first.

Salomon cast his spell again, this time targeting the Plessy Farm. The farm's livestock and poultry had been taken away by the King's army, and it appeared deserted and dark. Yet, Salomon found Coulson there—Coulson had been warned not to cross the Dark Forest at night, so he was temporarily staying at the farm. To avoid attracting the attention of the nearby villagers, he deliberately hid in the farm's basement. The Plessys used this basement to store odds and ends; although somewhat damp, it was still an excellent hiding place, a makeshift temporary safe haven.

Coulson wasn't the only one hiding here; the stray dog ​​Jones had arrived before him. Salomon had placed the dog here before preparing for the battle, and when Coulson arrived, the mixed-breed dog was his only source of amusement during his boring wait. The man and the dog got along very well.

"I gave it a name," Coulson said.

“Jones,” Salomon interrupted the agent, “I know it. That’s not the point. There are some things you need to know.” Coulson and Jones listened intently as Salomon recounted what he had seen at Matthew Hopkins’ mansion (though Salomon couldn’t understand why a dog would display such a human-like expression).

"She'll be alright." Coulson remained calm after hearing the news. "Agent Romanov is an excellent agent. She probably moved on her own after being attacked. I think your target should be the mastermind. Take care of that first, and we can get out of here. According to you, after this is resolved, Agent Romanov will reappear in the real world, and we can go find her then."

After Agent Coulson finished speaking, the stray dog ​​Jones wagged its tail and began barking. Once it had attracted Salomon and Coulson's attention, it ran to a corner of the basement and began scratching the floor with its front paws. The sorcerer went over and saw that what Jones had buried was half a human-faced rat—Salomon guessed that Jones had probably eaten the other half. "Woof!" Jones wagged its tail and jumped up, trying to press its tongue against Salomon's face. The sorcerer reluctantly declined Jones's enthusiastic invitation.

"Well done." Salomon's spell effects had worn off, and he could no longer understand animal speech. The arcane mage patted the dog's head helplessly. "But I don't eat rats, and you shouldn't either. Who knows if they're poisonous?"

"Woof!" Jones sneezed in annoyance, slumping down with its front paws on the ground. The sorcerer seemed to see a look of utter contempt in the dog's eyes. "I don't think it's inviting you to eat that thing," Coulson concluded after examining the half-human-faced rat with a small stick and checking Jones's teeth. "There's only one bite mark; it probably accidentally bit off this strange rat. It must have had another purpose in showing you this."

"Really?" Salomon looked at the dog doubtfully. He said, "If yes, bark twice; if no, bark once."

"Woof woof~"

"What's this?" The sorcerer shrugged, pulling out his spellbook. "I'll assume you have ulterior motives. I should be casting a spell—alright, what are you going to do? No, there's no more butter, and I can't give you the rest; those are my spellcasting materials. What? Help you take a bath? Now's not the time for that! You said you could lead us to that rat's owner, are you serious? You couldn't find Natasha after she sprayed perfume; I've never seen such a useless dog."

"Woof woof!"

"Okay, I apologize. You're the most useful dog I've ever met." Salomon sighed. "I promise I'll bathe you after this. What, you want more money? Beef? Fine, I agree."

"You're talking to it," Coulson said, pointing at Jones, then hesitantly asked Salomon, "I think I didn't mishear; it was just making noise. How did you figure out so much from it?"

"Magic." Salomon watched as Coulson quickly withdrew his fingers, dodging Jones's sharp teeth. He restrained the somewhat angry dog. "Jones's a little unhappy because you've mistaken him for one of those stupid dogs."

"Okay..." Coulson blinked. "Should I apologize?"

"Yes, otherwise Jones wouldn't forgive you."

"Well, this is the strangest dog I've ever seen."

“There’s something else,” Salomon said, “the stone tower.”

“I found it,” Coulson said. “There’s an abandoned stone tower in the open field not far to the east. It’s probably left by the Native Americans. I found some murals on it, but they’re all faded now, and the whole tower is in bad shape. I went to the village and got some tools and men, and built the altar according to the drawings you gave me—but I have to say, this can’t be kept a secret for long. Many people who came to help thought I was going to perform some kind of witchcraft, not study folklore, and I don’t think this excuse will fool many people.”

"We're definitely running out of time. Most of the people in Salem probably know about Matthew Hopkins' death by now. I didn't cover my face during the raid, so the King's army will likely be searching the town for outsiders and witches soon. As for the fact that Matthew Hopkins' body is rotting, they'll just think it's witchcraft. We need to act quickly. The witch trials won't stop tonight, and this place might not be safe anymore. Coulson, how many bullets do you have? Let's go, Jones, lead the way."

"Tonight, I will definitely kill Him."

Yesterday's subscription and vote counts were terrible, I'm so disheartened QAQ

(End of this chapter)