Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1458 The So-Called Cockfighting (Second Update)

Lorelei von Rhein – anyone with a modicum of common sense can tell this is a fake name.

Although both were from the intelligence department, this was the first time Natasha Romanoff had learned that the suddenly appearing woman was an Asgardian, and therefore, Earth's intelligence systems had no information about Lorelei von Rhine. Natasha's first thought was of the Lorelei Reef, located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the most dangerous section of the nearby Rhine River. Legend had it that a beautiful siren named Lorelei once lived atop the reef, using her enchanting songs to lure passing ships to their doom. Lorelei von Rhine's beauty was indeed as legendary as described; when she stood before the porthole facing the unrelated void, she did not show the fear and helplessness that other ordinary people displayed.

Natasha Romanoff observed her, monitoring her through electro-optical signals, until several girls in power armor followed her, until she left the porthole and headed for the port elevator. This convinced Natasha Romanoff that He was about to arrive at the space station, and that Lorelei von Rhein possessed the authority to share intelligence with the Sisterhood, allowing direct contact with the station's ruler. Although Natasha Romanoff didn't know where this Asgardian came from, or whether he was connected to that German folklore, she understood that His influence had expanded beyond Earth; perhaps a vast intergalactic network had already been established, unknown to other Earthlings who believed this space station was the limit.

She hadn't deceived Countess Katarina Karkov, nor did she know why the next step would point to the moon, or what on the moon could possibly draw His attention there. Everything was a mystery. Natasha Romanoff's intuition told her that this might be related to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Coulson team, which had recently arrived at the space station, but she had too little information to unravel the connection.

He trusted this Asgardian far more than she or the Countess, which made Natasha laugh again at the latter's power-hungry performance. As far as she knew, after Countess Katarina Karkov was placed under house arrest by the Emperor, the haute couture brands she had frequently purchased from initially issued condemnations, but after the Countess appeared in public and declared that she worked for the Emperor, those luxury brands severed ties with her for political reasons.

Now that the Countess's academic salon on the space station is being broadcast on Earth, those luxury brands have immediately flocked to her again, pleading with her to wear haute couture to the salon, as they can no longer find anyone to wear their haute couture to space. Countess Katarina Karkov seems happy to see those luxury brands return, holding no grudges whatsoever; she used to be the one paying them, but now the tables have turned.

Based on the market value of those items, if Countess Katarina Karkov were to acquire all the luxury goods—clothing, shoes, jewelry, and handbags—it would be equivalent to an extra million euros in income annually. While this wouldn't compare to the money she once squandered, it would greatly improve her current relatively dire financial situation, allowing her to maintain the lavish lifestyle she used to enjoy by exploiting the lower classes and selling arms, all without spending a penny. Moreover, once the seemingly meaningless cargo arrives at the space station, its value will multiply several times, ensuring that both Countess Katarina Karkov and the luxury brands can obtain what they desire.

The Countess seemed completely oblivious to how offensive her behavior was to Him, instead constantly proclaiming her loyalty to the Emperor. It seemed everyone turned a blind eye to Countess Katarina Karkov's extravagant spending, even condoning and encouraging it—a corruption as rampant as the everyday transactions taking place in the residences of politicians near Washington, D.C. It appears that outside the tight oversight of the emperors and regents on Earth, rent-seeking and political brokers reappear, and Countess Katarina Karkov was the biggest political broker, once again becoming the queen of the social scene and the dealer at the table of intrigue.

"When did those knights arrive?"

The figures appearing on the monitors surprised Natasha Romanoff; the large-scale appearance of genetically modified soldiers meant war was imminent. She had intended to contact the isolated Coulson agent team members, but the surveillance equipment captured a large group of genetically modified soldiers in power armor. These soldiers, who could have entered the exclusive living quarters via another route, instead brazenly appeared before numerous foreign researchers at the behest of certain individuals. Their towering figures and imposing power armor nearly terrified the foreign scientists who considered the space station a haven of peace and a sanctuary for research. It wasn't until the genetically modified soldiers re-entered the closed military living quarters via elevator that the ordinary people came to their senses.

Faced with her question, the Department of Justice agents in the monitoring room were also unable to answer, because the monitoring equipment here could only monitor the living area, which was responsible for housing the researchers and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent teams. The monitoring rooms for the military port, cargo port, and nuclear fusion reactor were on a lower level and were not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice—to be precise, they were not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice agents of levels 1 to 7. The higher-level agents, namely the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and former national security agents, after being integrated by Victoria Hand, were assigned to those truly important positions to guard and were under the management and surveillance of the Sorority.

"Connect me to the commander's line. I need to ask Tita what she's up to."

"It wasn't me." Tita's cold reply silenced Natasha Romanoff. "It was Lorelei. She believed this would effectively stop or even facilitate the conspiracies among the outsiders. She was right, and I agreed, because you could never find those spies trying to uncover His secrets. We've already given you a list of suspects, but you still couldn't do it. You allowed that Jew to publicly criticize the Emperor's attitude towards religion; you failed in your mission."

"Everyone has the freedom of religious belief."

"If that Jew knew who he was criticizing, he might gouge out his own eyes. If you'd read our Lord's *Unified Truth*, you'd understand how absurd your thoughts are. I don't want to discuss philosophy with fools; you've already proven with your own experience that you're too short-sighted to understand the freedom of reason." Tita was too lazy to be angry with her. At that moment, she was wearing a helmet and being escorted by her guards towards the port hangar. She needed to board a spacecraft to return to Earth and participate in the upcoming war preparations.

"That clamoring Jew isn't important either; he'd shut up if thrown out of the airlock, but He won't, so I won't either. Your excessive weakness has allowed some insidious rats to burrow deeper and deeper into this space station, and we're waiting for you to make your move. This is our test for you," she said bluntly. "Now your surgery is ready, and your poor performance in this matter is astonishing. If you still hope to receive this gift, then I hope you can complete even one mission before He arrives."

(End of this chapter)