Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 181 The Longing for Family (First Update)

“I don’t understand anything you’re saying.” Stark’s expression turned strange. He turned back, unconcerned about Salomon’s contact with him, and asked another question. “You said I have a daughter?” he asked. “Does that mean I have an illegitimate daughter? And you actually know about this? Could it be…”

"Stop your wild thoughts. I've told you before, time doesn't flow linearly. This is something that has already happened." Salomon rolled his eyes. "You will have a daughter in the future. This is also the destiny ordained by the universe, something recorded in the Akashic Records. You can understand it this way: it's fate."

"With whom?" Stark's eyes darted around, his expression turning tense. He seemed to want to hear the answer he craved from Salomon.

"Of course it's with Miss Pepper Potts." Salomon released Stark's shoulder, giving Stark the answer he wanted to know. "It's even named after her weird uncle."

“Morgan! I know, Pepper’s weird uncle!” Stark took a deep breath. “Is it accurate?” he asked. “I know you can do divination, and I want to know how accurate it is…no, I mean, when should I propose…no, no, I mean, when will Pepper get pregnant? When will my daughter be born? I like girls, I like girls, I…I don’t want to be disappointed, you know what I mean? I don’t want to be disappointed, I want to be prepared!”

As Tony Stark spoke the latter part of his speech, he gradually became flustered, even gesturing wildly with his fingers. He rambled incoherently to Salomon, asking a bunch of meaningless questions, and finally raised his voice—after realizing he was losing control of his emotions, he immediately turned away, trying to recall what he had learned in his emotional control course.

Stark discreetly wiped his eye with his finger, and Salomon only heard him sniffle a few times before straightening up, letting out a long sigh, and turning back. Stark adjusted his suit jacket, raised his chin, and resumed his nonchalant demeanor. "I don't know the capabilities of you wizards, but I still want to know if what you're saying is true."

Salomon's words struck a chord with Stark. Before the Ivan Vanko incident (Iron Man 2), Tony Stark harbored some resentment towards his father. It wasn't until S.H.I.E.L.D. gave him the videotape that he truly understood his father's love for him. This is precisely why Stark now yearns for family so intensely; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Pepper Potts after the incident was resolved—though he didn't want to admit it, even after completing the new reactor, he secretly watched the videotape repeatedly every day, over and over again.

Stark was somewhat convinced by Salomon's words. Not for any other reason than that he had indeed witnessed Salomon casting spells, and he admitted that there were indeed things in this world he didn't understand.

"Mr. Stark, I have studied divination." The sorcerer tilted his head, pressed his wand against his temple, and slowly drew out a wisp of energy that shimmered with a silvery-white light. He wrapped this wisp of energy around his wand and then held it toward Stark's forehead, but Stark strongly resisted this action.

"What is this?" He strained to tilt his head back, trying to get away from the wand. But the door was right behind him, and Stark had nowhere to retreat but to block Salomon's wand with his hand—something he hated most. "Is this some kind of mind-reading magic? I know you can read minds, you'll definitely pull that trick! I knew it, don't try to fool me!"

"If I wanted to know what you were thinking, I would have done it myself, and I would have made it impossible for you to find out." Salomon extended his wand directly. "This is your future life, and what your daughter will look like in the future. This is a little unexpected gain from my divination of other things, and now I'm giving it to you. This belongs to you."

This is what the arcane mage saw in the Cosmic Cauldron, including what Morgan Stark would look like as an adult. However, suddenly seeing his future daughter as an adult would be difficult to accept, so for Stark's mental well-being, the arcane mage decided not to give him those memories.

After a few symbolic resistances, Stark accepted the memory with curiosity, observing the scene as a bystander. "Wow!" A moment later, he blinked, a look of surprise on his face. "I looked so old then, so many wrinkles! I saw Pepper… my daughter is so cute! So tiny, skiing! She can even call me 'Daddy'! Are you sure this is my future daughter? Is all of this going to happen?"

“If you’re talking about that little girl skiing with Captain America’s shield, then you’re right, that’s your daughter.” Salomon nodded. “I can’t answer your other questions, Stark. When I was born, the fate of this world was already divided. I don’t know if a parallel universe had been created when you came to me, or if the Akashic Records had been updated—if not, in this universe where fate has already been divided, your daughter will be born in the future; if so, then nobody can say for sure.”

"Parallel universes?" Stark snapped out of his pleasant memories. He still had so many questions to ask: Why were he and Pepper in the cabin back then? What happened to him at that time? However, these questions were drowned out by another term thrown out by Salomon.

"This is something that hasn't been proven." Stark was now somewhat dismissive of the parallel universe theory. "Although I haven't studied quantum mechanics, I do know..."

"Believe what you believe." Salomon opened the door, gesturing for Stark to change out of his slippers and leave. "Time will reveal the answers. Be patient. This is advice, Stark: if you knew everything, there would be no surprises in this world."

"Hey, I saw the cake you made! I think Pepper is pregnant now, she needs sweets!"

"Get out of here! Consultation time is over!"

"Okay, no sweets. I'll pay, just one more reading! Just one more! Please!"

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"We actually have guests at home today?"

Salomon, Bayonetta, and Jeanne d'Arc squeezed onto the sofa, with Bayonetta in the middle, enthusiastically scooping from a glass bowl with a small silver spoon. She was very pleased with Salomon's dessert, so after finishing a whole bowl of red wine jelly, she turned to face him, lifted the sorcerer's chin with her finger, and lightly kissed his lips—Jeanne was clearly somewhat displeased with this reward from Bayonetta, but with her mouth full of cake, she could only let out an unhappy "mmm."

Salomon lazily answered Bayonetta's questions, including the guest's identity and attire, as well as Stark's questions. Joan of Arc wanted to know the answer to the question about parallel worlds, so Salomon used Bayonetta's case as an example to explain the relationship between parallel worlds—when two worlds follow the same path in the future, the two parallel worlds will overlap, like two soap bubbles merging together.

"You mean Tony Stark, that playboy, has a daughter? With the female CEO of Stark Industries?" Joan swallowed the cake in her mouth, pointed at the television, and asked, "Is this the one you're talking about?"

Bayonetta turned up the TV volume, and Salomon then noticed that tonight's entertainment headline was "Stark Industries CEO Suspected of Being Pregnant." Then came a roadside interview where Tony Stark excitedly shook his head on camera, repeatedly saying words like "Pepper," "pregnant," and "daughter," and even his bodyguard Happy couldn't stop him.

Salomon took a breath. Judging from the background during the interview, Stark must have driven directly back to Stark Industries after leaving here, which is why he was caught by the paparazzi lying in wait. And it seemed that Happy couldn't hold off the swarm of paparazzi alone; Tony Stark was only able to enter the building smoothly after the building security arrived.

"Tony Stark really keeps a huge roster of paparazzi on his hands," Salomon said, pointing to the screen on TV. He spotted a familiar face, "and even Luca."

"Stark Industries issues an urgent statement... Stark Industries CEO Pepper Potts is indeed in a relationship with Chairman Tony Stark... However, Pepper Potts is not pregnant. She thanks everyone for their well wishes and states that she has no plans to have children..." The evening entertainment news channel quickly broadcast Stark Industries' announcement. While the announcement denied Pepper's pregnancy, it confirmed her relationship with Stark, causing a frenzy among American netizens. Salomon didn't even need to open his phone to know what the topic on Twitter was.

"Are you sure that after you say this, Tony Stark's child will still be a daughter?" Bayonetta asked. "Maybe it'll be a boy?"

"I'm sure, Bayonetta, this is destiny."

"And what about us?" Bayonetta turned to the side, placing her long legs on Salomon's knees, and asked with a smile, "I like girls too, Salomon. Do you think we'll have a daughter? When are we going to try it out?"

"Ahem!"

"Ceresa! You've gone too far!"

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I don't like writing sweet stories; I prefer writing angst.

(End of this chapter)