Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 185 The Petty Mystic (First Update!)

Only after Stark repeatedly assured him that he would provide the ingredients for tonight's dinner did Salomon agree to sit down and have a proper talk. This was a conversation between Stark and Salomon; Pepper Potts had other things to do. Most of the affairs of the Stark Industries had now been handed over to her, and she was far from having any free time.

"I want to know more about you and your organization. It's important. I don't want to be ignorant about my future friend." Stark handed the sorcerer a glass of apple juice. Salomon had already drunk all the juice before, and this was the last non-alcoholic beverage in the room. If Salomon wanted more, Stark would have to ask someone to buy some more.

"Does S.H.I.E.L.D. know your organization?" he asked. "I see you have a good relationship with Nick Fury."

"You might not believe it, but he shot at me, shot at an unarmed minor." Salomon shook his head, quite satisfied with the chilled juice, which rejuvenated him after eight hours of work—it's better to drink fewer potions after all.

He glanced at his watch.

Well, there's still time, and he doesn't mind saying a few more things that Stark can know.

"He's a ruthless character, his style is all about mysticism," the sorcerer said. "But I still became 'friends' with him in a way. You don't see the arrogance of American officials in him. If he were on my side, I would trust him to a certain extent. Although he always manages to arrange everything, nobody knows what little secrets he's hiding. So I didn't let Nick Fury know too much, lest I have to kill him."

“I’m curious.” Stark recalled Nick Fury breaching Stark Industries’ security system, sneaking into his room, and taking him to a S.H.I.E.L.D. base to show him S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence. Stark asked, “You know he’s the kind of person who won’t give up until he gets what he wants. How did you convince him?”

"Oh! I stuffed him inside a superdimensional bacterium, and he stayed in there for about a minute. When he came out, he was covered in slime, and then he could talk properly." Salomon raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Beyond our lives, there are so many surreal things. I know you won't believe it until you see it for yourself—those parasites that infest souls and all sorts of monsters that cross dimensions are far beyond human imagination. Since you'll be spending time with Miss Potts tonight, I won't let you see it. Don't look at me like that, Stark… You don't want to miss dinner and have nightmares all night, do you?"

Stark expressed his interest. After Salomon declined, he didn't insist too much, but instead talked about Kamar-Taj and Salomon's teacher—but just after Salomon finished talking about what Stark knew, he questioned the Sorcerer Supreme's identity as the Lord of Mankind.

"Look around us, Salomon," he said. "We don't live in a feudal world; this is a free and democratic modern society. It's utterly ridiculous that your teacher has drawn up a small circle and called himself king. If your teacher is so powerful, why doesn't he just rule over all of humanity?"

"First of all, the entire universe recognizes my teacher as the Lord of Humanity, the King of Earth. Whether ordinary people agree or not is meaningless, because you don't even have the right to stand in the universe." Although he was mentally prepared, Salomon was still angered by Stark's words. Stark was an arrogant guy, and even though he had changed somewhat, he was still that proud technological genius at heart.

"Just as whether you admit it or not, Asgard is the sovereign state of Earth. Earth is spared from alien attacks from the prime material universe because of Asgard's deterrence over other nations. In this universe, no one is unafraid of the Allfather and the Sorcerer Supreme." The two men had completely different perspectives on the world, and they easily got agitated and angry just discussing social structures. Salomon changed the subject to avoid making him want to kill Stark right now.

"But do you know what the other countries in the Nine Realms are like? Like Europe during the colonial era, resources such as food and minerals from the colonies were continuously transported back to the mainland, while the mainland then dumped most of its primary industrial products back to the colonies, engaging in endless plunder. Asgard is such a country with colonies. So, why do you think Earth doesn't send resources to Asgard, but instead supplies resources to humanity for waste?"

"You mean... the Sorcerer Supreme? Well, if that's the case, then this title isn't just empty boasting." Stark took a breath; Salomon's revelation about the Nine Realms sent a chill down his spine. "Can we resist? I mean... Asgard."

"No." Salomon shook his head. "Next time you're alone, you'd better not talk about these kinds of things. Heimdall can see and hear everything that happens in the universe. If he's watching you, what you say will be as clear as if you were talking to him face to face."

"Hiss—" Stark quickly looked up at the ceiling, then looked at Salomon with a panicked expression. "You're so calm, you must have a plan, right? I don't want to be alone with Pepper... you know what I mean."

“Heimdall isn’t that free. To him, you’re just an ordinary Earthling. Earth’s currency is meaningless to Asgard,” the sorcerer said. “As for me, I’m not worried. The shroud I’m wearing isn’t something Heimdall can see through, and Kamar-Taj is shrouded in even stronger protective magic. It’s a hidden location that can’t be marked by any means. Only those with extensive knowledge can find it, so we don’t need to worry about Asgard spying on us.”

"Could you...?"

"No, not a chance."

"Fine, fine." Stark raised his glass in utter frustration. He hated this feeling of powerlessness. Ever since the Asgardians arrived, he had been trying to understand this alien force, but this gap was not something he could bridge alone.

"And the Asgardians have the Rainbow Bridge, which I think you've seen." Salomon added fuel to the fire, as retaliation for Stark's disrespect towards the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Ah, I've seen that before. At least there's something I can understand." Stark rolled his eyes. "Einstein-Rosen bridge, Asgard's ability to project across the entire universe, I do know that."

"Not only that, the Rainbow Bridge is a powerful magic that can destroy planets, easily cleaving any planet in two—otherwise, how do you think Asgard became the hegemon of the universe, with even the Kree Empire having to defer to Asgard?"

"Cough cough!" Stark choked on his drink, as expected. Salomon had deliberately brought it up while Stark was drinking. Salomon wasn't one to hold a grudge; his revenge never stopped.

He was only slightly satisfied when he saw Stark coughing hysterically.

"So... how did the Sorcerer Supreme win?" Stark asked haltingly as he caught his breath, taking another sip of his drink to calm himself down.

"I don't know about that." Salomon winked playfully. "But don't worry too much, Earth isn't without the ability to fight back—because Earth also has planet-destroying weapons, which are in my hands."

"Cough cough cough!!!"

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"Why did you buy so many premium steaks today?" Athena picked up a vacuum-sealed bag of raw beef and examined it closely. Then, with a suspicious look, she scrutinized the vacuum bags and beef that Salomon had brought over and piled up in the orphanage kitchen. "So many USChoice filet mignon, ribeye, and T-bone steaks, and there's even USPrime sirloin here. Did you rob a warehouse?"

"It's just Stark Industries' kitchen. This beef includes what Stark Industries will be using this week. Tony Stark isn't thinking about any of this; I gave him quite a scare." Salomon picked up a bag of filet mignon, cut open the vacuum bag with a knife, and took out the beef. The sorcerer was generous, slicing the beef with bold, sweeping cuts—a technique inherited from Dubai, usually only seen in wealthy households and Michelin-starred restaurants.

"I was originally thinking of bringing the chef along, but that would be a bit too much. Stark Industries won't have any beef to eat tomorrow." Salomon explained as he trimmed the beef. He also directed Lorna, who was helping him, to clean the broccoli. "I figured that the witches and I couldn't finish all this beef, so I decided to bring it to these younger brothers and sisters."

"I make sure they're well-fed and have a balanced diet every day, but this beef is still too extravagant," Athena said discontentedly. "You can't grow by indulging in pleasure, Salomon."

"Oh, just once, my dear Athena," the sorcerer said, shaking his head with immense delight. "There's nothing wrong with tasting something delicious. This beef would certainly prefer to end up in the mouths of those who want to appreciate it properly, rather than in the mouths of wealthy people who want to waste it. Am I right, little Lorna?"

"Yeah! Screw the rich!"

"Lorna! Don't swear!"

"Lorna! Don't swear!"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)