Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 201 Residual Value (First Update!)

The Restoration Potion tasted better than any other potion. Steve Rogers was astonished by the pale golden glow emanating from the bottle, and even more so when he learned he was about to drink it. Before this, during his treatment at S.H.I.E.L.D., he had never seen a potion in such a small, thin flask, as if it had just been taken from a laboratory, resembling a high school student's chemistry homework—and he was right, the potion had indeed been created in a high school chemistry lab.

Even if he knew about this, he would still take the medicine, as he was used to obeying orders, and would never ask any more questions.

The sorcerer made him drink a potion, then took out diamond powder prepared by Nick Fury and sprinkled it on the burn on Steve Rogers' arm. He held his arm, took out his wand, chanted a spell, and gently stroked the wound with the tip of the oak wand. He chanted three times, and the wand stroked back and forth three times, and then the burn disappeared. The newly grown skin was so delicate that Steve Rogers felt a slight breeze could hurt him.

"That's amazing." His eyes widened, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. "What is that, magic? To be honest, ever since I saw the flaming skull, I feel like nothing in the world can surprise me anymore. I've really been sleeping too long. I just watched Harry Potter; my gym buddy recommended it to me, and you're from England..."

"Movies are all lies, you should know that. Also, Ghost Rider has always existed in this world, it's just that ordinary people don't know it." Salomon put away his wand and empty potion bottle, took out a piece of paper and a pen, and began to write down medical instructions. Ghost Rider burned not only his body, but also his soul. The Restoration Spell had not completely healed Steve Rogers' soul, he could only rest, so Salomon was prescribing a series of herbs. These herbs included tulips, African violets, hollyhocks, bistorta, and aloe vera. Most of these herbs had the power to protect the soul, and the essential oils extracted from them could heal the soul after evaporation—of course, there was another, simpler method, which was sleep.

But clearly, Captain America didn't like the second option; he'd had enough sleep.

"Is it over?" Nick Fury stood up. "Then we should go." But Salomon remained seated, motionless, as if he hadn't heard Nick Fury at all. "What's wrong?" The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. feigned surprise. He wished he could drag Salomon away right now to prevent him from saying anything unpleasant to Captain America. "I think you have things to do, Salomon, and Rogers too."

Captain America looked at the two guests with suspicion. "You...do you have anything else to say?" he asked hesitantly. "Could it be...that you need some autographs? Sorry, I've signed a whole bunch of documents I haven't seen since I woke up. I can promise to keep the secret of magic, I swear."

"If I asked, you could definitely do it, I have no doubt about it." The sorcerer glanced at Nick Fury, who was somewhat expressionless. "But someone doesn't want you to know what the world is like now. After all, you haven't learned to use the internet yet, so you can't see the truth of the world."

"The truth of the world? Is there something I don't know about?" Steve Rogers cast a suspicious glance at another guest. "Sir, do you have anything to say?"

"There's too much to list, I don't even know where to begin." Nick Fury sat down again with a sigh, taking a sip of his half-finished cola. He glared at the innocent-looking arcane mage before slowly saying, "While you were asleep, the world changed dramatically."

"I know……"

“No, you don’t know,” Salomon interrupted Steve Rogers. “This is the worst news for you. You may not have read many books before the war, and now you’re busy chasing pop culture or lingering in the ‘retro’ trend. But I’m telling you, the crimes the United States committed after the war were no less serious than those of the enemies you encountered in Germany.”

"You can't say that," Nick Fury struggled in his final moments. "America is for a free and democratic world..."

"Oh? Then tell me, the sexual assault cases committed by the US when it was stationed in South Korea and Japan were for the sake of protecting freedom and democracy? Wasn't the US supporting terrorist organizations and instigating wars in the Middle East to seize oil? Wasn't supporting governments and gangs in Latin America to generate funds for drug trafficking? Was the Eisenhower government's support for the massacre of civilians in Vietnam after World War II also for the sake of freedom and democracy? Or were the hundreds of thousands of illegitimate children left behind by the US military after the withdrawal from London meant to contribute votes to a democratic society? Or did 'eugenics' born in the US fail to eliminate Native Americans?" Salomon's face was full of sarcasm. Every word he said left Nick Fury speechless, and every word left Steve Rogers, a soldier with little education, dumbfounded. This information was so shocking that Steve Rogers didn't know what to say.

"Steve Rogers, the country you fight for isn't so righteous. Or rather, in the documents released after the war, we can see the collusion between Wall Street and Germany; this country has always been driven by money, not morality. I want to know whether you're fighting for humanity or for this country; that's important." Salomon stood up, leaving two books on the table. One was *Das Kapital*, and the other was Jack London's *Martin Eden*. He believed these books would help Steve Rogers find the purpose he should be fighting for.

"Perhaps you find this hard to accept right now, but I can assure you that once the government of this country sees no remaining value in you, you will be cleanly and decisively discarded. You see, you've now become a liability—unable to be analyzed by the super-soldier serum, the media hailes you as a saint, and you've put the military and the White House in a very passive position. Only Nick Fury's persuasion has prevented you from being dissected," the sorcerer said. "Therefore, I hope you choose a goal you can truly strive for, instead of continuing to work for those fat-headed politicians and capitalists."

Nick Fury let out a long sigh. That little bastard actually said it! Damn it! Captain America shouldn't have heard this!

"Sir, is what he's saying true?" Steve Rogers asked, frowning. "Does the military really want to put me on the dissection table?"

"The military just... just wanted to replicate the super soldier serum..."

"And then what? To maintain the democratic world?" Salomon sneered. "Anyone with eyes open knows what would happen if the military got their hands on the Super Soldier Serum. And all the experiments this century that tried to replicate the Super Soldier Serum have failed, including that big green guy, he was one of those failures too. If the experiments succeed, you're no longer of any use, Steve. America needs a more obedient Captain America."

"Not now, I promise." Nick Fury had completely given up arguing. He wasn't a journalism professional, and washing coal briquettes wasn't his forte. He now deeply regretted not bringing a few eloquent agents with him. Those agents would later join organizations like the BBC and the Washington Post, acting as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eyes and ears. These were the real coal briquette washers; they could turn good news into bad news, bad news into good news, and even make something out of nothing.

In his mouth, cola was no different from bitter wine.

"I think we shouldn't bother you any longer, Mr. Rogers." Salomon made a move to leave. "Remember to read. Only reading can make one wise. Those music and movies should be put aside for now. After all, you weren't very cultured before you fell asleep."

"I think..." Nick Fury reached for the two books, but was pulled back by the sorcerer.

"If you're not feeling guilty, then let him see." The sorcerer's smile was the thing Nick Fury hated most right now; that cunning grin was like a trap slowly unfolding, and anyone who fell into it couldn't even struggle. Nick Fury was certain that Captain America would be curious about those two books and would learn to search online for what Salomon had said. He didn't want to see the nation's symbol lose faith in the country, but there was nothing he could do.

"Damn it! You little bastard! You talk like you like any political system in the world!"

"Disliking and hating are two different things."

"Your antisocial personality disorder needs treatment!"

Ha, the arrogance of those in power.

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(End of this chapter)