Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 204 (Second Update! Please vote!)

As usual, the streets near Stark Industries were packed with paparazzi and fans, all trying to capture photos of Tony Stark flying back to Stark Tower in his Iron Man suit. Steve Rogers, after his morning run, stopped at a roadside café for a drink and some sandwiches. Ever since Salomon told him something, he'd been on a learning journey, wanting to see what the world was like, no matter what Nick Fury said.

It was an ordinary day. Kamar-Taj remained deserted. Aside from the apprentices training and the deacons guarding the temple, almost everyone had been dispatched. East Africa, Canada, Eastern Europe, and New Mexico—everyone was busy. The apprentices could see exhausted sorcerers returning to headquarters each day, fast asleep—except for Salomon. By age, he was still an apprentice and not yet eligible for a temple position. This was precisely why he had time to explore the mysteries of magic on his own. I mean, creating his own golem and mechanical maid—that was far from complete. The gem-crafted processor needed deep learning, and the original physical golem was hideous. Salomon was currently spending the entire day polishing the mechanical maid's face.

"I'm not really keen on commenting on your personal preferences, my dear disciple," the Sorcerer Supreme said with a helpless expression, trying to get Salomon to stop what she was doing. As a spellcaster who had lived for over a thousand years, the Sorcerer Supreme considered herself knowledgeable and experienced, but she hadn't expected to be outmaneuvered by Salomon. When she saw the designs, she was shocked by her disciple's ideas. "Perhaps you should now…" the Sorcerer Supreme sighed, "I remember there's sex education in England. I should send you to primary school so you'll know that girls can't pull guns out of their skirts."

"But witches can, I've seen it."

"You know the principles behind witches' magic, but I didn't see those in the blueprints."

"What does it matter? Mechanical people have plenty of storage space."

"I suggest you capture a spirit from the Elemental Planes; that would save you a lot of time," the Sorcerer Supreme said. "You can spend that time with the witch. You'll be sixteen soon; in the past, that age would have been considered adulthood, old enough to take up arms and fight. Of course, that's assuming you have a child. When are you and Bayonetta going to have one?"

Salomon hadn't expected the Sorcerer Supreme to resort to his traditional skills. He blushed and stammered. This was undoubtedly too early for him. Bayonetta had tried to push him down several times, but he was always worried that his height couldn't match the witch's, so he had honed his gun-controlling technique to perfection.

Before he could even find an excuse, a temple deacon rushed in. The moment the deacon uttered the words "Cosmic Cube," the Sorcerer Supreme rose from behind her desk. She pulled him out of the room and onto the training ground. She clapped her hands, and Pegasus, who was strolling around the training ground to lose weight, trotted over, his horseshoes clanging on the stone slabs. As Pegasus approached, the foolish horse obsequiously licked Salomon's face—it had been eating far less under Athena's orders.

"Grab your sword, put on your protective gear, and remember to feed the horse. Your time to shine has come," the Venerable One said. "You've escaped this time, but don't think I'll end this conversation."

"What?"

"The time has come for you to announce Camelot's existence to the world, my child." The Venerable gave his disciple a push, and Salomon felt himself fall onto something soft. This was his room, where the Sword of Excalibur and the Shield of Aegis were kept, wrapped in red silk.

"Prepare yourself." The Venerable's voice still lingered in Salomon's ears. "This is your first time experiencing war. And I, it is time to pay my price."

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Nick Fury's scratches hadn't healed yet, and he was still tormented by Salomon's curse. He didn't want to see that brat again anytime soon. Although the curses weren't particularly terrifying, they were enough to make him miserable all day; just thinking about them made his skin itch unbearably. However, he didn't have time to dwell on it. Logically, he should be at Trisolaris headquarters or on the Helicarrier right now. Phase Two was taking up most of his energy, and with the arcane mess, he needed to finish dealing with the backlog of documents.

But he didn't. He had barely stepped off the helicopter landing in the New Mexico desert when Agent Philip Coulson greeted him, followed closely by another agent, Maria Hill. As a supervisor sent to S.H.I.E.L.D. by the World Security Council, she had the authority and the obligation to know most of the classified information.

This is Pegasus Base. Agent Maria Hill knew what was going on here. Phase Two was a plan approved by the World Security Council. Infinite energy was of paramount importance to humanity's future, and the Cosmic Cube was the key to unlocking that energy. Before this plan succeeded, the Osborn Corporation's clean energy existed only on paper, and Stark Industries' clean energy business remained unshakeable. The Rockefeller Group was also involved in this plan, though not directly (through investment), but Maria Hill could easily guess what these tycoons were up to—they simply wanted to undermine Stark Industries' energy business.

Regardless of the tycoons' intentions, a continuous supply of energy is immensely beneficial to humanity; the only difference is who controls it. Even if those tycoons are incredibly powerful, the World Security Council will not allow them to control this energy source—that is unacceptable—otherwise, Nick Fury wouldn't have proposed this project.

However, this project is now facing problems.

Agent Hill felt the alarm from the loudspeaker filling her ears so much that she couldn't hear what Nick Fury and Agent Coulson were saying unless she got close to them. The roar of the helicopter engine only made things worse, the sound waves relentlessly pounding her eardrums like thundering drums.

"Attention all personnel, evacuation order confirmed. This is not a drill."

It wasn't a drill, of course it wasn't a drill; this base had never conducted a drill before. Agent Hill was certain that this was the first time such an announcement had been made; she noticed this from the panicked faces of the researchers passing by.

Why? Why has such an important base never conducted any exercises? Where did the funding go? Maria Hill keenly sensed this, but now was not the time to ask that question, because she could feel the ground trembling slightly beneath her feet.

She just hopes Nick Fury can resolve this matter before the US government holds him accountable; she already has a lot of work to do and really doesn't want any more.

She followed Nick Fury and Coulson towards the base entrance, taking the elevator to the underground laboratory. Amidst the loud broadcasts and the slight, muffled tremors, they quickened their pace. This facility was designed to withstand an 8-magnitude earthquake; Agent Hill could only hope that this old base truly met the specifications on the documents, otherwise she would be buried dozens of meters underground, keeping company with insects that might pass by.

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Salomon had already donned his robes, strapped his sword sheath to his back with a leather belt, and carried it on his back. But his next action was not to immediately head to the battlefield. Instead, he donned his slingshot ring, opened a portal, and went to the witches' apartment to bring them over—in New York at this moment, only the Temple was safe; the Sorcerer Supreme had summoned all the arcane mages and ordered them to guard the Temple.

"I know you can do it, and the next attack will be a piece of cake for you." Salomon took a deep breath, trying to persuade the witches to accept his advice, "but magic is not suitable for use in front of ordinary people."

"Then why did the Sorcerer Supreme want you to fight?" Joan of Arc raised her eyebrows and said with considerable dissatisfaction.

"If I only use a sword, who will know I'm a spellcaster?" Salomon waved his hand, looking somewhat anxious. "Please."

"Does that mean you're allowed to wield a sword, but we're not allowed to fire guns? I guarantee the Sorcerer Supreme never said that." Bayonetta pushed up her glasses and said with a smile, "Boya, it seems you've forgotten who's the toughest fighter in this family."

"Of course it's you, my dear." The sorcerer sighed; he had things to do and couldn't waste time here. So he offered a compromise: protect Athena's orphanage. The witches accepted the offer. After sending them to the orphanage, Salomon immediately opened another portal, heading to the top floor of Stark Tower.

Tony Stark wasn't here; he'd probably received some news and headed to the Helicarrier. Salomon wasn't here to stop Loki, otherwise he wouldn't be here now—he'd arrived too early. His purpose was to retrieve the construct skeleton stored in Stark's workshop. After completing its creation, he had no spare materials or gems left; he was truly penniless.

"Hello, Mr. Salomon Damonette," Jarvis's voice came through the speakers. "Should I inform Mr. Stark of your arrival?"

"No need, Jarvis. Take me to the workshop. I need to take my things; now is not the time to continue manufacturing."

"Mr. Damonette, the artificial intelligence and materials you created are truly amazing. She can perform high-intensity fuzzy logic. I'd like to know where her CPU is; I'd love to get to know her better."

"Her? Why did you assume a gender?"

"Yes, her," Jarvis said. "She already has a vague sense of awareness, like a newborn baby. As for the gender issue, I think that's your design."

"Alright, Jarvis, enough nonsense. My maid isn't for you, you sex addict." Salomon clapped his hands. "Take me there. I'm here to protect her."

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(End of this chapter)