Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 205 Humanity's Bill (First Update!)

Salomon hurriedly moved away the construct skeleton he had painstakingly created, having squandered his entire fortune. Adamantite, mithril, cold iron, rubies, sapphires, diamonds—some of these items could be bought for worthless scraps of paper in the Prime Material Plane, while others required smuggling through lower planes. Salomon had to sell several of his spell scrolls at a dimensional transfer point to gather the gold needed to buy these things.

If Jarvis dares to touch this thing, he'll give this AI a good beating, he promises!

When he carried the metal skeleton and pushed the bionic flesh cultivation tank back to Kamar-Taj headquarters, many arcane mages were present. The Sorcerer Supreme had issued a series of orders, including but not limited to maintaining surveillance of Heaven and Hell, dimensional defenses, hunting extradimensional beings, and probing into dimensional gaps to gather intelligence. The planetary defense system was now under severe strain, and almost all the arcane mages and apprentices who had not left the temple and headquarters were mobilized; no one was idle—except Salomon, as he was the only one whose mission was located on the Prime Material Plane.

"Are you done with your work?" the Venerable One asked when he had a moment. "I saw your work. It's not finished yet, is it?"

"It's far from that. I can't exactly grow bionic flesh from lamb, that's too stupid," Salomon said. "Besides, I haven't been to Athena yet, and the orphanage kids aren't properly hidden. I'm worried about their situation, so I brought them a few boxes of Lego toys... Stark paid for them. I'm thinking of buying some bread later. After that, there might be a problem with food supplies in New York."

"It seems you foresaw those situations as well. The Silver Key has been a great help to you." The Sorcerer Supreme nodded, reassuring Salomon with his words. "Don't worry about the food. Athena is clever; she won't let those children go hungry. Besides, you sent the witch there; no one can threaten them. Also, don't underestimate those children. Little Lorna's spear-throwing skills aren't much different from yours; they are capable of protecting themselves. I can't help but remind you, child, don't get too caught up in those things. You're still a high school student!"

What the Venerable One didn't say was: Actually, goats aren't bad either. But that's too extreme, and the Venerable One didn't want to pollute his disciple's mind.

"Very good. Also, that thing was just my exploration in the field of application." Salomon was relieved. Since the Sorcerer Supreme had said so, then it must be true, and he could concentrate on preparing for the battle. Of course, the weather in New York City was still as good as ever, just entering summer, the temperature was just right. People could wear jackets or just shirts and enjoy delicious coffee on the street, with sugar or milk as they pleased, as long as they didn't worry about their weight. As for the frost that could freeze people to death, it wouldn't suddenly appear at night, and the homeless people who froze to death and their cardboard boxes had long been cleaned up.

New York City is exceptionally clean, warm, and bustling today.

Salomon led Pegasus to the orphanage, intending to prepare lunch for the children and then await the alarm bells that would awaken all of humanity. He hoped that by then, both petty politicians and ordinary people overwhelmed by work would look up and see the imminent threat—the Sorcerer Supreme had kept them in a comfortable environment, but their achievements did not satisfy him. Therefore, the Sorcerer Supreme allowed things to unfold naturally, letting humanity use its own blood to remind itself—beware, your situation is dangerous, not from the end-of-month bank bill, nor from the noisy neighbor across the hall, but from the aliens you feared as a child, hiding under your bed and in your closet.

The sorcerer ignored Pegasus, who was being touched by a group of children, and went into the kitchen. There, two witches were gleefully making things worse, while little Lorna was hopping mad, her short, dark green hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, her upturned eyes revealing her displeasure. But when little Lorna went to Salomon to complain about the two witches, the sorcerer could only spread his hands, indicating his helplessness—what could he do? It seemed the witches had developed a taste for torturing beef and pork; they even wouldn't spare potatoes and carrots, determined to burn them to a crisp.

Athena was one of those in the know. What in the world could be hidden from the goddess of wisdom? Her wisdom would give her omens of the future. She arrived at the orphanage before the witch arrived, and she trained the children as usual, as if nothing would happen. "The Sorcerer Supreme is like a raven," she said. "Ravens always bring bad news, and you are now a little raven."

“Something bad is happening, and the raven is just the messenger.” Salomon shook his head, looking at the Cheshire Cat and Phoenix perched on horseback, who were also popular with the children. “That’s unfair,” he said. “Bad news is sometimes delivered by owls, and the hooting of owls and ravens isn’t much better.”

"What are you doing here?" Athena changed the subject. "Shouldn't you be involved in this now?"

"I'm getting ready." Salomon handed a basket of vegetables to little Lorna. The child glared reproachfully at the sorcerer before turning and heading into the kitchen without looking back. "Weapons, magic, I've got everything ready," he said. "But the Venerable One said that things on the battlefield are unpredictable, and I should be mentally prepared. And after this, I might have to kill a few more people."

"This is your first time on the battlefield, so it's understandable that you're nervous." Athena pointed to the longsword Salomon carried on his back. "I've seen people go mad on the battlefield; they'll point their weapons at anyone who passes by, friend or foe. Only the blood of someone close can calm them down. I just hope you don't go mad on the battlefield. Your weapon is powerful enough to destroy a city, and I want you to remember who you're fighting for."

"Of course, for humanity," Salomon answered without hesitation, but he didn't really feel the sincerity in his answer.

"No, that's too heavy, child. The responsibility the Sorcerer Supreme has placed on you is far too heavy." Athena stroked Salomon's thick, curly hair. "You are a person with a warm soul. I have always resisted the shackles the Sorcerer Supreme has put on you. You should understand what you are fighting for—for us, for those you love."

"I..." The sorcerer hesitated for a moment, then nodded and swore under Athena's gaze. "I will," he said, "for you."

"Good child, we love you."

-------------

"Level 7 alert, Salomon, war is coming." Nick Fury's voice came through the phone receiver.

"I know." Salomon held his phone between his fingers as he placed the marinated beef on the scorching hot iron plate. Beside him, witches and orphanage children alike held their plates, waiting for the sorcerer to finish this delicious dish—cooking helped Salomon calm down; it was one of his hobbies.

"You don't understand me, Salomon, I need help."

"I know." Salomon put down the tongs, the beef sizzling on the hot plate, butter slowly dripping down the seams. He pushed aside the little glutton trying to scoop the meat out of the pot, and took the phone with his other hand. "I also know what your troubles are. In fact, it's already beyond my expectations that you haven't blown up the earth yet."

"Don't make sarcastic remarks." Nick Fury took a deep breath on the other end of the phone. "Our enemy is the Asgardians, a god! A fucking god! He crossed the Tesseract and came to our world! You have to tell me that Kamar-Taj has something to do with this. Earth is the Sorcerer Supreme's territory."

"Don't try that again. I've already fallen for it once." Salomon toyed with Nick Fury's food, holding it high above his head, making it impossible for him to reach no matter how much he jumped. "In fact, the Sorcerer Supreme anticipated this, because your foolishness has brought more than just Loki to Earth. The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj are dealing with monsters from other dimensions."

"What's that sound coming from your end?"

"The sound of cooking fresh onions in butter; these onions are very sweet after they're fully cooked."

"Damn it! I need help right now, not butter and onions."

"Then I have good news for you." Salomon finally threw out the bait. "My mission is on the Prime Material Plane. In other words, I'll handle this."

"Then hurry up and solve this for me! Capture Loki for me, I don't want Asgard and Earth to go to war!"

"You might not understand what I mean, Nick Fury." Salomon picked up the cat, drawn by the scent, and placed the fat cat in Bayonetta's arms before kissing the witch's lips. After finishing these tasks, he picked up his phone again and spoke to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. on the other end, "But Kamar-Taj's methods are something you definitely don't want to see."

"What do you mean by that?"

"This is a blood sacrifice, a price humanity must pay for its past folly. You can't stop it, Nick Fury. We can only reduce the number of sacrifices and choose who to put on the altar—neither you nor I want ordinary people to die, so it's time for you to choose—start with the president, or the World Security Council?"

Please vote for me~~~~

(End of this chapter)