Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 231 Disrespectful to Elders (First Update)

Salomon was already being quite accommodating to Captain Rogers, since Captain Rogers had only approached him at Nick Fury's request. Unlike Peggy Carter, Captain Rogers wasn't in such a rush to speak with Salomon. Salomon had no idea how many people Nick Fury had arranged for him to talk to. He could easily conclude that Nick Fury was doing this as retaliation for Salomon's actions of casually opening classified documents at Eton College.

Hmph, that stingy guy! Next time I'll wear the suspension ring and punch him.

Faced with the somewhat embarrassed Captain Rogers, the arcane mage couldn't bring himself to get angry. It was indeed a bit much to have a soldier who hadn't even finished high school as a conversation partner; the guy was fine with following orders, but getting him to find topics to talk about was a different story. Salomon believed that Captain Rogers, tormented by nightmares since waking from the ice, wasn't in much better mental condition than Salomon; perhaps he was still feeling a bit dazed. The arcane mage could only symbolically clear away the extradimensional bacteria; there was nothing else he could do.

The atmosphere became tense. Captain Rogers had originally wanted to ask Salomon why Peggy Carter had met with him, but he clearly hadn't mastered modern social skills, and in this atmosphere, he was too embarrassed to speak. He decided to ask later when the opportunity arose. "Uh… was your AI developed with Stark?" Captain Rogers was trying to find a topic. "The one you took to Agent Coulson's funeral. I initially thought it was a real person, but Stark told me yesterday that it was your creation…"

"That's not artificial intelligence. Alchemical artificial lifeforms aren't connected to the internet... Oh well, whatever you say." Salomon sighed, lowering his head again to cut the French toast on his plate. Too much sugar had made the toast a bit hard, but it was still barely edible. After finishing his French toast, the arcane mage made an excuse to leave. "You need to give your AI some kind of identification," Captain Rogers said. "Nick Fury agreed to help with that."

"No need," Salomon shook his head and continued eating. Silence fell again. After finishing his tea and toast, the sorcerer buttoned up two buttons on his suit jacket, picked up his backpack, and left with a flimsy excuse. Captain Rogers didn't try to stop him. He knew he couldn't communicate with Salomon and would suggest Nick Fury see a more specialized doctor, as he believed Salomon's antisocial personality disorder might be quite severe, far removed from that of a typical American teenager.

He might be clumsy with words, but he could sense things deep within others' hearts. He felt that Salomon seemed to have some kind of emptiness inside. Now that emptiness had been temporarily filled—was it magic? Or something else? Captain Rogers didn't know what it was, nor did he know what Salomon craved, but he thought that this mental state might be very similar to his own.

They are both patients. Perhaps he should see a psychologist.

Salomon had no idea what others thought. When he returned to his apartment, he saw the homunculus intently wiping down the furnishings in the room with a rag. The homunculus had spotted the arcane mage. "Master, welcome back," she said expressionlessly as she entered the entryway. "Would you like to eat first, or take a shower, or...?"

Salomon quickly reached out to stop the homunculus from speaking further. "Stop, stop! This was just a spur-of-the-moment idea. Don't do it again." However, he didn't stop the homunculus from taking off his shoes. The arcane mage peeked into the room and asked the homunculus, "Where have all the witches gone?"

"Master, your foster mother drove to the apartment three hours ago and picked up Bayonetta and Jeanne. She didn't explain the reason, but I'll definitely remember to ask next time," the homunculus said, raising her fist with utmost seriousness. Salomon could only stop the homunculus Dinah from being overly serious again. He didn't know if Dinah would resort to violence next time she wanted to ask the reason, and if that happened, he would only find a pile of scrap metal when he got home.

"Why do you always have no expression?" He stroked the skin on the android's face. "Is there something wrong with the expression system? Although Jarvis designed this part of the bionic muscle, I don't think that weak artificial intelligence should be that prone to making mistakes."

"The expression management system is functioning normally and requires no maintenance." The android pondered for a moment. "During my learning process, I discovered that all the robots on the network have no expressions, so I believe I shouldn't show any. Master, did I do something wrong?"

"Where did you see that?" the sorcerer frowned.

"Terminator, Frank the Robot, The Stepford Wives, Bicentennial Man..."

"Hoo..." The arcane mage let out a long breath. He still couldn't figure out what the android was thinking. An alchemical artificial life form going to the movies to learn how robots behaved—he didn't even know how to comment on the android's ideas. But that was enough to reassure him, because Dina hadn't done anything outrageous. Although the android's life originated from him, their thoughts were different. Apart from the alchemical formulas Salomon knew, the android needed to learn everything on its own, so its alignment might differ from its creator's—only one thing was certain: the android was absolutely loyal to him, and no mind control spell could take away its control.

To prevent the idea of ​​artificial beings from going astray, Salomon must decide on the scope of Dinah's learning. The reasons and consequences of Google and Amazon's AI going out of control are right before his eyes; Salomon absolutely cannot allow his alchemical artificial life form to also go out of control.

"Master, what are you thinking about? Would you like some snacks?" The android's voice pulled Salomon back to reality. "I completed my to-do item today: learning how to make cheesecake. This to-do item is complete, and there are two cheesecakes in the refrigerator. Master, you may enjoy them."

"What about the alchemical ointment?" Salomon mentioned alchemical training, which was one of his main purposes in creating androids.

"This is the flight ointment made according to the formula you entered. The materials have been used up. Would you like to go to Vandazar-Fo to purchase more?"

"Put it in the memo. I haven't had time to go to the Dimensional Nexus lately. You can use my arcane mark to buy materials." Salomon sighed, rubbing his forehead and leaning back in the sofa, enjoying the softness of the fabric. He closed his eyes and pulled a stamp from his pocket.

This seal is Salomon's arcane mark, impossible for anyone to forge. It bears a circular emblem symbolizing the Vishanti of Kamar-Taj, representing his lineage and heritage. The reclining red dragon beside the emblem represents his authority, while the sword and wand symbolize his power. This mark becomes increasingly complex as his identity grows, until the shield emblem on the seal becomes densely packed.

He simply couldn't find the time for something as trivial as procuring alchemical materials. Lately, he'd been constantly on the go, using the Cosmic Cauldron with Mordo to monitor Ghost Rider, repairing the androids' bodies to maintain their perfection, on top of A-Level exams, extracurricular science lessons, physical and magical training, and travels through the Dark Dimension. He simply didn't have time for anything else. Even during his breaks, he had to mediate the relationship between witches and androids; otherwise, Jeanne would shoot the androids to pieces the moment she got home—witches' territorial instincts were as sensitive as cats', and Salomon had to appease them daily.

Tired, but fulfilled, Salomon enjoyed this state of being. However, if unforeseen circumstances arose (which was common in the magical world), he would have to drastically alter his schedule; he couldn't live without it. But the task of revising his schedule could be delegated to Dinah, who was in charge of his life…

Before Salomon could relax for long, a letter flew in through the window and opened on its own in front of the sorcerer.

"You've got a lot to do, my dear disciple," the Supreme Sorcerer's gloating voice came from the envelope. "Also, I've already finished modifying the message-transmission spell before you, so the snacks in your fridge are mine now."

I need your votes at the beginning of the month!!!

(End of this chapter)