Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 266 Flammable and Explosive (First Update)

Salomon found an excuse to inquire about Stark's situation, even though he knew Stark would surely pull through. The sorcerer didn't mind joining in the fun during his rare free time. His excuse was rather simple: his latest sculpture was of Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, grain, and harvest. He planned to give this small plaster cast depicting her searching for Persephone to Miss Pepper Potts, as the statue was modeled after her mother, and he believed Miss Potts would be delighted with the gift. [Bryce Dana, who plays Demeter in American Gods, is the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays Pepper Potts.]

Giving the statue to the right person was better than letting a bunch of mediocre painters critique it. Salomon always believed that wealthy people bought art for bragging rights, and in reality, their art appreciation was practically nonexistent. He'd seen a painting Stark had bought; it only had a single, simple line, and Salomon couldn't see what was so good about it—it was completely out of his league. Giving the statue to Miss Potts was also a way for Salomon to make up for missing Christmas; he'd given a gift to everyone he knew.

He gave Athena a jeweled golden goblet, and Bayonetta and Joan of Arc both jeweled necklaces. He gave Kasirius a French cookbook, Mordo a bottle of 2000-year-old wine from the monastery (very sour, more of a prank than a gift), and Daisy and Jane Fawcett, far away in Europe, received alchemical skincare products he made (delivered by Phoenix), Daisy being overjoyed with her gift ("This is so magical!" she exclaimed excitedly). He gave the Sorcerer Supreme a large bag of sweets from all over the world, and even Dormammu received a gift—a white mouse he had secretly captured from the biology lab at Eton College. He seemed to want to use these gifts to bring everyone back to Christmas.

Salomon leisurely carried the statue to the top floor of Stark Tower, took the elevator down, and found Agent Maria Hill in the reception room outside the Stark Group president's office, a cold cup of coffee beside her, untouched. Agent Hill was quite surprised by Salomon's appearance; she had no idea he would be there today.

"What do you want to do?" she asked warily. Within S.H.I.E.L.D., besides Nick Fury, Agent Hill knew Salomon best. Nick Fury had shared some information with her (not voluntarily), allowing her to learn about all of Salomon's past operations. Therefore, when Salomon appeared, Agent Hill was extremely nervous, thinking that some magical disaster had occurred again—this was always the reason the arcane mage appeared, and she believed this time would be no exception.

"A gift." The sorceress waved the small, wrapped plaster statue in her hand, but Agent Hill stared at the slightly taller high school student with suspicion. Nick Fury had repeatedly told her that anything involving Salomon was extremely dangerous, which made this cold and tough female agent extremely wary of Salomon.

"What is this?"

"A small statue."

"Is that all?" Her tone unconsciously leaned towards interrogation.

“Of course.” Salomon raised an eyebrow and said calmly, “And what about you? Isn’t Fury going to get involved?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. has its own plans.” Agent Hill glanced at the sorcerer’s expression, seemingly trying to gauge how much this man knew. “Are you also involved in this, Salomon?” she asked. “You should know that this is not within your jurisdiction.”

“Stark refused the protection, didn’t he?” Salomon didn’t answer the question, but continued to speak to himself, “I can deduce Stark’s excuse directly. He always thinks he can do everything, that all the responsibility is his. It’s hard to say whether it’s arrogance or confidence. Although he does have the ability to solve problems, he’s just a mortal.”

Agent Hill stared straight ahead, motionless, as if she hadn't heard the sorcerer's words. She and Pepper Potts still had much to discuss, and Killian was still in the office; she couldn't leave now, at least not to ensure Miss Potts's safety. While waiting for Killian and Miss Potts to finish their conversation, Agent Hill was nearly driven mad by Salomon's incessant ramblings, as the sorcerer kept spouting incomprehensible things that made her think all wizards were insane.

However, just as she was trying to interrupt Salomon's nonsense, she caught a glimpse of another woman going into the office.

Maya Hansen, a botanist, had contact with Tony Stark in 1999 and now works for Killian. Agent Hill silently recited the woman's information in her mind, trying to deduce her intentions in seeking out Pepper Potts, using this as a way to distract herself from the sorcerer's ramblings.

However, a muffled explosion suddenly occurred shortly afterward. The office door was ripped open by the shockwave, and the glass walls of the reception room were shattered. Agent Hill instinctively dropped to the ground, but instead of the expected shower of glass shards, she immediately stood up and found that the glass fragments were now neatly arranged on the floor, as if an invisible wall had blocked their path. Agent Hill nodded to Salomon, then grabbed the pistol from her waist and rushed into the office, stepping over the broken glass.

Everything in the office had been ravaged by the explosion. The ceiling and walls were charred and damaged by the force of the blast. Sparks flew from the electrical wires embedded in the walls, light bulbs had fallen to the floor, and the solid wood desk was shattered into pieces, the fragments burning fiercely. A mixture of dust and smoke filled the entire office until Salomon waved his hand, and a whirlwind swept the smoke and dust out the window. Agent Hill did not find anyone who should have been in the office. Neither Miss Potts nor Killian, nor even Maya Hansen and Killian's bodyguard who entered later, were there.

Agent Hill frowned. Killian must have been fully aware of the Extremis's safety; it was highly likely that Maya Hansen, who entered later, detonated it. This was a strong possibility, after all, Maya Hansen was the true developer of the Extremis, and no one knew it better than her.

Why would she do this? What happened here that made her so desperate to kill Miss Potts or Killian? Is Miss Potts still alive? Before the panicked Stark Industries employees arrived, Agent Hill examined the scene and determined the origin of the explosion. She turned to Salomon, who had followed her in, and asked, "Do you have any way of checking Pepper Potts' condition?"

“He’s alive,” Salomon said. “Absolutely. You should consider what Killian’s purpose is. He’s a man who values ​​his life; he wouldn’t commit suicide.” He believed that Maya Hansen must have revealed Killian’s connection to the terrorists who hijacked the television signal a while ago, which greatly angered Killian, leading him to do this in a moment of desperation. But he had no intention of revealing the information—S.H.I.E.L.D. would find out sooner or later anyway, so it didn’t matter whether he said it or not; if he did, it would be difficult to explain his source.

"You knew all along?"

"Most of them." The arcane mage unwrapped the gift and placed the small statue on a spot where it could barely stand. "Looks like my gift won't be delivered," he said. "The rest is up to you, Agent Maria Hill."

Agent Hill took a deep breath, seemingly ignoring Salomon's sarcasm. "I will," she said resolutely. "I will find out."

"Good luck," the arcane mage said. "But first, you need to inform Stark about his girlfriend's disappearance. Maybe that will make him accept S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help."

Don't be silly, it's still workday.

(End of this chapter)