Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 267 These young people nowadays! (Second update)

Salomon felt like a walking disaster trigger, bringing trouble wherever he went. He was convinced it was a coincidence, but he was too embarrassed to stay any longer. Agent Maria Hill's eyes clearly showed how much she disliked Salomon, and even his act of protecting her during the explosion hadn't salvaged any of her impression of him.

Agent Hill felt that Salomon, an unprofessional, was only there to cause trouble. He left the gift and fled Stark Tower, looking utterly embarrassed. It was his day off; he didn't have to study, so he decided to accept Athena's invitation to tutor the children at the orphanage.

Lorna, in particular, is becoming increasingly rebellious. The reason for this is likely the resurgence of decadent culture in America following the alien invasion.

This is somewhat similar to the reasons why the United States was filled with the "Beat Generation" in the 1960s. Both were the result of capitalism influencing state power and whitewashing the truth. Many people believed that the current order could no longer guarantee security, the gap between the rich and the poor was widening, and the whole society was filled with doubt and anxiety. The Battle of New York further amplified this anxiety.

This led to the inapplicability of traditional culture, morality, and values, and a resurgence of rebellious spirit and liberal thought. Some attempted to resist this anxiety and the harsh logic of reality through utopia. But regardless of reality, Salomonde stopped Lorna from wearing the big gold chain and getting addicted to drugs, lest she set a bad example for the other children.

They were a respectable family and needed to stay away from all sorts of shady things; addictive drugs were the worst. Although Salomon possessed countless highly useful addictive drugs in his alchemical creations, he had never given them to anyone else, nor had anyone around him used them—except for the Cheshire Cat, whose addictive drug was catnip hairball balm, handmade by the homunculus, but only to help the Cheshire Cat expel hairballs. So, to prevent little Lorna from getting addicted to drugs, Salomon, disregarding her objections, picked her up and carried her back to her room as she was about to leave the orphanage to fool around.

"They said they'd get some good stuff today." Little Lorna struggled, but still couldn't stop Salomon from taking off her ridiculously silly grid sunglasses.

"What good stuff could there be?" The sorcerer scoffed. "It's nothing more than tranquilizers, OxyContin, maybe Vicodin, liquid hallucinogens, or even worse, you'd have to steal them from a pharmacy. I told you before, you absolutely mustn't touch those things, and always remember to carry a handgun when you go out. Also, go change your clothes, it's still cold, you'll catch a cold wearing a crop top."

"You talk like an old man, Salomon." Little Lorna frowned and reluctantly put on a large leather jacket. It was a black motorcycle jacket that Salomon had bought for him. He had originally intended to wear it while riding his motorcycle, but since he didn't have time and Little Lorna had taken a liking to it, he naturally gave it away.

The dress was far too big for little Lorna, the hem almost touching her knees, making her look like a ball with two thin, short legs. But after putting on the dress, little Lorna became excited again. She jumped and bounced on the bed with her shoes on (which made the arcane mage frown), and then jumped straight into Salomon's arms. The arcane mage quickly caught the impetuous girl.

"Have you noticed the way those girls look at you?" Little Lorna whispered affectionately to Salomon, "They practically want to devour you. They say they wouldn't mind getting pregnant with your child."

"Are all kids these days so daring?" Salomon was shocked by the modern little girl. "They're only twelve years old, how could they think about such things?"

"One of them is already pregnant, the chubby one, you've met her. But she's not sure which boyfriend it's with.

Little Lorna clung to Salomon's neck like a koala, and no matter what Salomon did, he couldn't tear her off. "They're all poor kids, just like me. They rarely come to this rich area because they want to get some money for surgery. That girl's father is about to be released from prison, and she's worried he'll shoot her current boyfriend. Let me go out and have some fun; they're waiting for me at the door! I promise I'll bring a gun, and even if I kill someone, I'll let you know immediately. I remember your phone number!"

"My God, this world is truly awful. Okay, stop whining. I agree to let you go out and have fun, and I'll give you $200, plus $500 for that girl's surgery. Don't waste the money; it's all for a purpose." The sorcerer was clearly not an education expert; his only method with children was spoiling them. He couldn't resist little Lorna's whining and had to agree to her request. "Also, don't shoot indiscriminately. Guns are for self-defense. Remember, unless you absolutely must kill someone, don't draw your weapon, understand?"

"Got it, got it." Little Lorna lazily jumped down after achieving her goal, looking rather perfunctory, which made Salomon quite angry, to the point that he almost forgot why he came to find Lorna. He grabbed Little Lorna's long black and green hair and pulled her back as she was about to slip out of the room after getting the money.

"What!" Little Lorna raised her head in displeasure, staring directly at Salomon. "Have you changed your mind?"

"No, that's not it," Salomon said. "I wanted to ask if you'd like to meet your family."

"You found them?" Little Lorna blew a breath upwards nonchalantly, ruffling her hair and turning her eyes to the side, as if those past wounds didn't exist. "I didn't ask you to find them. Anyway, I was abandoned, and I'm doing great now. Sister Minerva takes good care of us."

"I didn't find your parents." Salomon pulled little Lorna to sit down beside him. "Remember the research Minerva and I did on you before? The research about interference in the multiverse. What I found were your siblings in a parallel world. Although they are not the same people as your parents in this world, you are still closely related by blood."

"What's the point? Salomon, my family consists only of you. Parallel worlds have nothing to do with me."

"Okay, let me put it another way. Do you want superpowers?"

"Yes!" Little Lorna was so excited she almost jumped up, but she quickly shrank back. "But my abilities are about to disappear... Sister Minerva said that when we reach adulthood, our abilities tend to stabilize and then disappear, and even now, our abilities aren't very useful. I can't even bend a spoon right now."

"The reason I mentioned your siblings in the parallel world is because they are close to stabilizing their abilities. However, I am not yet entirely certain about the method, but if they can do it, so can you."

"But Minerva will be unhappy." Little Lorna shrank back further, hiding where the sunlight couldn't reach. Although she didn't seem to care on the surface, she actually cared a lot about Athena's opinion, after all, this was her only home.

"I'll convince her, and I don't fully understand what's going on yet. So... I'm asking for your opinion first. If you want superpowers, I'll figure this out and stabilize your abilities. This world is getting more and more unsafe ('I know, I've been watching TV!' Lorna interjected), and I want my family to have the ability to protect themselves—Minerva even taught you how to use a spear, didn't she? She thinks the same way I do."

"You promise!"

"I promise. You should know that Minerva and I love you very much, and we love the children in this orphanage very much. We will never let you get hurt."

So those guys peeking around outside the orphanage...

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(End of this chapter)