Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 328 The Fifth Element (First Update)

Salomon tried hard not to let his impatience show on his face.

Damn Thor! Can't he see why I did this? The arcane mage forced a smile and greeted a girl in a blue dress. I just didn't want to bother with other women anymore, doesn't Thor understand? Damn it, where did that guy go?

Sif raised her glass, swallowed a few times, and then slammed the empty glass down on the table. The jubilant crowd cheered, bewildered, before she reached for another glass. Only "Slim" Volstagg and Fandral, who knew her well, sensed something was wrong, but after glancing at Sif's expression, they abandoned any attempt to persuade her—they knew Saul was off, especially the perceptive Fandral, who understood Sif's predicament and her sacrifices for Saul. However, faced with the current situation, he could only sigh and offer Sif a drink.

Time can solve all problems, including the lives of mortals, and they believed that Thor would one day change his mind.

Sif didn't give Salomon a friendly look either, but the sorcerer didn't want to argue with her too much. Instead, he sat down to the side and waited for the banquet to end—Thor was somewhere, and if Volstak got drunk quickly enough, the banquet would be shortened considerably. Salomon's spells were ready; when the time was almost up, he would cast a spell to put everyone else at the banquet to sleep.

You're late.

"Sometimes, the pleasures of war are more intense than the pressures of battle." Thor, draped in a black silk shawl, entered Simijog, where Heimdall was on duty. Long ago, this building was originally intended for Heimdall to monitor the frost giants of Jotunheim, but after Asgard conquered the Nine Realms and the universe, Heimdall's vision expanded to encompass the Nine Realms and the entire cosmos. He rarely left this place; most of the time, he diligently remained here, monitoring the movements within the Nine Realms.

"One of them must have gone wrong." Heimdall's perpetually businesslike and aloof demeanor vanished when he was with Thor; he even joked about the future King of Asgard. Heimdall welcomed Thor's nightly visits to Simijog. Even if Thor's purpose was merely to become a mortal, he could still hear stories of the Nine Realms, and at least learn something—such as the conjunction of the celestial bodies.

"The alignment of the nine planets is coming soon, isn't it?"

"Since my clock began to tick, the entire universe has never witnessed such a miracle. Only a few can sense it, and only a very few can see it. Even though not everyone can perceive it, its effects are still dangerous." Heimdall loosened his grip on his longsword and stood at the end of Simijog. "It is as beautiful as the starry sky."

"I can't see anything."

"Perhaps this isn't the beauty you're looking for," Heimdall joked. He knew the pressure Thor was under. King of Asgard—the title sounded impressive, but the responsibility Thor bore was terrifying. Heimdall undoubtedly knew all of Asgard's secrets, but he couldn't say anything without the permission of the Allfather.

"How is she?"

"Your human girl, she's very intelligent," Heimdall said. "She hasn't figured out what's going on yet, but she's studying celestial conjunctions, and even..."

"Even what?"

"I can't see her anymore."

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"Humanity's understanding of the universe was quite strange in its early days," Salomon said, taking a sip of wine and addressing the Asgardian girl beside him. "Some believed that before its birth, the universe was like an egg, as the saying goes: 'The universe was chaotic like a chicken egg, and Pangu was born within it. After eighteen thousand years, heaven and earth separated, the clear Yang became heaven, and the turbid Yin became earth.' This idea that Yin and Yang together formed a universe was not uncommon; it was also prevalent in alchemy—for example, a circle formed by two snakes biting each other's tails symbolized the king and queen, the male and female, and the hermaphrodite, the staff of the Triple Great Hermes. Alchemists regarded this as the highest mystery, the Philosopher's Stone. As it is above, as it is below, thus creating the miracle of that one thing. That one thing exists within all things, so all things originate from one… Hey, let me finish."

"Come on, girls in Asgard who don't want to learn magic can't stand this nonsense." Fandral chuckled as he sat down next to Salomon, afraid Salomon would be ignored, so he came over to warm things up and try to bring a few girls along. Little did he know, Salomon was saying all this just to keep the girls away from him.

"This isn't some random nonsense; it's the truth." Salomon's words were loaded with meaning, but it was something Fandral couldn't comprehend at the moment. It was red liquid, red stone, red powder; it was the elixir of immortality, the universal solvent, the first source substance, the fifth element, the supreme achievement of alchemy.

Now that he has a chance to get up close to the highest truth, how can he contain his excitement?

"Alright, alright, you're right. If you said those things to the Queen's maids, they might be interested in hearing them. But you can't say that to the ladies at a banquet. You should talk about flowers, about painting, about your valiant deeds on the battlefield," Fandral said with a smile. "You're not even twenty yet; many things require experience. You can learn from me, I promise I won't lie to you, and I can even help you achieve merit on the battlefield. Don't worry, I've been to the battlefield; don't be intimidated by the sights. Come on, come on, let's go flirt with the ladies, let me teach you how to talk to them... Hey, are you interested in hearing about this young man from Midgard? He's a warrior who fought alongside us..."

"I can testify!" Vostak swallowed the food in his mouth, put the little girl on his lap down (he had been at the children's table), and said, "He's a good fighter, and he can drink a lot too!"

Salomon sighed, turned around, and quietly drank a bottle of the Panacea.

The banquet continued until morning. The sorcerer tried casting spells, but the Asgardians' constitution was simply too exaggerated. They showed no reaction to sleep spells or Ascending Ring sleep spells. Only a few weaker children fell asleep on the table—Salomon wasn't sure if the children were just sleepy or if his spells had worked.

But under the influence of the elixir of life, Salomon awoke refreshed and full of energy. He had barely finished washing when he received a message from Gaina, the goddess of the winds. A Midgardian had arrived in Asgard, and perhaps he would be interested in meeting him. The somewhat gossipy goddess of the winds continued to add details, as if Salomon were her first person to speak to that day—for example, that the mortal was brought back by Thor, and that she was the mortal girl from Thor's legend. Why would Thor be so fond of that mortal instead of Sif?

Salomon agreed; this was the best opportunity to come into contact with the fifth element and the Philosopher's Stone.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)