Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 458 Girls Looking Outward (First Update)

"You... don't deny it, I know you're praising me," Tony Stark said, pointing at the arcane mage. "Could you not be so awkward next time? Praising others more often is good for you. Although I don't have much right to say this, I'm never stingy with my appreciation for others these days."

"I'm praising your family, not you. Don't get me wrong."

Whether it's Howard, Tony, or the future Morgan, the Stark family has played a pivotal role in the history of human technological development. Howard Stark was one of the main initiators of the Brotherhood of the Shield's war against the Celestials. Documents related to that war are still being compiled, and Salomon is unwilling to entrust that part of the secrets to anyone. Therefore, he has to personally select certain technologies to share with the Wakanda, accelerating the military development of the Immortal City and the Martian foundry project.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I can live a very long time," the sorcerer said. "I will watch you die of old age, your daughter die of old age, and your grandchildren die of old age. From birth to old age, it is only a blink of an eye for someone like me."

"How long can you live?" Stark's expression looked like he'd just shoved a huge chunk of chestnut cake down his throat, so rough it could be used to start a fire. "Two hundred years?"

"At least a thousand years, that's based on calculations by my girlfriend and my teacher," Salomon said. "And that's a conservative estimate, because my teacher is immortal, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Age is meaningless to the Sorcerer Supreme. For any arcane mage who has reached a certain level of mastery, lifespan is no longer an issue."

"You magicians... so how do you resolve your identity issues?"

"It's simple, magic can do a lot of things." Salomon raised an eyebrow, his smile wicked. "Hypnosis, manipulation, illusions—something will work. Besides, we have gold, lots and lots of gold."

Gold can accomplish many things, and gold chains are far stronger than iron chains. Under the onslaught of money, the technical assistance promised by the Malik family arrived. Salomon and Stephanie, accompanied by the Sisterhood, returned to the Malik family manor to receive the researchers. The arcane mage instructed Stephanie to speak with Gideon Malik, showing him some publicly available documents from the Immortal City to subtly highlight his own power.

He spoke with the android who had previously been monitoring Gideon Malik at Malik Manor, and found that the old scorpion was remarkably quiet, making no outrageous moves. This, however, made Salomon somewhat uneasy—Gideon Malik's upbringing wasn't the kind that instilled subservience, and he didn't trust the old scorpion as much as he did Stephanie.

Of course, it's also possible that Stephanie, as a hostage, is Gideon's lifeline; with Stephanie in his hands, Salomon firmly grasps the Malik family's weakness. But Salomon still harbors a basic suspicion of Gideon; he's not as naive or easily subdued as Stephanie.

Salomon instructed the Sisterhood to take the researchers back to the Immortal City in a spaceship, but only on the condition that the researchers be searched to ensure they were not carrying tracking or communication systems. He and the android on duty lingered at Malik Manor for quite some time, until a smiling Stephanie emerged with a plate of mousse cake and a troubled Gideon Malik.

The old snakehead's expression immediately changed upon seeing Salomon, and Stephanie was also happy that her father understood how powerful the new master of the Malik family was. But deep down, Gideon wasn't as happy as he appeared; he only felt despair—he realized that his daughter was no longer on his side, constantly referring to "us," as if she considered the base called the Immortal City her home.

He now deeply regretted not exposing Stephanie to Hydra's inner workings from a young age. Now wielding immense power, Stephanie was unwilling to relinquish the authority she had gained with Salomon. Moreover, Stephanie now looked down on Hydra, because that man had actually taken her to an alien restaurant!

The Immortal City wouldn't set its sights on a tiny planet like Earth! The Hydra are a bunch of bumpkins!

Moreover, from a father's perspective, he disliked seeing his daughter fawning over that young man. He knew this day would come sooner or later, but he always believed that the man might be Baron Stella's son, or some outstanding young man within Hydra, so that he could control him.

But he never expected this to happen under such circumstances, where the enemy was strong and he was weak! Stephanie's first time making a cake was for that horrible man! He had never seen Stephanie go into the kitchen before!

This is a father's anger!

"My Lord, won't you try some?" Stephanie placed the cake in front of Salomon, then sat down beside him with perfect ease. Not only Stephanie's actions, but also her address to Salomon, caused Gideon Malik's temples to throb, and his ears to ring with the urgent beat of war drums.

If he still has his blood pressure medication, he will definitely take it.

Gideon Malik forced a smile and sat down in the guest seat on the living room sofa. He was always reserved for the head seat, but this time it had been taken by that man. That man not only occupied the head seat, but also seemed intent on devouring the Malik family and even the entire Hydra. Gideon Malik felt a profound sense of powerlessness, a feeling he hadn't experienced since discovering his father's secret.

That feeling of helplessness from shattered faith returned and enveloped him once again.

"Wait a moment." Salomon put down the book he was holding. He took a small heart-shaped box decorated with three pearls from his pocket and had Stephanie hand it to Gideon Malik.

"Submission will be rewarded, and I mean what I say." Salomon stared meaningfully at Gideon Malik. He explained the box's function to the old snakehead: the white pearl could detect toxins, and swallowing it could delay the onset of poison; the silver pearl could detect diseases, and swallowing it could remove them; the black pearl could detect invisible creatures, and swallowing it could see through invisibility.

Besides, the alchemical pills in the small box each have their own purpose. In short, it's a life-saving concoction, hence the name "Noble Savior Pill Set." Gideon Malik only hoped the box contained blood pressure medication, because Stephanie had already cut the cake, and it seemed she wanted to feed it to the man herself.

Perhaps Salomon felt these pills weren't enough of a reward for the Malik family's submission, so he gave Gideon Malik a tiny bronze statue, only an inch tall. He explained how to use the statue to Gideon, which improved the old snakehead's expression somewhat.

This small bronze griffin statue can be transformed into a real griffin upon uttering a command, and it will obey the user's orders. It can be used up to twice a week, for six hours each time. This device can truly protect the Malik family's safety.

Although it is completely different from the statues that summon astral creatures, it can still be considered a priceless magical item.

Stephanie was also very happy, believing it to be a sign of Salomon's trust in the Malik family.

"Of course I trust Malik, how could I not?" Salomon said confidently, as if his words had nothing to do with the androids behind him wielding longswords.

“My father wants to invite you to a party,” Stephanie said. “Didn’t you want to swallow the conservative Hydra? All the conservative Hydra members will be there, so the Nazi faction won’t be of much use.”

Gideon Malik was about to faint.

He never expected that his daughter would sell off the Malik family's lifeline so quickly.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)