Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 532 Two Old Guys (First Update)

He was a charming old man, tall and slender, with wrinkles that gave him a gentle air. Like his voice, his eyes were also gentle. Surrounding him were not only scantily clad women with their hair curled over their shoulders, but also impeccably dressed, serious men. Just like his incongruous attire, the topics he discussed were completely out of place in the noisy nightclub.

He recounted his travel experiences to the men and women, sharing the mysterious events he encountered in foreign lands. He was extremely polite, never raising his voice even when questioned, but instead using an unusually gentle tone to dispel their doubts. He discussed the quality of brandy, the different wine regions, the paintings in the Louvre, the sacred and corrupt aspects of the Baroque paintings by the Spanish painter Valdés Leal in Seville, and the bizarre, deformed magical gnomes painted by the Spanish dark painter Ribera. He talked about the French Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau's fascination with mythology, contrasting the decadence of Rome with the rampant materialism of modern times, posing profound moral questions to the audience.

He was so persuasive and insightful, often commenting on things from angles others couldn't see. He could find beauty in decay and ugliness in vibrant life. His voice, quietly cutting through the cacophony of music, reached every listener clearly. To the women close to him, he was a witty man—he would praise their new hairstyles, their makeup and posture, calling them as noble as the court ladies of Louis XIV's time. As they were overwhelmed by the flood of praise, he seemed much younger in their eyes.

After offering his opinions on worldly matters, he turned his attention to the unknown and mysterious realm. The audience awaited his speech with great excitement.

He spoke of the greatest alchemical mystery, the Red Lion, known only to Hermes and Albertus Magnus. It was a remarkably difficult substance to produce, requiring two highly coordinated and equally skilled alchemists. He claimed that in 1698, some of the Red Lion, buried in southern Bavaria, seeped into the soil, a miracle that led to the construction of churches on that land. He spoke of the First Honey Flower, capable of rejuvenating, whose effects Louis XIV's court physician, Risserbian, personally tested and transformed an old hen into a chick. He discussed the ancient alchemists' belief in the spontaneous origin of life, mentioning that a book called *The Sphinx*, written by Émile Bestney, detailed Count Johann Ferdinand von Koufstein's experiments in Tyrol in 1775, which involved creating living beings with spirits. He claimed that modern science is stumbling along the path that alchemy once took, and that modern humans will one day use modern tools and technology to recreate the mysterious achievements of the past.

Just as he was talking about the mysterious Rosicrucian Order, Dave, who had been waiting for a long time, finally couldn't help but interrupt him.

"Dave." The old man chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, introducing him to the woman beside him without further ado. For some reason, Dave felt that the old man seemed much younger than when they first met. He felt like he was in a dream, still a little dizzy, and somewhat unable to believe what he was experiencing.

"This is my student. The esoteric knowledge he studies is what those charlatans dream of their entire lives," the old man announced loudly amidst the curious gazes of the crowd. "But he's a bookworm!" His hand gripped Dave's shoulder like an iron clamp, preventing Dave from escaping. Pain and embarrassment surged across Dave's face. The crowd chuckled good-naturedly, causing Dave to swallow his resentment. He simply couldn't bring himself to lose his temper in front of so many people; shyness overwhelmed him. The old man shoved him forward, simultaneously thrusting a glass of strong liquor into his hand. "It's time to teach him the beauty of life, ladies."

For some reason, Dave felt that the old man was getting younger and younger.

“If you ask me, Merlin is a troublemaker. Loki is just a child compared to him.” Odin stabbed at a piece of steak with his knife, tearing at it with abandon, juices dripping onto his white beard, earning a glare from Frigga. But he didn’t care at all, continuing to comment on the troublemaking former Sorcerer Supreme in the tone of an elder lecturing a junior. Odin snorted a few times in dissatisfaction, until Frigga angrily slammed her hand on the table, at which point he put down the steak and switched to a knife and fork. “That troublemaker has no conscience,” said the Allfather. “He is a projection of human emotions, like a mirror. He is a hybrid nightmare, feeding on the emotions within dreams.”

"Eat vegetables!"

The Father of the Gods hesitated for a moment, then planted a mushroom. Frigga nodded in satisfaction.

"If you ask me, the current Sorcerer Supreme is better." As the Allfather, having fought alongside Agamotto, Salomon had to listen attentively to whatever he said. "Although Agamotto is also a bit of a madman, and the Ancient One has a bad temper, they're still much better than Merlin, who always seems to enjoy the chaos!" Odin seemed to recall the trouble Merlin had caused in the past, and was somewhat indignant. "He even tricked me into playing with my Spear of Eternity!"

Salomon coughed violently, and Stephanie, who was standing behind him, quickly handed him a glass of water.

Frigga narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the girl who was inseparable from Salomon. She had no intention of asking Salomon to introduce this mortal, but she could tell how exquisite Stephanie's clothes were and how polite and well-mannered she was. Frigga didn't intend to speak until she knew the mortal's identity. What intrigued the Queen was the magical ornament on Stephanie's chest—judging from the magical aura and years of spellcasting experience, the exquisite silver chain inlaid with sapphires could grant immunity to disease, but the Queen noticed that the amulet was distinctly Kamar-Taj in style, clearly made by Salomon himself.

At first, Stephanie didn't know why Salomon had brought her to Finland, but after their previous conversation, she realized this wasn't the place for her to speak. Although she already knew her boss had some special qualities, she hadn't expected Salomon to be so familiar with Odin, and she only now realized that Salomon's organization was also connected to Asgard.

On the surface, this conversation suggests that Salomon agrees to allow Stephanie access to certain unknown truths.

This made her tremble with excitement.

Gideon Malik had told her that the United States and the World Security Council had questioned the threat posed by Asgard. Nick Fury, then director of S.H.I.E.L.D., gave a speech implying that the Rainbow Bridge, as an interstellar power projection force, was unstoppable by humanity. Furthermore, according to his intelligence—the source of which is classified, but Stephanie now knows it's Salomon—the Rainbow Bridge is a planet-destroying weapon, its technology far surpassing that of humanity, making humanity merely the weakest civilization in the universe. And historically, Earth appears to have been a vassal state of Asgard.

Those words were a resounding slap in the face to America's arrogance and complacency. Yet, even so, the US didn't change much. Even after the Battle of New York, it didn't lock down the city to prevent the extraterrestrial virus from leaking out. Some politicians, for the sake of votes, even chanted the slogan of "peaceful development with extraterrestrials," which, like "embracing," "gender equality," and "anti-racism," has almost become one of the politically correct slogans. Extraterrestrial cults are rampant among the public, and some even hope that Asgardians will rule Earth and overthrow the government.

Stephanie inwardly scorned those guys.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)