Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 551 Next Stop (Second Update)

The alloy hatch slammed shut, halting Salomon's plans to continue gazing at the stars. The ship was traversing the asteroid belt, and he could hear the dense thuds of asteroid debris hitting the hull, like a torrential downpour striking a metal roof. He couldn't smell the fragrance of rain seeping into the earth; only the acrid smell of leaking fuel and old pipes, the lingering stench of circulating air, and the burnt oil odor of the modified corpses of smugglers. The ship's skeleton emitted a faint, almost imperceptible groan, as if it might be broken in two by the gravity of a distant planet at any moment—a world ravaged by industrial pollution, its toxic atmosphere permeating the entire planet. The Xandar government had abandoned that planet, selling it to a casino tycoon after extracting all its resources, including water and magma. Now it is a desolate planet, without wind, geothermal activity, or oceans. Only neon lights, in a state of blissful ignorance, pierce through the filthy atmosphere, slowly beckoning to ships traveling through the universe.

There are also bionic robot prostitutes here.

This is novel. Salomon couldn't wait to take one away and bring it back to Earth to dismantle it.

This planet was the spaceship's next stop, a legal casino in space. Salomon had no interest in knowing the planet's name, nor in replacing the smugglers and those strange-looking aliens in business. But he needed sailors to pilot the ship. When they boarded, the smuggler had intended to become a human trafficker, selling them to casino owners, so all of the smuggler's wealth went to Salomon. Logically, the crew now wanted to rebel and become leaders, but after Salomon executed a few disobedient individuals, everyone settled down. These rats, even dirtier than the raiders, submitted to their new captain. Salomon promised them that as long as they sailed according to plan, everyone would receive the wages the man lying on the floor, bleeding profusely, had promised.

And the price can be several times higher. Anyway, it's all digital currency, unlocked with genes.

So the crew offered Salomon some expensive hallucinogenic drug as a sign of loyalty.

To be honest, that stuff is pretty good; it can keep him "high" for a few minutes.

His superhuman physiology allowed him to metabolize the drugs rapidly; poisons that were extremely potent for ordinary people were practically negligible to Salomon. Merlin, that old codger, took all the medicine, saying it would help Dave, who had just awakened—probably induce hallucinations and erase his nightmares. Even separated by several airtight compartments, Salomon could sense the signs of Dave's awakening. Only the spellcaster could perceive it; the others on the ship were completely unaware of the etheric surge and the accompanying filth and malice.

This was the first trial Merlin gave Dave: to constantly seek demonic possession, then expel it autonomously, until resistance was formed. En-Garai had no tolerance for weak spellcasters. All spellcasters' descendants living there, at the age of three or four, had to face the Dark Fortress of Sithon in the presence of their parents, enduring the madness of the Great Shadow. Parents would instill in their children the idea of ​​sacrificing their lives to seal the Great Enemy, and if a child showed signs of corruption and wavering will, no matter how reluctant they were, they had to kill that child with their own hands to prevent the Great Shadow from gaining more followers.

Dave is still unaware of N-Gale's cruelty.

Earth, and indeed the entire universe, is built from the blood and flesh of generations of spellcasters. Whether it's Kamar-Taj or Merlin's Order, they all sacrificed their lives in places unseen by ordinary people. This tragic sacrifice seems endless; some children don't even know why they are dying. Dave must be strong; he must shoulder the responsibility; he must bear the endless sacrifices to buy time for the impending catastrophe.

This is incredibly difficult for an average college student. Even if Dave is willing to take on the responsibility of the Merlin School, the burden he's facing is something he never imagined—who the hell would have known the future of the universe would fall on the shoulders of a few young people, and he certainly didn't know he was one of those bearing that responsibility. This is practically a cheesy scene from an old comic book! Something he'd dream about in bed before elementary school! He's not Harry Potter, he doesn't have a lightning bolt scar on his forehead! Besides, he's already defeated the Dark Lord, and he's never heard of another Voldemort!

He is regaining his courage with Merlin's help.

This required even more courage than when he stood up against Morgan le Fay's alter ego; he needed to face a dizzying sea of ​​stars, confront the most terrifying and insane existence in the world. Salomon didn't show Dave the silver key, fearing that its dark and profound depths would shatter his reason. Just as Merlin had said, take it slow, they still had time, and there was still hope for the world.

Cheap hope is the most precious thing in a dark future. Merlin showed him the future, and he had to prepare himself.

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"Where is Salomon?" Natasha Romanoff had no idea that Salomon hadn't said goodbye. In fact, none of the Avengers knew where Salomon was. She didn't think much of it when she learned of Salomon's leave of absence, until his leave became outrageously long, at which point Agent Romanoff realized something was wrong.

However, Stephanie, who received her, did not give her a friendly look.

“This is classified,” she said. Stephanie was busy coordinating relations between Wakanda and the Immortal City. This restless ally, under the increasingly frail King T'Chaka, was taking advantage of Salomon's absence from Earth to launch a full-scale probe of the Immortal City. Stephanie had to invoke Salomon's decrees, using the pretext of a parallel universe criminal attack, to confine Wakanda's scientists to a fixed area, while simultaneously arranging for the Sorority to patrol the research facilities fully armed. Ostensibly, they were protecting Wakanda's scientists, but in reality, they were monitoring them to prevent Wakanda from uncovering Salomon's secrets hidden in the Immortal City.

She has lost patience with Wakanda and is now eager to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

However, Salomon claimed he had already dealt with T'Chaka and all that was needed was to wait. Therefore, Stephanie brought in more administrative personnel from within the Malik family, including those from the Hydra family who had already submitted. She showed no mercy to these individuals; after they entered the Immortal City through the portal, Stephanie, with the help of the Sisterhood, confiscated their communication devices and executed several unruly spies on the spot.

The Malik family seized the opportunity to amass another huge profit. The Malik family's investiture was tantamount to reclaiming their fiefdom, and it was done with legitimate justification. None of Gideon Malik's smugglers could object, and none wanted to provoke the Malik family, who now wielded considerable influence within the State Department.

"I need to know where Salomon is," Agent Romanoff retorted. "I have an agreement with him; he can't just vanish into thin air. I must find out on behalf of the Avengers—is some huge crisis waiting for us?"

"No." Stephanie pursed her lips, trying to shoo Agent Romanov out of the Internal Affairs Office. There were just too many secrets here; it wouldn't be good if this cunning woman took them away. She didn't want to appear incompetent in Salomon; she knew that for Salomon, useful people were the ones who mattered.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)