Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 577 Law on the Protection of Minors (Second Update)

Even with Salomon's trip to the edge of the galaxy, the Immortal City's system functioned perfectly, entirely thanks to Stephanie. This stable system was exactly what Salomon desired. The dutiful Hydra daughter executed Salomon's tasks flawlessly, and the gradually expanding surveillance network greatly facilitated field agents, allowing Victoria Hand to operate under the guise of the Congressional Grey Group, continuously acquiring funds, intelligence, and facilities for the Immortal City. Salomon didn't want to build a nation on ruins, making Victoria Hand's mission crucial.

Thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s unchecked expansion in its early years, many Hydra agents remain at large. Since the United States is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s biggest financial backer, S.H.I.E.L.D. is, in a sense, the US intelligence agency. Therefore, no one knows what secrets these fugitive Hydra agents hold. Agent Hand now needs to race against time with the US military, using the pretense of cleaning up after Congress to secure benefits for the Immortal City and nurture that lurking behemoth in the shadows. Therefore, as soon as her mission in Siberia ended, she and her team returned to the aircraft carrier to continue their investigation into the secrets left behind by Nick Fury.

Salomon's return quickly reached the Avengers, and he openly frequented Oxford University, making no attempt to hide. This drew the attention of the Avengers, who had been tracking the remnants of Hydra.

Stark was extremely curious about Salomon's whereabouts, but Natasha Romanoff kept her vow and didn't reveal the sorcerer's location to anyone else. Salomon's return also sparked some debate among the Avengers. Some—primarily Steve Rogers—would argue that Salomon should focus on his studies, find a good job, and then consider joining the Avengers. This old-fashioned view was met with disdain by Tony Stark.

He emphasized Salomon's intelligence and abilities, arguing that Salomon didn't need to find a job, as Stark Industries could afford to employ a wizard. Dr. Banner shared this view, except he believed Salomon should publish more papers and have several impressive inventions, so that Stark Industries would have to pay him the same salary as an industrial CEO.

“I still have his patent for that chemical analyzer!” Stark brought up an old story, glancing at Agent Romanov, as she was the only one who might know. “It’s the one shown at the European Union Young Scientists Conference! The technology is incredibly advanced; Stark Industries uses that technology in its experimental equipment. I assure you he gave me permission, backstage, he personally authorized me to use that technology. Stark Industries is paying him every second now, it’s just that he’s never come to collect it.”

"Ahem! I only have one question!" Clint, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, raised his hand. "Isn't Salomon a member of the Avengers?"

"Of course not! How old was he during the Battle of New York? 15? 16?" Tony Stark quickly shook his head. "Under 18, still legally considered a child. Perhaps he knew Nick Fury even before Thor arrived on Earth, but I don't think Nick Fury at that time had any intention of recruiting a 14-year-old into the Avengers. Kids are too immature. Okay, Salomon is a freak, he's an exception."

Watch your words!

"Alright, old man."

"I partially agree with that," Captain Rogers said. "Too young. They should be in school at that age."

Stark tapped Captain Rogers' beer bottle against his own. This was a beer he'd specially sourced, meant to evoke Steve Rogers' past taste. After all, even cola tasted different now, but Stark had no reason to add cocaine to it. What he didn't know was that Steve Rogers couldn't afford Trappist beer back then.

“But he’s a wizard. He has no adoption record, so forging a birth certificate wouldn’t be difficult.” Clint spread his hands. “Maybe he just looks like a minor, and has actually lived for over a hundred years?”

Agent Romanoff looked at his old friend with a helpless expression. Nick Fury had initially thought the same thing, but it wasn't until she found the church where Salomon had been born and then disappeared, and spoke with the priest, that she confirmed Salomon's birth date. After all, in most people's minds, wizards were a group of hunchbacked old women, lame old men, and filthy vagrants, with rotten teeth, leaning on crooked wooden staffs covered in bones, metal, and dead birds; their fleas were more lethal than their mysterious aura.

Clint's guess was met with disdain from everyone, and he could only concede defeat.

"He's extremely wealthy; Eton College tuition isn't cheap," Agent Romanoff said. "Based on past S.H.I.E.L.D. investigations, Salomon owns considerable assets. Perhaps you should worry about the IRS coming after him more than Hydra; those guys are not to be trifled with. Have you paid taxes on his patents, Stark?"

The information she revealed only covered events up to the time of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s destruction; she didn't disclose any intelligence from after that period. Clint didn't say anything more, tacitly acquiescing to Agent Romanoff's withholding of information.

Tony Stark pursed his lips and shook his head. He had no intention of transferring Salomon's royalties to a charitable foundation or a shell company in the Cayman Islands. These tax avoidance methods commonly used by the wealthy were all ways to evade IRS oversight, and Stark himself frequently used them.

Of course, it depends on which party is in power that year.

"So we don't need to worry about Hydra having any impact on his life. In fact, he killed a Hydra team that was then part of S.H.I.E.L.D. in high school, and you can imagine how angry Nick Fury was. But to be fair, wizards can read minds, so maybe he discovered something that led him to take action."

“That’s certainly fair, Agent Romanoff,” Stark said. “So why didn’t he tell Nick Fury back then?”

"Why would he say that? S.H.I.E.L.D. are just strangers who've disturbed his life. Wizards are all a bunch of eccentric people. According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation, that might not be Salomon's first murder..."

“This is a very serious problem. Why didn’t I know this before?” Steve Rogers frowned. “Even in wartime, there wouldn’t be soldiers under the age of 14. How could no one have told me about Salomon’s situation? Nick Fury definitely knew; he absolutely kept it from us to get Salomon’s help. Romanov, you’re also responsible for this.”

"Alright then, let's ask the person involved what they think."

"A bunch of idiots," Salomon said disdainfully, hanging up the phone. He didn't have time to worry about legal issues; he had a lot more to do. He had many classes to catch up on after taking leave, and given his interdisciplinary background, he had to spend an afternoon cycling through Oxford's various libraries, trying to borrow books using his connections with professors. Some books had never been reprinted after publication, and some were simply handwritten copies, with no one ever considering editing and publishing them—a situation particularly prevalent in history. He was lucky today; he didn't need to go to other universities or ask Laura for books. Who knows how professors designated those obscure books—for over a hundred years, except for political science and economics students, university reading lists probably haven't changed!

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)