Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 593 Expeditionary Fleet, Sword of Terra

Taking Wanda Maximov to explore the Aetheric Dimension wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather the result of careful consideration. Salomon knew his mind wasn't quite right, but he wouldn't do anything reckless in this regard. Firstly, Wanda Maximov's lessons had reached a point where she needed to delve deeper into the inner and outer dimensions. Salomon had to take her to a less dangerous place for fieldwork, just as the Venerable had thrown him into the Dark Dimension. Salomon's teaching methods weren't as brutal as the Venerable's; the Aetheric Dimension, with its lower dangers, was more suitable for exploration.

On the other hand, he needed to demonstrate his external power to Wanda Maksimov.

As long as Wanda can resist the corruption of darkness, her talent among spellcasters is only comparable to Salomon's, and he wants to bring Wanda into the Immortal City's combat system. Therefore, he needs to have a camaraderie with Wanda, just like when she joined the Avengers. From his perspective, his relationship with Wanda is merely one of mentorship, far from requiring her to risk her life for the Immortal City.

So a little adventure can help build relationships; joining the Immortal City is better than joining the Avengers.

Salomon recently read an article about the rise of gangs. The article concluded that gangs thrive when government control is insufficient; governments need gangs to maintain some order, thus condoning the development of these armed groups. This situation is extremely common in most countries, even in the "beacon of democracy," the United States—federal laws cannot govern state laws, the two parties constantly switch roles, the government is only concerned with collecting taxes, and the police are only concerned with protecting the wealthy. Gangs are nothing special in the US; even terrorist organizations have the FBI's involvement, which is enough to prove that these organizations are needed by the US government.

If we strip away the veneer of professionals, high technology, aliens, and magic, the Avengers' role is essentially to help governments maintain order in areas they can't directly control, which isn't much different from being a gang. When the Avengers lose their function, it will be time for governments to discard them after they've served their purpose.

Most American gangs during Prohibition met this fate, so the Avengers' outcome was entirely predictable. Regardless of Salomon's constant refrain of "just teaching them a lesson," his concern for Wanda never diminished. Therefore, Salomon wanted to find a good future for the Maximoff siblings, preventing them from associating with those idiots in the Avengers.

Although Wanda was much older than Salomon, she acted like a young girl in the presence of the sorcerer. At all times, Salomon played the role of protector of the Maximoff siblings. Especially when he arrived with his magic, it fulfilled her fantasies. From Wanda's perspective, Salomon had become family, just like Pietro. In her dreams, she could see Salomon and Pietro eating at the same table, but this dream was too embarrassing for Wanda to tell anyone, not even during her routine dream diagnosis.

"I have no idea where such a thing exists, I assure you!" Salomon wiped away his cold sweat. He never expected that his future self would leave him such a treasure. He originally thought it was just something similar to the Golden Guard, otherwise he wouldn't have invited Wanda to see his future achievements—his soul composition included the power of the Great Old Ones and the Outer Gods, and Wanda could provide assistance in the research work analyzing the Golden Guard.

Wanda Maximoff nodded, still shaken. No one could remain calm in the face of such colossal beings; she couldn't help but suffer from megalophobia. Slightly calmer, Wanda asked, "Are those things common in the inner planes?"

Salomon shook his head. "I assure you, that's absolutely not something that should exist in the inner planes."

He involuntarily looked up at the group of scarred giants. Even with his extraordinary height, he was still as insignificant as dust before these warships; someone with a weaker constitution might easily faint from lack of breath. Several warships, each over twenty kilometers long, floated silently in the hazy mist of the inner plane. Their cold, golden alloy armor plating was riddled with unrepaired bullet holes several meters high. Large and small cannons covered the hulls, the muzzles of the massive cannons on either side of the ships reaching the height of skyscrapers. A soaring eagle stood proudly atop the bow. This was a fleet, an invincible fleet, a fleet destined to roam freely in the cosmos, a fleet carrying endless glory and having witnessed countless battles. As his fingers touched the deck, Salomon felt, in a daze, almost as if he were engulfed in flames of war; the cannon muzzles seemed still burning hot, and the warship engines still roared deafeningly. This ship had experienced the most brutal war, and through the souls left behind on this ship, he glimpsed the horrors of the future.

But those horrific sights could not extinguish the pride in his heart. He heard the battleship known as the Sword of Terra whisper, yearning to embark on its journey once more. This was the power of humanity's future, a power that would subdue any enemy.

It took him and Wanda a long time to circle around the side of that mid-sized warship. Beyond them were smaller warships, but equally impressively armed. These warships were built with technology that didn't yet exist; they were an ode to great industrialization, a testament to an advanced civilization's exploration of space. Based on information left by his future self, Salomon had a very clear understanding of the warships' purpose and armament levels.

"What exactly is this?" Wanda asked, her face full of suspicion. She remembered the explanation Salomon had given her in the textbook. There were many explanations for dimensional fragments, and Salomon had dutifully listed all the possibilities, which gave Wanda a preliminary understanding of what she had seen. "No one else can enter those dimensional fragments that have owners, so those things could only be yours. How could you not know about their existence?"

Even after returning to the real world from the Aetherial Dimension, Salomon still found it hard to believe; the shadows of those things kept flashing before his eyes. "It's not mine now, it's mine in the future," he said. "This is the fleet my future self possesses, Wanda. It's a story about a time loop, and the protagonist is named Jacob. If you're interested, I'll tell you the story slowly, but not now. In short, it's a gift from my future self to my present self."

"How do you plan to use those things? And what happens in the future?"

"We're not planning to use them now; it's not the right time." Salomon shook his head again. "Getting these big machines up and running requires a huge number of people, and I simply can't find anyone to operate them right now. As for the future..."

The sorcerer, having regained his composure, brushed aside the damp hair on his forehead and sighed.

"There's a report that an alien fleet is heading towards Earth. Not through a portal like during the Battle of New York, but actually arriving in the solar system. It's the fleet of the cosmic overlord, the Dark Titan. Although we can't be sure how many troops he has, humanity currently lacks the ability to fight in the void. Under such pressure, humanity will have no choice but to surrender," he said. "I think that's when this fleet will come in handy. Combined with my past preparations, it should be able to completely solve this problem, as well as that mad Titan."

"Preparations in the past?" Wanda understood Salomon's subtext. "You mean you intend to..."

"Yes, this is my mission, a path filled with hardship but also glory. Are you interested in joining me, Wanda?"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)