Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 614 Earth's Tithing (First Update)

Her keen intuition as a skilled spy led her to believe that Salomon was hiding many crucial secrets. Even after knowing him for many years, Natasha Romanov never managed to extract any information from Salomon that he didn't want to reveal.

An eccentric, a mysterious yet incredibly intelligent man, a magical sorcerer—that's the impression all the Avengers have of Salomon Damonette. Perhaps a more recent addition—his initial development of a solution to the problem of gravity-free quantum field theory; Dr. Banner seems eager to discuss quantum chromodynamics with him, a topic almost no one can understand.

Agent Romanoff is one of the few in the Avengers who knows some of the secrets about the Arcane Masters, but the more she knows, the more mysterious Salomon becomes in her eyes. The Salem incident further amplified his mystique; no one knows what he gained from it, and everything has shrouded him in an opaque shell, shaping him into the person she sees him as.

Salomon Damonette is an incredibly pure person who has foreseen disaster since birth, suffering the torment of prophecies from childhood. When S.H.I.E.L.D. still existed, only the intelligence analysis department headed by Nick Fury concluded that "Salomon's prophetic abilities are also the source of his mental illness." However, this is not the case. In Agent Romanoff's eyes, Salomon, with unwavering will, rose up against the prophecies, preparing for a disaster that might never come, like a hero in a mythological epic.

These are all one-sided impressions she pieced together from countless facts and lies.

Perhaps he was right! The disaster he showed her had to be resisted by any means necessary; someone had to make a sacrifice!

The thought sent chills down her spine, like the cold, dead hand gripping her heart. Natasha Romanov quickly shook her head, trying to banish the idea from her mind.

"You disagree with this tactic, Natasha?" Rogers looked up from the holographic table at the agent.

"No, I just feel like I need to wash my hair." She forced a smile. "The dust kicked up by the Rainbow Bridge is making me itchy all over."

She looked at Salomon sitting beside her. He winked at her, as if he knew what she was thinking.

“Me too,” he said. “Nothing to be surprised about. I’m one of only two people with long hair. Thor’s scalp doesn’t count; I suspect the mites in Asgard are as big as ants.”

Saul let out a good-natured laugh; he liked his humorous younger brother.

The Avengers family welcomed Salomon relatively well, not only because of his irreplaceable role in the Battle of New York, but also because, after learning what little they knew about Salomon's story, they all felt a deep respect for this sorcerer who had trained since childhood and fought to this day. Although some might disagree with his methods and ideas, his achievements and abilities are undeniable.

Especially Steve Rogers. He fought Ghost Rider, participated in the Battle of the Abbey, fought alongside Salomon on the Skybus against attacking vampire clans and human traitors, and then witnessed firsthand the grand battles of the magical world and the tip of the iceberg of demonic invasion of reality.

It was after that that Steve Rogers strongly urged Nick Fury not to hinder Salomon's actions. It was a calamity that ordinary people simply couldn't handle; only professionals could deal with it. Therefore, in many people's eyes, Salomon became the expert in handling magical issues within the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. Even Captain Rogers remained tight-lipped about the outcome of that incident; inquiries from others only earned him harsh reprimands, and no one ever saw the agents who witnessed the bizarre sights again.

Natasha Romanoff was perfectly clear-headed. She knew Salomon had never claimed to have joined the Avengers; only Stark would naively believe he was part of the family. He had always maintained a distant relationship with the organization, just like now—after more than an hour's flight, the Quinjet slowed down and docked at the top of Stark Industries. Salomon disembarked, said goodbye to the others, and then opened a portal and left. Everyone knew what he was up to.

"What's he doing?" Steve Rogers asked. Stark shrugged; he didn't know what the arcane mage was up to either. Jarvis had told him Salomon had classes to attend. But Dr. Banner knew that Oxford University wouldn't have any attendance requirements for Salomon.

"Perhaps he went to deliver official documents. Heimdall usually handles these kinds of things, including the wizards' documents." Thor shrugged, gripping his hammer as he walked to the top floor of the building. "This isn't something a warrior should be doing."

"Heimdall." Salomon tilted his head, looking at the lord of Shiminyog, who was as tall as him. The tip of the greatsword Hfu, adorned with a human face, was pressed against the gilded floor. The silvery-white branches of the World Tree shimmered with multicolored light, and eyes capable of seeing the entire universe were fixed on the wizard's eyes, seemingly trying to pierce through those obsidian pupils and dig into his heart. Salomon met Heimdall's gaze without fear. "You promised me that the political disputes in Asgard would not affect Earth."

"Thor is the future ruler of Asgard."

"But he isn't yet."

"He is," Heimlda said in a deep voice. "You know, and I know."

"The Allfather isn't here. You need to keep a close eye on Loki. That damned guy's been trying to levy a tithe on Earth lately. If he actually does that, I'll storm into the Golden Palace and chop that bastard's head off."

"He is a prince of Asgard." Heimdall remained calm. He sensed the warlike urge emanating from the young man, an impulse he was quite familiar with. If the 1,500-year-old Thor acted this way, then it was perfectly normal for this twenty-year-old to do the same.

What made him hesitate was that there were no fools in Kamar-Taj's spellcasting organization. He didn't know if this was a disguise by the arcane sorcerers to find an excuse to actually do such a thing. Kamar-Taj had every reason to do so, after all, Loki had done many absurd things while on the throne, otherwise there wouldn't have been so many world rebellions.

"The Father of the Gods has a covenant with the Sorcerer Supreme. Do you want to be a traitor?" he asked.

"If Loki is the one who breaks the covenant, if he believes oaths are written on snow, then covenants carved in stone won't save him. Earth will never pay taxes to Asgard, that too is written in stone, with sword and spear." The sorcerer tossed the letter at Heimlda's feet. He turned and walked towards the Rainbow Bridge. "Asgard has already paid for his life once, and I don't mind the Golden Palace doing it again. As long as Asgard can still afford it, as long as Loki hasn't squandered the Aesir's fortune."

Heimlda remained silent.

Salomon was absolutely certain that Asgard would provide the funds, to be used together with the military expenses for suppressing the rebellion, and that Loki, sitting on the throne, would never know. And to raise this money, a suddenly appearing, wealthy Asgardian merchant would have a reason to enter the Golden Palace.

He hoped that Lorelei's operation would go smoothly.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)