Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 756 As Expected (Second Update)

He spent two minutes deciding whether to label himself a "philanthropist," then waved for Guard Zero to scoop the Wakanda black cat's litter. Salomon felt he should go home, and the thought energized him. The busy season was over, everything was proceeding smoothly, the Immortal City's production capacity was barely enough to handle the current situation, and logistical support for the air and sea carriers wasn't a problem. He only needed to oversee all the plans from the sidelines.

"My Lord, do you need to transfer your consciousness back to your body?" Zero asked.

"What nonsense are you talking about? My alchemy golem is still in Oxford!" The sorcerer winked playfully. "Anyway, you don't learn anything at school; it's just a diploma. Besides, the alchemy golem doesn't work like that at all. It's an automated robot with a part of my personality, controlled by my soul. I still need to improve the golem so that it can write papers automatically."

"Ms. Miranda Minerva may object to your actions, and I don't think your alchemical golem can hide anything from her."

"My dear foster mother wouldn't mind such a small matter." Salomon seemed poised to revert to his usual grumbling, tea-cup-holding manner. Zero was used to his monarch's multifaceted personality; one moment he might be wielding a sword to slay an enemy, the next he could be spouting witty remarks before even wiping the blood from his face. Of course, to those who only knew Salomon's actions, he was a thug who trampled on human rights and social order, showing no respect for life whatsoever.

Specifically, he was described as a middle-aged or older white male with a full beard, possibly a veteran of the Vietnam War. This was the CIA intelligence analyst's profile of the mastermind behind the attack on Langley Air Force Base. It was based on this profile that the CIA turned its attention to Vietnam and Afghanistan veterans, thus failing to find anyone connected to the Immortal City. Salomon finally understood where all that CIA funding had gone—the CIA of today was no longer the CIA of the Cold War era. The CIA's operational capabilities were declining, and Salomon never imagined that connections and corruption existed within the intelligence service. Such intelligence incompetence and embezzlement would be met with swift execution in the Immortal City, without even a trial.

Zero, the Imperial Guard, switched off the floor-to-ceiling monitor that was looping through the fields via the control panel. The conference room returned to its dim state, with only the table lamp in front of Salomon's seat still lit, as if the spacious room had suddenly fallen from the ground into an abyss. Zero pressed another button, shutting off the central air conditioning system's ventilation ducts. The double-layered curtains stopped fluttering, and the entire room became as quiet as a pale tomb.

"If you have some free time, could you perhaps train my swordsmanship?" he said. "Your requirement for the Imperial Guard is that they be proficient in all kinds of martial arts, and I am still quite far from meeting your requirements."

"It's not impossible, child. Take your sword and go to the arena to wait. I need to talk to Sophia. Lately, she's acting more and more like a mob boss than a soldier."

"You asked her to deal with the war dogs, my lord," Zero said. "It would be better if she were recruiting South American rebels. Although those people are terrible at warfare, they are full of enthusiasm. The veterans of the US-Afghanistan War are all millennials, and I don't expect them to have any enthusiasm for war or ideals; all they want is money."

"So you're saying it's my fault?" the sorcerer asked with a smile. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

"That's because you asked me to act as your advisor and to point out the problems frankly."

"Good boy, you did a great job. I hope you keep this mindset." Salomon nodded in satisfaction. Zero was right; he did want to find some well-trained soldiers, but the current situation simply didn't allow him to do so. Although the anti-government forces in South America were very enthusiastic, a large portion of them were supported by the United States, while the government forces were anti-government forces that had broken away from US control. The fighting was essentially a proxy war for resources. However, Zero's reminder reminded him of someone, and he decided to make a call to an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Go and wait, I'll be there in ten minutes. But then we'll have to add a salt bullet barrage from five automatic machine guns."

"I think you're being petty and planning to settle a personal score." Zero laughed, then received a slap on the head from Salomon. The genetic alchemy Salomon had used on him with a large amount of precious materials was powerful enough, and it also incorporated a mysterious genome from Salomon that had been carefully modified in a biological laboratory. This gave Zero, who was originally just an ordinary person, some of Salomon's power, significantly improving his physical combat ability and information processing ability. Dodging the crossfire of five machine guns was just a little difficult for him.

The bulletproof door to the conference room slowly closed, isolating Zero of the Imperial Guard from view. A fleeting, resentful glance passed by from the Sorority's armed personnel responsible for security. Salomon manipulated the information processing system on the holographic projection desktop, dialing a contact's contact information. He believed he could use this method to contact that person.

"Good morning, Agent Coulson. I hope you've dealt with the Inhumans issue." The arcane mage greeted the person on the other end of the phone with a lighthearted greeting. "I'm here to ask you for someone."

Agent Coulson looked on in surprise.

He had assumed that Salomon would no longer contact his squad after the Inhuman incident.

"What's so surprising? The adult world isn't like kindergarten kids having a tiff; everything can be discussed." The arcane mage's video call didn't reveal any environmental information, but Coulson's was different. It was clear that Agent Coulson was in an environment with plenty of sunlight. Combined with the intelligence Salomon obtained from the CIA and the Immortal City's intelligence department, it seemed that Coulson's team had resumed operations under the SHIELD name.

"I think... Skye probably won't agree. Oh, now her name is Daisy." Agent Coulson's forehead wrinkles were as pronounced as ever. His smile was as serene as ever, except for the thing hanging around his neck.

"I must say, seeing your hairline made me realize what kind of world this is." The sorcerer raised his chin with a grave expression. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh! There were some safety incidents involving contact with the Terrigen Crystal." Agent Coulson deliberately showed his arm to the camera, speaking casually, "Mike's axe is sharp, it doesn't hurt at all. Fitz is planning to build me a prosthetic arm, he thinks it will be better than the original hand-cranked one. I must say, your contact came at just the right time, I've been busy."

"You're being too blatant. S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't completely rid itself of Hydra's shadow yet. At least until this Avengers operation takes place, for you to come forward and claim to be from S.H.I.E.L.D. is tantamount to admitting you're from Hydra. I can stall you with the military for a bit, Coulson. In exchange, I need a position with someone. That person is your old flame, Camilla, a Peruvian government military officer [see S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episode 2]."

"No, that's not it, Salomon. I'll handle the Department of Defense." Coulson shook his head. "I need your help with something else. Or rather, your portal."

"I understand." The sorcerer nodded in agreement. He seemed to relax a little. "We still need to talk, because this matter is insignificant compared to your reward."

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(End of this chapter)