Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 788 The Mission of the Imperial Guards (Second Update)

The three negotiators left the room. Judging from General Hale's expression, she seemed somewhat troubled by some of the demands in the negotiation terms. Stephanie knew why she felt this way, but once General Hale completed the first few tasks, Stephanie would grant her some intelligence and access, thus eliminating any doubts about the extremely difficult tasks in the later clauses. Before that, General Hale needed to prove her abilities and demonstrate her value. As for directly surrendering to the intelligence agencies and revealing that the Malik family was Hydra, that was out of the question—not only could she not determine which people in those departments were Hydra, but even if the military discovered Hydra within their own ranks, they wouldn't make it public; they would handle it privately to avoid informing other intelligence agencies.

Ruby gave him a very enthusiastic kiss on the cheek as they parted, or at least Stephanie hoped it was just a kiss on the cheek, otherwise she felt she would have to find out later whether the monarch was interested in the little girl. Especially since the little girl's fertility had been guaranteed by Dr. Whitehall; her womb was fertile ground, possessing astonishing reproductive capacity. Stephanie's biggest worry was her own fertility. According to her observation, under Salomon's amazing charm offensive, Ruby would definitely not mind having a tryst with the monarch. To make matters worse, Ruby wasn't wearing the same clothes she was wearing when she left the Hydra training camp.

Putting herself in her shoes, Stephanie knew she wouldn't refuse, which was enough to make her feel threatened.

"I hope to see you again sometime." Ruby, who had received a gift from Salomon hanging from her waist, admiring the exquisite folding hunting knife and pistol, said hopefully, "I also need to go skydiving again."

"Your wish will be granted, Ruby," Salomon replied affectionately. He knew how much General Hale doted on his daughter; controlling Ruby was tantamount to controlling General Hale. It wasn't that no one within Hydra was unsuitable for General Hale, but she had shut them all out to conceal Ruby's existence, a testament to her importance to her. Salomon didn't need to do anything; a mere show of affection sufficed. After bidding farewell to everyone, he turned and walked into the depths of the completely dark portal, the golden-armored giant following closely behind. With a flash of orange-red sparks, the arcane mage and the golden-armored giant vanished together on the other side of the portal.

"What a strange experience. I thought I knew enough, but now it seems I never knew what secrets this world truly holds." General Hale shifted her gaze from the corridor back to Malik and his daughter. She was deeply moved by the previous negotiations, wondering if the Malik family had sided with that man for the same reasons. She never knew the man's name. Even though he had given General Hale time to question Ruby, even Ruby didn't know his name; she only knew of his incredibly impressive opening remarks and formidable fighting abilities.

"I don't even know when you stopped being Hydra."

“We are always Hydra, General Hale,” Stephanie answered on behalf of her father. “Only, Hydra is now his subordinate, and always will be. The more powerful he is, the more powerful Hydra becomes. I think we can discuss some details, can't we?”

General Hale astutely sensed that Stephanie's position seemed to be slightly higher than her father's, the head of the Malik family. She had her own speculations about the changes that had occurred within the Malik family. General Hale glanced at her daughter; clearly, Ruby was still heartbroken over Salomon's departure. She knew her daughter's heart had been captured, and the fact that Ruby, still in her rebellious phase, hadn't immediately jumped into the portal was a testament to her excellent parenting and the effectiveness of Hydra's training methods.

"I want to talk about Ruby's problem first," she said, "assuming that the conditions he promised are true."

"Our Lord's promise is a decision, and no one can change it," Stephanie said with a smile. "However, beyond the contract you signed, we can still reach some consensus. Come, let's have a formal dinner, fill our stomachs, and then we can talk about this."

"My lord, is this really necessary?" Even in the study of the Witch's Apartment, Constantine did not remove his helmet. "Once the Royal Guard reaches a certain size, no civilization in the galaxy can rival it. Is it really necessary to care about a United States general without command authority?"

"Perhaps you can take on ten thousand men single-handedly, but don't you know how much the Immortal City paid to train you?" Salomon retorted. He took off his suit jacket, which Constantine took and carefully placed on the dressing room shelf. Diana's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't expected the Royal Guard to take her job. "The Time Stone, the Silver Key, countless precious alchemical materials, forbidden science conducted in the biological laboratory, plus a specially modified genome containing all the genes of the Byzantine emperors. All of this combined gives you resistance to magic and unparalleled physical strength." Salomon sat back down in his study chair. "The price was too high; it will take some time to create the next Royal Guard."

"But it's worth it," Constantine said.

"We need mortal soldiers, Constantine. We can't leave all the wars to superhumans. This is a cause for all humanity, and we need the strength of everyone." The sorcerer waved his hand. "Don't underestimate mortals. General Hale's role is far greater than you imagine. It's not just about recruiting retired soldiers and placing people in the U.S. Department of Defense. She can assemble professionally trained officers and soldiers to build a combat system from scratch with new equipment. That's what we lack—the organizational structure of a mortal army."

Salomon accepted the hot black tea that Dinah offered him.

"Your name comes from Constantine, the first Byzantine emperor. In Latin it is Constantinopolis, and in Greek it is Κωνσταντινοπολι. This is a name I specially chose for you. This name not only represents your lineage but also your duty. Go and study, Augustus. Your body has been tempered, but your soul has not. The teaching machine cannot teach you all knowledge; you need to continue learning and fighting."

"I need to conduct security reconnaissance first," the guard said.

Diana glared at him fiercely. "The Sisterhood has the ability to protect the monarch's safety," she said. "We'll guarantee it with our lives."

“A mere guarantee isn’t enough. Your lives are no match for the risk of the monarch’s injury.” Constantine’s voice became somewhat muffled through the loudspeaker, but he remained just as infuriating; Salomon even thought he possessed a touch of his own youthful charm. He turned to Diana and asked, “Can you guarantee absolutely nothing will go wrong?”

Diana knew she couldn't refute it, but as Salomon's personal assistant, she still had a say.

The Royal Guard is currently understaffed, and security matters are primarily decided by the Sisterhood. Constantine didn't insist too much; after a few arguments, he agreed with Diana's statement and joined the Sisterhood's security team to carry out joint patrols. The arcane mage realized this was Constantine's true intention. He first made a proposal that the Sisterhood couldn't accept, then subtly compromised by revealing his true thoughts, discreetly learning the Sisterhood's operational methods and detecting loopholes in their security regulations.

The Royal Guard was the template for perfect humanity that Salomon had created. It's not surprising that Constantine possessed such intelligence, but his grasp of others' personalities gave Salomon some material to assess his future abilities in handling political affairs and coordinating personnel. Constantine was the first Royal Guard member, and Salomon placed high hopes on him; the mission Constantine bore went far beyond simply ensuring his safety. Salomon granted Constantine access to his collection of spellbooks—an unprecedented generosity, an honor even his mystical colleagues at Kamar-Taj did not receive.

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(End of this chapter)