Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 849 Informal Contact (First Update)

Bald firmly rejected the suggestion of taking a private jet. If Rosa hadn't wanted to sunbathe in the Southern Hemisphere first, the sage might have even refused Salomon's request to book a hotel. The sage from five hundred years ago was simply a little unfamiliar with using smartphones and other intelligent communication tools; in reality, he wasn't unfamiliar with modern technology, just a little unfamiliar with the modern social environment. He just needed time to learn. This wasn't difficult, not only because the technological level of the two World Watchers was far ahead of its time, but also because everything he saw was less technologically advanced than the weapons and equipment Salomon had displayed during the Battle of Finnbowent.

He had previously thought that human society had long since entered an era filled with robots and spaceships flying all over the galaxy, but now it seemed that humans were still running around aimlessly on the ground, which disappointed Baldr. In his eyes, the current level of human society's development was not much different from that of the peasants who used to live near the World Watchers.

Salomon did not linger at the airport for long; after seeing Baldr and Rosa off, he prepared to return to Kamar-Taj.

To save time, he even transformed his suit from a robe made of holy relics.

Although wearing a black suit with a long sword at the waist looked rather odd, it wasn't an outfit that would prevent her from using the airport's VIP lane, so the sorceress didn't fuss over it too much. Although Bayonita was quite unhappy, Salomon still assured the witch before leaving that he would definitely be home that night to make up for the Christmas morning dinner they missed—actually, it was a euphemism. Every morning before, Dinah would change, wash, and air the sheets after they got up, but because of Finnbowent, the sheets in the bedroom hadn't been changed for several days now.

Salomon wasn't worried about Rosa and Bald traveling the world together. Having spent so many years in Kamar-Taj, Rosa knew exactly what she couldn't do; she could manage Bald. While the Immortal City was still sorting out the aftermath of the Battle of Finnbowent, Salomon began to refocus his life on Kamar-Taj. His last instruction before heading to the airport was to purchase the town of Noah'deen, now completely buried by a landslide.

"We'll negotiate with the Kazakh government to secure oil exploration rights in Noahdun and the surrounding area, obtain investment rights in Almaty Oblast, and use that to establish a charitable foundation to compensate for the war damage caused by the Immortal City," he said. "As for the previous excuse about the biological weapons leak... we'll find a few experts and say that the eruption of Mount Finnbowent buried the town of Noahdun. Then we'll enter Kazakhstan through a non-profit organization, hiding within a non-profit organization under the US National Endowment for Democracy. There are at least 30,000 US non-profit organizations in Kazakhstan; one more won't make a difference. Anyway, we're not going to overthrow the regime. As for the radiation phenomena, we can ignore them. After all, it's now a no-man's land. No one will go to that deadly place except for our engineering teams and engineering mechs digging for weapons."

"I don't think we need to compensate the locals any further." Stephanie laid down a list of relief supplies. "We waged war to save their lives and souls; we even saved the world. There's no need for the Immortal City to pay any more. Besides, Almaty Region is under the control of ExxonMobil and the former president of Kazakhstan. Proposing to join would only cause a fierce backlash, and it's not worth antagonizing ExxonMobil and causing a decline in our planet's industrial capacity for a little bit of mercy."

"You can call it hypocrisy, Stephanie, but I still don't want to cause unnecessary casualties."

They all knew that the statement and the rescue operation were highly ironic.

Throughout the entire Battle of Finnbowent, countless deserters, including Sophia and her people, were executed according to their established rules and regulations. Most of the recruited war dogs were seasoned veterans, their daily work consisting of menial tasks. Their most formidable adversaries were African warlords with scouts of child soldiers. Some weak-willed individuals either fled or succumbed to corruption on the spot, only to be killed by the overseers. These men received no funerals, no one even mourned them—during post-war mental health checks, Sophia and Victoria Hand received orders to dispose of the mercenaries en masse. Aside from a few soldiers who had truly joined the Immortal City and embraced Salomon's ideals, they used various pretexts to dismiss the mercenaries and carried out the orders without hesitation. They all knew that although the order originated from the Ministry of the Interior and bore Stephanie's signature, Salomon was the actual manipulator within the Ministry.

For Salomon, the Battle of Finnbowent was a pop quiz for the Immortal City, a comprehensive test of its military, logistical, and domestic capabilities. The Immortal City's performance was barely satisfactory; only the Martian Foundry, that utterly impersonal place, could deliver a perfect answer—transporting war machines by rail, launching them with chemical rockets, and then having Kamar-Taj open a portal to send them into Earth orbit. All of this was accomplished under sudden pressure, proving that Malbus's Foundry was always ready for war, and the Fifth Primal Pillar had even begun designing spaceships capable of directly launching war machines.

On the other hand, the performance of the ordinary soldiers was only passable. They barely managed to avoid disaster thanks to the high-tech weaponry, and even the Sisterhood's performance couldn't be described as perfect. While their fighting was undoubtedly brave and fearless, Tita's command skills still needed refinement. Salomon was naturally aware of what had happened to Catherine and Vera, but he ordered that no one should mention it to anyone.

"But I still hope you remember what we are fighting for. You and I are both building blocks for the future, just in different sizes."

Salomon set aside the self-sustaining Immortal City for the time being and discussed Stephen Strange's matter in detail with the Venerable One.

This whole affair was orchestrated by Salomon himself. Aside from the Venerable One, no one knew the extent of Salomon's preparations. To ensure Stephen Strange followed his predetermined fate, Salomon had prepared an extremely powerful curse. As the most knowledgeable person in Kamar-Taj, Salomon's curse guaranteed that no matter what treatment Dr. Strange used, he would be unable to heal his hands. After retrieving the scroll inscribed with the curse, he set off for the hospital where Stephen Strange was located, to begin his contact with this arrogant and narcissistic doctor.

His first attempt was to approach this unworthy man through informal means.

"Hello." Salomon sat in the off-white sofa, glanced at his watch, and said, "I'll be sitting here at the dinner table in three hours. I was wondering if Dr. Strange isn't coming?"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Damonette," the nurse smiled apologetically, "Strange... he has an emergency surgery. So this appointment..."

"It's alright, Ms. Palmer, I'll come again next time." Salomon wasn't too harsh. "It's just a medical check-up, I'm not in a hurry."

He knew exactly what Strange was up to, and the so-called "emergency surgery" never happened.

Strange always took on surgeries only after thoroughly reviewing the patient's case, ensuring he wouldn't fail, and only if the patient was wealthy enough. He never accepted emergency patients. This practice was highly criticized even by other doctors in private hospitals, but given Strange's neurosurgical skills, the hospital didn't mind using him as a selling point; maintaining a 100% success rate wasn't without its benefits. Salomon looked at Christina Palmer with pity. Stephen Strange had already left work early and gone home with his new girlfriend in the car.

Have you heard of something?

"Um?"

"Someone wants to buy this hospital," Salomon said with a smile. "No need to feel guilty or apologize, ma'am. I'm very satisfied with your service. See you next time."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)