Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 881 Tarot Reading (First Update)

Salomon certainly wouldn't just throw Sherlock Holmes into the portal without a word; that would not only be impolite but also make him seem insecure. Unlike when he subdued the Malik family, where the Malik father and daughter were easily accepting of supernatural powers due to their Hydra faith, Holmes was the kind of person Salomon admired most—someone who thought rationally and scientifically. The sorcerer didn't want him to develop a dislike for magic through a crude demonstration.

Sherlock Holmes was, in his opinion, a better fit for the position of Sorcerer Supreme than Steve Strange. Putting the two of them together to compete would certainly cause trouble for Vishanti, something that both the Venerable and Salomon would like to see.

He caught a glimpse of the spine of the book on the fireplace in the drawing room and immediately knew that Sherlock Holmes had already studied medieval magical legends and consulted with a professor of history at Cambridge University who specialized in medieval magical history. His detailed knowledge stemmed from a conversation he had with that professor about the Latin history of medieval alchemy. Sherlock Holmes believed he had, through his brief research, "disenchantd" magic, eliminating superstition and fear, and viewing it from a rational perspective—however, Salomon knew all too well that many of the magical texts circulating in the world were either rife with lies or utter nonsense, and that many so-called magicians who claimed to have completed some research were merely charlatans. While it wasn't impossible for some to have actually practiced magic through rituals and training (refining life and ether, discussed in earlier chapters of the book), very few could acquire such knowledge, and Sherlock Holmes, based on the library's materials, could not even glimpse the tip of the iceberg of magical art.

“Let’s play a game, Sherlock Holmes,” Salomon said, leaning back in his armchair with obvious ease. “We’ll unravel the mystery of the dead coming back to life right here in this room, with just a few clues at our disposal.” He formed a spire with his hands in front of him, his fingertips barely touching his lips. His presence was so strong that the atmosphere in the drawing room became heavy when he frowned. Salomon said to Watson, “I know Mrs. Hudson has a treasured tarot deck; could you please borrow it for me?”

"You want to find out the truth through divination?" Watson glanced at his roommate standing by the window, seemingly afraid that Salomon's words would anger Holmes. "Or do you want to hold a psychic session?"

"Prophecy and deduction, though essentially the same, I still want to demonstrate the power of magic," Salomon said. "I can arrive at the answer without consulting a ghost. Besides, it's best not to believe what ghosts say."

"I don't believe in luck," Sherlock Holmes asked expressionlessly. "Do you really think that a few cards drawn by probability can replace reasoning?"

"Your reasoning is based on a vast amount of information, Sherlock Holmes. Prophecy is the same, even more so, its ability to acquire information far exceeds the limits of the human brain. Only spellcasters skilled in prophecy can sift through the massive amount of information to find key clues and make their own judgments. The most powerful prophets are equivalent to Laplace's demon, something even you cannot do," the sorcerer said softly. "If I deduce the truth first, you'll have to participate in a skydive; otherwise, I won't bother you anymore."

Sherlock Holmes stared intently into Salomon's eyes. "Watson, please have Mrs. Hudson make some tea." After a moment, he seemed to abandon his plan to probe Salomon's thoughts. "But cookies are unnecessary; I don't think this guest will stay here long."

While waiting for Watson to bring the tarot cards, Salomon downloaded Google's stargazing app on his phone and showed it to Sherlock Holmes. "The interpretation of the Major Arcana requires astrology, but modern technology allows us to skip the observation steps," he said. "Did you think astrology always required brass globes, telescopes, and basins of water? Thank you, Watson. Why don't you turn over the first card? I suggest you construct the spread according to my instructions; I won't touch the tarot deck at all to avoid any suspicion of cheating. Let's use the first card to see if I can win this reasoning contest."

Watson raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. After Holmes nodded slightly, he hesitantly flipped over the top card of the tarot deck on the low table. "The upright Ace of Swords, representing victory and power. You may shuffle the cards now, Watson," Salomon laughed. "Follow my steps, consider the questions I pose, and you will find the answers. First, is our criminal still alive, and what is his condition? After considering this, turn over three cards and place them in the top left corner in sequence."

"Reversed Death. Reversed Wheel of Fortune. Reversed Hermit." Watson couldn't help but gasp. The 22 Major Arcanas and 56 Minor Arcanas of this tarot deck were completely mixed together. The probability of drawing three reversed Major Arcanas was about 0.641% to 0.649%, and the probability of drawing three reversed Major Arcanas in a row was even more astonishingly low.

"It seems our 'criminal' has gone into hiding after escaping death, carefully concealing his tracks, and is suffering from anxiety due to the loss of power and social connections," Salomon concluded after examining the positions of Scorpio, Virgo, and Jupiter. He added, "As you may have noticed, the tarot cards didn't indicate the criminal lost money. In other words, even with frozen and monitored accounts, our 'criminal' still possesses his own secret accounts."

“That’s not surprising,” said Sherlock Holmes. “Even the dumbest policeman in Scotland Yard could have figured it out.”

"Now, turn over three more cards and consider the criminal's financial situation. The upright Four of Wands proves that the criminal has no financial problems and even possesses a large amount of controllable funds. The reversed Seven of Cups and the reversed Eight of Cups indicate that the criminal's use of this secret account may have been a forced choice, and it has caused him great unease. This suggests that the secret account does not belong to him personally, or rather, it is funds from some kind of behind-the-scenes transaction."

Sherlock Holmes suddenly felt a tickle in his nose. Mycroft Holmes had told him that the criminal was able to escape death in this way because of a black market deal. Someone needed him alive instead of dying in prison like Epstein because he possessed top-secret intelligence that even MI6 didn't know.

An individual or organization wants this intelligence.

"Consider whether the criminal received help from others, and what the price was for that help. The same three cards, the same arrangement." John Watson felt the air in the drawing room growing colder, and in a daze, he realized he couldn't hear anything outside the window. This eerie situation made him grip the tarot cards in his hand tighter. Just as he was about to stand up, Salomon pressed down on his shoulder, and he then noticed that his breath was forming a white mist.

He couldn't help but shudder. He gritted his teeth and asked, "What kind of trick is this!"

"Don't be nervous, Watson. This is just a warm-up, not the main focus of our investigation," Salomon said softly. "It's to help you focus your mind on the tarot cards. As a beginner, you need to get used to this feeling. I don't want you to make mistakes on crucial questions because of a lack of concentration. Sit down, turn over three cards, and then we can officially begin."

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(End of this chapter)