Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 895 Multi-Front Operations (First Update)

The previous argument didn't affect the atmosphere at dinner, especially after the witches forced Ms. Jacob to drink large amounts of wine with the intention of causing her liver cirrhosis. Ms. Jacob shed her previous restraint, and the atmosphere at the table quickly became harmonious. Salomon and the witches didn't discuss any supernatural or violent topics; on the surface, it appeared to be a family dinner where an adopted son and stepmother got to know each other. Furthermore, since Cassirius's new partner wasn't a pretentious petit-bourgeois, none of the dishes were overly elaborate in appearance, and everyone was quite happy—in this woman's mind, Salomon was an Oxford student and also a business owner, so it was rare for him to have time to attend parties.

This was also Cassirius's previous explanation for why he had so few interpersonal relationships.

The witches had already learned from their previous conversations which details were inaccurate and which Salomon and they needed to rectify. Salomon needed to discuss his company's revenue, how he balanced his studies, work, and life, and talk about the work of Kasirios and Ms. Jacob, all while behaving charmingly. Frankly, fabricating a flawless and plausible lie on the spot wasn't too difficult; the challenge lay in maintaining it. If this woman were to visit London or New York someday, Salomon couldn't possibly drop everything to take her on a tour of a real company.

However, Salomon was well-prepared; even if Cassirios never told Ms. Jacob the truth, his lies could withstand scrutiny. This was a full application of the knowledge he had learned from Victoria Hand and Natasha Romanoff on how to fabricate a spy's background. Strictly speaking, though, he was being a bit too serious, making a mountain out of a molehill; Ms. Jacob had neither the inclination nor the ability to investigate. Salomon had already read all of the woman's files, knowing her hobbies, her experiences, and her routines.

Thanks to the Immortal City's powerful intelligence department, he knew her better than she knew herself.

Compared to the lies Salomon wove, Ms. Jacob was more concerned about the witch and Salomon's reaction to food, and showed great interest when Kasirios talked about Salomon's childhood anecdotes—although neither the witch nor Salomon ate much on purpose, they were not ordinary people and their calorie needs far exceeded those of ordinary people. Dina had to busy herself making food for the witch and Salomon every day to meet their needs.

After dinner, Ms. Jacob, quite embarrassed, said she would definitely prepare more for the next family gathering. It was clear she wanted to show the care a dutiful stepmother should have, so much so that her overzealousness made her look rather pathetic. This forced Salomon to use Kamar-Taj's coded gestures to remind Kasirius to make a decision quickly, for the sake of everyone; such a good person shouldn't be deceived. This was also the witches' opinion; they felt that continuing to deceive this woman was unbearable, a sentiment Salomon wholeheartedly agreed with. Although hurt was inevitable, the longer it dragged on, the worse it would become.

Kasirius agreed. Before Salomon and the witch left, he hinted to Salomon that he wanted to speak with him privately, but not today. The young sorcerer nodded; he did not intend to directly contact the Allfather at this dangerous time. If he were to speak privately, it would be best to do so through Queen Frigg to avoid any potential direct conflict.

Salomon opened the car door and invited Bayonetta and Joan of Arc to sit in the back seat.

Night had fallen, and the dim streetlights painted nauseatingly greasy patches on the snow-covered streets. The young sorcerer looked up at a figure on the streetlight that was even deeper than the night itself. It was a raven, its jet-black wings absorbing the faint light cast by celestial bodies millions of light-years away. The bird's emotionless, round eyes were fixed on the person standing by the car door below. The young sorcerer gently touched the holster beneath his coat, but ultimately did not draw his pistol or chant any incantation. Instead, he sat in the passenger seat and urged the maid to start the car.

Members of the First Secret Team of Fimbulb Winter immediately activated five black armored cars that had been waiting by the roadside, keeping pace with the speed of the protected target. Drones hovering high in the air provided real-time data updates to the portable computers of the agent commanders. Agents concealed their weapons and heavy firepower behind opaque car windows, their muzzles pointed at every window of the surrounding buildings, ready to return fire at any moment. In the event of an attack, before the electromagnetic shield of the Monarch's car was breached, they would use their firepower and their own lives to give the Monarch ample time to retaliate—since Constantine acquired sufficient manpower, he had immediately begun to provide Salomon with tight security. As the Immortal City's influence gradually expanded, sooner or later someone would know that Salomon was the core figure of the Immortal City, and assassinations would become more frequent. Even for a family gathering, Salomon's route and security personnel had to be planned by Constantine, especially when he was on other missions, he placed even greater emphasis on Salomon's safety.

Stephanie Malik, as the head of the Interior Ministry, also had similar security measures, except that her protectors were not physically enhanced. Constantine was unwilling to allocate the limited capacity of his bio-genetic laboratory to protecting anyone other than Salomon; it was not his responsibility, even though he knew Stephanie was also important.

Constantine slowly walked into the ornately decorated hall inside the castle.

Today, in this hall of the castle, on the territory of the Italian Mafia "Cosa nostra" and "Ndrangheta," the leaders of two families will hold a tense meeting. When Constantine, clad in golden power armor and wielding a halberd, strode heavily through the doors, no one present knew who this uninvited guest was. Even without seeing the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground outside, everyone knew the visitor was hostile—both families had a grudge against the Immortal City over the so-called "water park" project the Immortal City used to cover up its offshore platform. Located between Sicily and mainland Italy, both Mafia families wanted a slice of this massive project, driving out the original contractors and swallowing the profits. However, the so-called contractors didn't exist; they were merely shell companies temporarily registered by the Ministry of the Interior to deceive the Italian government, and the Immortal City certainly wouldn't pay protection money to either Mafia family.

Therefore, when the excavated soil and rocks from the Immortal City's construction were transported to the coast, they were often intercepted by Mafia families, and the Immortal City's armed personnel frequently clashed with these groups. To completely resolve this issue, Constantine used his resources to fabricate information and bribe Mafia insiders to lure the two family leaders to the city to discuss the construction of the Sicilian bridge that still does not connect to the Italian mainland.

Constantine did not bombard the castle with cannons or send regular troops to suppress the Mafia because his monarch granted him considerable autonomy. He wanted to absorb both organizations, making them informants and tools for the Praetorian Guard outside the Immortal City.

Three seconds. Constantine told himself that, then pointed his halberd at the group of mafia members. Before that, he needed to kill everyone here.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)