Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 949 Everything is Ready (First Update)

Today's work was so demanding that Stephanie couldn't help but doze off. Salomon and Victor von Doom, pen in one hand and parchment in the other, whiskey and an ice bucket, spent the entire night determining solutions to all the problems Latveria might encounter in the future. Stephanie remembered that before she finally fell asleep, the parchment on the table only reached her chest. When she was awakened by the cold air from the air conditioner and the rich aroma of cigars, the parchment with its perfected solutions had already obscured Victor von Doom's iron-gray face. She could only see the monarch's long, black, curly hair shining like obsidian under the lamplight.

Salomon and Doom's communication was not limited to language, but was more of a spiritual exchange, because that was more efficient. This method of communication was similar to the data packets that Malbus used with the technicians on Mars, but the magically created data packets contained more information and were transmitted faster.

In just one night, Stephanie witnessed Salomon's amazing efficiency once again.

From how to establish the credibility of the Immortal City's currency to how to counter the financial offensive of Western countries, from how to break the embargo on industrial raw materials to the future development direction of high-end industries, from how to educate the civilians to how to recruit local militia and the subsequent training and education, all sorts of problems were written on parchment and provided with concrete and feasible solutions. Once categorized and bound according to their contents, and distributed to all the administrative personnel who would be supporting Latvinia, it would become a guiding manual for the future liberation of Latvinia. When those parchments bore Victor von Doom's name, it signified that Latvinia would become a subordinate administrative body of the Immortal City.

This is not a war that can be ended quickly.

Due to the Immortal City's limited manpower, initial estimates from Salomon and the Immortal City's actuaries indicate that liberating the entire territory of Latvinia while protecting the people would take at least a month. This is even with the Immortal City's nuclear deterrent preventing a NATO invasion, and the military achievements made using mechanized infantry and a small air force. If the NATO advance is not stopped, the war will be much longer, at which point the Immortal City's technological advantage will be fully demonstrated. Even after the war, eliminating the remnants of the royal family and past beneficiaries will be a lengthy task. If Latvinia is to be restored to an economic entity, it will take even longer.

The essence of finance is credit, and Victor von Doom represents that credit in the hearts of the Latvians. Therefore, in terms of division of labor, Victor will take the lead, while Salomon will remain behind the scenes. The Immortal City doesn't want a mess, but a social system that can start operating immediately and completely sweep away the old system. Therefore, every step of the plan must be meticulously calculated.

Thanks to the brains of Salomon and Viktor von Dum, this work progressed rapidly.

Salomon was so concerned because Latveria was the first step in realizing his true ideals; the Immortal City and the Martian Foundry were merely preparations for achieving his dream. However, he also knew that the situation in the frontline administrative districts would definitely exceed expectations. After all, the people of this land had been oppressed for far too long, and even World War I and World War II had failed to break this oppression. Ignorance and superstition were almost the only way of life there, and the conflicts between villages were more important than the fate of the entire nation or even the country. Therefore, he gave the administrative personnel a certain degree of autonomy to solve problems.

Bringing in an army is the best way to deal with landlords' private armies and village bandits.

Time was of the essence. The investigation into those killed by Victor von Doom would inevitably point to Latvinia. Salomon didn't have time to deal with the internal conflicts among the Latvians while already under external pressure; this task had to be left to Victor von Doom, who naturally adopted the simplest and most direct approach. The task of establishing external deterrence also had to be accomplished by Salomon or Victor personally, and negotiating cooperative relationships with other countries would also require their involvement; otherwise, the Latvians would starve. In short, the plan was to exchange high-tech products for industrial raw materials, food, basic industrial equipment, and infrastructure, accelerating Latvinia's modernization. To avoid the deal being seen as a joke, the Immortal City needed to prepare a world-shaking display of power, projecting an image of a country with advanced technology but lacking in infrastructure and basic industrial goods.

After discussing future international partners, Salomon and Viktor von Dum considered the work temporarily concluded. Stephanie Malik, still half-asleep, woke her secretary, Diana Lister, who was also dozing on the sofa. Following Salomon's instructions, they took the parchments to the scribe for proofreading, and then prepared them for printing into a work manual for the Latvian region.

“The partisans in Latvia were trained by the Soviets, and now they’ve developed a second generation of partisans,” Viktor von Dum said. During the long discussion, he removed his iron mask and shared some spirits and cigars from Washington with Salomon. “Before we begin, I plan to make contact with these people. They might understand your ideas, and if we have them, the administrative process will proceed much faster.”

"Finish the preliminary work as soon as possible." Salomon downed the amber liquid in his glass and stood up from his chair. He summoned his invisible servant to fetch his coat, and Victor then remembered that Salomon had checked his phone once during the discussion, apparently because he had received some message, which was why Salomon was planning to leave the Immortal City temporarily.

"I also need to check out the living conditions of the Asgardian royal family. You might not believe it, but that one-eyed old man was driving a senior citizen's electric scooter in town—the kind you see in American supermarkets—and he ran over a dog. He insisted that the dog's puppies would eat the moon or something and refused to apologize to the dog's owner. Can you imagine how ridiculous that is? Fenrir is dead, not a single wolf cub left. And the old man is still clamoring to travel to Norway. I just hope that the kings of Asgard can at least avoid causing trouble for others in their final moments."

"Where in Norway?" Viktor von Dum asked curiously. He also stood up and put on the iron mask.

"There's a place in Norway called Edda. Maybe the old guy wants to go paragliding there, or maybe the glaciers there are as old as him—who knows!"

"That's the site of Ragnarok," Victor von Doom explained, addressing Salomon's questioning gaze. As a former Kamar-Taj scholar, his theoretical knowledge was vast, and few knew the limits of his academic abilities. He even possessed historical knowledge Salomon had never studied. "The Edda was the last place to abandon the Norse gods, after which all of Norway converted to Christianity. Therefore, the Edda can be considered the site of Ragnarok on Earth. If Wotan (Odin's alias) wants to go to that town of Edda, it could very well be an omen, a sign of the Aesir's destruction. Time is running out for Kamar-Taj. However, I advise you not to go looking for Wotan."

Why?

"That's where Christianity ended the Asgardian faith, Salomon," Victor von Doom said, pointing at him. "What do you think it means if you were there? Let me tell you, it means war."

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(End of this chapter)