Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 30 The Hunt Begins (Seeking Investment!)

Theism has always had a great influence in the Western world. Although with the development of science and technology, the Roman Catholic Church can no longer excommunicate kings, interfere in their marriages (especially Henry VIII), or organize crusades against heretics, and the English Puritans can no longer arbitrarily launch witch hunts, religion still continues to influence all aspects of the secular world.

Especially in the United States, the world's leading technological power, religion also has an extremely powerful influence.

For example, witnesses must place their hands on the Bible and swear an oath when they appear in court; otherwise, their testimony will not be legally valid. Presidential candidates must receive the blessing and prayer of a pastor, and after being elected, they must place their hands on the Bible to officially take office. In addition, the president must appoint a White House chaplain. In the U.S. military, there must be a chaplain. If the chaplain does not pray, soldiers may even be unwilling to go to war. Even some famous universities have seminaries, and the admission scores of these seminaries are no less than those of some science colleges.

As mentioned before, theists will claim to be God's shepherds.

Americans consider themselves God's warriors, believing all their wars to be just, liberating the ignorant and saving humanity because they are divinely protected and the most righteous in the world, worthy of emulation by all. Whether anyone will discover that the real reason for their wars is oil or something else depends on how politicians deceive the public.

Today, at least half of Americans still believe that religion should influence science and politics, which is one reason why anti-intellectual behavior often occurs in theistic countries. Salomon believes it wouldn't be surprising if these Saxon barbarians were to one day take syringes and inject themselves with disinfectant.

When the living Athena appeared before him, Salomon did not offer his faith. He didn't even believe in the Vishanti, so how could he possibly believe in God? In his mind, God was likely an existence on par with Odin, while the Vishanti were magical entities existing in the multiverse. The difference in strength was obvious, not to mention the true gods of the universe, Kamar-Taj's greatest backer, the eternal God. Even towards the eternal God, Salomon merely expressed respect.

Salomon concluded that religion is of no use to human development when the gods cannot bestow divine magic.

But Salomon won't interfere. Western society has already eroded the scientific and progressive spirit of the Renaissance, but the world isn't peaceful. Repeated alien invasions will make Earthlings realize they are not alone in the universe. And to survive in this universe, humanity must develop technology, and religion will naturally be eliminated. Salomon won't have to do anything to witness the demise of theology.

When Salomon shared his conclusions with the Sorcerer Supreme, she was very pleased with his ideas and rewarded him with a bottle of soda. In her understanding, Salomon's birth was shrouded in mystery from the start; his stigmata likely originated from Heaven, which explained his extraordinary magical talent. The Sorcerer Supreme, who had brought Salomon to Kamar-Taj, naturally didn't want his protégé to become a lackey of extradimensional beings. Only a son who didn't believe in God could protect Earth until a new Sorcerer Supreme emerged.

Salomon, who is currently reviewing documents on the top floor of Colin Manor, has developed a sense of contempt for Barnabas.

If you've already become a vampire, don't even dream of going to heaven. Is becoming a vampire really that fun? Whether you judge a person's eligibility for heaven by the standards of Judaism, Anglicanism, the Orthodox Church, or Catholicism, probably only a very small number of people in modern society can meet that standard. If you don't believe it, just look at your browser history and you'll understand how many sins you've committed.

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This was the fifth day already—Salomon had spent an extremely long time sifting through the books, and he would be busy until late at night before returning to Kamar-Taj. During the day, he would open a portal in the hall of the Collins Manor. The Collins family had gone from being alarmed at first to becoming indifferent to it. Every morning, they would see the sparks in the living room and Salomon hurrying upstairs.

At his feet lay a pile of heavy books and yellowed scrolls, all of which he had rejected. While some contained a minor spell, they were far removed from the dark magic he needed, derived from the *Dark Book*, and posed virtually no threat. However, after their last conversation, Barnabas no longer appeared before Salomon; a man without faith truly frightened him.

As one of the earliest families to arrive and explore the Americas, the Collins family's coat of arms features a seahorse, a symbol of the power of water and safe passage on the seas. In those days, no one who relied on the sea for trade was not superstitious, and Barnabas, influenced by his parents, had long since become a devout Puritan.

In his view, having no faith meant having no bottom line. The vampire had no idea whether Salomon would keep his promise and turn around and destroy him and Victoria. Even God couldn't guarantee that Salomon would keep his word. He felt that a huge problem was looming over the Collins family. Now, Salomon was more annoying to the vampire than sunlight, silverware, and garlic all combined.

Unaware that he was now universally disliked, Salomon stretched lazily, even hearing the crisp cracking sound of his spine stretching backward. Pulling back the curtains, he saw the deep red glow of the setting sun mingling with the gray clouds, painting the distant sea an ambiguous deep pink. If Salomon hadn't felt a soreness in his neck, he might not have even noticed the passage of time.

His results were obvious; several books lay on the table, though filled with what now seemed like utter nonsense, Salomon had found what he was looking for. He hadn't read the entire lengthy incantation, but he understood its harmful nature. Now, he needed to investigate its origin, because the Venerable One's command was to find the *Dark Book*, not just a couple of incantations.

This is an alchemical book written in Latin, which is not surprising. The transformation of humans into vampires is a change in the nature of life, so it is normal for it to be classified as an alchemical book.

Salomon found the author's name on the book's title page; it was an Arabicized name, "Jaber," spelled "Geber" in medieval Latin. The name Jaber frequently appears in some of the most influential Latin alchemical works of the 13th century, but the Latin spelling of Geber belonged to someone else who merely adopted the name of this Aragonese alchemist. He also adopted the typical guiding style of Jaber's work and rewrote sections of Jaber's Septuagint.

This author even added grammatical structures and expressions that, while translated into Latin, appear to be typical Arabic to his text, attempting to create a false impression and enhance the credibility of his work. The reason for this is related to the exchange between Christian and Arab civilizations, and the subsequent spread of alchemy to Europe, which will not be elaborated upon here.

In conclusion, according to later historians, the author behind this "Gab" is very likely Paul of Taranto, an Italian Franciscan priest and teacher—because Paul wrote an alchemical text from a nearly contemporary period that is remarkably similar in style and content to the "Gab" text. The original of that text is now kept in the library of Kamar-Taj, and Salomon once consulted it.

After finalizing his itinerary, Salomon put the book into his dimensional bag. He had other things to do—Barnabas's guess was indeed correct; Salomon wouldn't keep his promise because there were still dark magic creatures in this town.

Salomon joins the hunt tonight.

P.S.: Please vote for me! Please invest!

Off work, off work. I wonder if anyone has any book lists saved? My Longkong account got banned for self-recommendation QAQ.

And another thing, someone actually confidently invested an extra 1 points. That puts a lot of pressure on me.

(End of this chapter)