Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 81 Halo and Invitation

The glass window was slightly ajar, and a gentle breeze drifted in through the cracks. The morning light swayed and crept from behind the dark woolen curtains onto the open books and scattered yellowed parchment on the solid wood desk.

The bright sunlight, oblivious to the worm-like characters, gave up trying to understand and continued its crawl, eventually reaching a boy on a red robe. The sudden warmth and gentle breeze made the boy's closed eyelids and long eyelashes flutter slightly. The sunlight cautiously reached out and gently patted the boy's eyes, trying to wake the sleepy fellow—wake up, it's a beautiful morning!

"Shit! Shit Losanda!" Salomon muttered, tilting his head and blinking hard. The annoying sunlight interrupted his sleep. He stood up from his chair, closed his eyes, tilted his head, reached for the window, and then slammed it shut.

He rubbed his eyes, stretched his limbs a bit, and then walked around the chair back. In front of him was a large bed with two women lying on it, one with white hair and the other with black hair. It was early morning in Italy, while New York was still in the previous night's darkness. He had brought them back around that time, and now a night had passed.

As for Phoenix, he has already gone with the Sorcerer Supreme.

The witches' battle suits are woven from their own magic and are the same color as their hair; for example, Bayonetta's is black, and Jeanne's is white. The problem is, however, they lost consciousness after their battle with Jubilee, and without consciousness, they naturally couldn't maintain their magic, including the magic used to create their clothes.

Although the process was somewhat awkward, the result was good. Salomon removed all the pistols and glasses from their bodies and placed them on Bayonetta's large bed. He then found a blanket from the wardrobe that didn't yet need to be exposed to the sun and covered them with it, thus completing his task. After that, Salomon began to use the positive energy provided by Vishanti to cast sorcery and heal his wounds. Due to significant blood loss, Salomon became incredibly sleepy, even falling asleep while reading until he was awakened by the annoying sunlight.

He went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out the fish that he hadn't finished the day before, seasoned it simply, and fried it. He then paired it with fried asparagus and a fried egg. That was his breakfast.

"Yesterday, a massive explosion occurred at the Isabel Building, the headquarters of the Ragnarok Order. It is suspected to be a serious terrorist attack. Multiple buildings collapsed, and the number of casualties is still undetermined. Badr, the president of the Izawell Group, is missing..."

He opened the kitchen cabinet, took out a clean cup, put a tea bag inside, poured in boiling water, and placed the steaming tea on the side of the plate. He turned on the TV, pulled out a chair, sat down at the dining table, and began to cut fish with a fork, slowly chewing.

After the storms stirred up by the angels and the Kamar-Taj blockade of Vigrid disappeared, the situation on Sun Island was exposed to ordinary nations. What happened on Easter Sunday of the Ragnarok was no small matter, because even though Vigrid was the territory of the Izawell Group, it was still within Italian territory.

Even in Italy, a country with a strong religious atmosphere, grammar schools, and even regular religious education in schools, the excessive fanaticism of the Ragnaröks has caused panic among many. It's important to remember that the Pope is now behind the Tiber River, the Inquisition no longer exists, and most Catholics are no longer so fanatical—although Italy later signed an agreement with the Papacy to support clergy, this is now the age of science, not the Church.

"The Ragnarrèse Easter celebrations originally scheduled for today have been cancelled. Government aid teams from various countries have arrived on Sun Island to provide assistance. The Italian government is urging Ragnarrèse believers to remain calm..."

"Next news. Although renowned arms dealer Tony Stark has shut down Stark Industries' weapons division, his Iron Man suit has been designated a new weapon by the White House due to the highway and rooftop incidents triggered by the Stark Industries robot war. Congressman Stan is expected to... initiate a hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court..."

"The green giant that appeared on the streets of New York..."

Well, the rescue team, and maybe even spies. After all, the Izawell Corporation's technology is incredibly advanced; those European countries won't easily give up such a huge prize. And then there's Tony Stark; this glorious era wouldn't be complete without him.

Lost in thought, Salomon quickly finished his breakfast, the portion of fish being rather small. After washing the plates, he fried two more breakfasts, adding some rosemary and enchanting them to keep them warm. Just as he was about to leave, the bedroom door opened, and Bayonetta and Jeanne, both dressed, emerged.

"Good morning~ Boya, or maybe good afternoon, but it can't be good night, right?" Bayonetta leaned against the doorframe, watching the arcane mage preparing to cast a spell. "Oh my~ you even prepared breakfast. What a thoughtful little guy."

"Cereza, does he live with you?" Joan of Arc, wearing red-rimmed glasses and with her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow when she saw Salomon.

"That's right, the Sorcerer Supreme sent him to spy on me." Bayonetta walked to the table and sat down, ready to enjoy the delicious fish. But Joan of Arc wasn't as relaxed as Bayonetta. If ordinary families used witches, wolves, and various monsters to scare children to sleep, then witches and sages used the Sorcerer Supreme to scare children. If you don't sleep, the Sorcerer Supreme will come and get you—this foolish story has continued for hundreds of years, and almost every witch and sage is familiar with the story of the Sorcerer Supreme when they were young.

"Then why don't you kick him out!" Joan of Arc said, frowning.

"Because Salomon is such a kind guy," Bayonetta said. "He took such good care of me, big brother!"

Joan of Arc glanced at the fish on her plate, then at Salomon, and finally gave a soft hum before sitting down next to Bayonetta and starting to eat like her. But Joan's composure lasted only a few seconds, because Salomon sat down opposite Bayonetta.

"I can't tell if you're Ceressa or Bayonetta anymore," Salomon said. "What should I call you now?"

Bayonetta chuckled and said, "You can call me whatever you want. Do you expect me to call you 'big brother'?"

"Alright, Bayonetta." Salomon raised an eyebrow. The title "big brother" made him a little uncomfortable. Although Ceresa and Bayonetta were the same person, he still felt it was better for Bayonetta not to use that word. He said, "I have something to ask you."

"Oh? You're in such a hurry? I'm just a weak woman who has just woken up from a coma. Can't you be a little gentler?" Bayonetta's tone was still full of hints, but no one took it seriously. If Salomon went along with her, the only result would be that he would blush and back down. This had happened several times already, and the arcane mage had learned his lesson.

He took a deep breath and continued, "I want to ask about the demon you and Joan of Arc summoned at the end. I think that since you were able to summon her, you must know something."

"That's the Queen of Sheba," Joan of Arc spoke first. "She's one of the original demons. Wait, your name..."

"I just want to know how much debt I owe," Salomon said. "The contract with Belial has already made me miserable enough, but I'm surprised that the Queen of Sheba has even noticed me."

"I never thought you were such a fickle little one," Bayonetta said, feigning sadness. "Is it because your older sister isn't pretty enough that you would fall for a devil?"

"You know perfectly well I didn't..." Salomon rolled his eyes helplessly, but then he felt something was off. "That's not what I meant... I... never mind..."

"I want to give Salomon a little gift," Bayonetta said, turning to Joan of Arc. "Do you remember what we got after we killed Jubilee?"

"You mean... that halo?" Joan of Arc asked. After slaying angels, the halos above their heads would materialize, and Bayonetta paid for all the weapons she bought from Rodan with those things.

“That’s right,” Bayonetta said. “Anyway, that thing isn’t very useful to us. I only know one fallen angel who would need it. But now, we don’t need any weapons, so there’s nothing wrong with giving it to Salomon. He’s an arcane mage, and he’ll definitely be able to make the most of it.”

Bayonetta and Salomon agreed that he would return in a few days, at which time Bayonetta and Joan of Arc would work together to summon the Queen of Sheba and obtain the Halo of Jubilee from her. At the same time, Salomon would also be tasked with investigating the Queen of Sheba's secrets.

"But before that, where is my Cheshire cat?" Bayonetta said. "My Ragdoll is gone, and now I only have a Cheshire cat."

"You mean my summoned creature? That's the name Ceresa gave it..." Salomon suddenly realized. He'd forgotten about the chubby gray shorthair cat since the battle. Although it was a spirit, it wasn't of much help to Salomon at this stage. Even if the fat cat hadn't died in the accident, Salomon was now too far from Vigrid to be able to pinpoint its location through the Cheshire Cat's eyes.

"Alright, I'll summon it again," Salomon said. "I need to perform the ritual."

The chubby gray cat, who had been lying nonchalantly in the arms of a rescuer, devouring a sausage, vanished in an instant. It crossed the ocean and appeared before a brass brazier filled with various charcoal and spices—a ritual performed by Salomon. Before the cat could react, Salomon scooped it up and placed it in Bayonetta's arms.

"If you'd like, I can perform a pet transfer ritual," Salomon said. "This cat will be yours from now on."

"No need, this is our pet." Bayonetta stroked the Cheshire Cat's fluffy back, looking quite satisfied. However, Joan of Arc was a little unhappy, feeling that Salomon was trying to steal away her friend whom she hadn't seen for five hundred years.

Salomon returned to Kamar-Taj. Now that he had made arrangements for the future, he needed to return to his studies. A mage's duty was to study, not to adventure. Of course, it was a common understanding that academic mages who had never experienced adventure were all novices; casting fireballs at everything in sight was not a wise choice.

As for Jubilus's halo, although he hasn't obtained it yet, Salomon has already figured out its use: a mage tower. He plans to start planning his mage tower now, as Jubilus's halo is excellent material for building a positive energy pool. Besides learning magic, Salomon also has a pile of books to read, all plundered from the library of the Holy Cross Church in Florence. Among them are secrets of the Brotherhood of the Shield, which can help Salomon understand the ins and outs of this world.

A few days later, the Sorcerer Supreme gave Salomon a scroll with golden patterns on a blue background. Salomon opened the scroll with curiosity; it was written in runes, which he could understand. The first line read:

Respectfully addressed to the Venerable Gu Yi, King of Midgard.

What follows is a long passage of ornate praise, but this praise is not for Earth, but for Asgard. Asgard, which rules the Nine Realms, is Earth's sovereign state. When the Sorcerer Supreme first emerged, Asgard had come to Earth and repelled the invading Frost Giants.

According to Asgardian logic, Earth, which has never paid taxes and is unaware of Asgard's existence, is a rebellious territory. Asgard, as one of the universe's overlords, could easily send troops to quell the rebellion.

The reason Earth has avoided this outcome is because the Sorcerer Supreme used his magic to fight Odin, the Allfather, and secured Earth's status as a vassal state. The Sorcerer Supreme also became the universally recognized ruler of Earth. In other words, the Sorcerer Supreme, like a feudal lord, possesses the power of life and death over anyone on Earth.

This is the bloody reality of this universe: only those with the strongest fists have a voice. It doesn't matter whether ordinary people's governments acknowledge it or not, because Asgard recognizes Kamar-Taj as the Earth's government, and the entire universe recognizes the Sorcerer Supreme. Only Kamar-Taj and the Sorcerer Supreme have the ability to have an equal dialogue with Asgard.

It's not that Earth can secede from Asgard and become independent; that's impossible. As the sovereign state of Earth, Asgard has an obligation to protect Earth from invasion, just like Vanaheim. What military superpower like the Kree Empire, or the democracy-loving Xandar? Any force wanting to enter the Nine Realms and colonize Earth must first ask Odin's spear.

As a product of stellar eruptions, gold is one of the universal currencies. Even if all the gold on Earth were given to Asgard, it wouldn't be enough to pay off the taxes owed over the years. Since it can't be paid, then it shouldn't be paid—the Sorcerer Supreme's magic is far more powerful than gold, and Odin wouldn't risk offending the Sorcerer Supreme for such a small sum.

As long as the Sorcerer Supreme and Kamar-Taj exist, Asgard has no military passage rights on Earth, and Earth does not have to pay taxes to Asgard. That being said, Kamar-Taj still has to give Asgard, its overlord, some face, as shown in the scroll.

"The coronation of the new King of Asgard? An invitation to attend?" Salomon read to the end. "But that's still at least a year away."

"For long-lived beings like the Asgardians, a year is but a blink of an eye," said the Sorcerer Supreme. "I will take you and Mordau with me then, so be prepared."

"Prepare? What are you preparing for?" Salomon asked.

The Venerable One smiled and said, "A good show."

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(End of this chapter)