Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 82 The Ark of the Golden Covenant

The Abyss is the most chaotic place in the entire universe, the lowest level. Chaos means increased entropy, and one day, when the universe reaches its end, the Abyss will devour the entire universe. Of course, this time unit is in billions of years, and has nothing to do with Salomon at present.

The reason for using cents is simply because Salomon is currently in New York, in the apartment Bayonetta bought, and thus used this currency unit to fit in with local customs.

What the hell? Shouldn't a magical pet be a mage's little darling? Why is his magical pet so affectionate towards Bayonetta? When Salomon entered the apartment, he saw Bayonetta placing a plate of fish on the dining table, while the Cheshire Cat stood on a chair, its two round front paws resting on the table, eager to take a bite.

Salomon scooped up the fat cat and held it in his arms, then walked towards the sofa in the living room. Seeing the delicious salmon getting further and further away, the Cheshire Cat let out a pitiful meow. Through the magical contract, Salomon, as its owner, could fully sense its regret; those meows weren't just nonsense, only he could understand them.

"You're not a real cat; you're just a spirit in the form of a cat. You can't let your appearance limit your actions." The sorcerer weighed the magical creature in his arms. "Besides, you're already fat enough. I think you weigh at least fifteen pounds."

"Meow! (That's slander!)"

"Are you ready to uncover the secrets of the Queen of Sheba?" Joan of Arc, sitting at the other end of the sofa, perched her red-rimmed glasses on her forehead. "I must tell you first that the existence of the Queen of Sheba is the top secret of the witches. If Ceresa hadn't awakened her left eye, we wouldn't have been able to summon her at all."

"And what about communication?" Salomon asked. "I inquired with Phoenix, but it knows nothing about the Queen of Sheba either."

"Since the last summoning, the Queen of Sheba has become a communicable demon, though she's not as easy to communicate with as Lady Butterfly." Bayonetta carried the fish into the living room and took the Cheshire Cat from Salomon's arms. "Kitty, do you want some?" she said.

"Meow!"

Now he finally understood why the Cheshire Cat was so close to Bayonetta. The witch's feeding of her cats was never limitless; the Cheshire Cat would eat as much fish and meat as there was in the refrigerator. For the past few days, it had been a fish and meat party every day.

"So, where do you plan to perform the summoning? I suggest the Mirror Dimension," Salomon said. "By the way, Bayonetta, don't feed it so much; this cat really does get fat."

"Meow! (You're lying!)"

"This time we don't intend to summon the full-fledged Queen of Sheba. We only need one hand; the witches' magic can easily do it," Joan of Arc said. "We won't be foolish enough to summon such a powerful demon when necessary."

To summon one of the Queen of Sheba's hands, Salomon activated the Mirror Dimension, and Bayonetta and Joan of Arc donned their battle attire. In truth, even Bayonetta and Joan of Arc were unsure if the summoning would succeed, as they were no longer fighting Jubilus; whether the Queen of Sheba would respond depended entirely on her own whim.

「TELOC VOVIM A GRAA ORS TABA ORD AVAVAGO」

"EMNA OL ADRPAN ADNA ZNRZA OXEX RACLIR"

After they chanted the incantation, Salomon turned his head away, refusing to watch Bayonetta and Joan of Arc's summoning actions. Since their clothes would disappear during the summoning, Salomon's action was purely out of politeness. Unexpectedly, the summoning went smoothly. Black and white hair twisted into a single strand and entered the dark purple summoning incantation, accompanied by a gigantic hand emerging from the other end, the back of which was adorned with a large skull.

Most surprisingly, the fingertips of this hand were holding a small silver cup filled with a steaming black liquid. When the Queen of Sheba extended her hand to Salomon, he smelled a strong aroma of coffee. The Queen of Sheba's meaning was clear: she wanted Salomon to drink the coffee, or she would refuse to communicate.

"This is definitely revenge," Salomon muttered to himself. "But I'm really not King Solomon."

According to legend, King Solomon fell in love at first sight with the Queen of Sheba. However, the queen valued her chastity above all else, and only after Solomon swore he would not touch her did she agree to live in his palace. On the night before she was to leave Jerusalem, King Solomon hosted a grand banquet to bid her farewell. He made a pact with the Queen: if she did not take anything from his palace before her departure, he would allow her to return home.

King Solomon, however, devised a clever plan. He instructed his cooks to prepare an exceptionally delicious meal, but added a generous amount of salt. After the feast, the Queen of Sheba, overcome with thirst in the middle of the night, secretly slipped into Solomon's room and drank from a bottle of water. King Solomon, who had been waiting nearby, said, "Now you have broken your promise and used something from my palace, so you must accept my advances." The next day, at their parting, King Solomon presented the Queen of Sheba with a ring, saying, "I foresee that you will give birth to a son because of last night's events. Let him come to me with this ring in the future."

As expected, after the Queen of Sheba returned to Ethiopia, she gave birth to Menacle, the son of King Solomon. When Menacle grew up, he went to Jerusalem to visit his father and was crowned the first emperor of Ethiopia.

Now that the Queen of Sheba had placed coffee before Salomon, he felt it was a form of revenge from a thousand years ago—if this Queen of Sheba was indeed the one from the south, then offering coffee was to be expected. The sorcerer took the coffee cup, blew on it to cool it slightly, and slowly drank it.

"Hmm, salty. It seems the Queen of Sheba used salt instead of sugar. Of course, it could also be intentional, a form of revenge." Only after finishing this incredibly unpleasant coffee did the Queen of Sheba snap her fingers in satisfaction, and an enormous halo appeared above their heads. This was the halo behind Jubilee, proof of His rank, and the reward Bayonetta and Joan of Arc received for their battle with Jubilee. The halo quickly shrank and fell into Bayonetta's hands.

Then, the Queen of Sheba gently poked Salomon with her fingernail, and a golden chest appeared before the sorcerer.

This acacia wood cabinet is covered in pure gold, with gold trim around the edges and four gold rings at the corners. Two gold-covered rods pass through these rings. The cabinet is 68 centimeters high, 68 centimeters wide, and 113 centimeters long. On the top of the cabinet are two cherubim made of pure gold, with their wings spread and their faces turned towards each other.

This is the Ark of the Covenant. There are many stories about it, but the legends generally describe three things inside. First, there are two tablets of the covenant, inscribed with the Ten Commandments; second, there is a budding staff, which was once used by Aaron, Moses' brother; and finally, there is a golden jar containing hidden manna, representing Christ. Furthermore, according to the legend, anyone who touches the Ark will die, just like Uzzah, who tried to support it, and the Philistines who watched over it.

It is said that the Ark of the Covenant was once placed in the inner sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem, built by King Solomon, until it mysteriously disappeared in the 6th century BC. Another legend says that Solomon's son Menacle risked his life to move it to Ethiopia, the homeland of the Queen of Sheba, before the fall of Jerusalem. If this legend is true, then it is not surprising that the Ark ended up in the hands of the Queen of Sheba.

Now that the Ark of the Covenant had reappeared before Salomon, he dared not touch it—who knew what power it held? It was best to let the Sorcerer Supreme examine it first. The sorcerer flicked his fingers, and a portal appeared beneath the Ark, teleporting it to his own room. Seeing that Salomon did not immediately open the Ark, the Queen of Sheba waved her hand rather impatiently, unilaterally ending the summoning.

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"So, this is your reward? A gift from the Queen of Sheba?" The Supreme Master showed great interest in the Ark of the Covenant, while dismissing the aura of Jubilee placed to the side. He asked, "Is any of the knowledge you've gained about the Ark of the Covenant?"

"No," Salomon said. "I haven't touched this cabinet. I think it's best not to touch magical artifacts of unknown function."

“That’s wise. You are an Israelite, and touching the cabinet carelessly could have unexpected consequences,” the Venerable said. “Even if not, it’s best to keep magical items of this level in the temple.”

“But I don’t believe in God,” Salomon said. “Does that mean I can’t touch it? Is there no one in this world who can open it?”

"The power here doesn't care whether you believe it or not, and I believe it's an anti-theft measure with identification capabilities," the Venerable said. "Wait until you've mastered all the Stigmata before trying to open the Ark of the Covenant. Then you will be the Messiah, and the objects inside will reappear. I think that sprouting staff might be very useful to you."

“But I don’t want the priesthood. I think it’s unnecessary,” Salomon said. “God isn’t here. I don’t think gods of that level need human faith at all. Or is it that all these rules and regulations are set up to demonstrate God’s authority? I always feel that it’s bureaucratic.”

"I suppose you can only say that in Kamar-Taj," the Venerable said with a smile. "Our supreme ruler is the Eternal God. If you can gain the Eternal God's approval, then even if you say this at the gates of Heaven, no one will dare to harm you. Do you want to be the Sorcerer Supreme?"

"Teacher, why do you think I want the position of Sorcerer Supreme?" Salomon spread his hands and said, "Isn't it better to just slack off? Magic is a never-ending learning process, and the position of Sorcerer Supreme will only slow down my learning progress."

"There's still time to play games."

"You really do know everything, teacher."

"Since you are unwilling, then I will choose the successor who has already been chosen, the one appointed by Vishanti. I only hope that you will not clash with him," said the Sorcerer Supreme. "He lives in a world of science and may find magic somewhat difficult to accept."

"Who?" Salomon asked, feigning ignorance.

"Him." A phantom appeared in the Sorcerer Supreme's hand.

"Oh, I know him," Salomon said. "Sherlock Holmes, London's most famous detective."

Oh, I forgot to ask for your votes.

(End of this chapter)