Nick Fury had no need to worry that Solomon would reveal himself as a messiah and use religious forces to gain support from the Jewish financial dynasties. Many of the missions executed by Solomon's intelligence department had not been flawless. After finding a few clues, the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director had reasonably deduced Solomon's true objective, which forced Fury to grumble about being played while also using his hidden emergency methods to help cover the City of Immortality's tracks—scrubbing away any trace of intelligence leakage. "He threatened me—said if I didn't yield, he'd publicly declare himself the messiah and go to Jerusalem to perform miracles using magic!" Fury slapped the table in anger. He smacked his palm so hard it turned red, but even that couldn't release his frustration. "I actually fell for such a clumsy tactic! What did that little bastard say? Did you get a reply from him?"
"Aren't you worried he might go back on his word?"
"Solomon may be ruthless, but I trust his word. Who else can I trust? I trust Solomon because he's the same kind of person I am—only far more cunning. He doesn't stand out in the open. He's already infiltrated those circles. Countless foundations and international organizations have his footprints. He's joined secret societies, and even I can't figure out how he got in with those elite families, or how his influence has grown so quickly." Fury sighed. "I never underestimated Solomon's resolve and cruelty. Those people would never expect someone to betray their own class and wealth. But that's beside the point. Right now, I need to focus on the present. I may only have one eye left, but I see clearer than ever. Solomon won't kill them—if he meant to, they'd already be dead. What I want to know is when he plans to let them go."
"Soon." Agent Natasha Romanoff, dressed in a sleek black business suit, looked composed and sharp.
She sat behind her desk, legs propped up, expression relaxed, as though her raspy voice didn't cause her any discomfort. "They're currently in Eastern Europe, taking out the Albanian human trafficking network. Following that trail, they'll be in France by tomorrow. A few days after that, the Retribution airborne carrier will arrive in Washington," she said cheerfully. "Maybe even earlier, since I handed that intel directly to him."
"I thought spies were supposed to gather intelligence, not give it away. Your actions have made it impossible to predict the Retribution's next move. I've also lost track of the other two airborne carriers—satellites can't even pick up their signal. It's made intelligence work extremely difficult." Fury's one eye bore into Romanoff, his tone dry as he struggled to suppress his rage. "I thought you were the kind of agent who didn't let personal feelings interfere with your missions."
"Indeed I don't. But I'm no longer a spy, remember?" Romanoff raised her eyebrows. "Only spies use their bodies to extract information. What I have with Solomon is mutual benefit. The pleasure is mutual—at least he's admitted that."
She recalled the pleasure Solomon had brought her.
Solomon looked into the bathroom through the frosted glass. The white light outlined a blurred, flesh-colored silhouette and the gentle sound of running water. "Steve Rogers is thinking. I've presented him with a vast, complex question. That seed was planted the first time I met him. I never thought I'd get such a perfect opportunity to dig it back up—and leave such a deep impression."
"Rogers isn't adapted to the modern world. He'll never be able to answer a question like that!" Natasha Romanoff flung open the frosted glass door. With her chin lifted, she stepped out in a cloud of warm, misty white steam. Her damp orange hair was wrapped in a white towel; otherwise, she wore nothing at all. She leaned over the vanity mirror, water droplets sliding down her back, tracing a glistening path over her hips and finally dripping from between her thighs. Solomon licked his dry lips and averted his gaze from the water's trail.
His reaction made Romanoff laugh.
"Can't face our extramarital relationship, little boy?"
"Let's stick to the topic, Natasha."
"Fine, back to Steve. As far as I know, he received what's called 'happy education'—that's all poor American kids could access back then. Not everyone gets to study the way you did. It was too expensive. Your uniform alone costs nearly a thousand dollars. Even America's middle class couldn't afford your tuition and living expenses without student loans. Higher education is saturated with wealth and power. Tony Stark's undergrad tuition is far higher than Oxford's—and that's not even counting the damages from his mischief…"
"Put on some clothes. If you catch a cold, I'll have to cast another spell." Solomon kept his head down, focused on his phone, as though Natasha Romanoff's body didn't interest him at all.
"You didn't seem so disinterested earlier." Romanoff raised her eyebrow, staring at the arcane sorcerer in the mirror. "I remember you once said you liked women with abs. Don't you know liars' noses grow longer?"
"I was underage when I said that. It was a kind lie, meant to keep you from committing a crime." Solomon finally looked up. He gestured in front of his face, then said in Russian, "With years of artistic training, I can assure you, Natalia Romanova, your figure would be perfect even on a canvas. My personal preferences don't define my aesthetic judgment. I'll paint you a picture—one where you're not wearing anything."
"When did you learn Russian?"
"Around age ten. Siberia's land holds many magical secrets—I had to learn to understand them."
"Damn it, I've never heard of anything like that," the agent muttered. She tried to deflect with another topic. "At least you've learned Russian manners. You even give a heads-up before attempting natural insemination—though I can't get pregnant. I never entirely opposed cloning, but your behavior shows that you not only respect tradition—you cling to it. I could probably infer a lot from that. Want me to take a guess?"
"No need. I'll tell you." The arcane sorcerer narrowed his eyes. "I was created. Therefore, ordinary human female genes don't combine well with mine. Even if I repaired your womb, you still couldn't conceive. But I think it's polite to notify you ahead of time. If you don't like it, I won't do it."
"I don't mind, good boy. Just stop reading those dumb jokes on 4chan and get rid of the hickeys and fingerprints on my neck. I'm an agent—I don't want anyone detecting my behavioral patterns." Romanoff straightened up from the mirror. She looked somewhat angry, using that intensity to mask the shock from the bombshell Solomon had just dropped. "If I knew you were this rough, I wouldn't have let you do it! Is this how you act with your witch girlfriends? Just fix this—then we'll talk about Tony Stark!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And Stark?" Nick Fury's voice snapped her back to reality, though the fire burning inside her urged her to see the arcane sorcerer again.
"He'll return together with Steve Rogers," Romanoff said, keeping her composure. "To avoid complications, the arcane sorcerer will drop everyone off on the top floor of Stark Tower. They weren't mistreated—that was Solomon's assurance to me. He said no unnecessary casualties occurred."
"Didn't you notice his odd phrasing? As far as I know, every sorcerer is a linguist. What do you think his subtext was?"
"I refuse to speculate, sir. I don't believe their lives were ever in danger," Romanoff replied. "Solomon's goal is to contain the spread of magical corruption. I've never seen him take lives for sport—that would be putting the cart before the horse."
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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