"Tony, now's not the time for this," Steve Rogers said, stepping in to rescue Thor and Solomon from being roped into one of Stark's flashy but impractical gadget showcases. "We should be talking about the scepter, Thor. J.A.R.V.I.S., give me a world map," Rogers commanded. "And mark all the HYDRA bases we've cleared… which were technically S.H.I.E.L.D. facilities."
"Buzzkill, old man!" Stark clicked his tongue, but even he realized that now wasn't the time. He glanced at the arcanist and stroked his chin. "Magic boy, did you foresee something again? Is that why you're joining this party?"
"Why do you say that?" Solomon asked curiously.
"You're on the jet," Stark pointed out. "I mean, I figure a portal would've been faster."
Natasha Romanoff sharply turned to look at the arcanist. This mysterious man always came and went as he pleased, so if he made the effort to join them on a mission Thor brought up, it meant there was something unexpected about it. She clearly wasn't the only one thinking that—a few other pairs of eyes were locked onto Solomon, waiting for his answer.
"Uh… no. I just smelled the cheeseburger in the jet's heated storage," Solomon replied, prompting a grumble of dissatisfaction from Thor, who had been hoping for a glorious battle to vent his frustration. Solomon added, "What's so surprising? Casting magic burns energy, you know. I crossed half the planet to open a portal—you won't even let me have a good meal?"
The others were still deep in discussion with Thor, analyzing their intel and the data provided by Agent Hill to deduce the scepter's whereabouts. As Solomon couldn't get a word in, he naturally drifted out of the conversation, strolling aimlessly through the narrow interior of the modified Quinjet until he reached the rear hatch. He found a spot and sat down casually.
"See that? Your time's almost here," he said while unwrapping a burger in foil, heated by magic, and taking a big bite. His voice was muffled by food, and one eye glowed a faint scarlet. "I fully support you carrying out your own plan, my dear student."
Wanda's voice quivered with excitement. Her vision was linked to Solomon's via arcane telepathy, allowing her to see the Quinjet's interior through his eyes, and vice versa—he could observe the movements within her castle. "I'll tell Pietro the good news," she said, waving to greet Solomon. "When are you coming? Or… are you planning to join us against the Avengers?"
"You can handle these people yourself. Just remember—no black magic, not yet. This is vengeance, a live-fire field test, not a suicide mission." The arcanist swallowed his food. "See this burger? Tell Pietro I'll take you both to something even better once this is over."
"He's going to be way too excited, teacher."
"You're his sister. Manage him," Solomon said, propping up his leg and cutting the connection.
The Maximoff twins had never been bad people. They would never accept causing harm to innocents. But once they learned who their true enemies were, they needed power to atone for their past mistakes—and Solomon gave them that power.
The arcanist never wept over Tony Stark's past. Quite the opposite: he believed Stark had every reason to face judgment for it. The old Stark Industries was a military-industrial complex, and every cent he earned was soaked in blood. No one should enjoy dirty money and expect to be free of nightmares. Whatever torment he suffered was deserved.
But whether it was Stark or the Maximoffs, they were all minor pieces in Solomon's greater plan. His real focus was on testing artificial intelligence—whether it could truly serve as a tool for the future without betraying humanity. This was a fatal issue for the Mars Foundry Project.
So many works of fiction had warned of rogue AIs. Even Solomon's own two high-level AIs were restrained from reaching their full potential due to this concern.
If he could discover the truth behind AI rebellion through this incident, he could make a final decision—either go all-in on AI or reject it completely. Once that decision was made, the long-prepared Mars Foundry Project could begin in full, producing standardized weapons and gear for the Immortal City.
That was what truly mattered—far more than Ultron.
"Time to tighten the net." After ending his conversation with Wanda, Solomon sent a message to Stephanie. The trap for Baron Strucker was ready, and now was the time to spring it. Stephanie had taken in any and all intelligence, tech, and resources with open arms—this was the last opportunity to profit from Strucker before cutting ties. Wait too long, and the conservative HYDRA remnants would be found by the Avengers.
Stephanie replied.
"Get the medals ready for our intel officers. They deceived Baron Strucker and secured great assets and intel for the Immortal City," Solomon said. "Prepare the Tier-3 Skyhawk Medals to reward their service."
"But… Your Majesty, they were HYDRA." Stephanie hesitated before sending the message. She knew how awkward it sounded. The Immortal City's intel network was largely built from unorthodox means. Apart from the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Victoria Hand brought in, most operatives were recruited civilians or defectors from HYDRA.
The spies who had helped the Immortal City harvest tech and intel from Baron Strucker had originally been his men. The castle was home to only a few true HYDRA elites and some combat troops. Many of the base-level staff were just local recruits. Useless in combat, perhaps, but experts at eating free meals. HYDRA defectors had recruited these youths into the castle's staff—people who could go anywhere inside without raising suspicion. Solomon had even seen some of them in person.
"And we're not the only buyers of that intel. I suspect Maria Hill might be one of them," Stephanie added. Solomon was speechless. No wonder Baron Strucker had raised such a worthless son—his management skills were disastrous. Who knew how many HYDRA agents inside that castle had already been flipped? And Strucker hadn't noticed? Or perhaps…
"Maybe he did notice," Solomon thought. "Maybe this was his offer of allegiance to some new faction."
"What are you looking at?" Natasha's voice came softly from nearby. She had approached without a sound, trying to sneak a peek at his phone screen from the corner of her eye—but Solomon swiftly tucked the device away, leaving Agent Romanoff empty-handed.
"What? Is dinner ready?" he asked. Her leg brushed against his gently in playful annoyance.
"If you don't join the discussion soon, Rogers is going to throw you off the jet," she said.
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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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