Late at night, London was eerily quiet and desolate. Even during the day, few people passed through this area, let alone at night. Not even gangsters wanted to live in such an abandoned place. Apart from the occasional strange-looking insects chirping under the moonlight, there was no sound at all. Suddenly, a loud coughing noise echoed in the empty surroundings, followed by a flash of orange-red light, the clash of metal, and a string of curses.
Golden-red light illuminated the ground nearby. Perched on a rusty iron railing, Phoenix looked down at its master from above.
Solomon struggled to get up from the concrete ground, angrily cursing Mephisto under his breath. However, because his head was still inside his helmet, the muffled sound made it impossible for anyone to clearly understand what he was saying. Nick Fury, who had also stumbled out of the portal, was not the least bit upset. In fact, he seemed to find Solomon's predicament amusing.
"Honestly, I'm a little disappointed," the S.H.I.E.L.D. director remarked as he climbed to his feet and pulled out his incessantly buzzing phone to check missed messages. Before addressing business matters, he couldn't resist sharing his opinion about their recent trip to hell. "I thought hell would be absolutely dreadful," he said. "But to my surprise, the domains of those demon lords weren't as bad as I imagined."
The mage's helmet slowly retracted into his chest armor, revealing his sweat-soaked face. He glared at Nick Fury but said nothing as he picked up the sacred lance that had fallen to the side. Nick wisely kept his mouth shut, lest Solomon jab him with the lance.
When the team from Kamar-Taj finally arrived, Mephisto had already been waiting in his domain for the mages. Upon seeing Solomon wielding the sacred lance, Mephisto immediately agreed to sign a treaty with the Sorcerer Supreme. The old steward wasted no time producing a pre-prepared magical contract for Mephisto to sign—a plan Solomon had been unaware of from start to finish. This entire journey seemed to have been nothing more than a show of force, akin to a display of nuclear weapons.
As for why Solomon was sent on a solo mission, the old steward explained that having him act alone would both distract other demon lords and ensure the safety of the team while simultaneously intimidating the other lords—like an aircraft carrier cruising or a fighter jet armed with nuclear warheads. A weapon doesn't need to be used to be threatening; an unused nuclear weapon is often the most intimidating of all. However, Solomon suspected Mephisto had anticipated this scenario all along. The demon lord had likely delayed signing the contract just to see the frustrated expressions of the mages who had gone through great effort to reach hell, only to find their journey was unnecessary.
In fact, Solomon was the only one who hadn't been informed of the plan. The other mages had already been briefed on their respective tasks, so Mephisto only got to enjoy Solomon's reaction—which was enough to make the old devil's day.
Before arriving, Solomon had considered what he would do if Mephisto put up a desperate fight. But to his surprise, Mephisto signed the contract without hesitation, as if Kamar-Taj's incursion was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Mephisto seemed confident that signing the treaty was worthwhile because he traded temporary peace for a critical piece of information—information so important that the Sorcerer Supreme's determined stance was likely a gambit to acquire it.
Damn demon! Damn twisted sense of humor! Solomon didn't blame the Sorcerer Supreme, though. It was entirely possible that the Sorcerer Supreme hadn't informed him of the plan because of some hidden strategic maneuvering. There was no need for Solomon to meddle. Accepting this reality, he didn't act like a brash young man flaunting his toys at every opportunity. He was simply a bit unhappy about the situation.
The old steward instructed Solomon to leave with Nick Fury first. Only after Solomon had safely evacuated would the other mages leave hell. From their perspective, ensuring the safety of Solomon, as the heir, was the top priority. They didn't open a portal in front of Mephisto; instead, they activated it outside his domain to avoid any interference with the spell.
Perhaps the mage who opened the portal was in a rush to send Solomon off. The portal opened directly under Solomon's feet, and the caster seemed to have subpar skills in interdimensional portal creation. As a result, the destination was slightly off. Fortunately, no one was injured—even if Solomon hadn't been wearing armor.
At worst, he'd end up with a scratched nose.
"Why are we in London?" Nick Fury asked, glancing at the GPS on his phone. "I thought you'd take us to New York. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come with you."
Solomon's expression remained gloomy, clearly annoyed with Nick Fury. "Agent Romanoff's strong personality has caused friction in my household," Solomon said, glaring at Fury. "Do you have any idea how terrifying that is?"
"I heard you bought Agent Romanoff a pair of red-bottomed high heels?"
"You even know about that?"
"I know everything, Solomon. Well, at least everything on Earth," the S.H.I.E.L.D. director replied, wiping sweat from his bald head. Although it wasn't summer yet, the chilly night wind made it easy to catch a cold. "This is your own mess," he said. "I'm not helping you. Honestly, I have no experience handling this kind of situation, so I can't offer any advice."
"But I can." The mage snorted. "I know a jewelry designer from a Russian theater. I commissioned a pair of earrings from them before. Stark introduced me to that designer."
"How much did you spend?"
"9,000 pounds. But now it seems one pair of earrings isn't enough. I'll have to pick out another piece of jewelry."
"Where do you get so much money? Don't tell me you sold the artifacts I gave you!" This was the first time Nick Fury realized that Kamar-Taj had worldly resources. He had always assumed the reclusive order lived in poverty.
"That's my living allowance," Solomon shrugged. "I just don't usually spend much. I rarely buy luxury goods. I even lick the lids of yogurt containers. And fiat currency tied to oil means nothing to me. Other than buying meaningless items or daily necessities, it's useless—diamonds, for example, are just consumables. Gold is what truly holds value, as do magical artifacts. But that doesn't stop me from using those meaningless pieces of paper to secure a place at the top of the secular food chain. After all, in your game, those pieces of paper represent status. I'm just playing by your rules."
Phoenix squawked in agreement, always believing that its master should stand at the pinnacle of humanity.
"You're spending too much time around Stark. I should have Captain Rogers teach you proper financial values," Nick Fury remarked. "Now send me back to Washington. S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken over the situation with the monastery and the Ghost Rider in Europe. Also, Stark is in serious trouble. He's been trying to contact you."
"That's not a magical issue. Stark can handle it himself. It has nothing to do with me." Solomon removed his gauntlet and put on a Sling Ring. "I need to focus on resolving my household issues. Besides, I've probably fallen way behind in my studies. My physics tutor is completely unreasonable when he's angry."
"Yes, you're very behind. You missed your birthday and fell two months behind on your coursework," Fury said with a smirk. "You've only got three or four months left to review for your A-level exams. Good luck, kid. Everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. has a higher degree than you."
"Except you, you street thug."
Wrote this while goofing off.
The next chapter will be written during dinner and posted after work.
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