Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

"As you already know, I believe you've noticed that Stark..." Nick Fury's words were ruthlessly interrupted by Solomon.

"Shut up, lithium dioxide," Solomon said. "Now, tell me the location of the vampire nest. I want to gather my fellow disciples and storm in like we're raiding Uniqlo for T-shirts before Michael's term ends and Lent arrives, and slaughter those sewer rats. Well, maybe not that crazy."

"Wait, why do you need lithium peroxide?" Nick Fury asked. "You know lithium dioxide is hard to preserve at room temperature, and the scientific community is still tackling that problem. Or are you asking Stark to make lithium dioxide for you before you help him? Are you working on some magical lithium-air battery? That's an interesting project, I could help... but not now."

"Isn't it true that lithium dioxide can... wait..." Solomon suddenly realized something. Lithium dioxide can only be synthesized at 15 Kelvin and must be done in a matrix isolation laboratory. Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. somehow traveled through time and dug up the U.S. Department of Energy's lithium-air battery, and managed to stabilize superoxide and lithium ions at room temperature without decomposition, alkaline metal oxides reacting with water in the blood would still kill Stark.

"What exactly do you want?" Nick Fury glanced at his phone; the call was still connected. "Hello? Are you listening?"

"Tell me, does S.H.I.E.L.D. have something to temporarily alleviate palladium poisoning?" Solomon's voice was deadly serious. Damn it! Why is this world so focused on science? Why haven't those people splashed with chemical waste died but instead gained superpowers?

"We don't," Nick Fury replied, clearly displeased. "If S.H.I.E.L.D. had that technology, Stark would too! And he wouldn't be self-destructing like this!"

"That makes no sense!" Solomon's voice unconsciously rose, followed by a sigh. The complexities of this parallel world were giving him a headache. He couldn't tell if S.H.I.E.L.D. was hiding something or if this universe was changing to adapt to his presence. "So why... fine. I can't make an antidote for palladium poisoning right now. I can only make something to help his body recover a little, but I don't know if it'll work. I also don't know exactly what palladium poisoning looks like."

Solomon was referring to the Restoration Potion and the Toxin Neutralizer Potion. Both were tier-four potions, beyond his current skill level. He could only brew tier-two potions, which made sense since he still had school and not every night was available for chemistry lab work—that was a prime spot for dates, after all.

"That's enough, Solomon," Nick Fury said. "I can provide any materials you need."

"I'll need diamonds worth two pounds of gold, and they need to be ground into powder. I know that's not hard for you; diamond prices are just inflated anyway." Solomon sneakily asked for a bit of extra casting material. Lesser Restoration Potions didn't require diamond dust, only full Restoration Potions did, but it didn't matter. Everyone skimps on spell components somehow. "I'll give you three potions. Have him take them in the proper order."

Technically, alchemist potions weren't supposed to be used by anyone other than the alchemist themselves. But Solomon was well-versed in the technique of infusing his potions with his own magic, a skill every mystic at Kamar-Taj learned, so he agreed to Fury's request.

"Which three?" 

"The first is a panacea that will boost Stark's resistance to the poison a little. The second is a potion that temporarily halts the poison's effects, lasting a few hours. The third is a restoration potion, which will return his body to its state before the poisoning, giving him some time." Solomon paused after explaining—well, now he knew why Stark's green smoothie tasted awful. Dumping that many alchemical potions in there would make anything undrinkable. Damn multiverse! Damn alternate realities!

"Will you be coming by?" Nick Fury asked. "I'm still in the office, and the materials you requested will be ready in an hour."

"Leave the diamond dust there. I'll come get it myself." Diamond dust was worth the trip, though Solomon wasn't in too much of a rush since it was also available at Vandar Zaar's shop. His alchemical potions could cover the bill there.

He just didn't want to make another trip to the dimensional relay point—it wasn't exactly an easy jaunt.

"How long until this is resolved?" Fury asked. "I'm worried Stark won't hold out until we find a solution."

"I've got exams!" Solomon blurted. "Did you forget I'm still a high school student? And I've got a report to write, too! I'm a damn honor student! And the report is for that chapel where I pretend to be deaf! Do you know how close I am to losing my mind? Those idiots sing hymns every Saturday, praising God!"

"I understand, but I need you to hurry. Stark's life is hanging by a thread!" Fury pulled open a drawer, revealing Stark's medical reports. Every blood test Stark had ever taken was there. But what baffled him was how Stark was still alive—any normal person's skin would have shown damage by now, and kidney problems should have appeared too.

Still, it didn't stop Fury from proceeding with the plan to save Tony Stark.

"Fine, since you're in such a hurry, I'll skip distilling the tap water." Solomon said, "But it'll have to wait until my exams are done. After that, I'll get you all the potions."

"Hurry."

"It's not up to me, it's up to Eton College."

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"Look, even if you've discussed your A-Level course selection with your tutors, I still need to sign off on it! Guess what? I'm your guardian too, just like that mystic from Kamar-Taj, Kaecilius—but I don't trust him to take your education seriously. Only I can do that, Solomon," Athena said, pen in hand, looking down at him proudly.

As Michaelmas term neared its end, Athena came to Eton College to discuss Solomon's academic performance with the headmaster. Everything was fine—his grades were good, he didn't hang out with troublesome classmates, and he hadn't been punished by having to copy Latin hexameter poems. But his course selection was a problem.

"Do you plan to study Classical Literature at Oxford? Or are you thinking of going into theology? Or maybe you want to enter politics and attend Christ Church College?" Athena asked. "Your science scores are way better than your humanities scores. Look at the languages the Sorcerer Supreme has you learning—what practical use are they? Ancient Greek and Latin are practically your everyday languages, but every time I see you reading Greek tragedies, I yawn. When did you get interested in classical literature?"

"I just wanted to take it easy, Athena," Solomon said. "Besides, Christ Church College isn't bad; it's basically Hogwarts Castle. What's so strange about a wizard living there? I even want to turn Oxford's library into the one from the movies!"

"Be serious, Solomon!" Athena frowned. "Call me Minerva here."

"Alright, Minerva," Solomon said. "I don't really need to work in the future. I've got my own research projects, and studying engineering would just take time away from them. Do you really think I'll become a researcher? You know that's impossible—I'm dedicated to magic for life, and I don't want to leave it."

"But science and magic aren't incompatible," Athena said. "You could combine them."

"What's that supposed to mean? Casting spells with precision through artificial intelligence?" Solomon retorted. "The 'Book of Raziel' has already given me enough scientific knowledge. I just need to learn what's in there."

"But you know what the 'Book of Raziel' is, right? You should know that no one has ever read the entire thing, correct?" Athena raised her voice again. "You've been given divine wisdom, but you still need to study the truths of the world! Math, physics, and chemistry are essential. They remind you what kind of world you're living in."

"I don't think that's a problem, Minerva," Solomon said. "The higher math I'm studying now is enough for me. If I need more, I'll just audit another class."

"It's not that simple," Athena said, clearly dissatisfied. "I'll discuss your course selection with the Sorcerer Supreme. Before Lent begins, we'll make a decision. The choice won't be yours or mine—it'll be up to the Sorcerer Supreme."

"I've always followed the Sorcerer Supreme's orders," Solomon said, spreading his hands. "Why else would I be here? I suspect the Sorcerer Supreme sent me here just to raid my fridge. How else can you explain why my snacks keep disappearing?"

"Full-time school can't hold you back—you sneak out to see that witch every afternoon! You can't hide it from me, kid. I can smell the perfume, and don't think I didn't notice that you haven't visited those kids for days!" Athena poked Solomon's forehead forcefully. Teenage boys shot up in height during puberty, and Solomon had grown several inches in just a few months. With the added boost from positive energy, he was nearly as tall as Athena now, forcing him to buy a few new Eton tailcoats.

"Alright, alright!" The mystic closed his eyes, raising his hands in surrender. "I promise

 I'll visit the orphanage tonight."

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"See? I came right after my exams. I've already notified Kamar-Taj, and the vampire nest in Chicago has been completely cleared out," Solomon said as he sat across from Nick Fury at his desk. Agent Maria Hill, busy organizing documents beside the desk, paid him no attention; she didn't even realize Fury was sitting in the chair next to her.

"Did you bring the goods?"

"You sound just like the street thugs I ran into on the corner when I was a kid." Fury pushed a locked briefcase across the desk. "I can't imagine what you need these gemstone powders for."

"Diamonds are one of the materials for casting positive energy spells." Solomon opened the case to check the materials, then pulled out ten bottles of potion from his satchel. These potions came in three different colors. "Four bottles of panacea, but they last the shortest. Four bottles of the poison suppressant, and two bottles of the restoration potion. This time there's a discount because it involves one of my projects. Next time, there won't be. Don't think for a second I'll tell you what my project is—I still haven't worked out all the details."

"Aren't you worried S.H.I.E.L.D. will analyze your potions?" Fury asked nonchalantly, testing to see if Solomon would object to the release of magical items. "I remember you invented a portable chemical analyzer. We couldn't fully decode its technology. Was that also a magical device? I found it incredibly useful, and it's highly accurate."

"No, that's a technological device," Solomon replied. "Just not Earth technology. I also don't think S.H.I.E.L.D. can analyze my alchemical potions, even using my chemical analyzer. You lack the knowledge of alchemy—and besides, the analyzer I gave you is a stripped-down version."

"You mean to say, you possess alien technology..." Fury's eye lit up.

"Mm-hmm, but I don't think that's the point. Focus on the deal. Once you've verified everything, our transaction is done. At least our deal won't end in a shootout like it would with street thugs." Solomon said, "If these potions don't work, I have something else. It's a piece of technology, a substance that doesn't exist on Earth."

Fury smirked, "So, you've joined the science club?"

"No, both magic and science are truths. I'm still on the path of magic."

Solomon said this because he had agreed to Athena's suggestion—his A-level course selection was still engineering. "Those are just side effects of my quest for truth."

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