Chapter 315: The Foundation of Norse Mythology

Letter writing is one of the best forms of communication—or at least, that's what Solomon believed. When exchanging letters, people naturally adopt a more serious tone, far removed from the casual and reckless conversations often found on the internet. After all, the recipient knows the sender's address, and one wrong word might just prompt an unexpected "in-person discussion."

Beating up internet trolls had always been one of Solomon's secret fantasies, and now, with the help of his AI, it was entirely possible. Yet, Solomon refrained from wasting his time on such trivial pursuits. He had far more pressing matters to attend to—like preparing for an upcoming exam. For this exam, he had sacrificed significant time that could have been spent mastering spells, devoting it instead to reviewing science coursework. His adoptive mother, in her earnest yet somewhat overbearing way, had set strict study hours for him and even enlisted the help of the witches to supervise his study sessions.

Still, driven by a rebellious streak typical of teenagers, Solomon found ways to sneak in his own interests during study breaks. He had mastered the art of hiding things beneath his textbooks, a skill so refined that only Darcy, who shared the same mentor, ever managed to catch on. Since Thor had stopped visiting Earth, Jane Foster had grown increasingly irritable, and she would often snap at Solomon when correcting his wrong answers during their weekend lessons. Amidst her frustration, Solomon's little creations became a rare source of amusement for both him and Darcy.

Like many boys, Solomon had three eternal loves: dragons, robots, and beautiful girls. His magical inventions often combined aesthetics with practicality. For instance, he created miniature mechanical spiders capable of stitching wounds and picking locks, a tiny fire-breathing dragon for roasting marshmallows and popcorn, and a wool-felt cat that could only meow but served no other purpose. Darcy adored these creations.

But the most significant project Solomon worked on was a spell component he prepared for his journey to Asgard. It was a small hammer made of clay, intricately designed to resemble Thor's iconic Mjölnir. Within the hollow clay hammer, Solomon inscribed a series of minute, almost illegible runes—prayers in Old Norse, meticulously crafted using the Runic alphabet.

The idea had been sparked by something Hecate mentioned about the power of faith.

Since Asgard was a vessel for faith, Thor's hammer, as a symbol of the crown prince and future king, was undoubtedly a focal point of Asgard's collective belief. With this in mind, Solomon decided to use the "Resounding Smite" spell (a 3rd-level spell in his repertoire) and design its component in the shape of Mjölnir. By applying idol theory, he aimed to imbue the spell with powers it wouldn't ordinarily possess. Like Thor's hammer, the spell involved throwing the hammer outward. Through repeated experimentation, tweaking the prayers and incantations, Solomon successfully enhanced the spell's effects, adding thunderous lightning to its impact.

In simple terms, Solomon had managed to harness Asgard's faith to power his spell. And since the vessel was a humble clay hammer, no one—neither the mortals nor the gods—had to pay any price for its use.

The Ancient One was thoroughly impressed with her disciple's ingenuity. After all, power didn't solely come from extraplanar magical entities. Asgard, right on Earth's doorstep, was a viable source of power too. If Solomon brought this little clay hammer to Asgard and allowed it to absorb the ambient faith over time, the spell's potency might even rival the real Mjölnir's, so long as Solomon didn't overuse it. Even Odin himself wouldn't notice anything amiss, likely attributing the spell to an advanced understanding of the Thurisaz rune (the rune of the hammer).

This concept wasn't unique—Earth had many similar spells. However, most were derived from Christian traditions, such as St. George's Dragon Slayer, Divine Hymns, The Spear of Longinus, and The Shroud of Turin. Over time, due to various historical and cultural shifts, these spells had lost much of their effectiveness, becoming relics of a bygone era.

With Thor's arrival on Earth, Solomon chose to build his spells around Norse mythology, subtly siphoning faith meant for the Aesir gods to power his own magic. While the Ancient One's strategic social media campaign labeling Asgardians as "advanced aliens" had sown doubt, there were still some on Earth who worshiped the Aesir. Solomon had no qualms about appropriating that faith for his own use.

To reward Solomon's ingenuity, the Ancient One even covered for him. When Athena inquired about her adoptive son's whereabouts, the Ancient One simply claimed Solomon was attending extracurricular classes, tactfully omitting that he had actually gone to a campus idol concert.

Of course, Athena eventually uncovered the truth—she knew her son far too well. When Solomon cheerfully opened a portal back to his apartment, still holding a glowing LED fan stick, he was met with the sight of Athena and Bayonetta lounging on the sofa, waiting for him to walk into their trap. Before he could even drop the fan stick, Athena dragged him off to train with a spear.

Bayonetta, meanwhile, had her own plans for him after training—plans involving what she playfully called "sweet punishment."

"Boss!" Maya Hansen stormed into Solomon's study, her hair in disarray and her eyes bleary with exhaustion. In the office Solomon maintained in the Immortal City, Maya was one of the few people permitted to enter unannounced, without fear of magical retaliation. She also had unrestricted access to the bookshelves, a privilege that reflected Solomon's trust in her.

"Preparations are complete, Boss!" she announced, rubbing her eyes. The sharp odor of formaldehyde clung to her like a cloud, mingling with her visible frustration. Earlier, she had been working on cataloging the organs of dark magical creatures, preserving them as specimens for study. This was a crucial task for understanding the ecology of such beings. To prevent decay, she had been working against the clock, leaving her visibly irritable.

"Are you still playing with mud?" she pointed accusingly at the neatly arranged row of clay hammers on his desk. "The exam is right around the corner! Stop wasting time—you're about to become a university student!"

"This is magical innovation, Ms. Hansen. Did you even read the mysticism books I gave you?" Solomon retorted, rolling his eyes. "You seemed pretty happy using that little gadget I made for you. Why is it suddenly a waste of time now?"

Solomon was referring to the group of long-legged mechanical spiders he had crafted. These were programmed to assist Maya in dissecting and suturing her specimens, reducing the risk of accidental infections. Yet, the convenience they provided hadn't improved her mood—

"I've got a ton of work to do!" Hansen snapped. "I'm busy! I don't have time to remind you about your exams! You're not paying me to babysit you through them!"

"When are you hiring more researchers?"

"Why not put out a job ad and recruit some fresh graduates as assistants? I'm sick of handling everything myself—mixing reagents, disposing of biological waste—all of it! And what about your robots? Can't they lend a hand? Or maybe you could have those druids help me instead of sitting around chanting nonsense and failing at gardening!"

"When are you bringing in more dark magical creatures for me to study? I'm running low on experimental materials! The mutagenic alchemy potion trials are still inconclusive—I need more test subjects! And by the way, about publishing papers, I know an editor—I could use a pseudonym to publish my findings in biology…"

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