Victor von Doom returned, and the air around him reeked of anger. Blood-red lightning crackled. Salomon saw through his emotions at a glance, and Victor von Doom had no intention of concealing them. The fierce-looking goose that had originally served as a mascot saw him from afar and fled without looking back. He said nothing, instead using magic to stuff the entire course of his negotiations with the Latverian Royalty into Salomon's mind. It took no more than two seconds. To everyone else, Victor von Doom merely exchanged a glance with Salomon, and then the air grew heavy.
"As expected." Salomon's expression was as calm as his emotions. The Latverian Royalty's reaction had been entirely predictable. After the City of Immortals imposed a communications blockade, their thoughts had become as shallow as a dish of water—one glance was enough to see the bottom.
Victor von Doom had once attempted to influence the Latverian Royalty's decisions through magic late at night. To his surprise, he discovered that there was a spellcaster by the Royalty's side. The stench emanating from that spellcaster's soul had been blocked by layers upon layers of brick and soil beneath the castle, preventing Victor von Doom from detecting him immediately—after discovering this, Victor von Doom became even more wary of the Latverian Royalty. He feared that they intended to use the lives of these civilians in some evil ritual to turn the tide of defeat. That was precisely why Salomon had been able to override all opposition within Kamar-Taj and join this war, ostensibly as its overseer but in truth as another leader of the regular Latverian army.
As for the wizard Victor von Doom was concerned about, Salomon did not think much of him.
The consciousness he extended late at night wandered through the minds of