A Minor Operation (Second Update)

Conflict was bound to erupt sooner or later. Only by staying out of it could he intervene at the right moment and steer events toward the outcome he wanted. Even if he had no interest in the conflict, Salomon had no desire to involve himself in that cesspit of a dispute. Besides, he had matters of his own to attend to.

The date indicated by the prophecy concerning the resurrection of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent God, was drawing near, with a margin of error no greater than ten years.

The Aztec gods were likewise beings born from the blood of Ancient Gods. Faced with a creature once called a god and fond of Blood Sacrifice, everyone at Kamar-Taj remained on high alert. Only The Venerable One and Salomon, who could also see the future, were not particularly tense. Salomon had already grasped the thread of Quetzalcoatl's rebirth—Laura Croft. He needed time to prepare for the coming dragon slaying, and taking this opportunity to leave New York was not a difficult decision.

Salomon agreed to keep a low profile and promised Agent Hill that he would live quietly for a while and never engage in any "illegal" activities—by "illegal," he meant actions that violated mundane laws, such as crossing national borders without permission or killing enemies without authorization. Although Agent Hill did not entirely believe him, no one could restrain the Arcanist, so she could only provisionally accept Salomon's word. She told him that his purchase of the manor could not be hidden from the Avengers' intelligence network. Moving to Oxfordshire might mean leaving behind the great vortex that was New York, but that did not mean no one could keep an eye on him.

That was what she said, and then Salomon ordered his Assault Transport to destroy a former