In the high-rise elevator of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson, dressed in a suit, stood holding a document, frowning as if contemplating a difficult problem.
Suddenly, Ding dong! The elevator bell rang. Coulson raised his head slightly, realizing it wasn't his destination. Then, he saw the elevator door open and a familiar figure enter—Black Widow Natasha, wearing a tight combat suit.
"Morning, Natasha."
"Morning, Coulson."
They greeted each other. Natasha looked at the lit floor button in the elevator and said with a smile, "Coulson, you're also looking for the director?"
"Yes," Coulson nodded. "You too?"
Natasha nodded in affirmation. Coulson nodded silently, and then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, he asked expectantly, "Natasha, how is the captain's recovery?"
Natasha felt Coulson's eager tone and smiled, "Coulson, don't worry, the captain is fine and recovering well. Maybe you'll get to meet him later."
Coulson's eyes lit up with expectation, and he nodded. If he had the chance, he would definitely try to get the captain's autograph. It was the dream of every Captain America fan.
Ding dong! The elevator beeped again, and Coulson and Natasha glanced at the floor, then exited one after the other. Both of them had the same destination—the director's office.
Bang bang bang! Coulson knocked on the office door, and soon heard a voice from inside, "Come in!"
Coulson opened the door and entered, followed closely by Natasha. They walked to the desk where Director Nick Fury, in a black trench coat, was seated. Coulson handed over the document he was holding and said in a deep voice, "Director, the wizard gold project has made progress. With Tony's participation, a wizard gold has been successfully synthesized. After inspection, from the material point of view, there is no problem—it's almost exactly the same."
"But," Coulson hesitated, "Tony mentioned that there might still be a problem with the wizard gold. According to his research, there is an unknown radiation on the wizard's gold. It has extremely special properties and cannot be synthesized. We don't know if it will have any impact."
Nick Fury said in a deep voice, "I remember that last time Tony went to see the wizard professor and successfully brought back some magic metal, which seems to be very valuable. This time, let him go again and see if he can get more information from the wizard professor."
Coulson shook his head helplessly, "Director, I explained this to Tony. This unknown radiation seems to be related to wizards. But Tony refused. He said he's been researching some weapons recently and won't meet the wizard until he finishes."
Coulson teased, "I wonder if it was due to the last large-scale evacuation at Vientiane Book Cafe. With Tony's character, if there's no solution, he won't meet the wizard easily."
Nick Fury raised his eyebrows. He knew Tony's arrogant character—after suffering a loss, he must take revenge. If Tony was researching weapons to meet the wizard professor again, it meant he was preparing for another encounter.
Then, he looked at Natasha and asked, "Natasha, how's the investigation into the resignation of all Vientiane Book Cafe staff? Any useful information?"
Natasha said calmly, "Director, all investigations are completed. I discovered something interesting."
"Oh?" Nick Fury asked, "What is it?"
"Director, I talked to all three staff members at Vientiane Book Cafe. They didn't provide any valuable information. But when I talked to the store manager May, I found out that the wizard professor was planning to build a private reception place. There was no other valuable information."
Nick Fury stared at Natasha, prompting her to continue. "I found that this dismissal was probably planned in advance by the wizard professor. According to May, the wizard professor didn't seem to focus on profitability. The book lovers weren't prioritized. It seems they were just tools during the transition period. So, the wizard professor will definitely use this book cafe in the future for something significant. I suggest we keep a close eye on Vientiane Book Cafe—it will bring us valuable information later."
Nick Fury nodded slightly, understanding. Natasha added, "The wizard professor is generous with his own people. He's not stingy. He gave each staff member a large compensation for their dismissal. May, the store manager, received a million dollars, supposedly for investment. If we establish a friendly relationship with the wizard professor, there's a good chance he'll be on our side, and we'll get a lot of useful information."
Nick Fury thought of his old boss Alexander Pierce's advice and nodded slowly. He was about to give Coulson orders when suddenly,
Buzz! Coulson's phone began to vibrate. Coulson and Nick Fury exchanged looks. When Nick Fury nodded, Coulson answered the phone, "What happened?"
His phone was specially made—ordinary calls couldn't come through. Only important calls could reach him.
"Sir, there's an abnormality at Vientiane Book Cafe. The machine is reporting large-scale energy changes. According to observation, the same phenomenon occurs here as in the maze house. All our agents are unable to observe the location of the Vientiane Book Cafe, and pedestrians around are avoiding the area. Including the agents we sent, just like those in the maze, they left involuntarily and walked to another location."
Coulson quickly reported the situation to Nick Fury. Natasha's face showed realization—she knew the wizard professor had other plans for the Vientiane Book Cafe.
Nick Fury listened and then ordered, "Coulson, continue communicating with the wizard professor to explore the situation. Try to trade for new potions, especially those that quickly restore the human body."
Hearing this, Coulson's eyes lit up with excitement. He nodded to show his understanding.
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[Up to 50+ Chapter available and 10 chapter Weakly Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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177A Bleecker Street, New York Sanctuary.
In the spacious temple hall, 26 futons were placed in the center, following a strange trajectory. On each futon, a sorcerer sat cross-legged. At the front was New York Sanctuary resident Kaecilius, leading the temple masters in their morning classes and daily meditation.
If observed carefully, the breathing rhythm of all the sorcerers was almost the same. With each breath, a faint golden light could be seen emerging from the surrounding space and integrating into their bodies. This was the practice method of Master Kamar Taj, using the power of Vishanti to practice magic.
Suddenly, a sparkling circular portal opened in the distance, and Lockhart stepped through. He saw the Kamar Taj sorcerers doing morning lessons and looked at them with interest. Without approaching, he found a seat nearby and sat down, closing his eyes slightly to feel the practice method of Master Kamar Taj, seeing if there was anything worth learning.
In the future, if he had more students, using similar methods to improve their practice efficiency would be beneficial.
At this time, Kaecilius, who was sitting at the front, also felt Lockhart's arrival. However, he continued to lead the group of sorcerers in their morning classes. This was his duty as the guardian of the New York Sanctuary.
In Lockhart's perception, with Kaecilius at the core, a large number of sorcerers jointly called for the power of Vishanti. The power wasn't directly integrated into their bodies. Instead, under the spiritual resonance of many sorcerers, they refined the power, extracted the essence, and then distributed it proportionally according to their cultivation levels. This practice method made the gained power more pure and abundant, much better than practicing alone.
After a while, Kaecilius slowly opened his eyes and stood up. The other sorcerers did the same, bowing to Kaecilius to express their respect and thanks. Kaecilius responded with a polite bow as usual. Soon, the sorcerers dispersed, and Kaecilius walked towards Lockhart.
"Morning, Lockhart," Kaecilius greeted as he sat across from Lockhart.
Lockhart politely returned the greeting. Kaecilius looked at the empty table, stretched out his right hand with a Sling Ring, and a small portal leading to his room quietly opened. Reaching out, a fruit plate appeared in his hand, which he casually placed on the table. He picked up an apple and handed it to Lockhart with a smile, "Lockhart, what brings you here this time?"
Lockhart took the apple and joked, "Kaecilius, can't I just talk to you when I have nothing to do?"
"Haha, of course," Kaecilius laughed. "If you really want to chat, I welcome it. It just so happens that I'm quite bored staying alone in the New York Sanctuary."
After a few words of small talk, they returned to the main topic.
"Kaecilius, my Vientiane Book Cafe has been successfully transformed. The environment has been adjusted to accommodate sorcerers or people with extraordinary abilities. For subsequent transactions, you are welcome to come. If you have nothing to do, you can sit at my book cafe. It may not be as safe as the New York Sanctuary, but the environment is much better."
Kaecilius raised his eyebrows and joked, "That's for sure. I'll be there."
Lockhart nodded with a smile. Kaecilius felt comfortable working with Lockhart because everything was discussed in advance and a contract was signed to ensure fairness. The transaction was straightforward, with clear earnings and shares.
Kaecilius then said, "In that case, Lockhart, I can decide to open a portal from the New York Sanctuary to your Vientiane Book Cafe. Sorcerers can enter directly through it."
Lockhart's eyes lit up, "That's good. I appreciate it."
He then asked, "By the way, Kaecilius, this won't have any impact, right?"
"No," Kaecilius said nonchalantly. "It's just adding a teleport point. There are many in the New York Sanctuary. Yours is not new. It's for those sorcerers who don't know your book cafe's location initially. Those familiar with it can open a portal themselves."
Lockhart nodded in understanding, then snapped his fingers. A light yellow ball of light floated towards Kaecilius. "Kaecilius, this is the spatial positioning information of Vientiane Bookstore. All sorcerers can enter through the portal. After entering, there's a spatial magic circle to ensure quietness and safety, so a portal can't be opened inside."
Kaecilius smiled, "Lockhart, you really put your heart into it. When I'm free, I'll bring some friends to your bookstore to see a lot of things. We'll also celebrate your success."
Lockhart smiled. He had two purposes for coming to the New York Sanctuary. First, to drive traffic to his Vientiane Bookstore, which he planned to use as a trading platform in the future. The book cafe would provide an environment for sorcerers to communicate, trade, and cooperate, earning fees like room fees and handling fees.
If Vientiane Bookstore did well, it could attract guests from Earth, Asgard, and even other dimensions, effectively leveraging the Marvel world's resources. This business model would provide him with a steady stream of money necessary for improving his strength and supporting his students.
With Kaecilius' help, Vientiane Bookstore would soon be on the right track and popular in Kamar Taj, representing the main force of the entire Earth's extraordinary world.
After exchanging a few words with Kaecilius, Lockhart moved on to his second purpose.
"Kaecilius, Morin reminded me to pay attention to the dimensional invasion before, and said I could contact you. Can you tell me in detail how Kamar Taj resists dimensional invasion?"
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[Up to 50+ Chapter available and 10 chapter Weakly Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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