Chapter 74: Superman
Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
"It's okay, you don't have to be so formal. Just make yourself at home."
Kara, back from school with her bag slung over her shoulder, led her new friend, Raven, back to the store.
"I'm just not very good at socializing."
"It's fine, I'm not good at it either," Kara said. "We'll learn slowly. You'll get the hang of it."
*No, I think you seem quite good at it.*
Raven thought to herself but didn't say it out loud, merely nodding lightly as she followed behind.
During her previous visit, the Old Wizard had explained that the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. Since it was Raven who summoned Trigon and risked losing control, the problem had to be solved by starting with Raven herself.
Although all of Raven's magic came from Trigon and her aura was incredibly evil, the young girl herself wasn't bad-hearted. Especially since she had grown up in Azarath, she had focused on learning how to control her emotions and master magic from a young age, rarely interacting with others. Her spirit was naturally pure.
The Old Wizard found her quite agreeable, so he agreed to give her some pointers on learning magic.
Following Kara through the front hall and past a door with a "Staff Only" sign, she had only taken a few steps when she heard a "meow." An orange cat came running over with a food bowl in its mouth, rubbing against Kara's leg.
"Alright, Stryker, I brought a friend over today and we have things to do." Kara patted its little head. "Go find something to eat yourself, okay?"
"Meow~"
Stryker seemed a little unhappy. It shook its head and dejectedly went off with its bowl.
Then Raven saw the orange cat take flight, still holding its bowl.
Yes, that's right, it literally flew. It floated lightly to a cabinet, pried the door open with its claw, and precisely located a bag of cat food inside. It bit off the clip sealing the bag and began to pour the food into its bowl.
After a moment's thought, as if that wasn't enough, it took out an empty bowl and a packet of milk powder. It was even preparing to mix its own milk.
*Has this cat gained sentience?*
Raven's eyes widened, finding the scene before her somewhat eerie. But when she cast a questioning gaze at Kara, Kara just smiled and waved her hand.
"Oh, don't be surprised. This is perfectly normal."
Raven fell silent.
She felt that her definition of "normal" and Kara's were definitely quite different.
Raven changed the subject. "I heard that the Old Wizard... he used to be very powerful, right?"
"Yeah, he only says it a few hundred times a day," Kara laughed. "But I guess he is. After all, Mr. Orin says so too."
Kara's criterion for judgment was simple. Even though she thought the Old Wizard just looked like a scraggly old man, if Orin Vale said he was powerful, then he must be.
"He's the Guardian of the... Rock of Eternity or something? I can't remember. Oh, but Orin Vale said his name is Shazam."
Raven gasped in surprise.
"Shazam? *The* Shazam?"
"Huh? You've heard of him?"
"A certain magical tome in Azarath mentioned him. It said he was an ancient wizard from thousands of years ago, one of the most powerful wizards in existence, possessing a great power that could rival the gods—"
Boom!
Her words were cut short by a loud bang that sounded like an explosion.
The two girls stopped in their tracks. They exchanged a look, then carefully crept forward and peeked around the corner.
And then they saw the legendary great wizard... using his supreme magic to bombard a poor frying pan.
"Foolish pot, you dare to defy 'the Wizard'? Very well, then accept your punishment!"
As he spoke, he sent a bolt of lightning down, blasting a hole straight through the pan.
Kara: "..."
Raven: "..."
Kara silently glanced at Raven, her eyes conveying, *Are you sure this is the wizard you were describing?*
Raven wore an innocent expression, as if to say, *That's what the book said, although he doesn't really look the part...*
"Hmm?"
The Old Wizard was about to hurl another bolt of lightning when his gaze swept over and caught sight of the two girls peeking from the doorway. His throwing motion froze mid-air.
Half a second later, he silently retracted his arm, casually tossed the punctured pan into the trash can, and then turned around with a nonchalant air, stroking his great beard with the poise of a reclusive master.
"Hmm, you're here. Very good. But I must say this upfront, studying under the great Wizard will be extremely arduous. You must be mentally prepared..."
As if nothing had just happened.
Underground Laboratory.
"System self-check complete. The 'Anti-Brainiac Radar' is online," Pal's voice announced. "Initiating now. Countdown, three... two... one..."
The interface lit up. A projected screen displayed the radar's coverage area in the form of a map, with the words "Scanning in progress" next to it.
This was a dedicated radar built using data provided by Astra, designed specifically to scan for the signal reactions of the particular communication channel used by Brainiac.
After all, the radars on DC Earth were cut from the same cloth as those of certain Earth Defense Forces in the Ultraman series—they might as well have been made of paper. Aliens could swagger onto Earth, streaking down the street at three in the morning, and the radars would just play dead without any reaction whatsoever.
So, Orin Vale figured it was best to handle this part himself.
Now he could only hope the Kryptonians' research was somewhat reliable and would actually work. Unfortunately, he couldn't test its functionality in advance; he would have to wait for Old Bu to arrive to find out...
*Beep beep~*
Orin Vale froze.
It actually got a reaction?
He frowned and immediately checked the radar's scan log.
There was only a momentary signal that was lost almost immediately. But it was, indeed, the characteristic signal of the figure maniac, matching the Kryptonian database.
And the coordinates of the lost signal were located in Metropolis?
A terrifying possibility immediately surfaced in Orin Vale's mind.
Could it be that Old Bu had actually arrived long ago and was just observing and plotting in secret?
If that were the case, the problem would be serious.
Just as he was wondering if he should go to Metropolis to take a look, Kara suddenly rushed in from outside.
Her voice arrived before she did, shouting as she ran, "Orin Vale! Metropolis! We have to go to Metropolis!"
"What's wrong?"
"Look at this!"
Kara was agitated, her blonde hair a mess. She handed her smartphone to Orin Vale.
On the phone was a news alert from Metropolis's most famous newspaper, the Daily Planet.
"Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, a man of steel—
—Superman!"
A photo was attached below.
A young, handsome man wearing a blue short-sleeved T-shirt, form-fitting jeans, and leather boots. On the chest of his T-shirt was a conspicuous "S" emblem.
In the shot, he was lifting a truck with his bare hands, a sunny, infectious smile on his face.
"It's Kal, it has to be Kal! My cousin!" Kara was ecstatic. "We have to go find him!"
(end of chapter)