"What is this supposed to be?"
Tony stared blankly ahead, clearly growing impatient with the stream of stories he was hearing from Sharon Carter.
"I want to know about Wizards, not what strange super-powered people are up to now."
Tony looked at Sharon Carter, feeling irritable. As the head of a major corporation, he was, of course, aware of the existence of those strange superhumans; that wasn't what he wanted to know.
Pepper fixed Tony with a serious look, like a mother scolding her child. Under her stern gaze, Tony gradually calmed down.
"Tony, we are not privy to the existence of 'Wizards.'" Sharon Carter spoke calmly. The kind of person Tony referred to as a Wizard was someone she had never encountered.
"I already know those super-powered people exist. Why would I need to seek help from Aunt Peggy's people for that?" Tony Stark glanced disdainfully at Nick Fury, who was standing to the side. Though he didn't know Fury, it didn't stop him from inferring Nick's identity from Sharon Carter's attitude.
"Alright, Tony, you should go back and rest. It's very late now." Pepper interrupted Tony's complaints. Staying here wouldn't get him the answers he wanted anyway, so it was more practical to go back and get some rest.
"Fine, Pepper. Maybe I really should get some sleep. The nightmare will be over when I wake up." Tony stood up unsteadily and shuffled toward his car.
"Tony, I'm riding with you." Pepper followed him, offering Sharon Carter a small, apologetic gesture. She then walked past Nick Fury, who was standing near the door, and drove away with Tony.
"Director, is there something you needed here?" Sharon asked Nick Fury without turning her head. Since his arrival, he had simply been standing there, examining the blacksmith shop. After entering, he had only greeted Monkey King and hadn't made another move.
"I came here looking for backup." Nick Fury sat down directly at the table, looking somewhat dispirited. S.H.I.E.L.D. truly had nothing left to spare lately. He was even forced to seek help from Rumlow, a man he had injured, as S.H.I.E.L.D. was not particularly competent when facing the mystical domain.
Nick Fury picked up the half-empty bottle of liquor Tony had left on the table, walked to the cabinet, and retrieved a glass that looked like it hadn't been used in a long time before pouring the drink.
"Director, I feel obliged to remind you to act according to your means." Sharon Carter gave Nick Fury a meaningful look, then gathered her handbag and left the forge.
S.H.I.E.L.D. did indeed contribute to the safety of the world, but trying to control things that were inherently uncontrollable was dangerous. Sharon Carter had no desire to die mysteriously, so she never actively sought out more truth.
Nick Fury sat back down at the table, pouring and drinking by himself.
Monkey King sat twitching slightly on a nearby stool, lost in thought.
"Cap and the others are calling for support, yet I can't even dispatch one support agent. It's ridiculous." Nick Fury muttered, the usual mask of composure slipping from his face.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was still under review and audit from other departments; even to deploy one team of field agents, he had to report upward. S.H.I.E.L.D. was currently in chaos and completely incapable of handling sudden incidents.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"
Monkey King's mocking cries entered Fury's ears.
Then, Nick Fury's phone rang.
"Director, we are on our way back." Agent Coulson's tone while reporting the situation was no different than usual.
"Then come directly to this blacksmith shop." Nick Fury said, taking a hefty swig of liquor.
"Understood." Coulson then hung up the phone.
Nick Fury needed to know exactly what happened on that mission, and he didn't want any of those military types getting involved. The big green hulk was enough trouble; he didn't want to hear about some "big red hulk" or "harpy-like creature" being born from the hands of the military one day.
"Rumlow, go call Luke."
Talic, who had just returned from the Elder Sanctuary, interrupted Rumlow's training. After learning the identity of their future enemy, this soft training method needed to be ramped up.
"I guess I need to head to the team Greater Rift now?" Rumlow put away his weapon and said to Talic.
"Who told you that?" Talic's eyes widened in disbelief.
"It's obvious, isn't it? Why else would you ask me to call for Luke?"
Even though Matthew had also returned to the Sacred Mountain, Bul-Kathos had immediately tossed him over to Rakkis's side. Rumlow hadn't noticed Matthew's arrival.
He turned and walked toward Luke's training area, leaving Talic's soul standing motionless where he was.
Meanwhile, Olarac, who was responsible for training Jessica, watched her still swinging her weapon, hesitating over whether to tell her the truth about her Trial. Although he wanted the Barbarians to possess greater power, he still didn't intend to give Jessica any easy way out of this crisis. Even if this world might soon be plunged into the flames of war, he would not violate his principles.
But telling her the danger she was about to face was not against the rules.
"Olarac, is there something you want to tell me? Like I might die in your trial?" Jessica didn't stop her movements, speaking in an extremely calm tone.
"I've thought a lot since I came here. Bul-Kathos rescued me from a nightmare, but how do I end the nightmare I brought to others? I am a person; even when I was used as a weapon, I had my own mind. Doing wrong must eventually cost something. That is fairness."
Jessica finished speaking and also completed her five-thousandth swing.
She turned to the tall Olarac and smiled, a touch of boldness in her expression.
"Tell me, when does my trial begin?"
Olarac saw the earnestness in Jessica's eyes, and then he sat down cross-legged on the ground.
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow you can go and attempt your redemption."
Olarac had seen too many Barbarian recruits. He wouldn't show the girl any special favour just because of her free spirit. Most Barbarians were like this; he was long used to it.
"Then can I eat something other than black bread today? I'm sick of how dry it is." Jessica sat down directly across from Olarac, carefully examining the Barbarian known as the God of War. His brown hair and beard were a messy tangle, obscuring most of his face. Thick eyebrows shadowed his eyes, which were originally said to be like brass bells, making his gaze hard to discern.
"I will ask someone to prepare food for you." Olarac remained as calm as ever.
Hidden behind a nearby rock, Luke was observing the scene. Vedda was behind him, following his gaze as he watched the interaction between Jessica and Olarac.
Vedda's expression was rather strange.
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