Chapter 14: The Happy Life of a Magical Salted Fish
Ever since Sherlock came clean to his uncle, the most famous billionaire and superhero Iron Man—Tony Stark—in the Marvel Universe, about his ability to use magic, his life could be summed up in one sentence:
Ever since I got a mental illness, I've become much more energetic!
Sherlock was pretty much in the same situation. At first, he was worried that his indiscriminate use of magic would attract the attention of Boiled Egg Ancient One and Nick Fury.
Nick Fury wasn't too bad; at most, it would just be a bit of trouble from the Serpent Shield Bureau. But Sherlock was genuinely afraid of Ancient One. After all, she was a ruthless character who would wrestle with dimensional demon gods at the drop of a hat, and Sherlock didn't think he was her match.
At most, he would only practice magic in his 'library.' Sherlock had never cast any magic in the real World.
But ever since he faced Ancient One last time, and that big shot even thoughtfully gave him a Sling Ring, Sherlock felt that there shouldn't be any problems from Ancient One's side. That's why he revealed his magic to Tony.
However, in just one day, Sherlock understood why, in the original Harry Potter series, no muggle-born wizards returned to live in the muggle World after completing their studies.
Because magic is truly addictive!
Once you get used to using magic, you'll find that life becomes incredibly easy and enjoyable. Many things you originally disliked can now be solved with just a wave of your wand.
It was precisely because of Sherlock's uninhibited behavior that one could often see the coffee pot in Tony's seaside Villa moving on its own, pouring a cup of coffee, and then returning to its original spot.
Then, the coffee cup, as if alive, floated in mid-air to the sugar cubes. After two sugar cubes flew into the cup, it slowly drifted towards Sherlock, who was lying on the sofa.
Even in the air, the spoon didn't forget to stir the coffee in the cup, allowing the sugar cubes to dissolve more thoroughly.
As for why Sherlock was still staying in Tony's mansion, the reason was simple: on one hand, Sherlock himself wanted to witness the birth of Iron Man's first truly meaningful suit of armor, and on the other hand, Tony wanted to protect his only remaining relative and intended to make a mask or something similar for Sherlock to conceal his identity.
It definitely wasn't because Sherlock was coveting the comfortable life in Tony's Villa! Absolutely not!
Well, actually, there was a little bit of that reason, after all, the equipment in Tony's Villa was simply too high-tech.
The inhumanly wealthy Mr. Tony had installed 3D holographic projections in almost every inch of the Villa, especially in the living room and his underground garage workshop.
Have you experienced a 3D holographic movie? Sherlock has!
Right there in Tony's living room!
Relying on Jarvis's powerful computing capabilities, any 2D flat image could be transformed into a 3D holographic projection under Jarvis's calculations. The immersive movie experience, Sherlock could only say, was exceptionally good.
Even in the workshop, where the holographic projection effect was even better, Sherlock also experienced what it was like to have an immersive gaming experience.
Leveraging Jarvis's almost invincible software capabilities, a modified game code, combined with sensors that Sherlock pestered Tony to create, and an omnidirectional treadmill.
Sherlock could almost say that he felt his life had reached its peak.
He had served as a soldier in call of duty, wielded the Master Sword to save Hyrule, even brandished the Rebellion and Ebony & Ivory to exchange sword skills with Vergil, and in Dark Souls, he would transform into light to save the World.
Of course, what was most addictive were some simulation games. With Jarvis's enhancement, Sherlock even managed to simultaneously enjoy Tony's fancy wrestling while charging with a longsword on ancient battlefields in Europe.
As for Tony himself, it was naturally impossible for Sherlock to live such a carefree life, especially since this guy often hid in a corner, playing games and mocking him while he was experimenting and building his armor.
Tony's revenge was exceptionally brutal. First, he tricked Sherlock into playing a game he supposedly 'loved,' but in reality, this game was a Marvel native horror game that Sherlock had never even heard of.
The despicable Tony even personally collaborated with Jarvis to severely enhance the game's environment, plot, and monsters.
The result was that Sherlock was scared out of his wits, even instinctively pulling out his wand, ready to fight the monsters in the game to the death.
If Tony hadn't quickly ordered Jarvis to stop the projection, an overstimulated Sherlock probably would have played the entire Villa into the ocean.
After this one incident, Tony never dared to let Sherlock play any more horror games, and Sherlock himself was also extremely reluctant to engage with such immersive, horror-themed content.
Of course, Sherlock wasn't just playing around in Tony's Villa; he did do some things, especially after Tony learned that Sherlock's magical potions had all-encompassing functions.
From treating bruises and sprains to granting eternal life, and all redeemable with just gold, Tony, who was only poor in the sense of having nothing but money, very generously procured a ton of gold.
Looking at the shimmering gold block in front of him, approximately 0.5 meters long, 0.4 meters wide, and 0.25 meters high, Sherlock cursed the rich bastard countless times in his heart.
However, since the other party had paid, and was also his only blood relative in the Marvel Universe, Sherlock ultimately helped Tony exchange for many magical potions.
Of course, most of them were tonics and potions for treating illnesses and external injuries. Even when Pepper learned that Sherlock had magic potions specifically for women for beauty and skincare, she also exchanged some with Sherlock using gold coins.
Sherlock himself even pocketed some very useful magic potions.
As for the performance of the two after exchanging for magic potions, Sherlock could truly understand the difference between a European Emperor (lucky person) and an African Chief (unlucky person).
Most of Pepper's debuffs after consuming the magic potions were positive, or had very little impact. The most outrageous one was a buff called 'Return to Youth.'
It forcibly made a person 20 years younger. If the person was under 20 years old, they would directly turn into a baby.
Sherlock could swear that when Tony saw the 20-year-old Pepper, his gaze was as if he wanted to swallow Pepper whole!
As for Tony himself, he was truly an unlucky reincarnation. Although he was only taking tonics to supplement his body and some magic potions for treating bruises and sprains, at most, it was just to help heal a bone with a bone-healing spirit after a fracture.
But the effects of those debuffs were one more outrageous than the last. There was even one time when it directly taught Tony, a muggle, Animagus, turning him into a Harpy Eagle.
It was that Harpy Eagle with an unbeatable side profile but an unbearable frontal view. The most crucial thing was that this guy could actually talk after turning into a Harpy Eagle, which made Pepper and Sherlock laugh for a long time.
Of course, Tony himself also experienced the joy of flight, and even incorporated this flying experience into the creation of his armor, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.