Inside the office.
Herman watched the nanny car slowly drive away outside.
At last, he could finally relax.
Yes.
Even after returning to his office, he still couldn't shake his concern about Professor Charles, so he had lingered by the window to observe the scene below.
He saw Storm step out of the car, and for a brief moment, he even thought that Professor Charles had looked directly at him before leaving.
Maybe it was just his imagination.
Either way, being able to send off that troublesome investor was a huge relief for Herman. He was thankful that after meeting Professor Charles, his mind hadn't been consumed—or rather, that his thoughts hadn't been pried into.
Don't be fooled by Professor Charles losing to Scarlet Witch in Wanda's search for her family. In truth, was Charles really defeated by Wanda the human?
No.
He was defeated by the power of the Darkhold in Wanda's hands, and by the terrifying ancient demon god behind her magic!
Among Earth's mutants, apart from the rare few unreasonable Omega-level ones, Charles, as a top Alpha-level mutant, stood among the strongest.
Magneto, in fact, was slightly inferior to Charles… There's a reason why he isn't called the King of Metal.
Magneto controls magnetism—one of the four fundamental forces of the universe—yet he, with his limited education, turned it into mere metal manipulation.
In terms of status and strength, Magneto was already a truly fearsome existence.
However, even Magneto, without the protection of his helmet, would be instantly crushed by Charles. Such is the terror of psychic power—and Herman wasn't exaggerating just because he himself was versed in the same path.
"The power granted by a Gold-level identity could never match someone of that caliber. I wonder if a higher-tier identity could rival him."
As Herman thought, the artifact within his soul, the All-Seeing Eye, slowly rotated in his mind.
Seven days remained before he could obtain his next identity.
"I think you're wrong. Even if it's an investment for a TV series, shouldn't we staff members still get the pay we deserve?"
Outside, Skye had been chewing on her finger in thought for a long while. Finally spotting the issue, she marched into the office, clearly unhappy.
"Think about it. Isn't proper compensation something you receive from your employer only after you've finished the work?" Herman lifted his head at her challenge, smiling calmly as he replied.
"Is… is that really how it works?"
Skye hesitated again. She was still too young. Though her years on the streets had made her street-smart, her actual understanding of society wasn't very broad.
"You can ask around if you don't believe me."
Herman spoke seriously, showing he wasn't lying.
"So what exactly do we need to do? Just take the money from that rich guy and shoot your script?"
Skye was eager for her first paycheck. For this chance, she'd been dipping into her own savings to cover the boss's expenses these past few days.
"It's not just about shooting it—it has to be excellent. You can start by putting out an ad, letting celebrities know there'll be auditions here tomorrow." Herman hadn't forgotten about the Exclusive Mission tied to his first identity.
"Okay!"
Skye was about to get moving, but then the astronomical figure on that contract flashed across her mind. She immediately turned back and asked Herman.
"Isn't there a role in the show that suits me? I don't ask for much… just pay me a few hundred thousand and I'm good."
So she wanted a double paycheck.
"What kind of daydream is that? With a few hundred thousand I could hire a third-rate actress! And do you really think you can act professionally without any training?" Herman crushed Skye's fantasy without mercy.
At his words, Skye immediately fired back, full of indignation, insisting her acting was excellent. She bragged about how she used to fool street gangs collecting protection money with her performances.
"I think I'm perfect for the lead role of Starlight!" She wasn't just confident—she genuinely believed she could play the heroine.
"…"
Herman went silent.
After a pause, he finally said quietly, "A female superhero like Starlight needs the right figure to carry off a sexy battle suit."
He really shouldn't have said that.
The moment "figure" was mentioned, Skye exploded.
"What do you mean my figure isn't good?"
No woman wants to hear someone criticize her body.
Skye was no exception.
She lifted her chin and puffed out her chest, desperately trying to show off curves, but her thin frame and not-yet-fully-developed body simply couldn't pull it off.
"Enough! Enough! Stop burning my eyes! Go post an ad right now. If you get it done, I'll give you a big red envelope!"
Herman's eye twitched as he dangled the promise before her.
"A big red envelope? How big?"
Skye eyed her notoriously stingy boss with suspicion.
"I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Herman let out a helpless sigh.
"Remember what you said!"
Skye decided to trust him one more time.
Just as she was about to go advertise for Herman, another thought struck her.
"What if I hack into the Screen Actors Guild's network and post a free ad on their website? We could split the money we save fifty-fifty."
Skye truly was the kind of person who would dare to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future.
A real outlaw, huh?
She'd definitely inherited the spirit
Herman admitted it—he was tempted by the idea… for all of 0.01 seconds.