"Nice to meet you for the first time, hello ma'am."
Calm on the surface but very surprised deep down, Artoria looked at the great beauty before her with appreciative eyes. This was the White Queen, 'Emma Grace Frost,' who had been missing since her home was blown up. Artoria, who had been playing games at home, had almost forgotten that the White Queen had invited her to the Hellfire Club. She didn't expect this missing White Queen to contact her again and wait for her in a manor. It seemed this was likely her new base. What a bold woman, actually daring to let a stranger come to her hiding place.
"You are much prettier than you look on commercials and television, Miss Artoria."
Facing Artoria's appreciative gaze, Emma enjoyed it. Being appreciated by a woman even more beautiful than herself meant her own beauty hadn't faded. From the same era as Magneto and Richards, she should technically be an old woman by now, but her diamond ability had greatly delayed her aging, preserving her beautiful and young face. This was something she took pride in; no woman likes to see herself aging and losing her looks. But some things had to be admitted—even at her peak, her beauty was inferior to the girl before her. After a moment of internal reflection, Emma praised Artoria's beautiful face without any Envy and poured a glass of red wine for her.
"You flatter me, Ms. Emma is also very beautiful."
Although she didn't know what this woman was up to, Artoria wasn't afraid that she could harm her. Since she had invited her over so politely, she must be seeking her help. Artoria wondered what the White Queen was after from her hands and what she would use to exchange for it. All of this made Artoria expectant. If the other party couldn't produce something for exchange and tried to use force, Artoria would give this woman a lesson she would never forget.
"Actually, inviting Miss Artoria at this time is for..."
After Artoria spoke to Emma, she stopped talking, waiting for Emma to speak with a 'just quietly watching you act cool' look. She wouldn't show any impatience; if she did, it would be easy for the other party to seize the opportunity. Especially since this woman possessed two abilities, Telepathy and Diamond Transformation—the former could read others' thoughts, and the latter increased physical strength while also shielding against mind-reading. Faced with such a person, Artoria had to be a bit careful. Although she wasn't afraid of mind-reading, she had to be more vigilant when facing a mentalist. She waited calmly, and the result was pleasing; Emma finally lowered her pride and began to speak to Artoria.
"Ten thousand doses of the Enhancer? What a grand gesture, Ms. Emma. Are you sure you don't want to build an army? And how did you know about the Enhancer? I remember my biological pharmaceutical plant hasn't released such a thing."
She hadn't thought it would be anything special, but when Emma made this request, a trace of killing intent couldn't help but flash in Artoria's surprised eyes. Who on Earth leaked the news? This kind of thing was only provided privately to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Taiwanese. How could this woman know? Artoria couldn't figure out who had leaked the word, but this woman had definitely caught onto the clues she had missed.
"Don't be so surprised, Miss Artoria. You should know that not everyone can keep a secret."
Seeing Artoria's reaction, Emma smiled and tapped her forehead with her finger. This made Artoria's eyes sharpen. Good grief, she had just forgotten about this person's ability. This was really a blunder; she had actually become impulsive because of a single sentence, disrupting her rhythm. The most important thing in a negotiation is to make the other party follow your rhythm to secure the greatest benefit, but she had failed. Sure enough, anyone who can become a leader is not simple. Artoria had to admit that in terms of calculation, this woman's cunning was higher than that of Magneto and Richards.
"Ten thousand doses is not a small number. What kind of price can Ms. Emma pay?"
Although Artoria was unhappy about being played by this woman, she could only blame herself for not staying calm. Since they had reached the core part, Artoria didn't plan to continue talking nonsense. She asked Emma directly. If the price Emma offered was inappropriate, Artoria would get up and leave without giving the White Queen any face. All that talk about 'even if the deal fails, the friendship remains' was nonsense. As long as the price was right, they could continue; if not, she could go wherever it was cool!
"I guarantee you'll be satisfied, Miss Artoria."
Emma smiled beautifully at Artoria, but Artoria secretly complained in her heart, 'Heh! Women.' They always love to keep people in suspense without giving accurate information. She had already confirmed that this was a manipulative woman, simply to the extreme. Artoria, who already had a negative impression of Emma, was perhaps influenced by her own mind; at this moment, she felt that every move Emma made was full of calculation and bad intentions. People! If you develop a dislike for someone, your subconscious will make the most malicious guesses about them. No matter what they do, you'll think they have some ulterior motive. Heaven have mercy, Emma hadn't done anything, but because Artoria had a bad impression of her, she started speculating in her heart whether she had bad intentions.
"To be honest with you, Ms. Emma, this is our first time doing business, and there's no foundation of trust. If you can't tell me what I will get, then there's no point in continuing this conversation."
No matter how cunning a person is, they'll be choked up when they meet someone stubborn. Artoria stuck to her bottom line; as long as the other party didn't come clean, she didn't plan to let this transaction proceed. Artoria's words made the smile on Emma's face stiffen. Wasn't this just a roundabout way of saying she had no credibility? Was she joking? Did this girl not know how famous her reputation as the White Queen was? Would she be short on that little bit of money? Really, Artoria's words infuriated the White Queen, and the atmosphere in the entire room turned rigid.
"Please, Ms. Emma, think carefully about what to trade. I'll keep some Enhancers, but there might not be many left."
The other party's silence made Artoria lose her patience. Artoria didn't intend to stay; she got up and left the room, leaving Emma to watch her departing back with a gloomy face. Her invincible mental suggestion had actually failed to make Artoria agree to this empty promise. She had thought she was just a young girl who luckily obtained powers, but she didn't expect her to be able to resist her ability. Artoria Stark was not an ordinary superhero. She thought that even if the other party was strong, it was only in power, but at this moment she was certain that the other party was not only physically strong but also immune to her abilities mentally.
"Let her leave. I'm getting more and more interested in this girl now."
After Artoria walked out the door, Emma spoke to someone unknown, but it seemed this manor was not simple. Without waiting for a reply, Emma hung up the phone. Through the slight test just now, it wasn't the time to make an enemy of Artoria Stark. If possible, trying to win her over would be fine, but she wasn't a fool to make an enemy at this time. She had already fallen out with Magneto; making another enemy for herself would be stupid. After hanging up the phone, Emma began to ponder. Through the Battle of New York, everyone knew Artoria Stark was a powerful hero, but no one fully understood her specific abilities. She had fought too few times, leading everyone to only know she was strong without knowing exactly where her strength lay. The more Emma thought, the more interesting she found Artoria. Someone with such great power was content to do business, and not even ordinary business. Artoria Stark—what was she hiding herself for?
"What a shrewd woman."
Stepping into this manor, with Artoria's intuition, how could she not know there was an ambush? And there were quite a few people. they had been staring at Artoria until she entered Emma's room. After Artoria came out of Emma's room, that feeling of being watched immediately reappeared until Artoria got into her car and left. Artoria knew that Emma still had some discernment. After all, from the moment she entered, this woman had been constantly using her ability, but it had no effect on Artoria at all. Artoria knew but didn't point it out, which was giving Emma enough face. This woman was tactless, thinking she could suggest things to her; this was the source of Artoria's greatest annoyance. To show off such a small ability in front of her—her years of experience had gone to waste. Couldn't she see that I felt nothing at all? Thus, the first meeting between Artoria and Emma ended, and the conclusion was very unpleasant.
A self-righteous woman—this was Artoria's evaluation of Emma. I wonder if Emma would be very angry if she knew.
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