Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Fifty-Five: Who Saved Howard Stark?
Phil Coulson had found a decent hotel for Bai Luo to stay in near the Trident Headquarters in Washington. Bai Luo adapted quickly; ever since leaving the town in Missouri, he had been somewhat of a wanderer.
The internet and mobile technology of this era were not very advanced, and the hotel lacked leisure facilities. Even if he wanted to call someone for company, he had no way to do so.
However, Bai Luo was not idle enough to need that kind of distraction.
Since leaving Missouri, he had been in a constant state of urgency, running around and interacting with various people, with talismans and points coming and going.
Relying on redeeming one-time-use talismans for emergencies was not a long-term solution.
Bai Luo needed to truly learn how to draw talismans himself.
The cheap talisman paper and talisman pen he had redeemed when he first left Missouri were still with him, as was the method for writing the Power Talisman he had exchanged for one hundred eighty points. The Item Storage Talisman was a magical item; anything placed inside it would remain in a state similar to stasis, unaffected by time or space. In other words, whatever he put inside would be the same when he took it out.
Thus, although the talismans Bai Luo originally possessed had suffered significant wear over twenty years, everything stored in the Item Storage Talisman remained intact.
Moreover, Bai Luo currently had quite a few points. While he couldn't afford the advanced methods for drawing talismans yet, he could still redeem lower-level ones.
Fire Talismans, Water Talismans, and Cold Talismans were all inexpensive talismans costing ten points each. Though cheap, they were not useless. Redeeming several of them would still cost him hundreds of points; it would be better to draw them himself.
Everything needed to be done gradually; starting from the lowest level was essential—no one could become successful overnight.
Embracing his past habit of needing background noise while studying, Bai Luo turned on the television before starting to draw talismans.
What played on the screen was a program related to Tony Stark.
Tony was indeed an extraordinary business mogul and the owner of Stark Industries. Since his capture and subsequent return to the public eye, everyone had been captivated by his story. Almost every media outlet was eager to report any news related to him.
And Tony did not disappoint; on the very day of his return, he announced a significant piece of news—effective immediately, Stark Industries would shut down all its weapons manufacturing divisions.
This was undoubtedly major news because it was well-known that weapons research and manufacturing had long been essential components of Stark Industries.
Tony's actions were akin to severing a limb, willingly sacrificing a substantial amount of money.
From this, it was evident that after being captured by the Ten Rings Organization, Tony Stark might still be the same playboy on the surface, but deep within, he had undergone a profound transformation.
However, as someone well-versed in the Iron Man storyline, Bai Luo knew exactly what Tony would do next. What truly surprised him was that Tony had actually thrown him out.
It was during a press conference that Tony spoke. The bruises and scars on his face were still visible, and he bore an expression of fatigue, yet his gaze remained as confident as ever. "And this time, I want to give special thanks to someone—a self-proclaimed Talismancer. It was he who appeared just in time to rescue me from the terrorists and the madman with a sniper rifle in a phone booth. He is a hero, and he is also an Easterner, yet he possesses more sense of responsibility than I do as a true American."
"He saved me and has saved many others. I cannot reveal his name to you, but some of you must remember him—because twenty years ago, he saved countless lives in Kansas City."
At that moment, Nick's words sent the reporters into an unprecedented frenzy. Someone shouted, "Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Is it true? Was it that child who resolved the Kansas City crisis twenty years ago that saved you?"
"Mr. Stark! Was it that mysterious Eastern Child who rescued you? Do you know where he is? Who exactly is he, and why has he disappeared for twenty years?"
Howard Stark chuckled softly. "I'm sorry, but I can't answer those questions. What I can say for certain is that he is not a mutant; he possesses ancient Eastern mystical powers. And most importantly, we are friends."
Upon hearing this, Bai Luo finally understood—Tony had thrown him out to shake things up.
After the incident with the sniper in the phone booth, Tony clearly learned much earlier than in the movie about who wanted to harm him.
But since he didn't come out immediately, it was likely that he had other plans; he wasn't ready to confront his uncle Obadiah Stane just yet. However, concerned that Stane might strike again, he decided to pull Bai Luo's banner out first to intimidate Mr. Obadiah Stane.
Yet it seemed Tony genuinely believed in Bai Luo; after all, he had been missing for twenty years—how much deterrent power could he really have?
Bai Luo shook his head. Regardless of the situation with Tony, it didn't concern him for now. Although he was also a traveler, he wouldn't go around fawning over those protagonists.
He needed to grow stronger quickly.
The first thing he had to learn was how to draw talismans.
This would undoubtedly be a long and painful process.
Drawing talismans sounded simple in theory, but in practice, it was much more difficult. Bai Luo first spent two hundred points to acquire the method for drawing the Fire Talismans and then painfully used six hundred points to exchange for the method of Palm Thunder. He spent all his remaining points on items related to talisman drawing.
Bai Luo's points were instantly reset to zero, and his heart felt like it was bleeding. However, he understood that this was necessary. If he wanted to become truly powerful, he could not always rely on the System to exchange for Talismans; there would come a time when his points would run out. Only by learning to draw Talismans himself could he truly be called a Talismancer.
This time, Bai Luo settled down completely, holed up in the hotel day and night drawing symbols. He did this for half a month. During this period, Nick Fury came to visit him, and what he saw left him utterly astonished.
The standard room in the hotel was filled with talisman papers; one wall was covered with them, and the floor was littered with cheap grass paper that Bai Luo used for practice.
Nick couldn't help but ask, "What kind of immensely powerful Talisman are you researching?"
In response, Bai Luo shamelessly smiled and said, "All my expenses here are covered by our S.H.I.E.L.D., right?"
Nick looked at this guy, feeling an overwhelming urge to knock him out.
Every time he saw this fellow, he never failed to mention money.
Comment 0 Comment Count