American comics: Starting with Luke the Maker

Regarding Luke's statement that he couldn't afford many, Nick Fury wore a subtle smile.

With a significantly increased budget this year, S.H.I.E.L.D. had no shortage of funds. Luke's claim that he couldn't afford several seemed a bit far-fetched to Nick.

"Could you give me a quote?" Nick asked Luke, smiling as he watched Captain America admiring the ring. Then, upon hearing the price Luke casually mentioned, Nick's expression underwent a rapid and fascinating transformation.

Smile, freeze, stiffen, pale.

Even Natasha had never imagined that her usually solemn superior officer possessed such a wide range of expressions.

"How much?" Nick felt his voice about to crack.

"20 billion," Luke repeated the price calmly.

"I can't accept that," Nick shook his head. "Luke, your price is too outrageous this time. I acknowledge the power of this ring and the uniqueness of Heborian technology, but it's just a ring."

Could S.H.I.E.L.D. afford 20 billion? Of course, they could. Apart from research funding and various aircraft like the Quinjets, the newly completed Helicarrier alone cost far more than 20 billion to build and equip.

Although, based on Luke's space program, it seemed like it would soon be outdated.

However, as he said, it was just a ring, a small, miniature ring. Even if its material costs were inflated to the extreme, comparable to the most expensive material, vibranium, multiplying it several times would only amount to 500 million or a billion. That was already terrifying!

Adding research expenses, Luke's price was truly overwhelming.

In his mind, he was thinking: I knew you, you black-hearted guy, would sell it expensively, but I didn't expect you, you black-hearted guy, to sell it this expensively!

Even Steve Rogers, standing beside him, looked at the ring on his finger with a complex gaze, wanting to take it off, yet feeling an emotional resistance to doing so.

Although he was a poor man, his powers and weapons seemed to have all come from vast amounts of money, resources, and unexpected events, making him excessively luxurious.

"See, that's the difference between your perception and mine. You think it's just a ring, but I think it's a new era," Luke countered Nick's statement.

"You always like to attach some seemingly plausible but ultimately meaningless illusory value to your creations. Let's be frank, Luke, this price is impossible.

I can't even report it for reimbursement. You don't want to make everything public now, do you?" Nick shook his head again. "So, let's both be sincere."

"The price cannot be lowered," Luke was also very sincere. "Pure money can only get you this price. But, we can change the method."

"I think you're digging another hole for me," Nick's inner alarm bells rang upon hearing those familiar words.

"Don't say that, we should be mutually beneficial," Luke corrected Nick. "Let's settle with the new currency. I think we can use the new currency to settle for this kind of extraordinary equipment in the future."

"I have no money," Nick replied dryly with a cold face.

"Don't be like that."

"I really have no money."

"You're making it difficult for us to communicate."

"Honestly, little Luke, I'm really poor."

As soon as the new currency was mentioned, Nick immediately showed a different face. Generous when settling with real currency, meticulous when settling with the new currency, switching between two faces seamlessly.

"You don't have to be poor," Luke said meaningfully.

"What do you mean?" Nick looked at Luke in confusion. The other party seemed to be offering him a way to make money? This instantly tempted Nick, who was extremely eager for the new currency.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has assets," Luke reminded.

"You want me to sell those confiscated items?" Nick's eyes, which had been carrying some expectation, turned cold.

"What can those confiscated items bring you? Huge annual expenditures? Batches of elite agents who lose their lives every year because of them? Huge hidden dangers that could erupt at any moment due to an accident?

Any of the above is a threat, large or small, to S.H.I.E.L.D.

In the past, you had no choice but to keep them in secret bases built for them in various parts of S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to isolate them. But now you have a partner, you have a better choice," Luke said, patiently guiding him.

"So, in the end, you still want me to sell off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assets, right?" Nick said helplessly.

"Don't be stingy with what you have, learn to share. Not to mention the people or organizations who will join this cooperation circle in the future, just take me, you, and the Ancient One. My Heborian and the Ancient One's magic organization have already started close cooperation.

The connection between us has become closer during this time than you imagined. Almost all of my and Heborian's technology and products will be made public and supplied to the mages, and the materials and knowledge accumulated by the Ancient One will also be opened to me without reservation, except for a very few extremely dangerous books.

This is the real attitude of cooperation. And you and S.H.I.E.L.D. under your command are obviously still wandering outside. You should understand many things without me having to say them. It's just that you find it difficult to change your mind.

You stubbornly cling to your so-called 'treasures' like a miser, holding on to the idea that releasing them will affect regional and even world security.

In fact, who doesn't have a few threatening weapons of mass destruction at home?

If Heborian's technology were to circulate to the outside world and be mastered by some people with ulterior motives, wouldn't they threaten the security you want to protect?

As for the mages of the Ancient One's lineage, would they refuse to teach magic to those who sincerely want to learn it just because certain spells and magic are dangerous?

As for world security, if there is a problem with the large planetary barrier guarded by the Ancient One, what's the point of keeping your 'treasures' so well preserved? They will only be swallowed by the invading dimensional demons along with the world.

Don't think that trading those confiscated items is an irresponsible or humiliating act. Believe me, there will be more and more troublesome and tricky items and creatures in this world. Your way of keeping them in S.H.I.E.L.D. will collapse sooner or later.

Treat them as a normal transaction. You can throw away these increasingly heavy burdens of S.H.I.E.L.D. and exchange them for a large amount of resources, more harmless materials processed by mages, more of Heborian's future technology products, and the new currency that you currently desire and lack the most.

To put it bluntly, most of the things you regard as treasures may not be looked at by most mages. Maybe you won't be able to sell them even if you want to.

Look at the current situation, you know that huge changes will inevitably happen in the future. Heborian and the mages are becoming stronger through mutual transactions. As another partner, with no one excluding you, why do you have to exile yourself?

Let me tell you a piece of news, aren't you clear about why I want to speed up the construction time? The Ancient One has already reached a cooperation agreement with Odin, the King of Asgard.

According to the Ancient One's relay, Odin has no objection to the Ancient One, but expressed concern about you and me as partners. He believes that we are temporarily unable to possess the power to match him and the Ancient One. So he proposed a test. If I can pass it, then he will acknowledge my partner status, and all the products of Asgard and the other Nine Realms will be open to us.

I am confident that I can pass the test and obtain the benefits I deserve. But what about you and S.H.I.E.L.D. under your command at that time? If you can't strengthen the power in your hands and turn all the resources into growth resources, do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. can still retain this partner status?

I believe you should know that I am not exaggerating. The outside universe is even more of a jungle where the strong prey on the weak. If you can't keep up, you will be eliminated. The Ancient One and I are willing to help you as much as we can in the early stages, but the prerequisite is that you must also show the value you should have.

Stop wasting money on those broken things every year. In the future, any item from the Nine Realms or other dimensional universes will be more dangerous or valuable than them. You might be able to sell them for a good price now.

Are you going to move forward with heavy burdens and gradually be eliminated, or are you going to travel light and seize the opportunity to fight? You can think about it for a while. But after new partners such as Odin join, no one can speak for your position except your own strength.

After Luke finished speaking, he stopped talking, made some space, and took Steve, who was beside him, to undergo the full set of tests, leaving Nick, whose face was uncertain, to think.

"I heard that the Super Soldier Serum amplifies people's desires and emotions?" Luke asked as he led Steve towards the inside of the test field.

"Perhaps," Steve nodded. He had just listened to Luke's words, but with insufficient information, he found it difficult to understand the situation Nick and S.H.I.E.L.D. were currently in.

"Then this serum should be a good match for the Mind Ring. To gain the Mind Ring's approval, you must first have some kind of powerful emotion. Only in this way can you resonate with the energy inside the ring." After saying that, Luke added at the end: "Of course, I'm referring to the Mind Ring that you, Captain, are wearing."

"I don't understand the current technology, but if you need any help that I can provide, I can come to your door at any time," Steve nodded.

"Let's stop here. Do you see that target in front? You can attack it with an energy beam first to see its destructive power," Luke stopped and pointed to a black humanoid target standing 50 meters away.

"What should I do?" Steve nodded first, then asked in a slightly embarrassed voice.

"Relax your mind and use your will to control the energy pouring into your body from the ring. You have to learn to use them as skillfully as you use your fists," Luke explained simply.

Steve followed Luke's words and relaxed his mind, naturally imagining the energy in his body as his most familiar weapon, a circular shield.

Steve held the golden energy shield in his palm, and then threw it towards the humanoid target with practiced ease. The shield drew a semicircle in the air and then accurately hit the target, sinking deeply into it.

Then there was a glorious explosion.

"It seems you're using it well," Luke praised after seeing this scene. The beautiful virtues and emotions represented by the Gold of Inclusion seemed to have an extremely high matching degree with Steve's heart.

If the way and difficulty of mastering the energy in the Mind Ring were compared to a math problem, some people just can't do it no matter what, you can beat them to death and they still can't do it. But some people can easily solve problems that others can't solve even if they rack their brains.

This is talent!

And Steve Rogers clearly possessed this admirable talent.

In the following time, under Luke's guidance, Steve demonstrated one item after another according to Luke's requirements. When the test came to an end, the entire training ground was almost a mess.

But Luke didn't care. Anyway, the test field here always experienced a similar scene every now and then. It wasn't worth paying any attention to.

And Nick, who had been carefully observing Steve's test from beginning to end, finally walked up after the test was over, his only eye quietly looking at Luke, and said in a complicated tone: "Did you plan this all along?"

"Plan what?" Luke turned his head and looked at Luke's only eye.

"From the beginning, you planned to drag me and S.H.I.E.L.D. into a pit? Those so-called cooperations are gradually binding me and S.H.I.E.L.D., and even some people, to your chariot?

Like boiling a frog in warm water, when we wake up, we have no choice but to follow you on the path you pointed out, with no determination or room to retreat," Nick said softly.

"I can't admit that," Luke immediately denied Nick's words. "Maybe you're too suspicious and always like to think the worst of people? You don't have to put your energy and suspicion on me. There is no conflict between my interests and bottom line and yours. What you should be worrying about in the future are more troublesome people and dangers from outside the earth."

"But what if there is a force hidden inside me that I can't control?" Nick asked.

"Then you should take advantage of the fact that you can still control S.H.I.E.L.D. to increase the power of your confidants first. The stronger your confidant team is, the more choices you will have in the future, and the more calmly you can face crises.

Besides, if you can gain a foothold during this period and gain the recognition of other partners, then your identity will not only be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and S.H.I.E.L.D. will no longer be an organization that can be easily manipulated by top forces with withdrawals or other political means.

You will jump to another level. You will be more free and more relied upon. That undercurrent may also be more cautious. Because if they want to control S.H.I.E.L.D., they can't do without you either," Luke spread his hands.

"It seems that the best path in front of me is the one you pointed out to me again," Nick showed a look of feigned helplessness on his face.

"After I go back, I will select a batch of confiscated items as the first batch of pilot projects, and then summarize and sort them out. I can give you and the mages a list each. After you have read it, you can give a price or make other requests for me to consider."

I have only one condition: you can't let them fall into the wrong hands easily.

"Of course," Luke readily agreed to Nick's request.

"Then, I have one more request. I need at least one ring like the one on the Captain's finger." Nick pointed to the golden ring on Steve's hand.

"I can fulfill this request, but you need to pay with an item of equal value." Luke pondered for a moment and nodded. He had to give Nick some benefits, just to strengthen the forces around him.

"Then, what about these rings? Don't tell me they also cost that outrageous price." Having made up his mind, Nick relaxed and casually gestured towards the open metal box not far away, filled with other mass-produced rings.

"For a limited time only, each one is a billion. An absolutely conscientious price! I guarantee it with my morality!" Luke gave the price with a straight face.

"Thank you, your morality is worthless to me," Nick said through gritted teeth.

PS: Crowdsourcing to help the author come up with bestial representations of various emotions. I'll give an example: for example, red represents: anger, revenge, war, battle, the bestial representation is the Hound of Tindalos. Inscriptions can be anything, such as: Mark of Revenge, Immortality. Blood Hunt, Above the heavens and below the earth. Of course, these are unlikely to be written into the main text, it's a bit awkward, just for our circle to play with and enrich the setting. If any大佬 have inspiration, you can post it in the chapter comments.