American comics: Starting with Luke the Maker

“Speak, what is it?” Nick Fury, stepping off the helicopter, cut straight to the chase as his first words in Heberon's reception room.

“There's some news, I'm not sure if I should tell you.” Luke blinked, his expression hesitant.

Hearing this, Nick grinned and scoffed, “Little Luke, don't be so mysterious. We're all busy. Do you know that to rush here and see you, I pushed back at least three departmental meetings and an online meeting with two senators? Tell me, what do you want me to help you with this time? Let's get this straight, I can help you, but this help should be reciprocal. If you can't give me a return, then at least give me compensation! S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't your tool.”

“Do you know about mages?” Luke asked, getting straight to the point.

“What?” Nick's smiling face froze.

“Do you know about mages? You know, the kind who go 'biubiubiu' and sling spells.” Luke gestured with his hands as he spoke.

“Little Luke, let's hurry up and not waste time with pointless jokes. I don't think there can be mages in this world. If there were, they would have been discovered long ago. We've investigated some so-called magic masters, but in reality, they were just a bunch of swindlers. After several times, our S.H.I.E.L.D. just… Motherf-?!”

Nick was still talking eloquently until he saw a golden holy light appear on Luke's hand. Under the gaze of his one eye, Luke even threw the golden ball of light into his body. It was a feeling of comfort, like taking a hot bath. His tired body and spirit seemed to be soothed and nourished. Even some internal injuries accumulated within his body were repaired under the nourishment of this light. Nick felt his body become lighter than ever before, and his spirit was particularly invigorated. He felt that even if there were ten burly men in front of him, he could go up and punch each one.

“What is this?” Nick widened his one eye. If he didn't still feel the relaxed, agile, and youthful sensation in his body, he would have thought he was dreaming.

Making a person's body younger, or even restoring internal injuries, was not a problem. Nick knew that many technologies could do it, and Heberon happened to have mastered the kind with the fewest, almost non-existent, side effects. But that was a technological achievement! Not something Luke could achieve with a simple wave of his hand and a golden light!

This was simply too magical! It didn't conform to reality at all!

“I call it Holy Light. It's a type of energy unknown to humans. If the power of vampires belongs to the darkness, then this power should belong to its opposite. It's a positive force.” Luke, seeing Nick's still perplexed expression, prompted, “Don't think of it as the kind of energy you know, like electricity or something. You can let your imagination run wild.”

“So, what does this have to do with mages?” After a moment of silence, Nick raised his head and subconsciously asked. “Don't tell me you're a mage? You're a member of their group?”

“How could I be a mage?” Luke took off a metal ring from his hand and tossed it to Nick, gesturing for him to wear it.

Nick deftly caught the ring Luke threw. At his urging, he put it on his hand, and then he discovered that there seemed to be some kind of power within his body. Subconsciously mobilizing it, his right hand, wearing the ring, suddenly glowed with the same golden light as Luke's hand before.

“I'm a little confused.” Nick immediately realized that the magical scene from before wasn't because Luke was a superpower user or something else, but was closely related to the ring he had thrown over. As for where this ring came from? Nick also wanted to know, so he immediately asked, “Where did this ring come from? A mage's relic? Or a mage's gift?”

Nick gave his own guesses in his words.

“Technological creation.” Luke readily gave the answer.

“Technological creation?” This time, Nick's eyes really widened. “You're saying, this is a technological creation of Heberon?”

“You can understand it that way.” Luke nodded.

“How much does it cost? How many orders do you want?” Seeing Luke nod, Nick subconsciously wanted to go through the process. He felt this thing was very useful! More useful than that self-healing potion! Although it wasn't clear what exactly this golden energy could do, just the effect of conditioning the body that Luke had shown was enough to make him covet it.

Which agent didn't have all sorts of injuries? Even if this thing had no other effect, it would be enough to become the favorite of agents!

“Who said I was going to sell it to you?” Luke stared at Nick in astonishment.

“Then what do you mean by taking this out?” Nick stroked the ring on his right hand, reluctant to take it off. Although Luke gestured for him to return it many times, he pretended not to see it.

“Just to show you.”

Luke's words made Nick's face even darker, and he wore the ring even tighter.

“Let's get down to business. What evidence do you have to prove the existence of mages? How much do you know about them? Do they pose a threat to world security?” Nick inconspicuously hid the ring, out of Luke's sight, and seriously changed the topic, earnestly asking Luke.

“The source of the information is not easy to say, just take it as a dying contribution from an old bat. I don't know much about them, but according to the information, their existence is much older than S.H.I.E.L.D. or even this country. When it comes to maintaining world security, they are the pioneers.” Luke attributed everything to an old bat who had already died, whose body essence had even been condensed into a crystal.

“Maintaining world security? They?” Nick's gaze was solemn. “What world security do they maintain? Did they prevent wars, or did they prevent alien invasions? Or something else?”

“The old bat lived long enough, so he knew a lot. Especially during his active period. He told me some secrets of the world. For example, the other two names of this planet—Midgard and Midgardr. One of the Nine Realms, a transit point.” Luke said calmly under Nick's dark face.

Nick's face could no longer be said to be dark, but rather gloomy. He naturally had his own channels to verify the truth of Luke's words. After all, he knew the names Midgard and Midgardr, and even his agents had contact with the so-called prince from Asgard, one of the Nine Realms. This seemed to corroborate the authenticity of Luke's information from another aspect.