Volume 5: The Young Wolf Seeks Home Chapter 4: Sad! Iceberg Bar closed down due to poor management
Mason didn't feel bad about not meeting the real owner after going to the Star Castle, because his gains far outweighed the unhappiness in his heart.
After returning to Osborne Tower from the evil Star Society's headquarters, he locked himself in the alchemy laboratory and worked on making what Team K needed most.
That is, a little baby who can ensure that everyone can act secretly in Gotham.
Considering the current situation that Mason cannot return to his hometown world frequently and the Star Society has already set its sights on the Gotham world, it is a foregone conclusion that Team K will maintain a two-front war in the coming period. Mason even reluctantly split Team K 1.0 into two groups to facilitate their operations.
His team can be guaranteed to be safe in the new base world of Osborne Tower, but the team members sent back to their hometown and the people active there must have a base that cannot be easily detected and attacked.
People come first in everything, this is Mason's principle of doing things.
However, for the already quite skilled alchemist, making cursed items is still a first, especially when holding a piece of "starry sky creation" that looks strange no matter how you look at it as raw material.
"Snap"
He carefully used jewelry processing tools to cut the old stone slab in his hand, repaired it along the outline of the very abstract big eyeball, and after removing the excess stone, he obtained the main material the size of a fist.
During the whole process, Mason covered his eyes with a black cloth to avoid the mental shock caused by looking directly at the object. He completed this delicate work entirely relying on his intuition as a craftsman.
The subsequent steps are much simpler.
This material gifted by the Grand Master of Warlock possesses quite magical properties. No matter how hard Mason tries to make it, the final product will definitely be a blank item of standard quality.
In this case, there is no need to do too much decoration.
Its magic comes from itself, which can be described as "a divine object created by nature" and does not require craftsmen to add anything extra.
After Mason used alchemical techniques to give the stone slab the properties of "solidity" and "invisibility", he used jewelry processing techniques to make a frame for it.
The final product is like an antique plate, with a light gold frame and a dark stone slab with an eyeball or an abstract sun in the center.
If you don't tell the truth, others will definitely think that this is some kind of antique that is made to look old for the sake of pretentiousness.
"It's done!"
Mason held it up to his eyes and looked at it. The information tag popped up quickly:
Eyes of the Starry Sky: Protection from the Outer Gods
Quality: Standard Alchemical/Jewelcrafting Items, Standard Craftsmanship
Features: Solid, Hidden, Space Expansion, Invisible Counterattack
Effect: Slightly
Producer: Mason Cooper
Item Description: San value -1, San value -1, San value -1... Congratulations! You are crazy!
"Take a closer look...hiss, it's really weird."
This time, Mason deeply agreed with the evaluation of this thing by the improper item description. After all, even he, the maker, did not dare to look directly at the texture in the center of this old plate.
"If you really put this thing on the streets of Gotham, your shithole hometown will probably be filled with a bunch of troublesome doomsday cult psychopaths in a few days."
The hat on Mason's forehead complained:
"Although it will definitely be very effective, I suggest you bury it deep underground in the Glacier Bar and don't let anyone dig it out. It would be a sin."
"Isn't this impossible?"
Mason sighed, put the Star Eye disc into a closed box, held it in his hand, and said:
"As it stands, there is really no way to control the situation without this kind of Outer God creation. Just one Doctor Fate coming to our door would be enough to wipe out all the people I sent there overnight.
Those of us who are already the scoundrels of our hometown can’t ask for more, right?”
"They will be won over, just like that gloomy warlock."
Hat reminds:
"Most spellcasters are sentimental and stubborn. They walk the path of mysticism and are more easily affected by the environment of the dark stars heading towards disaster.
After realizing that persistence rarely leads to results, it is inevitable that some people will turn to darkness, and their instinct to worship knowledge also makes it easy for them to fall into traps deliberately set for them.
You can certainly track down the traitors among the superheroes by sending Thomas Wayne, but you also have to prepare in advance for the magic circle. Zatanna alone is not enough to deal with such secret changes.
She is sharp and has a promising future, but two fists are no match for four hands.”
"I know. I'm already preparing for it."
Mason took out a more formal suit from his bag and said as he changed:
“Although we cannot send Zhakang back to preside over the major events of the magic circle, we still have another option at hand.
Jason Blood has been wandering in the wasteland for long enough. There was no way out before, but now with Flash as a messenger, he can find a safe way home.
I believe the old knight will stand on our side."
"Mr. K!"
The door of the alchemy room was pushed open, and Harley, wearing a red dress, shouted at the door:
"We are about to leave. Selina asked me to come and call you. I heard it will be very lively there tonight. I don't want to miss it. Besides, we have to bring Ivy back quickly.
I miss her so much.”
"I'll be right there."
Mason straightened his collar, buttoned up his clothes, and held the box in his hand. Harley supported him by the arm and dragged him to the top floor of Osborne Tower.
Three doors to the world were lined up on the wall of the large lounge.
Two of them are temporarily unusable because they were sealed by spellcasters in Gotham. The world gate from the Hydra team has become their only channel to travel between the two worlds.
All the members of Team K are here now.
Everyone, including Ertong, changed into formal clothes for the opening ceremony. They were going back to Gotham for a visit tonight, and almost everyone had their own things to do in a hurry.
"You guys get ready."
Mason looked at several other people in the lounge, including Supergirl Kara-El, Jaime Reyes the Blue Beetle, and Jax Jackson and Professor Martin Stein who formed Firestorm.
He said to the new reserve members of Team K who were "kidnapped":
"We need to talk after I come back. I know you are both upset, but now that you are here, perhaps it is more urgent for you to look forward to the future rather than reminiscing about the past."
"Ah, bad enemies, you want to stay? I don't want to be with you."
Just as the captain finished speaking, a big man wearing a Superman uniform but with an inverted S logo on his chest walked up to him. He looked reluctant but said something provocative, which made the members of Team K laugh.
The powerful but stupid zombie Superman pulled Mason's wrist and shook him. He was obviously a super big guy but the expression on his face at this moment was like a sad child.
Mason looked at the scary-looking guy with gray and cracked skin. He sighed and said:
"Stay here, Bizarro, you'll cause trouble in the past. Zod will play with you, okay?"
"Zod is a bad enemy, but Mason is stupid. Bizarro hates playing with Mason. You can make me stupid! I like stupid! Everyone in Team K is stupid!"
When these words were spoken, not only did the members of Team K burst into laughter, but even the four reserve members who were very hostile to Mason covered their mouths.
Bizarro's words should always be interpreted in the opposite way.
If you are not familiar with his style, you might think he is deliberately provocative, but this clumsy but pure-hearted guy just wants to express his goodwill.
He has been very close to Mason since he was rescued by Mason, but his reckless style made Mason dare not bring him into his alchemy room or workshop.
That was a disaster.
"Here's one for you. It might make you a little smarter."
Mason took out a bottle of intelligence-enhancing potion from his bag and gave it to Bizarro. This potion, which came from the Hogwarts Potions Heritage, could make the drinker "smarter" in a short period of time.
But this is just an illusion.
Its real effect is to clear the mind and prevent it from being disturbed by confusing magic.
However, for Bizarro, whose brain was not fully developed, what he needed was not real wisdom but just this kind of smart "feeling". He took Mason's potion, uncorked it and drank it. Then he wiped his mouth, his gray-blue eyes lit up and he cheered:
"Yeah! I'm getting stupid! I'm getting stupid! Zod, bad enemy, come on! Let's play the crossword puzzle! I'm going to lose this time!"
He cheered and pulled up the helpless Far Zod and rushed out the door.
Before leaving, Zod made a helpless gesture to Mason, telling him not to worry, that he would stay here to take care of Bizarro and watch over the four restless reservists.
This Kryptonian from the world of death had a strong distrust of humans due to his experiences in the first half of his life, and he behaved very withdrawnly when he came to Osborne Tower.
But he only gets along well with the simple-minded Bizarro.
Perhaps because he has seen the unpredictable human heart, Zod obviously prefers to play with fools. At least fools will not harbor bad intentions to harm him. Moreover, compared with Zarrow's crazy and ruthless behavior, Zod is the only one in Team K who can barely keep an eye on him.
"I've always wanted to ask you, what's up with that withdrawn Kryptonian?"
When Mason and his friends opened the door to the world, Supergirl, who was suspended in the air with her arms folded, suddenly asked:
"Especially the family crest on him..."
"You can go ask him yourself, or you can be patient and wait for me to come back."
Mason said without turning his head:
"Don't make trouble in Osborne Tower. The old Green Goblin tolerates your misbehavior because of me. If you anger him, you will suffer the consequences."
After saying this, his figure disappeared in the rotating starry light curtain, and the door to the world slammed shut.
The four people in the lounge looked at each other, and finally Jax took the initiative to speak:
"Do it?"
"Walk!"
Kara gave an order.
He rushed out of the lounge window first, accelerated and disappeared into the sky.
Little Black Jacks and the white-haired Professor Stein held hands and activated the Fire Storm Matrix on their chests. They transformed into elementals in the blazing flames, grabbed the sealed Blue Beetle, whose main weapon was sealed, and rushed into the sky amid cheers.
Obviously, they had no intention of staying here as Mason instructed. They were still thinking about how to get rid of the constraints of the damn K team.
Norman Osborn saw this whole scene clearly from the floor-to-ceiling window of his office.
The old green devil smiled sinisterly, turned around and instructed the secretary standing behind him:
"Inform those warlike Amazons that a dangerous creature has broken free in Osborne Tower and ask for their help in hunting it down. In return, we will provide them with supplies to rebuild Paradise Island.
Tell those she-wolves to be more ruthless!
These ungrateful little bastards destroyed half of my building before. Do they really think that my resources are all blown by the wind? Now that their guardian is away, it’s time to let them know the rules of the adult world. "
——
"Bang"
Huge fireworks exploded in the sky above the Iceberg Bar, causing passers-by to cheer. Tonight the bar was packed with invited guests.
Luxury cars stopped one after another, and VIPs appeared one after another.
The camera flashes on both sides of the red carpet were dazzling, and there were even local reporters broadcasting the opening ceremony live.
However, the once iconic Iceberg Bar sign has been torn down and replaced with the "Afterlife" logo in a very elegant and artistic font.
That’s right!
This bar, originally run by the kite flyer Charles Brown, had closed down due to poor management after being vandalized many times in a short period of time. A mysterious tycoon took over this unfortunate shop and spent a huge amount of manpower and resources to complete the renovation in a few days and reopened it tonight.
Tsk, just look at the celebrities in front of us who are smiling as if they were attending Wayne’s charity dinner, and you will know that this new boss must be a person with great connections.
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
In front of the French window on the top floor of the bar, Mason looked at the lively scene below and said:
"I originally wanted to open the business in a low-key manner. After all, what we do here is a shady business."
"So, you're really not suited to intelligence gathering and concealment, Mason."
Talia al Ghul's calm voice sounded behind the captain.
The assassin leader tonight wore a gorgeous black evening gown, which perfectly outlined the figure of this cunning fox-like woman, and added a bit of cold temptation to her already beautiful appearance.
To be honest, after being reborn for so long, Talia is indeed the only woman who can compete with Lady Catwoman in terms of temperament. Unfortunately, she is a fairy and is focused on her master.
She walked over to Mason with a glass of wine and whispered:
“In a chaotic place like Gotham, if you want to live a stable life, you have to show your skills and strength. These so-called celebrities are meaningless in the eyes of the Assassin’s League.
But the resources they represent can ensure the long-term stability of this bar.
Charles Brown just doesn't understand this, which is why he runs this golden egg bar so badly. I just looked at the accounts, and wow, to say that he is spending more than he earns is an exaggeration.
But I don’t understand why we have to use this name?
In the next life...
It sounds ominous.”
"Because the owner of this bar is neither me nor you."
Mason looked at the time on his watch. The moment he turned around, the secret door of the secret area in the office compartment on the top floor of the bar was pushed open.
A stylish old lady named Rogge, dressed in leather, walked out with a team of bionic men.
She looked around and nodded to Mason, then snapped her fingers, and the formally dressed androids behind her immediately dispersed and went to take over various departments of the bar.
In the compartment behind him, more business talents and security personnel from the world of 2077 came out one after another.
"Is this the position you chose?"
Aunt Roger strode forward, stood in front of the French window and looked around. After a few seconds, she nodded and said:
"Yes, it's a good place to open a bar. I can't stay here for long, but I will leave a few people to manage the business. Judy will set up the communication network database here, and I will select fifty smart and capable mercenaries from the shrine to stay.
A bionic human production line will be sent over soon, and everything will be mixed in. When necessary, the personality data of 500 people for the terrorist mobile team can be quickly downloaded through the data interface of the sacred vehicle.
But you have to provide the matching weapons."
After saying that, the old aunt glanced at Talia beside her. She looked the woman up and down, nodded and said:
"Yes, you are a good candidate for a mercenary. Are you interested in registering with the Afterlife Team? We are in need of good players right now. I can reserve a spot for you."
"This is my man, Roger."
Mason shook his head and said:
"Your poaching is too blatant, isn't it?"
"Ha, I was just kidding. Anyway, you two seem to be on good terms with each other, so if you dig a little deeper, you might find something unexpected."
The old lady laughed, took the wine handed to her by Mason and drank it all, then looked around, with a blue light spinning in her pupils.
After a moment he said:
"The space-time disturbance caused by the opening of the world gate has been completely smoothed out, without any energy leakage. It seems that you have got something good?"
"That is."
Mason picked up the bottle and poured a glass of wine for his partner. He picked up the glass and clinked it with his own. He glanced at the Starry Eye in the display case in the office and said softly:
"This is the base of operations for Team K and Team Afterlife in this world. If I don't make it safer, won't you underestimate me?
But even the port of the shrine is placed here, it seems that Captain Morgan has made up his mind. Are you sure you want to get involved in the conflict that is about to happen in this world?"
"We are allies, Mason. Don't say such polite words. It will affect our relationship."
Aunt Roger looked at the brightly lit city in front of her.
She raised her glass again and said in a deep voice in front of her, against a backdrop that looked like Night City:
"I'll get bloody here for the stars! Cheers."
