The Real Capitalist, Nick Fury

The crisis had temporarily passed, and dense footsteps approached from the distance.

Pepper Potts had already kicked off her high heels and ran barefoot toward Tony. Filled with fear and lingering dread, she threw her arms around him tightly.

The two nestled together, as though the entire world had quietly faded away at that moment, leaving only each other.

Having swallowed a mouthful of public displays of affection, Harry now had to face several burly men in black. At their head was Coulson, someone he was familiar with.

Coulson wore an exceptionally approachable smile. Though they had only met a few times, his tone was full of familiarity. "Mr. Potter, we meet again."

As an agent, Coulson was remarkably tactful in his conduct.

He did not pester Harry as agents were usually imagined to do. He had neither secretly monitored him nor disturbed Harry's family, maintaining just the right sense of boundaries.

Perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D. was wary of the identity Harry had previously revealed and did not dare act rashly against him.

Still, it was undeniable that Coulson's personal style made him easy to like.

Harry was a simple-minded person. If others treated him kindly, he repaid them in kind. It was that simple.

"Good to see you again, Agent Coulson." The glow around his wand faded, twisting into a vortex before vanishing into Harry's hand.

Coulson did not hide his curiosity. "How amazing. What kind of magic is that?"

"A Pocket Dimension, an advanced storage spell. Want to learn it? I can lend it to you." Harry had long wanted to develop a new organization of mages.

In the future, this organization of mages would consist entirely of his borrowers.

They could fulfill the Supreme Mage's duties in his place. That way, he could slack off with a clear conscience!

Of course, the ideal members for this organization would be Kamar-Taj's mages, but Harry could not develop borrowers at Kamar-Taj for the time being.

Kamar-Taj's mages all worshipped the Vishanti. They were the Vishanti's cash cows, and Harry did not dare steal cash cows from a powerful Dimensional Demon God.

S.H.I.E.L.D., which likewise bore the responsibility of protecting Earth and maintaining order, thus became Harry's top backup choice.

Naturally, he would not do business at a loss. At the very least, he could not lose too badly.

Borrowers needed to possess at least some magical talent. As long as they could keep revenues and expenditures balanced, that would be enough.

If there was some profit to be had, that would be even better.

Coulson was one such prospective borrower. When Harry had shaken his hand, he discovered that Coulson possessed some magical talent.

His magical talent was limited, but it was enough.

Coulson was perceptive and caught the key word. "Lending? Why describe learning magic as borrowing?"

Harry briefly introduced Kamar-Taj's magic, then began pitching his lending program.

"Unlike those stingy Dimensional Demon Gods, my lending terms are very generous. I don't require your souls or lives."

"Then what is the price of borrowing from you?"

"Maintaining world peace!" Harry declared righteously.

Coulson: "???"

Coulson suspected he had misheard. "What? Maintaining world peace?"

Harry finally revealed his true purpose.

"Of course, maintaining world peace is the most important price. Borrowers need to travel around the world at regular intervals to complete my tasks.

Specifically, once a month. It might involve eliminating demons, resisting incursions from other dimensions, wiping out evil organizations, and so on.

Naturally, everything will be within your capabilities. Even if you cannot handle it, I will lend you more power for free for a short time.

Other than that condition, you will need to share your magical experience and ideas with me, and pay a certain amount of dollars each time you cast a spell."

Coulson fell silent. This was completely different from the magical world he had imagined.

Compared to a mysterious mage, Harry seemed more like a capitalist.

"What is your purpose?" Coulson asked.

"The same as yours: protecting Earth. In the future, I will definitely inherit the Supreme Mage's responsibilities. If borrowers take action to maintain Earth's order, things will be much easier for me.

Of course, lending to talented people also lets me gain their magical knowledge, which is one source of profit. Not to mention that I can make money from it too."

"Sorry, Mr. Potter, but I can't give you an answer right now. Let me think it over and give you my decision after some time," Coulson said cautiously.

"Of course."

Coulson fell silent for a moment, feeling that the timing was right to complete the task Director Fury had given him.

The smile on his face grew wider, making him look like a door-to-door salesman. "Mr. Potter, your accomplishments in the field of magic are something we greatly admire. S.H.I.E.L.D. happens to be seeking to develop in the mystical field as well. Would you be willing to become S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special consultant?"

"Does a consultant have any obligations? And what's the salary?"

Seeing that there was hope, Coulson quickly replied, "There are no specific obligations. We only hope that you can answer some questions regarding mystical knowledge. As for the salary, it is one hundred thousand dollars a month."

Harry naturally agreed to free money. Besides, cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D. would also benefit him in some ways. "Of course."

After leaving Coulson with a lending list, Harry bid Tony farewell and opened a portal back to his room.

Because the contracts he gave Coulson and the others contained a mandatory once-a-month mission, the casting cost without needing to construct a magic array was much lower—only one-tenth of Tony's.

Even so, using the magic power from a low-level spell to permanently create a certain amount of gold, the dollars earned by selling that gold were still less than the dollars the borrowers needed to pay.

Harry still came out way ahead!

After wrapping up his mission report, Coulson gave his superior a detailed account of every exchange he had had with Harry.

His superior was a middle-aged Black man, bald, with dark skin, scars covering the left side of his face, and an eyepatch over his left eye.

His features were rugged, his gaze sharp, carrying an air of composure, authority, and weathered experience.

He was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current director, Nick Fury, the spy chief lurking in the shadows.

Nick Fury rested his chin on his clasped hands and stared at Coulson. "Do you think he's trustworthy? This so-called loan?"

As a seasoned S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran, Coulson would not jump to conclusions. "Mr. Potter seems like a good person, but we can't be sure of his true intentions. After all, appearances can be deceiving."

Nick Fury nodded. Although Coulson had not stated anything outright, his leaning attitude had already said it all.

To be honest, Nick Fury was hesitant. If he accepted Harry Potter's loan terms, S.H.I.E.L.D. would instantly gain at least several superhumans.

More importantly, the cost was practically nonexistent—just a small amount of money and one mission per month from the agents.

For highly trained agents, a schedule of only one mission a month was as easy as everyday routine.

Just look at Coulson. He had gone months without a vacation and still had to work.

But the drawback was obvious: the agents' power came from Harry Potter. He could grant them magic, and he could absolutely take it back!

Nick Fury, the true capitalist, pondered for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Perhaps we can run an experiment. Let Natasha give it a try."