"He really never got tired of this, did he? Aren't you going to rein him in?" In Stark's New York villa, Shen Fei watched Stark mingle among a group of beautiful women and spoke to Pepper beside him.
"That's just how he is." Pepper replied with the same smile.
Stark's villa had an enormous hall that could easily serve as a ballroom. Every so often, Stark invited a crowd of beautiful women over for a party.
"What brings you here today, anyway? Do you need something?" Pepper asked.
"I want to buy a villa by the sea, on Staten Island, about the same size as this place." After acquiring the Red Queen, his original small villa no longer had enough room.
"You finally decided to move out? But why not buy one here?" Pepper looked at Shen Fei with a smile. By American standards, Shen Fei should have bought a luxurious villa, luxury cars, and a private jet long ago.
Those were practically standard equipment for a super-rich man. Stark had several luxury villas, a whole fleet of luxury cars—at least one of nearly every model on the market—six private jets, several private yachts, and two private islands.
There were some things, such as luxury cars, that Tony had never even driven.
"You know my personality. I prefer the peace and quiet over there," Shen Fei said with a smile.
Of New York's five boroughs, Manhattan was the most populous and wealthiest. Many Fortune 500 companies had their headquarters there, including Stark Group.
Likewise, owning a villa in Manhattan was a symbol of wealth. Stark had several villas, and his New York villa ranked second only to his California villa. That was Stark's true home, a place only a handful of people could enter. Pepper's authority there was second only to Stark's.
Unlike Tony after he became Iron Man, who spent most of his time there, the current Tony spent most of his time in New York. After all, Manhattan was far more prosperous, not to mention full of beautiful women.
Stark only went there when he needed quiet time to think. In any case, there was no real difference between there and New York for him. Jarvis was in both places.
"I'll keep an eye out," Pepper said with a nod.
"Thanks."
Buying a villa in Manhattan might be possible after the Battle of New York, but now? What if it got destroyed in the Battle of New York? That would be such a waste.
Shen Fei had not known where in New York the Battle of New York would take place before, but now he could be certain. Stark Tower was simply too conspicuous. Only a show-off like Tony would carve his name onto a skyscraper.
Naturally, he could not tell Pepper something like that.
It had to be said that the lives of super-rich people were truly leisurely. As the CEO of Feifei Group and Stark's secretary, Pepper did not have much work to do. Most of the time, she only needed to steer the company's overall direction.
There were plenty of outstanding managers below her to carry out the work she assigned.
"Hello. Long time no see."
"Yes, come in."
As Shen Fei spoke, he waved Coulson and Melinda inside. The moment the two appeared, he knew Rebecca must have reported his situation to her superiors.
Shen Fei had originally been considering how to deal with them if Hydra agents came, but with Coulson and Melinda arriving instead, they saved him a great deal of trouble.
"What would you two like to drink?"
"No, thank you. I think you already know why we're here. Don't blame Rebecca; those are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s regulations." Coulson truly was the perpetual good guy. The first thing he did was speak up for Rebecca.
Though Shen Fei had said he did not mind, when it actually came down to it, it was impossible for him not to mind at all.
"Don't worry. I understand these things. You two are here to register me." As Shen Fei spoke, he poured them each a cup of coffee.
"That's right. There are also a few things we'd like to ask," Coulson said with a smile.
"Go ahead."
"According to Rebecca's report, she said you're a sorcerer. We'd like to confirm that again." This was not the first time Coulson had encountered someone who mistook superpowers for magic. He had even met people who claimed to be children of God or gods themselves.
It was quite common for people who gained powers to believe they were special.
Hadn't a few thugs who got their hands on the Berserker Staff dared to call themselves gods?
So even though they had confirmed it with Rebecca several times, they still needed to verify it again.
"I think you've gotten one thing wrong. I'm not a sorcerer. I'm a mage." Shen Fei raised his index finger and wagged it at Coulson and Melinda.
After Rebecca said she would report the matter, Shen Fei had been thinking about how to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. After careful consideration, he had prepared a whole explanation.
"What's the difference? Aren't they the same thing?" After exchanging puzzled looks with Melinda, Coulson continued.
"The difference is enormous. First, I need to clarify something for you: real mages are completely different from the ones in movies."
"Wait. How do you know your power isn't a superpower and must be magic?" Melinda suddenly interrupted.
"It's simple, because I acquired my abilities through study." Shen Fei did not mind Melinda's interruption and merely smiled.
"Study? That part is the same as in movies," Coulson said with a nod.
"Then can you show us what your power is? Like throwing a fireball or something?" Melinda continued.
Seeing Coulson and Melinda looking expectantly at him as if they hoped he would suddenly conjure a fireball, Shen Fei helplessly shook his head with a smile. Kamar-Taj's spells were powerful, but they were all for close combat. He could not exactly whip up fireballs.
"I already told you not to judge real mages by what you know from movies." Shen Fei straightened in his seat and continued.
"First, you need to understand what a mage is. A mage pursues the fundamental truths of heaven and earth, the laws by which the universe operates. We are completely different from Sorcerers who only know how to fight."
"Wait, what exactly did you mean by that?" Coulson interrupted Shen Fei with a baffled expression, then stared hard at Melinda, hoping she could explain. Melinda had not originally needed to come on this field assignment, but Shen Fei was Chinese, so she had come along.
"Don't look at me. I don't know either," Melinda said irritably.
"Could you explain it more simply?" Coulson's words were polite, but their meaning was clear: speak plain English.
"Simply put, mages are modern-day scientists," Shen Fei said bluntly.
"You're joking, right?" Coulson looked as though Shen Fei had to be messing with him.
"Magic is merely science that has not yet been proven." Before Coulson could refute him, Shen Fei took out a lighter, lit it, and continued, "If someone in the Middle Ages saw this, what would they think it was? Science or magic? The same goes for modern medicine. Don't let your fixed ideas influence your judgment."
Coulson smacked his lips, not knowing what to say.
Melinda was the same.
"The only difference between us and modern scientists is that they observe the world through all kinds of instruments, while we observe it through our own methods." Shen Fei brought his hands together. When he separated them, a golden beam of light appeared before him. As he continued moving his hands, the beam formed a golden disc. Magical markings gradually appeared on its surface, and finally, it turned into fireworks that scattered through the air.
"There are all kinds of people among mages. For example, what I'm best at is biochemistry and medicine."
"So that's why you were able to develop a vaccine for the virus so quickly," Melinda said thoughtfully.
"That's right." Shen Fei nodded with a smile.
"So, in a sense, your company's products are magical products," Melinda continued.
"You could say that."
"From the sound of it, there are other mages as well." Coulson finally caught on.
"Of course. I have a teacher too."
"Could we meet them?" After Coulson and Melinda exchanged a knowing glance, Coulson asked.
"I'm afraid not." Shen Fei smiled and shook his head.
"Perhaps you don't understand S.H.I.E.L.D.'s responsibilities. We—"
"I know exactly what S.H.I.E.L.D. is, and I know exactly what your responsibilities are. The ones who truly know nothing are you." The most irritating thing about S.H.I.E.L.D. was its belief that it had everything under control. It claimed to protect world peace, yet it did not even know Hydra had infiltrated it.
"Why do you think Dr. Abraham Erskine was able to invent the Super Soldier Serum? Why do you think Newton discovered gravity?" Shen Fei continued when their expressions changed and they were about to speak.
"You mean they were mages?" Coulson immediately cried out.
In response to Coulson's question, Shen Fei merely smiled without saying a word. "That's what you said, not me."
"It's not that I don't want to let you meet the Sorcerer Supreme, but even if I told you where he was, you still wouldn't be able to find him."
"There's nowhere S.H.I.E.L.D. can't find," Coulson declared confidently.
"Is that so?" Shen Fei formed another hand seal, and a golden magic circle appeared again. Then, a space map of Earth materialized between the three of them.
"Do you know what this is?" Shen Fei asked, pointing at a blue planet within it.
"Earth," Coulson said with a nod.
"Its official name is Planet C-53. Do you know what that means?"
"This..." Coulson and Melinda's expressions immediately changed. They were both very intelligent, and that number instantly made them think of many things.
"Don't forget, aside from main streets having their own names, most streets in America are named with numbers."
"How can you prove what you said is true?" Melinda questioned.
"My apologies, but we'll be leaving now." At that moment, Coulson immediately stood, grabbed the startled Melinda, and headed for the door.
"Take care." Shen Fei smiled as he saw them out.
"Nick Fury probably won't be able to sit still now." On Earth, there was no avoiding S.H.I.E.L.D. Since that was the case, Shen Fei had decided he might as well leak some information and draw Nick Fury's attention.
The intelligence he had leaked appeared extremely important, but Fury actually knew all of it very well. With Captain Marvel as his friend, Fury certainly had some knowledge of extraterrestrial matters.
Only by drawing enough of Fury's attention could Shen Fei take the initiative in the events to come.
Before you continue