American Comics: Godhood Unlocked, I Choose Sci-Magic Dual Cultivation

Poison Ivy had never heard Dane's "prophecy." She had thought this world was fairly simple, so she did not quite understand it.

But that did not stop her from understanding what Dane meant.

"Boring man."

Poison Ivy gave a soft huff and skipped down the steps.

"I won't be trapped by a boring man like you."

"Then go ahead and try. See if you can escape the palm of my hand."

"I will."

Before leaving, Poison Ivy blew Dane a kiss. The kiss, carrying plant spores, floated onto his face.

The spores themselves were harmless, but they irritated the nasal mucosa, making Dane sneeze.

She giggled. "So you can't guard against things without hostile intent either, can you, darling?"

Just as Dane was about to say something, Poison Ivy turned and left, leaving behind only her rose-scented silhouette.

"A rose with thorns."

He shook his head and continued looking through the telescope, conversing with the Wisdom of Solomon.

Skill came from diligence and was wasted on play. Even a "god" needed to keep learning and improving.

Zatanna

That day, Dane brought Diana to a circus.

Ever since Diana had caught the scent of roses on him that night, he had noticed that she had not given him a pleasant look for several days. He could not make heads or tails of it.

For now, Earth was generally peaceful. Demons and monsters had yet to emerge, but every member of the Justice League, hereafter referred to as the JLA, had their own things to do.

Clark spent every day fixed in low Earth orbit, basking in the sun without fail.

He had recently learned Ice Breath, several years ahead of the Man of Steel.

Following Dane's advice, Batman had begun searching everywhere for Constantine.

But the man knew magic, so he was not easy to corner.

Jason was currently slaughtering his way through Gotham. Several gangs had already been exterminated by him, his methods exceptionally brutal.

Rumor had it that he was recently locked in a battle of wits with the escaped Penguin and Two-Face.

Gotham's gangs now missed Batman dearly. At least the Dark Knight did not take lives.

Barbara had not joined the JLA for the time being. She had returned to Gotham, where she was undergoing rehabilitation and relearning her old skills.

Nightwing stayed by her side, and the two seemed to be rekindling their old relationship.

As for Diana, as mentioned before, she had seemed to be in a bad mood lately and had already destroyed three training rooms.

Even Poison Ivy reined herself in somewhat after seeing it.

Dane felt that this could not continue. Otherwise, Justice Hall would probably never be completed, so he brought her here to relax.

Diana asked in confusion, "With our eyesight, what is there to appreciate in magic shows?"

"When I first came to human society, I did enjoy watching them. But after seeing them a few times, I lost interest."

"Today's magician is named Zatanna. I once watched her performance on television."

"How should I put it? I think it might not be magic tricks. It looks more like actual magic."

Dane smiled. "Part of the reason we came was to enjoy the show. If she truly is a mage, we might as well make a friend."

"And if we can bring her into the JLA, that would be even better."

Diana raised a brow, and her voice suddenly softened. "I thought this invitation was purely innocent."

For some reason, Dane suddenly felt cold all over. He froze for a moment. I have a Divine Body!

"Uh, well, making friends is just incidental. The main thing is bringing you out to relax..."

"Hmph!"

Diana said nothing further and turned her attention back to the stage.

Onstage, a young woman in her twenties stepped out from behind the curtain.

She was dressed quite provocatively in a modified fishnet tailcoat.

She carried a cane, wore a top hat, and had a red rose pinned to her suit jacket.

Diana looked at the woman's chest while listening to the nearly deafening cheers around her.

She seriously doubted whether these people had come to watch the performer or the magic.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Zatanna. Welcome to my performance..."

She had only made her opening remarks, but the noise around her rose wave after wave, seemingly never-ending.

Zatanna was clearly experienced. She waved the little cane in her hand, like a wizard from Harry Potter.

The noise suddenly stopped.

It was as though someone had pressed a mute button.

This caught Diana's attention. She realized that Dane's intuition might have been right.

The performance then began. Zatanna first performed a few small tricks to warm up the crowd.

Then she snapped her fingers, and the lights went out. Less than a second later, they came back on.

Three majestic lions had appeared on the previously empty stage.

They shook their manes and raised their heads in roaring poses, proving that they were real.

Gasps erupted from the audience.

No matter how incredible a trick was, conjuring three living creatures in less than a second was nothing short of a miracle!

Zatanna continued waving her little cane, and the three lions rose into the air with her movements, as weightless as kites.

"She really is a mage."

There was indeed a reason Zatanna was such a famous magician. Who could have imagined that a magician was actually a real mage?

Though Diana was the daughter of an Old God, she had never watched a magic performance before. Now, she found herself thoroughly engrossed.

Seeing that she was no longer angry, Dane quietly let out a breath. Just for that, the trip had been worthwhile.

The show lasted over an hour. Mainly because the audience response was so enthusiastic, Zatanna had to return to the stage several times at their request.

By the time the show finally ended, Zatanna finally had a chance to sit down in the lounge and catch her breath.

At that moment, Dane and Diana stood up as well.

"I'm going backstage to try my luck. Do you want to come?"

Diana shook her head. "I'll stay out of it. I want to continue training. Don't worry, I'll be more careful this time." She smiled at Dane.

He explained, "Actually, I'm not worried about you breaking things. Doing that often can easily damage the building's overall structure."

"After a while, I'll figure out a way to make you a sturdier one."

With that, he opened a Portal on the spot and let Diana walk through it.

Then he headed backstage and used the power of money to successfully get into the backstage lounge.

He politely knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

The door opened, and a hatless Zatanna poked her head out.

She looked at Dane in puzzlement. "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for you, Zatanna Zatara."

Many people knew her name was Zatanna, but very few knew her surname was Zatara. Those who did were all fellow practitioners.

Zatanna's face turned wary. "Who are you?" Her other hand had already quietly gripped her cane.

"I'm a member of the Justice League. My name is Dane Davis."

"The Justice League? Never heard of it." Zatanna frowned.

"Perhaps I should use another title. I am the master of the Rock of Eternity, heir to the Wizard Council, and the new Shazam."

"Shazam? You're Shazam?"

Zatanna was startled. Born into an ancient magical family, she had naturally heard the legends of the magical holy land, the Rock of Eternity, and Shazam the Wizard.

But—

"How do you prove that what you said is true?"

Dane smiled. He pointed at the lounge ceiling, and with a change of magic, revealed the sky outside.

"You should know some of Shazam's abilities, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds. Lightning snakes darted and flashed through the clouds, accompanied now and then by thunderclaps.

Zatanna was stunned and hurried outside.

Only after leaving the circus and seeing that there was not a trace of sunlight in the sky did she dare believe it was real.

"You can summon wind and rain at will?"

Dane bent at the waist in a gentleman's bow. "Now it is up to you whether it rains today, Miss Zatanna."

Zatanna smiled at that. "I think sunny weather is more comfortable."

"Understood."

Dane snapped his fingers, just as Zatanna had done during her performance.

That made her blush a little, as though she had been caught showing off before an expert. She shot Dane an embarrassed glare.

But the thunderclouds overhead suddenly stopped gathering. A few minutes later, they dispersed as inexplicably as they had come.

Sunlight once more poured down upon the earth.

Having witnessed this miracle, Zatanna no longer doubted Dane's identity. This was Shazam, a genuine God!

And Zatanna secretly glanced at him. His looks, physique, and bearing were all flawless.

"Miss Zatanna, I came this time to invite you to become a member of the Justice League."

As Dane spoke, he looked around. The middle of a street was not suitable for a conversation.

"Would you mind going somewhere quieter to talk?"

For some reason, Zatanna agreed to the suggestion despite Dane still being a stranger.

Dane clapped his hands, and the scene changed. The two arrived at the Rock of Eternity.

While establishing his real-world ventures, Dane had not forgotten to renovate the Rock of Eternity.

He had long been dissatisfied with its original gloomy atmosphere, so over the course of a year, he had given the place a major overhaul.

Who said the Rock of Eternity could only have a fantasy aesthetic?

I'll turn it into a sci-fi one if I want to!

The entire Rock of Eternity now resembled a radiant great hall. Countless light stones, combined with magic arrays, provided it with a lasting source of soft white light.