The Magic Conch

Marsh Island Beach, the sun was still shining.

"I'm such an idiot!"

Tony walked along the beach with a detector in hand, looking irritated. Natasha, walking beside him, wore a faintly awkward expression.

Everyone around them stared at the pair strangely. The woman was beautiful, but the man looked like there might be something wrong with his head—and he seemed familiar.

Oh, right. It was probably the billionaire Tony Stark.

One tabloid reporter's eyes lit up. He'd already thought of tomorrow's headline.

It would be: "Shocking! Billionaire Tony Stark Loses His Mind, Hunts for Treasure on the Beach—Rumored to Have Been Mocked for His Manhood by a Celebrity."

If a few bodyguards in black suits hadn't come over and politely talked him out of it, he really would have run that story.

Tony Stark seemed oblivious to the commotion around him. He waved the metal detector in his hand, sometimes bending down to examine its faint signals, sometimes looking out at the vast ocean.

If anyone asked how Tony felt at that moment, the answer was regret. Deep, deep regret.

His little secretary had played him!

He'd thought he could have a passionate romp with her on the beach, but the moment they arrived, she'd handed him a metal detector.

She'd said they were going to look for treasure, and somehow, he'd agreed.

Now he'd become the biggest fool on the island!

Tony Stark's feelings were as complicated as the metal detector in his hand, which kept beeping. He was annoyed with himself for falling for the trick so easily, but there was also a hint of resentment and curiosity.

He glanced at Natasha, who was pretending to look earnestly for "treasure," and grumbled inwardly, This woman is getting more and more playful.

Still, even though she'd made a fool of a genius like him, he had to admit the experience was a rare kind of fun.

He was going to die soon anyway. What was there left to hold back?

"All right. Since we're here, we might as well enjoy ourselves."

Tony made up his mind and deliberately exaggerated his movements: bending down, standing up, then bending down again, as if he were really searching for some priceless treasure.

Natasha felt a little better seeing that. She wasn't interested in treasure hunting; it was all just a mission from the Director.

But since Tony, the person she'd tricked into coming, was putting so much effort into it, how could she, the one who'd "invited" him, not take it seriously?

The two of them played along, and before they knew it, they'd fallen into an unusual sort of rhythm.

Just then, the metal detector gave off a powerful signal. Tony's eyes lit up, and he quickly gestured for Natasha to be quiet.

He carefully dug into the sand. As he went deeper, his heart began to beat faster.

At last, a somewhat weathered, conch-shaped object appeared before him.

Tony picked it up and examined it closely. It was spiral-shaped, pale purple, and had a pull cord inside.

"Wow, so the Magic Conch really exists!"

Natasha put on a look of astonishment and gazed at Tony with adoration.

Though it was all an act, her performance was so convincing that Tony couldn't help feeling a little pleased with himself.

He cleared his throat and asked quietly, "Natalie, do you know what this is?"

"It must be the Magic Conch. I heard the legend when I was a child. It's on Marsh Island Beach, waiting for the person destined to find it.

"They say the Magic Conch can answer any question you ask. I suddenly remembered the legend, but I didn't have much money on me, so I decided to invite you to come take a look."

Natasha was delighted. She stepped forward to touch and examine it, and now and then a glimmer of admiration flashed in her eyes.

She didn't know how other men would react, but Tony's ego was practically soaring.

"So you're saying I'm the chosen one?" he said smugly. "Then how do I use this, uh, Magic Conch?"

"It's simple. Just ask a question, then pull the cord."

Natasha smiled, her eyes shining with anticipation and curiosity, as if she were just as eager to see the miracle the Magic Conch might bring.

But how did this suggestion make him look like an idiot?

"Stark, you're amazing. I've never met a man as outstanding as you. Won't you show me how it works?"

Natasha walked over, gently tugged at Tony's sleeve, and coaxed him in a sweet, pleading voice.

Her sudden coyness caught Tony off guard. Then the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.

Even after years of chasing beautiful women, he couldn't resist a gorgeous woman acting so sweetly toward him.

"All right. Since you put it that way, I suppose I can make an exception and demonstrate."

Tony shook his head with feigned reluctance, though his eyes gleamed mischievously.

He raised the Magic Conch, cleared his throat, and asked in an exaggeratedly solemn voice, "Great Magic Conch, what should I do now?"

Then he pulled the cord.

"You should now move one step to the left or right."

As soon as Tony finished speaking, a mechanical female voice answered him.

"What? Say that again?"

Tony blinked, baffled, and pulled the cord again.

"You should now move one step to the left or right."

???

"Say that again?"

"You should now move one step to the left or right."

All right, Tony was sure of it now: the Magic Conch was just a recording device.

The voice he'd heard was a prerecorded message.

Tony was about to look for the recording device inside the conch when he suddenly felt a warm lump land on his head.

He reached up and touched it, immediately realizing what was on his head: a natural deposit, what remained after nature had finished its cycle.

Tony's face turned ashen. Natasha couldn't help covering her mouth as she giggled, and even the bodyguards were struggling to hold back their laughter. Happy especially was pinching his thigh so hard it had swollen.

"Stark, you should've listened to the Magic Conch," Natasha said, then snorted with laughter.

Tony's face turned ashen. He glared at the seagull responsible, but all he could do was accept his bad luck.

"All right, looks like I really should listen to the Magic Conch. What do you have to say this time?"

Tony laughed at himself and pulled the cord again.

"If you don't want to embarrass yourself any further, hurry up and wash your hair. Stop making a spectacle of yourself."

Natasha didn't know how Tony felt, but she was sure of one thing: he'd probably fly off the island that very night.