"Ready?" Freddy rasped. "You'd better have plenty of money ready. From the look of you, you've got quite a few questions."
At that moment, Coulson could only give a wry smile.
Was money really that important?
Fine, it was.
Freddy took out a card reader and held it toward Coulson.
"Swipe your card."
The payment confirmation came through.
Freddy returned to his seat and tossed the coin sharply into the air.
The spinning coin slowly fell, giving off a faint white glow.
Clink-
The side of the coin marked 'yes' landed faceup.
Freddy said, "Tony Stark is still alive."
Coulson had watched closely the entire time Freddy tossed the coin.
He simply couldn't understand it. A coin toss was all it took to find the answer?
No rituals, dancing, or anything like that?
"Well, could you tell me where Tony Stark is?"
Freddy chuckled. "That would come at a much higher price. You might not be able to afford it."
"Tell me how much." Coulson's eyes lit up when he heard that Freddy could determine Tony Stark's exact location.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had vast resources. It could probably afford just about any price.
"Money? That's not what I need. To obtain Tony Stark's location, you'll have to exchange your 'fortune.'"
"Fortune?" Coulson looked puzzled. "What do you mean by fortune?"
"You could call it luck. It also includes financial fortune, fate, and things like that."
Freddy's tone hadn't changed, yet Coulson inexplicably felt a chill.
He could strip people of their luck and financial fortune?
How was that possible?!
[Emotional Value from Coulson +34]
What shocked Coulson even more was that finding Tony Stark required consuming something as extraordinary as 'fortune.'
Then just who had kidnapped Tony?!
As if he could see Coulson's shock, Freddy offered an explanation. "There's more