Chapter 3096: Mercury Chronicles (46)

Xi Wana hadn't known the true name of the successor prior; she only knew that the old man had already chosen one. However, because the inheritor was too young and immature when inheriting the powers, they straightforwardly registered a superhero account on social media.

When the Justice League was selecting young superheroes for training on Mercury, they also noticed this emerging superhero named Shazam.

Billy was an ordinary little boy living in a foster home without any means to counter the Federation Shield or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These law enforcement agencies could track down his family lineage with just an online search, naturally making his personal information transparent.

As the principal of both Gotham University and Gotham Magic Academy, Xi Wana had interactions with Amanda and, after learning about Shazam's situation from her, basically confirmed he was the successor the old man had found.

That said, the specific information was still with Amanda, and Xi Wana only knew a name, but for someone with investigative methods, a name was enough.

After obtaining the name, Dick made a call to Tim.

Tim, who was sitting in Wayne Enterprises' office, was checking the information database and said on the phone, "The FBI database shows that this guy is primarily active in Wisconsin, so he is likely a small-town boy."

"You can look around Focis City and stir things up; he'll naturally show up."

Dick hung up the phone, shared Tim's plan with everyone, and they all agreed. Under the current circumstances, they didn't have time for a thorough search. The most expedient method was to draw out the snake from its hole.

Raven teleported everyone to the suburbs of Focis City, a small Midwestern American city, far less developed than the coastal cities and somewhat aged, looking almost end-to-end when flying above.

"What do we do now?" Raven asked. "Shall I shout with my magic? Or create some kind of special effect?"

Dick stroked his chin and thought, then said, "Last time you spoke with your dad on the phone, I took a glance. I think his image was pretty imposing. How about creating a miniature version?"

"That would be too scary," Raven hesitated and said. "One thing is a super villain threatening city safety, and another is the Demon King descending. Are you sure he won't get scared off?"

"If he gets scared off, then wouldn't you have fulfilled your father's expectations?" Dick clearly thought further ahead, he said, "Continuously taking funding without producing results isn't good either. If you can scare off a few superheroes, you can ask for funding next time with even more justification."

Raven thought it over; after all, if an image alone could scare someone off, they hardly qualify as a formidable superhero, more like a coward. With that realization, she felt even less guilty about scaring them.

Raven closed her eyes, floated into the air, and soon dark clouds covered the skies of Focis City. A massive shadow loomed within the clouds, causing passersby to stop in their tracks.

A pair of eyes, burning with Hell Fire, appeared, and the citizens began to scream. The police chief cursed from his office window and hurriedly began organizing his officers.

After waiting about ten minutes, the American police were in position, but the so-called superhero Shazam was still nowhere to be seen.

Jason observed the city through binoculars, and soon he lowered them and said, "Rachel, stop. If we continue, it's really going to cause a panic."

Raven had to retract her powers and scratched her head in confusion, "I didn't see any superheroes. Are we sure it's this city?"

"What you conjured could be seen in several nearby cities. If he wanted to come, he would have by now." Aisha had transformed into a smaller version of herself, crouching on the rooftop of a building, constantly scanning the city, then said, "The photos he posted on his account looked quite intimidating. It's not surprising he'd stay out of sight when real disaster strikes; no wonder he wasn't cut out for Mercury."

"I feel like there's something off about this." Jason frowned and fidgeted with his phone, saying, "I'll send his account a message and ask what's going on."

Everyone crowded around to see Jason using the private messaging feature on the social media app, pretending to be a victim and pleading for help.

The guy didn't show up, but he was quick to respond. After just over ten seconds, he replied, "Don't panic, I'm trying to figure something out, but there's some problem with my ability, I need some time to adjust..."

Seeing this response, Dick frowned and said, "His ability is having issues? Isn't that too convenient?"

"Need help?" Jason replied, and after thinking for a bit, sent another message, "We are a group of young superheroes, and we also have superpower users on our team. Perhaps we have a way to deal with your situation."

There was a long silence from the other side, suggesting disbelief in Jason's words, but it seemed like he was indeed desperate and out of options. After a while, he replied, "I'm in the parking lot at the corner of 24 Beech Street."

The Young Avengers set off, and because the city itself wasn't large, it didn't take long for them to locate Beech Street. They searched around for a while but didn't find the parking lot.

"This kid's pretty crafty," Jason remarked.

"Wait, is that a sign for an underground parking lot over there?" Aisha pointed to a sign at the end of the street, and Jason slapped his forehead, saying, "Forget what I said, let's go."

They realized it was indeed a parking lot as they got closer, but it turned out to be an underground lot, with a small and narrow entrance that was almost invisible unless you looked carefully.

As they entered, they found the place dimly lit and everyone became more cautious, fearing a trap. They didn't notice anyone who seemed like a superhero after circling the area, but eventually found a kid curled up in a car in the furthest corner.

Indeed, it was a child, hardly fourteen or fifteen years old. Although Dick and the others weren't much older, at least they were university students, while this one looked like a junior high student.

Dick knocked on the car window and the little boy seemed startled. Dick sighed and asked, "Are you Billy?"

"How do you know my name?"

"We did some investigating... don't worry about that. You're the superhero Shazam, right? What happened to you?"

The boy looked conflicted and seemed to have trouble speaking. He rolled down the car window and then said, "Aren't you surprised? The Great Hero Shazam is actually an underage child..."

"Great Hero Batman himself is nothing more than a youth pretending to be younger," Jason said nonchalantly. "Seriously though, buddy, what's actually going on?"

Jason's straightforward street vibe seemed to give Billy some sense of reality, and only then did he dare to look straight at the people outside. Seeing that they were all young, dressed fashionably, and accompanied by a young girl, they genuinely appeared to be a youth group, which made him relax.

"I don't know, but there's something wrong with my power." Billy looked out the window and said, "I can't transform into Shazam anymore."

Jason pulled the car door open effortlessly, startling Billy inside, who was sure he had locked it.

"I don't even need three seconds to pick the lock of this junker, get out," Jason said.

Billy had no choice but to steel himself and get out of the car. Raven looked him over and shook her head at Dick, while Aisha also examined the boy before them, clicking her tongue in disapproval.

Dick walked over and put an arm around Billy's shoulder, and they chatted as they walked out of the parking lot.

Billy was somewhat shrewd, but not greatly so, especially not compared to the Little Smart Ghosts of the Wayne Family. Dick easily coaxed information out of him.

Then they understood why Billy's powers had vanished.

Shazam wasn't just a word. It was an acronym for the names of the contractors behind the superhero's powers—S for Solomon's Wisdom, H for Hercules' Strength, A for Atlas' Stamina, Z for Zeus's Divine Power, A for Achilles' Courage, and M for Mercury's Speed.

Seeing Zeus makes it clear: Shazam's contractors were the gods of Mount Olympus.

Now with something having gone wrong on Mount Olympus, Shazam's powers were naturally affected. Now he couldn't transform into Shazam even if he shouted the name.

Billy had to be in Shazam's form to teleport directly to the Rock of Eternity. As a mere human, he was powerless, and the trail went cold.

While Dick and the others discussed what their next steps in the investigation should be, Billy seemed to finally come to terms with the loss of his superpower. He looked at them excitedly and asked, "Are you guys really the Young Avengers? Can I join you?"

"Only adults are allowed," Dick said.

Billy immediately turned his gaze to Aisha. She rolled her eyes and said, "What are you looking at me for? I was born with this cosmos, I just look younger."

Billy wasn't ready to give up and kept insisting on joining the newly established Young Avengers.

Dick thought about it. Billy's powers were tied to the gods of Mount Olympus, so if communication with Mount Olympus was restored, he could potentially act as a messenger.

More importantly, the kid was too young and quite naive. Leaving him to grow up alone and risk being led astray was unthinkable. It was safer to keep him under their watchful eyes.

So Dick nodded and said, "Alright, we're short-staffed now, so you can join. But you have to obey orders, and during your training, you might be away from home for a long time..."

Billy, eager to join the cool youth squad, agreed without much thought. However, he didn't realize that this so-called superhero training wasn't about fighting crime but receiving an elite education to get into a good university.

It was then that Raven suggested a possibility. The name Faust wasn't very common, and although he could have been a millennia-old creature, if he had ever operated within Human Society, he surely would have left traces.

If they could find such traces, they might locate others familiar with Faust and thereby discover his whereabouts.

Dick made another call to Tim, but Tim had already considered this and had thought even further ahead.

This cosmos may not have many who've interacted with Faust, but others might exist in different cosmoses. By contacting someone from another cosmos who has a connection to Faust, or even asking Faust himself, they could find his hiding place.

The real challenge was how to get the cunning and crafty old fellow to hand over the Key of Tartarus willingly.