Chapter 348: Intelligence Commission
At this moment, Nick Fury held a glimmer of expectation. On one hand, he hoped that Charles knew nothing about Asgard, which would reduce the perceived threat. On the other hand, he hoped Earth's extraordinary forces had some counterattack capability.
Even though this force wasn't currently under his control, thise was still a significant difference between having it and not having it.
Nick Fury then shifted his attention to the latest report about Chen Haoran.
…
Just as Charles revealed Sakura Haruno to the world, a notification sound echoed in his mind.
Ding! Obtained Title: "The Original Team 7"!
All four members—Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke—had been revealed by Charles into the world. Although current Kakashi is not the team leader leading class 7, he was still counted as the team leader.
Charles checked the rewards for the title.
Opening "The Original Team 7," the image displayed Kakashi standing behind the other three, his left hand on Sasuke's head, and his right hand on Naruto's head, a group photo of the entire squad.
Seeing the four-person group photo, Charles began to inspect the rewards for the title.
Reward: One additional ninja combat slot!
Seeing this reward, a smile appeared on Charles's face. A single combat slot now cost 20,000 gold coins, a significant expense.
Considering the Konoha Twelve, which included not only Kakashi's Team 7 but also Team 10, Team 8, and three other teams, and teachers like Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi leading them, Charles was very interested in the rewards for the other three teams.
However, he hadn't assembled the Konoha Twelve yet, let alone the teachers of the other teams.
After briefly explaining some of the world's rules and introducing the ninjas who had arrived, Charles let the hotel staff handle the formalities for Sakura. Then, he handed her over to Selene to learn about the knowledge of this world.
…
Charles still hadn't rested for long when Coulson, accompanied by a team of agents, arrived at the agency's door.
After getting off the car, Coulson didn't bring the entire team inside but stationed them outside. He entered the agency alone, empty-handed.
Opening the agency's door, Coulson walked in and headed towards the front desk. However, he couldn't help but glance around the interior of the agency, taking note of its design.
Relying on his extraordinary memory, Coulson found that everything inside, from the furniture to the overall layout, was exactly the same as before the destruction. The only difference was the replacement of some staff.
Arriving at the front desk, Coulson saw a woman and an unfamiliar girl beside her. He furrowed his brows slightly, thinking, "Changed personnel. It seems that Iruka is no longer responsible for this area."
Then, seeing the headband on the girl's head, Coulson knew she was a ninja. He wasn't sure about her specific strength, but considering the abilities of Naruto and others, she shouldn't be a simple character.
"Sir, may I help you with anything?"
"Hello, I'm Agent Coulson from SHIELD, and I need to commission some intelligence-related tasks. Could you please contact Charles Doyle?"
Sakura stared at the unfamiliar man in front of her with wide eyes. She had just arrived in this world not too long ago and heard someone looking for missions from Charles.
"Please wait in the reception room."
A staff member standing by the reception desk walked up to Coulson.
"Sir, please follow me."
Coulson followed the staff member into the reception room, waiting for Charles to arrive.
Selene picked up the phone at the front desk and directly called Charles.
"Lord Charles, Agent Coulson from SHIELD has arrived."
"Yes, he's here for an intelligence mission."
"He didn't bring anything, but there's a transport vehicle and a small team outside. I presume the items for the mission are there."
"Yes, I understand."
While Selene was on the phone, Sakura, who was standing next to his, asked, "Sister Selene, is Lord Charles going to receive this person?"
"Yes, he will attend to him later. The price he is paying for the intelligence to us is essential for us."
Sakura nodded thoughtfully. Then Selene continued to explain some basic knowledge of this world to the girl.
…
Coulson sat on the sofa in the meeting room, and there was a cup of coffee placed in front of him.
Observing the room's layout, which was identical to the one before the destruction, Coulson marveled at the strength of the ninjas.
Meanwhile, he speculated on today's intelligence mission and assumed he could get the answers he wanted.
As Coulson pondered, Charles pushed open the door and entered the meeting room.
"Long time no see, Coulson."
Coulson stood up as Charles entered. He reached out to shake his hand and said, "Indeed, Mr. Charles."
Sitting back down on the sofa, Charles looked at Coulson and said, "It seems that SHIELD is taking care of my business again. I wonder which area of intelligence you want to entrust to me."
Coulson sat up straight, then took out a tablet and placed it in front of Charles.
Watching Coulson's actions, Charles took the tablet on the table and clicked on the unplayed video on it.
As the video above played, Charles saw the scene of the Destroyer destroying the town, as well as the battle scene of Thor, Sif and the Three Warriors of Asgard fighting the Destroyer.
Since Charles picked up the tablet, Coulson kept a close eye on his facial expressions, trying to discern whether he knew about Thor and the others.
However, Charles's expression remained unchanged, leaving Coulson uncertain about his knowledge of Thor, Sif, and the others.
Setting down the tablet, Charles was aware that an opportunity to harvest energy stones had presented itself. It all depended on how much Coulson was prepared to offer.
"What kind of information are you looking for this time?" Charles inquired.
"Based on your mission, I will determine the price for the commissioned energy blocks," Charles added.
After a moment of contemplation, Coulson began explaining, "About a week ago, a small town in New Mexico was attacked. A prince from the Asgard, Thor, descended upon the town along with three other beings from Asgard, and a steel robot sent by Loki, another prince from Asgard."
"Then a major battle ensued, causing the destruction of the entire town. After the battle, Thor and his friends left Earth."
"That's the combat scene you saw in the video."
Charles nodded to indicate his understanding.
"We need to verify several pieces of information. First, the true identities of the individuals in the video."
"Second, if they are truly gods from Asgard, why haven't they shown themselves in over a millennium after leaving behind mythological tales?"
"Third, what kind of force and organization are the gods of Asgard, and what is their strength? Fourth, what is the purpose of their appearance this time?" Coulson listed four questions and then paused, taking a sip of coffee.
Seeing Coulson pause, Charles spoke, "For the information in the video, including the robot and the person behind the robot, it's 50 energy stones per identity. I'll sell them as a package, no separate sales."
Charles understood that once he confirmed the information on one person, Coulson could verify the other information from others like Jane. So, he bundled them together for sale.
Coulson, hearing the high price, was momentarily stunned. Then he said, "Mr. Charles, 50 energy stones per person. Isn't that price a bit exaggerated?"
"Not at all. Trust me, they are worth that price."
"As for the rest of your questions, it's not three but twelve questions."
"One question is 50 energy stones. You'll need to pay 600 energy stones."
Upon hearing Charles's offer, Coulson was taken aback. It was indeed getting more expensive each time.
However, after hesitating for a moment, he accepted Charles's proposal. "Alright, let's go with your price."
In fact, Coulson realized, after Charles turned the initial four questions into twelve intelligence tasks, that the existence of the gods from the Asgard had been confirmed. Otherwise, there would be no need to break down a single task into so many.
However, he chose not to alter his mission to gather more information about these 'gods'. He understood that manipulating the situation at this point wouldn't be advantageous for SHIELD.
Charles, without hesitation, asked Selene to bring twelve blank mission scrolls, and then he started writing down the details of the intelligence commission.
As Charles finished writing down the mission details, Coulson took the scrolls and signed his name.
"Your commission fee hasn't been paid yet," Charles reminded.
"Ms. Charles, I wasn't aware that this mission would require so many energy stones, and the quantity I brought is not sufficient. I will arrange for the headquarters staff to deliver more later," Coulson explained.
Charles smiled, "Alright, considering our previous collaborations, I'll let you obtain the intelligence first and pay later. But I hope this won't happen again in the future."
"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Charles."
Charles then picked up the tablet, paused the video on Thor's figure, and began explaining.
"This is Thor, the god of Thunder, and the eldest son of Odin, the King of Asgard. He is also known as a prince of Asgard who controls lightning."
After hearing the information, which matched what he already knew, Coulson nodded to indicate his understanding.
Charles continued by showing an image of Sif and explaining, "This is Sif, the goddess of earth and harvest in Asgard."
Coulson, recalling mythology, asked, "Is he Thor's wife?"
Charles chuckled and replied, "This question would usually require an additional fee, but I'll tell you. He is Thor's childhood friend, not his wife."
Hearing this answer, Coulson breathed a sigh of relief. Not being his wife was a good thing; it left a chance for Jane Foster...
"As for these three, they are the Three Warriors of the Asgard, also Thor's companions: Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg."
After introducing the names of the five individuals, Charles then pointed to the destructive steel giant in the video and continued, "This is the Destroyer Armor."
"It's a powerful battle armor created by King Odin. It can be worn or remotely controlled, as seen in the video."
"And the one controlling it at that time was Loki, Thor's brother, the god of Mischief."
"This covers the identities of these individuals."
Hearing the introductions, Coulson nodded. The information matched what he already knew, and confirming it with Charles added credibility to the intelligence.
Charles then continued, "Regarding the gods of Aesir, their location, and why they haven't appeared on Earth for so long..."
He drew a simple sketch on a piece of paper, depicting the World Tree and the nine realms it connected.
"The gods of Aesir reside in a place called Asgard, not on Earth but in the Nine Realms connected by the World Tree. Earth is referred to as Midgard in the Nine Realms."
"As for why their mythological stories were left on Earth over a thousand years ago, it was due to a war between the Frost Giants from Jotunheim and the gods of Aesir. Earth became one of the battlefields, leading to the gods of Aesir leaving their mythological tales on Earth."
"As for why they haven't appeared after leaving, no one knows the specific reasons. Perhaps Earth doesn't hold anything worth their nostalgia. Also, the lifespan of the people of Asgard is very long, up to 5,000 years."
Hearing that the lifespan of Asgardians was only 5,000 years, Coulson was momentarily surprised. He asked, "Aren't gods supposed to have infinite lifespans?"
Charles looked at Coulson and said casually, "Asgardians are called gods of Aesir, but in my eyes, they are just a group of powerful extraterrestrials with slightly longer lifespans compared to ordinary Earthlings."
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