"Please wait in the reception room, I will inform the boss," said Shizune, leading Coulson into the room.
Dialing Charles's number, Shizune informed him of Coulson's arrival for an intelligence mission commission.
"Lord Charles, Coulson is here for an intelligence task commission. He is currently in the reception room."
"Yes, alone, and I didn't see him carrying anything."
"Okay, understood!"
Knowing that Coulson's visit meant a delivery of chargeable items, Charles was wary of any attempt to defraud.
He made it clear that nobody could evade payment, not even S.H.I.E.L.D. If necessary, he could use this opportunity for extortion.
Without closing his laptop, Charles got up and headed towards the meeting room.
Just as he was leaving, his cursor happened to glide over a sales page, and suddenly, information about a second-hand ring for sale popped up.
The ring was a dragon-shaped ring, listed at a price of $100,000.
Evidently, the seller was in a dilemma, torn between wanting to sell the ring that had troubled him since childhood and led to a diagnosis of a mental disorder.
Harboring suspicions that the experiences were not mere illusions, he had set an extremely high price.
There were quite a few comments on the sales interface, all mocking the seller for being money-hungry. Some even joked that the same ring was available for $10 each, with bulk discounts.
However, this popup window went unnoticed by Charles as he left.
······
Upon arriving at the meeting room, Charles walked straight to the sofa opposite Coulson and sat down. He then spoke up:
"I anticipated that you would come, but it took longer than I expected."
Charles didn't bother with pleasantries; pulling out a blank task scroll and spreading it out on the table.
"So, what kind of intelligence mission do we have today? As I mentioned last time, the prices will no longer be discounted and will return to the original rates."
Seeing Charles Doyle get straight to the point, Coulson composed himself before speaking:
"First of all, I want to express my sincere gratitude, Mr. Charles, for your feat yesterday. You resolved the turmoil caused by Iron Monger and successfully killed him."
Amused by Coulson's formalities, Charles chuckled, "Oh, is the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division planning to award me a Good Citizen medal, or maybe a stabilizing reward?"
Coulson maintained a professional smile and replied, "If Mr. Charles is interested, we can arrange it quickly and hold a press conference to commend you."
However, Coulson's words were not merely casual. If Charles was enticed by the idea of becoming a public figure, they had plenty of ways to control him.
After all, turning him into a superhero would allow them to easily apply pressure and control through morality, responsibility, and other means.
Nevertheless, Coulson's proposal held no appeal for Charles, who waved it off, saying, "This is just a task, I won't take extra pay, Coulson. You need to understand, rules are important here."
Upon hearing Charles's refusal, Coulson merely smiled and didn't dwell on the topic.
After all, this was just an attempt. Besides, he was also aware of Pepper Potts' task request, having been present during the phone communication.
"Well then, Mr. Charles, shall we proceed with the intelligence task?" Coulson asked.
Hearing Coulson's question, Charles smiled and responded, "Sure, why not? You go ahead and tell me the specific intelligence you want to obtain."
"Mr. Charles, as you mentioned before, the establishment of the Hidden Leaf Village was led by two clans. I want to obtain information about both of these clans," Coulson replied.
Upon hearing Coulson's request, Charles's face lit up with a smile.
"No problem. I can provide you with information on both clans, but the prices will vary depending on the level of detail," Charles said.
"For basic information on one clan, it will cost 5 energy blocks."
"For slightly detailed information, it's 20 energy blocks."
"For the detailed development details after the village's establishment, it's 50 energy blocks."
However, Charles didn't mention anything about the family's historical details or its evolution, considering the high prices and the potential reluctance to accept such a large number of energy blocks.
Coulson was taken aback by Charles's increased prices and the various versions of the information, especially the price of 50 energy blocks for the family's post-village establishment development, given that Coulson had only brought 60 blocks.
It seemed that the plan needed some adjustments.
"Mr. Charles, let's start with a brief version of the family's information," Coulson suggested, intending to see what information the 5 energy block intelligence contained.
Charles quickly wrote the information on the task scroll and handed it to Coulson for confirmation.
After Coulson signed, Charles retrieved the scroll and submitted the task commission to the mission assembly, receiving a B-level task directly.
"Mr. Charles, I'll send the commission fee to you later," Coulson said.
Charles smiled and continued, "The establishment of the Hidden Leaf Village was primarily led by two major ninja families."
"One of these families is called the Uchiha, and the current leader is Uchiha Madara."
"The Uchiha family is a powerful clan in the ninja world and one of the two largest clans among ninjas."
"The Uchiha family crest is a gunbai with red and white color."
"Every member of the Uchiha clan possesses great potential and is considered outstanding among their peers."
Upon Charles's introduction, Coulson immediately caught on and asked, "Is Uchiha Sasuke one of the members of this clan?"
##########
More Chapters(120+): p@treon.com/gfdsa