George watched Tony soar away with luminous eyes, smacked his lips appreciatively, retrieved his brought materials, and began selecting the optimal location for his workshop.
Meanwhile, the All-Purpose Shop welcomed new visitors.
Ethan hurried from his chamber, adjusting his spectacles while walking. Outside the shop entrance, knocking sounds continued relentlessly—one burst following another without respite.
"Who's there? We're already closed." Ethan positioned himself at the shop entrance, inquiring cautiously.
"Sir, I have something extraordinarily urgent requiring your assistance. Please help me—my friend is dying!" A man's panicked voice emanated from outside.
"Then you should seek a hospital, not here." Ethan quietly retreated a step, preparing to summon Coby. He understood this chaotic American environment could produce any conceivable situation.
The external voice was nearly sobbing. "No time remaining, sir! I know you can save him here. Please, sir—there's truly no time left! I possess money! I'll compensate generously! Substantial amounts!"
"What's occurring?" Gemini's voice resonated from the first floor. Ethan briefly explained the circumstances.
Gemini peered outside through the window. A bald middle-aged man was pacing anxiously at the shop entrance, behind him a large coffin-like container. Gemini donned a pair of peculiar spectacles and observed the two individuals below. The bald man's form emanated white luminescence with crimson hints, while within that massive container, brilliant golden radiance nearly blinded Gemini.
These spectacles represented a new product Aunt Luna had dispatched, supposedly enabling soul perception—approaching black indicated increasing evil, approaching gold suggested increasing sanctity, blue and green represented normal individuals. This marked Gemini's first encounter with such golden soul illumination, immediately sparking her curiosity.
"Ethan, admit them. Coby, maintain invisibility and guard Ethan—prevent any harm to him." Gemini issued commands and departed to change attire. She couldn't receive visitors in sleepwear.
Ethan opened the shop portal, and the interior illumination instantly blazed. The bald man struggled to maneuver the container inside, but its substantial dimensions lodged it within the doorframe. As he pondered solutions, the door frame twisted and shifted laterally, expanding the entrance to accommodate the container. The shop's tables also relocated toward the walls when the container threatened collision.
"What's your friend's condition? Why is he contained in a box?" Gemini had completed her wardrobe change and descended.
"I'm Phil—Phil Coulson. He's frozen within ice, but remains alive. I visited numerous hospitals, yet none could guarantee intact thawing. I could only approach here requesting your potential solution." Coulson appeared momentarily stunned witnessing Gemini, then gazed pleadingly at Ethan, his eyes brimming with tears.
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Ethan adjusted his spectacles. "Isn't this simply a hibernation protocol? So it can actually be achieved?"
Gemini disregarded their exchange, casually waved to seal the shop entrance, approached the container, and tapped it with her wand. The container lid bounded away and positioned itself against the wall, revealing the internal ice block. A blonde, broad-chested man materialized before everyone, encased in thick ice with no indication of life.
"Are you certain he's alive?" Ethan squinted and leaned over the container, carefully examining the internal figure. "I sense familiarity—and those garments too."
Gemini commenced testing with her wand, the various colored emanations inspiring her marvel. "Absolutely incredible—frozen to this extent, yet he remains perfectly alive. Even his bodily functions haven't suffered significant damage. This physical constitution rivals giants—even half-giants wouldn't dare such self-preservation."
"Can he be saved?" Coulson observed expectantly.
Gemini nodded. "Naturally. What compensation will you provide?"
Coulson frantically extracted a card from his person. "Five million dollars here. If insufficient, I possess some real estate—I'll immediately gather additional funds!"
Gemini glanced at Ethan, who accepted the card and retrieved a magically inscribed POS device from behind the counter, processing the transaction. "Indeed five million—accurate."
"Then that's sufficient." Gemini declared. "Proceed—we'll descend to the cellar. Operation here proves impractical. Will you remain here or accompany us to observe him?"
Given the monetary consideration, Gemini inquired graciously.
"I must accompany you!" Coulson immediately decided, nervously adjusting his collar as he watched Gemini lightly tap, causing the entire container to levitate and follow her smoothly.
Coulson's expression stiffened, but he remained silent, following closely.
Ethan didn't accompany them, quietly returning to his chamber to retrieve his phone and contact Tony. This individual seemed abnormal, and he worried Gemini might face disadvantage. However magical her abilities, Gemini remained merely a teenage girl—she required someone monitoring her welfare.
Gemini transported the container to the cellar laboratory, casually opened a portal and entered. The interior was completely vacant except for wall-mounted tables holding numerous bottles and containers, some with extraordinarily eerie colorations that, despite being bottled, continuously bubbled as if boiling.
Coulson followed into the chamber, inconspicuously surveying the entire space. At Gemini's direction, he positioned himself quietly in a corner, not daring to move.
"I understand your background likely isn't conventional, but I must warn you—don't speak carelessly upon departure. If excessive people discover this, I cannot guarantee your consequences. Additionally—don't touch those items randomly. I bear no responsibility for resulting problems. Were it not for the fact that the person within this ice block truly deserves salvation, I wouldn't have admitted you." Gemini spoke nonchalantly.
Coulson's expression tightened. "I believe I comprehend. Thank you. May I inquire your designation?"
"Simply call me Miss Black." Gemini responded, focusing intently on the various information displayed by her spells while summoning a parchment contract. "Sign this." Coulson reached to accept it, carefully inscribing his name. The parchment floated away from the chamber.
After extended observation, Gemini departed the room, retrieved numerous potions from the adjacent potions chamber, extracted a bottle of brilliant crimson liquid, and held it toward the illumination. She dipped a quill pen and crouched to begin drawing around the ice-filled container. The bright crimson coloration appeared briefly when applied, then immediately vanished without trace.
Shortly, the ice within the container began melting, but rather than becoming water, it directly dispersed into mist floating in the chamber's upper atmosphere. Gemini completed the final stroke, ceased her quill work, selected a bottle of pale green potion, opened the cap, and employed her wand to direct the internal liquid to emerge. The small bottle's contents slowly floated above the container, beginning to expand and gradually forming a thin pale green membrane that perfectly enveloped the blonde man's physique.
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