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Chapter 284: A Visitor at the Door
Dofinder was very talkative. According to him, he was Deadpool's personal driver, warm and hospitable, and known by half of New York City.
"A guy named Deathstroke sought me out specifically, wanting to find Deadpool through me. But I'm a loyal guy, so of course I wouldn't sell out a friend..."
Dofinder chattered on. Whenever Wanda wasn't looking, he would sneak a hand free to straighten his collar, one side of which was folded inward, looking rather unseemly.
Dofinder would glance at the rearview mirror from time to time, then quickly look away before Wanda's gaze met his.
The traffic was good today, perhaps because it was a weekday. They arrived at tony's Manor in Queens without much delay.
After carefully parking the car, Dofinder subconsciously glanced down at the meter—a habit he had with every customer.
But it was obvious that Wanda didn't have a habit of carrying money when she went out.
"My apologies. I'll pay you back when I get the chance," Wanda said apologetically from the back seat. She then cast a bit of Mind Magic on him, influencing his judgment.
Open the door, get out of the car, walk away. Wanda's movements were fluid and practiced, making it easy to imagine how many times the pretty young lady had skipped out on a taxi fare.
Wanda stepped out of the car and walked slowly onto the road. She wore a fiery red long dress that, like a certain trait in her personality, was full of fiery allure. Even the vibrant dress couldn't conceal her ample chest in the slightest.
Her long, fair legs, clad in over-the-knee high-heeled boots, made a soft clicking sound on the road—a rhythmic prelude that announced the arrival of a goddess.
Tony was accustomed to calling this quirky and mischievous woman a "little girl," but in reality, Wanda had just turned nineteen this year, only five years younger than Tony.
Many eyes were drawn to her. The women were filled with envy and jealousy, while the men stared, transfixed. One man, full of self-confidence, walked right up to her to make a pass.
A guy who was clearly a rich heir carefully smoothed his hair back with both hands and approached with a charming smile.
"Hello..."
"Get out of here." Wanda turned her head, a flicker of red mystic energy flashing in her enchanting eyes.
As if possessed, the man nodded blankly, turned, and walked away.
Many people sighed in disappointment. If even such an outstanding man was rejected, they definitely stood no chance.
Wanda crossed the road and arrived at a tall, metal gate. Through the gaps, one could see vast stretches of green lawn, a refreshing sight. An elderly lawn worker was taking labored steps, tending to the grass.
In the center of the lawn, several sprinklers were neatly arranged, periodically spraying the green grass with fresh water.
What was most eye-catching, however, was the blue semi-truck and a strange, metallic-colored aircraft parked inside.
"This is it..." Wanda murmured to herself after looking for a moment.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing here? Are you lost?" The lawn worker had noticed Wanda long ago and called out to her from across the gate.
Wanda was startled. She only just realized that if the old man hadn't spoken, she likely would have overlooked him completely.
However, Wanda didn't overthink it and simply nodded politely. "I'm from Kamar-Taj. I'm Tony's... uh..."
Wanda was suddenly at a loss.
His what?
Student?
That wasn't wrong, of course. Every Mage at Kamar-Taj could be called a student of the Sorcerer Supreme. But Wanda didn't want to say that. She felt a bit unwilling, a little uncomfortable.
It felt as if she were foolishly carving a chasm into the relationship between them.
"...Colleague."
After holding it in for three seconds, Wanda blurted out a word. She regretted it the moment she said it. Her little face flushed bright red, like a ripe apple, crimson inside and out.
She felt incredibly stupid.
Colleague? What a foolish word. Why did she have to use that word? It would have been better to say student... No, it was definitely better than student.
The Old Bartender squinted, observing this sudden visitor, a little girl who revealed her naivety and bewilderment at every turn. Speaking of which, Tony had that same habit of squinting; it was hard to say which of them had learned it from the other.
This scrutinizing and stern gaze inexplicably made Wanda feel a little uneasy. A rookie who had never killed anyone, no matter how skilled, would find it difficult to compare her State of Mind to that of veterans who had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Seeing the little girl's smile grow increasingly stiff, her expression filled with awkwardness and unease as her two fair hands unconsciously wrung together, the Old Bartender suddenly broke into a smile. He beckoned to her and said in a raspy voice, "Since you're with Tony, come on in. You're not a stranger."
The sternness vanished in an instant, as if it had all been an illusion, replaced by a warmth as pleasant as a spring breeze.
"Let me guess, with that signature outfit... you're Wanda, right? Wanda Maximoff. I've heard Tony talk about you," the Old Bartender said with a loud laugh. His words seemed a bit rushed, and he coughed lightly.
His body was getting worse and worse. Old wounds from his youth were all coming back to haunt him in his old age, a sad testament to how illness can strike like a collapsing mountain.
"Yes. He's talked about me to you?" Wanda was pleasantly surprised, and her whole scrunched-up face instantly brightened.
"Of course, of course. He's praised you quite a bit. Beautiful, generous, stunningly charming, said you nearly took his breath away more than once..." the Old Bartender said with a grin, spinning a tall tale. Even as his physical condition deteriorated over the past two years, he couldn't shake his mischievous "bad habit" of stirring things up.
As if he had discovered a new continent, his spirit for troublemaking surged, driving him to do something in the time he had left.
The gate slowly opened, and Wanda walked in, blushing shyly. After chatting a bit more with the Old Bartender, she learned that the old man wasn't a lawn care employee but rather the head butler Tony relied on—someone who had supported him since his humble beginnings.
Wanda even had the strange illusion—*is this like meeting the parents?*—Ah! That's so stupid, how could I think that? So shameless...
The Old Bartender led Wanda inside, saying as they walked, "You've come at just the right time. A lot of people have come back, so it's going to be very lively for a while. You can relax and have fun here, don't worry about a thing..."
tony's Manor was huge, covering a thousand acres. Of course, a large part of that was because Tony had cordoned off a vast section of woodland—a forest preserve—and shouldered the cost of its upkeep.
But the buildings here were generally concentrated. Only insiders knew how many terrifying Killing Machines were hidden within these few buildings and their various secret basements.
The Old Bartender led Wanda to the main path and said with a chuckle, "It's just up ahead. You can look around. I'll go arrange a room for you first."
"No, you don't have to..."
"It's no trouble. There are plenty of empty rooms here anyway. I told him back then there was no need to build so many, but Tony just had to do it..." the Old Bartender grumbled as he walked away.
Once out of Wanda's sight, the Old Bartender took out a discreet walkie-talkie. "Number One, go find Crane and do a thorough check on this Wanda person. The priority is to confirm if she's the real deal. I don't want to be made a fool of by that Raven woman again. Last time, she tricked me by turning into Amanda..."
After the Old Bartender left, Wanda began to wander around. Soon, a figure running at high speed suddenly appeared before her. It was Quicksilver, Pietro.
"Ha, I knew that guy Tony would find you." In front of his sister, Pietro naturally wouldn't strike his usual punchable chunibyo pose.
At this moment, Pietro was smugly going around, bragging to everyone about his heroic feat of fighting Dormammu—even though he had only killed a few Mindless Ones.
"Pietro? What are you doing here?" Wanda asked in surprise.
"Oh, I can come to tony's Manor whenever I want," Pietro said, full of himself. "I can get in just by showing my face. Besides, I heard Tony invited some people here for a party. I thought it sounded interesting, so I came over..."
Pietro chattered on to his sister, completely oblivious to her gradually sinking mood.
"He invited so many people, but not me...?" Wanda murmured.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. I'm warning you, don't cause any trouble. Keep that rotten temper of yours in check," Wanda said in a low voice, trying to cover up.
"It's fine, it's fine. I'm already good friends with them all. You're actually one of the late ones!"
Pietro spoke casually for a few more moments and wanted to take his sister to get something to eat, but Wanda turned him down, saying she wanted to look around by herself.
Wanda went to the edge of a small lake and stared blankly. After a long while, she felt that she didn't belong here and that it would be better to leave quietly.
Just then, a vortex suddenly appeared on the surface of the lake, followed by a loud boom. An astonishing amount of Dark Magic Power began to disperse as a slender figure leaped out from within.
"Illyana?" Wanda's little mouth fell open, and she stared dumbly at the stylish entrance of the Queen of the Hell dimension.
"Damn it, this Portal Magic is so hard to use... Hey, hey, hey~ Little Wanda, you're here too? Ahhh, you saw me at my most embarrassing moment..." Magik Illyana looked a bit disheveled, sighing in frustration.
Using a Portal to accurately pinpoint a specific estate on Earth from another dimension was a very complicated process. Illyana still couldn't do it well, which resulted in the targeting being off, sending her straight into the lake.
Wanda subconsciously looked down at her own prominent chest, then secretly glanced at Illyana's still-undeveloped "airfield." Suddenly, she felt a wave of dissatisfaction. "Damn, they're not small at all..."
"I heard that. Don't think you can hide it from me." Illyana bared her teeth, a dangerous expression on her face. "You're proud of them? So what if they're big? They'll just end up benefiting some guy..."
"Don't talk nonsense..." Wanda blushed.
"You're blushing and you still won't let me say it? I just wonder who the lucky guy is. Never mind, we can talk about that later. Let's go, let's go, I'm starving. Let's get something to eat first."
Still dripping wet, Illyana hugged Wanda's arm and, without waiting for a reply, began dragging her toward the dining hall. As she walked, her Dark Magic activated, instantly evaporating the water from her body.
Taking the opportunity, Illyana maliciously jabbed an elbow into one of Wanda's prominent curves, causing the latter to shriek in surprise, her cry filled with immense embarrassment and indignant complaint. It was followed by Illyana's signature, unrestrained laughter.
(end of chapter)
Dofinder was very talkative. According to him, he was Deadpool's personal driver, warm and hospitable, and known by half of New York City.
"A guy named Deathstroke sought me out specifically, wanting to find Deadpool through me. But I'm a loyal guy, so of course I wouldn't sell out a friend..."
Dofinder chattered on. Whenever Wanda wasn't looking, he would sneak a hand free to straighten his collar, one side of which was folded inward, looking rather unseemly.
Dofinder would glance at the rearview mirror from time to time, then quickly look away before Wanda's gaze met his.
The traffic was good today, perhaps because it was a weekday. They arrived at tony's Manor in Queens without much delay.
After carefully parking the car, Dofinder subconsciously glanced down at the meter—a habit he had with every customer.
But it was obvious that Wanda didn't have a habit of carrying money when she went out.
"My apologies. I'll pay you back when I get the chance," Wanda said apologetically from the back seat. She then cast a bit of Mind Magic on him, influencing his judgment.
Open the door, get out of the car, walk away. Wanda's movements were fluid and practiced, making it easy to imagine how many times the pretty young lady had skipped out on a taxi fare.
Wanda stepped out of the car and walked slowly onto the road. She wore a fiery red long dress that, like a certain trait in her personality, was full of fiery allure. Even the vibrant dress couldn't conceal her ample chest in the slightest.
Her long, fair legs, clad in over-the-knee high-heeled boots, made a soft clicking sound on the road—a rhythmic prelude that announced the arrival of a goddess.
Tony was accustomed to calling this quirky and mischievous woman a "little girl," but in reality, Wanda had just turned nineteen this year, only five years younger than Tony.
Many eyes were drawn to her. The women were filled with envy and jealousy, while the men stared, transfixed. One man, full of self-confidence, walked right up to her to make a pass.
A guy who was clearly a rich heir carefully smoothed his hair back with both hands and approached with a charming smile.
"Hello..."
"Get out of here." Wanda turned her head, a flicker of red mystic energy flashing in her enchanting eyes.
As if possessed, the man nodded blankly, turned, and walked away.
Many people sighed in disappointment. If even such an outstanding man was rejected, they definitely stood no chance.
Wanda crossed the road and arrived at a tall, metal gate. Through the gaps, one could see vast stretches of green lawn, a refreshing sight. An elderly lawn worker was taking labored steps, tending to the grass.
In the center of the lawn, several sprinklers were neatly arranged, periodically spraying the green grass with fresh water.
What was most eye-catching, however, was the blue semi-truck and a strange, metallic-colored aircraft parked inside.
"This is it..." Wanda murmured to herself after looking for a moment.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing here? Are you lost?" The lawn worker had noticed Wanda long ago and called out to her from across the gate.
Wanda was startled. She only just realized that if the old man hadn't spoken, she likely would have overlooked him completely.
However, Wanda didn't overthink it and simply nodded politely. "I'm from Kamar-Taj. I'm Tony's... uh..."
Wanda was suddenly at a loss.
His what?
Student?
That wasn't wrong, of course. Every Mage at Kamar-Taj could be called a student of the Sorcerer Supreme. But Wanda didn't want to say that. She felt a bit unwilling, a little uncomfortable.
It felt as if she were foolishly carving a chasm into the relationship between them.
"...Colleague."
After holding it in for three seconds, Wanda blurted out a word. She regretted it the moment she said it. Her little face flushed bright red, like a ripe apple, crimson inside and out.
She felt incredibly stupid.
Colleague? What a foolish word. Why did she have to use that word? It would have been better to say student... No, it was definitely better than student.
The Old Bartender squinted, observing this sudden visitor, a little girl who revealed her naivety and bewilderment at every turn. Speaking of which, Tony had that same habit of squinting; it was hard to say which of them had learned it from the other.
This scrutinizing and stern gaze inexplicably made Wanda feel a little uneasy. A rookie who had never killed anyone, no matter how skilled, would find it difficult to compare her State of Mind to that of veterans who had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Seeing the little girl's smile grow increasingly stiff, her expression filled with awkwardness and unease as her two fair hands unconsciously wrung together, the Old Bartender suddenly broke into a smile. He beckoned to her and said in a raspy voice, "Since you're with Tony, come on in. You're not a stranger."
The sternness vanished in an instant, as if it had all been an illusion, replaced by a warmth as pleasant as a spring breeze.
"Let me guess, with that signature outfit... you're Wanda, right? Wanda Maximoff. I've heard Tony talk about you," the Old Bartender said with a loud laugh. His words seemed a bit rushed, and he coughed lightly.
His body was getting worse and worse. Old wounds from his youth were all coming back to haunt him in his old age, a sad testament to how illness can strike like a collapsing mountain.
"Yes. He's talked about me to you?" Wanda was pleasantly surprised, and her whole scrunched-up face instantly brightened.
"Of course, of course. He's praised you quite a bit. Beautiful, generous, stunningly charming, said you nearly took his breath away more than once..." the Old Bartender said with a grin, spinning a tall tale. Even as his physical condition deteriorated over the past two years, he couldn't shake his mischievous "bad habit" of stirring things up.
As if he had discovered a new continent, his spirit for troublemaking surged, driving him to do something in the time he had left.
The gate slowly opened, and Wanda walked in, blushing shyly. After chatting a bit more with the Old Bartender, she learned that the old man wasn't a lawn care employee but rather the head butler Tony relied on—someone who had supported him since his humble beginnings.
Wanda even had the strange illusion—*is this like meeting the parents?*—Ah! That's so stupid, how could I think that? So shameless...
The Old Bartender led Wanda inside, saying as they walked, "You've come at just the right time. A lot of people have come back, so it's going to be very lively for a while. You can relax and have fun here, don't worry about a thing..."
tony's Manor was huge, covering a thousand acres. Of course, a large part of that was because Tony had cordoned off a vast section of woodland—a forest preserve—and shouldered the cost of its upkeep.
But the buildings here were generally concentrated. Only insiders knew how many terrifying Killing Machines were hidden within these few buildings and their various secret basements.
The Old Bartender led Wanda to the main path and said with a chuckle, "It's just up ahead. You can look around. I'll go arrange a room for you first."
"No, you don't have to..."
"It's no trouble. There are plenty of empty rooms here anyway. I told him back then there was no need to build so many, but Tony just had to do it..." the Old Bartender grumbled as he walked away.
Once out of Wanda's sight, the Old Bartender took out a discreet walkie-talkie. "Number One, go find Crane and do a thorough check on this Wanda person. The priority is to confirm if she's the real deal. I don't want to be made a fool of by that Raven woman again. Last time, she tricked me by turning into Amanda..."
After the Old Bartender left, Wanda began to wander around. Soon, a figure running at high speed suddenly appeared before her. It was Quicksilver, Pietro.
"Ha, I knew that guy Tony would find you." In front of his sister, Pietro naturally wouldn't strike his usual punchable chunibyo pose.
At this moment, Pietro was smugly going around, bragging to everyone about his heroic feat of fighting Dormammu—even though he had only killed a few Mindless Ones.
"Pietro? What are you doing here?" Wanda asked in surprise.
"Oh, I can come to tony's Manor whenever I want," Pietro said, full of himself. "I can get in just by showing my face. Besides, I heard Tony invited some people here for a party. I thought it sounded interesting, so I came over..."
Pietro chattered on to his sister, completely oblivious to her gradually sinking mood.
"He invited so many people, but not me...?" Wanda murmured.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. I'm warning you, don't cause any trouble. Keep that rotten temper of yours in check," Wanda said in a low voice, trying to cover up.
"It's fine, it's fine. I'm already good friends with them all. You're actually one of the late ones!"
Pietro spoke casually for a few more moments and wanted to take his sister to get something to eat, but Wanda turned him down, saying she wanted to look around by herself.
Wanda went to the edge of a small lake and stared blankly. After a long while, she felt that she didn't belong here and that it would be better to leave quietly.
Just then, a vortex suddenly appeared on the surface of the lake, followed by a loud boom. An astonishing amount of Dark Magic Power began to disperse as a slender figure leaped out from within.
"Illyana?" Wanda's little mouth fell open, and she stared dumbly at the stylish entrance of the Queen of the Hell dimension.
"Damn it, this Portal Magic is so hard to use... Hey, hey, hey~ Little Wanda, you're here too? Ahhh, you saw me at my most embarrassing moment..." Magik Illyana looked a bit disheveled, sighing in frustration.
Using a Portal to accurately pinpoint a specific estate on Earth from another dimension was a very complicated process. Illyana still couldn't do it well, which resulted in the targeting being off, sending her straight into the lake.
Wanda subconsciously looked down at her own prominent chest, then secretly glanced at Illyana's still-undeveloped "airfield." Suddenly, she felt a wave of dissatisfaction. "Damn, they're not small at all..."
"I heard that. Don't think you can hide it from me." Illyana bared her teeth, a dangerous expression on her face. "You're proud of them? So what if they're big? They'll just end up benefiting some guy..."
"Don't talk nonsense..." Wanda blushed.
"You're blushing and you still won't let me say it? I just wonder who the lucky guy is. Never mind, we can talk about that later. Let's go, let's go, I'm starving. Let's get something to eat first."
Still dripping wet, Illyana hugged Wanda's arm and, without waiting for a reply, began dragging her toward the dining hall. As she walked, her Dark Magic activated, instantly evaporating the water from her body.
Taking the opportunity, Illyana maliciously jabbed an elbow into one of Wanda's prominent curves, causing the latter to shriek in surprise, her cry filled with immense embarrassment and indignant complaint. It was followed by Illyana's signature, unrestrained laughter.
(end of chapter)
