I became light in American comics

The demons looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then they all raised their hands and lay prostrate on the ground.

It can be seen that being a spirit medium requires flexibility and adaptability.

The key point is to be able to yield.

There's nothing we can do; they have the bigger fist.

Chapter 11 Chef Shazam

With all the demons annihilated, the vast temple fell silent once more.

The old wizard sat back on his throne, closed his eyes briefly to reflect, and his aged face quickly regained its rosy hue, showing signs of renewed vitality.

At this moment, Shen You also returned to human form and came to the old wizard's side.

"Thank you for your help, outsider." The wizard Shazam opened his eyes and said solemnly to Shen You, "Although it is a little embarrassing to say, I have to admit that without your help, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"You don't seem surprised by me," Shen You said.

The wizard smiled.

"I have lived for nine thousand years. In those nine thousand years, I have witnessed the fall of the old gods and the rise of the new gods, seen the end of a world, and seen the vengeful spirit of God angrily wield the blade of punishment."

Believe me, if you live long enough, even the strangest things won't seem so surprising. You are indeed someone I've never seen before, but not enough to overly astound a wise wizard.

Shen You thought about it and agreed. The wizard Shazam wasn't just long-lived; at his level, he must have interacted with powerful figures at the multiverse level. Although he was no longer at his peak, he wouldn't be so easily alarmed by every new alien race he encountered.

The wizard sighed softly, "But I am indeed getting old, and my strength is waning. I must choose a new successor as soon as possible, otherwise the temple will soon be left unguarded."

He paused, glanced at Shen You, and sighed.

"Actually, I think you're a good choice. Your willpower needs some work, but you have a kind heart and a pure soul. What a pity."

He shook his head and didn't say anything more. But Shen You understood the meaning behind the wizard's words.

Wizards are, after all, still human, and the pool of candidates for their successors naturally includes humans. However, Shen You, strictly speaking, had already undergone a complete transformation since his first rebirth, becoming an Ultraman and no longer human, thus falling outside the pool of candidates for wizardship.

That being said, it all comes down to fate. There might be others in the Justice League who could meet the criteria of a pure heart and unwavering will, but in countless parallel universes, the wizard will ultimately choose Billy Batson.

There is still some guidance from fate in the grand scheme of things.

"I cannot grant you the power of the six gods, but a wizard certainly cannot let someone work for nothing. Hmm." The old wizard pondered for a moment and asked, "Although I have never seen anything like you before, in my eyes, you should be a being of some kind of light magic?"

Shen You was somewhat surprised. The so-called "light magic" should be a way of representing things from the old wizard's perspective. Although the old wizard no longer possessed divine power, his insight was still sharp, and he could see through the essence of light of the Ultra race with just one glance.

"Then this will probably be helpful to you."

The wizard Shazam stretched out his hand and pinched his index and middle fingers together in mid-air. Instantly, a burst of sunlight appeared at his fingertips, and the energy transformed into a ruby.

Shen You initially wanted to say that he knew nothing about magic, but after taking the gem and glancing at it, he was immediately surprised to sense a kind of scorching and powerful energy surging within it. With just a thought, that energy flowed into his body, making him feel refreshed and invigorated in a short while.

It gave him a feeling similar to receiving stellar energy through sunlight.

Ultraman's essence is light, and not just idealistic light, but also light in a physical sense. Throughout the long series, there are numerous scenes where Ultraman flies to the vicinity of a star and rapidly recharges through sunlight, making it the most effective means of recharging.

This small ruby ​​gave him a feeling similar to sunlight.

“This is a gift from Apollo, the sun god, after an ancient great war.” The wizard Shazam stroked his beard and smiled. “For all these years, it has been nothing more than a collectible to me, but perhaps it will be of some benefit to you.”

Shen You immediately understood. In the DC universe, Apollo is the sun god, and his divine power is nothing less than solar radiation—as personally confirmed by Superman.

In the comics, Wonder Woman brings Superman to the territory of the Greek gods. Apollo, disliking Superman, fires a shot at him, instantly raising Superman's energy to 400%. Superman, looking astonished, says to Apollo, "You actually hit me with solar radiation?", and then punches the sun god hundreds of miles away.

This small ruby ​​seems to be a similar magical artifact. It can absorb and store a considerable amount of solar radiation. Although Shen You doesn't know its original purpose, in his hands it's definitely a plug-and-play power bank.

Like Ultraman and Superman, Ultraman can be enhanced by solar radiation. Like in the Max ending, after being fully charged by solar energy, he unleashed a beam of light that pierced the atmosphere—it was incredibly cool. Shen You estimated that this power bank might not have the same power-up effect as Ultraman's, but it should serve a similar purpose. Normally fully charged, it could be used as a trump card for unleashing a burst of power when necessary.

This reminded Shen You that wizards of Shazam's caliber were like the Sorcerer Supreme from Marvel. The Sorcerer Supreme's sanctuary was filled with artifacts; Shazam must have a ton of similar treasures.

Shen You accepted the ruby, thanked the wizard, thought for a moment, and then asked a question.

"So, you're going to stay here and guard this hall, and continue searching for a successor?"

The old wizard shook his head.

“A successor needs to be found,” he said, “but perhaps not here. I’ve been out of touch with reality for too long and have lost touch with the world. If I can’t delve into it and understand the people of today, it will be very difficult to find that one-in-a-million heir.”

He smiled calmly as he said this.

"Nine thousand years have passed, such a long time. Time and again I have protected the world from the hands of demons. It is time for me to step down."

I don't have much time left. I only ask that in the few days I have left, I choose a worthy person to take over this responsibility, and then I can die in peace.

A chaotic era is about to dawn, but the world will have its new guardians. Who knows? Perhaps they will do better than we did before; perhaps they will not only protect, but also guide humanity toward the light.

As the old man spoke, he patted Shen You on the shoulder with a meaningful expression.

He rose and left the stone throne, walking calmly toward the palace gates.

Shen You silently watched the old man's weathered back, and a wave of emotion washed over him.

Shazam the wizard may not have been the protagonist of the story, and he may have only existed as an old man in the origin of heroes. But there is no doubt that he was also a great guardian, protecting the lights of thousands of homes in the darkness for thousands of years, and even his achievements and name have never been known to anyone.

Even now, in his twilight years, his thoughts on his deathbed are still on passing on the torch and continuing to protect the safety of humanity.

Okay, wait a minute.

Shen You suddenly thought of a brilliant idea.

"Senior Wizard?" He followed the wizard toward the exit of the main hall, asking, "You mean your days are numbered?"

"Yes." The old wizard accepted it calmly, like a wise sage who had seen through the illusions of the world.

"May I ask how much longer it will take?"

"Who knows? Nobody can say for sure about lifespan; it can be as short as twenty or thirty years, or as long as forty or fifty years," the old wizard said.

Shen You: "."

Sure enough, he knew.

When a 9,000-year-old man says he's nearing the end of his life, his standards are certainly different from those of a normal human being.

"Well, what are your plans for the next few decades?"

"That's why I've already said it. We need to understand the world today, and choose my successor from within it."

“No, I want to be more specific,” Shen You interrupted. “Because this selection process might take ten or twenty years. Where do you plan to live and what do you plan to eat during that time?”

Judging from the recent combat experience, the wizard's old arms and legs are still quite healthy, but his magic seems to be losing its effectiveness. Before choosing a successor, the primary issue to address upon returning to reality is food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

They had just passed through the magic gate and returned to the alleyway they had entered from. The old wizard was taken aback upon hearing this, clearly having not seriously considered the matter.

So Shen You followed up, "To be honest, I recently opened a coffee shop in a nearby neighborhood, and business is pretty good. I'm thinking of adding some baking or light meals to the menu in addition to coffee, and I happen to be short a chef."

The old wizard's eyes widened in anger, and he was so angry that he was blowing his beard.

"You want me, the guardian of the Rock of Eternity, the founder of the Eternal Council, the greatest 'that wizard', to be your cook!?"

Shen You didn't say anything, but gave a look that was close to saying, "Think about it."

"No, no way, absolutely not, impossible, there's no room for compromise!"

The old wizard crossed his arms, raised his head arrogantly, and spoke with absolute certainty.

Unfortunately, the aging body, gradually losing its divine power, refused to cooperate, and a series of "gurgling" sounds came from its stomach.

The old wizard: "."

So, a day later...

A chef named HISHE, wearing an apron and a chef's hat, has appeared at the corner cafe. He's always puffing out his beard and looking down on everyone.

"Let me tell you, Gotham is a place where people and things are incredibly talented. You'll see and experience more in one day here than you would in a month elsewhere. If you want to truly connect with the world, this is the place for you."

Shen You said with a smile to the new employee he had poached with zero salary but free room and board.

"By the way, you may not have seen the kitchen equipment before, but it's all very useful. Let me teach you."

"No need."

The old man proudly raised his head.

"They are merely creations of mortals; to a wise wizard, mastering them is a piece of cake. I can make them all obey my commands before nightfall!"

"Okay, good luck then."

However, just two minutes after Shen You left the kitchen, he heard a loud "bang" behind him.

And there was a smell of burning gunpowder.

Shen You: "."

Chapter 12 Stirring a hornet's nest

Underground, a private laboratory.

Having studied in the Land of Light for many years, Shen You used the limited resources he could buy to build a makeshift laboratory in the basement. This became his main research area.

At this moment, he was revising and editing a newly completed design drawing displayed on the projection screen, preparing to conduct final tests before running the simulation on the computer.

This is a project he started working on a month ago. He named it "Ultraman Mobile".

That's right, it shares the same name as the famous Ultraman spin-off anime series, and it's something similar.

Simply put, it's about creating an exoskeleton similar to Iron Man's. A life-size suit of armor shaped like Ultraman, powered by light technology, possessing strength and performance far exceeding conventional Earth technology, and even capable of carrying Specium weapons.

The design of the blueprints and the programming of the built-in program were basically completed. Shen You ran the simulation twice, but then hesitated again on the issue of weapon materials.

DC Earth certainly has a lot of advanced technology, such as the materials Batman and Lex Luthor use to build their armor, which must be incredibly strong. However, it's unknown whether those technologies have even been developed in the current DC universe, and Shen You currently has no way to access them.

However, a thought quickly came to him, and he soon came up with a way that might allow him to access top-tier materials.

It's right in the kitchen of my own coffee shop.

Right now, the great wizard Shazam is having a blast with a newly bought electric oven in the kitchen.

Whether he found the thing too slow or the heat too difficult to control, the old wizard glanced around furtively, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he silently chanted a spell and secretly cast a speed-up spell on the oven.

The roasted chicken was immediately accelerated under the influence of the spell, turning into a dark brown, charred chicken with cracked skin.

Realizing he had over-accelerated, the wizard's pupils contracted, and he quickly flipped his hand, casting a rewind spell. The charred chicken seemed to rewind time, rapidly reverting to its state before it was charred.