Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Happy Lunar New Year! May you enjoy plenty of food without gaining weight, and stay healthy by sleeping on time. Students, may you achieve academic success, successfully gain admission to graduate school, and avoid failing any courses. For those already employed, may you receive promotions and salary increases year after year, with your monthly wages steadily rising. Wishing you a joyful and prosperous New Year, with everything going smoothly and as you hope. May everyone be safe, happy, and have all your endeavors fulfilled.

2022-02-01 04:03

Chapter Twenty: Read as a Treasure Chest, But Actually a Greedy Man

Coulson had already given up hope about whether his baldness could be cured. Was he really going to stubbornly tell the monster before him, "I just have thinning hair, I'm not bald!"

Even though all men harbor immense resentment towards baldness, the current circumstances did not allow Coulson to engage in a debate with the monster before him about whether he was thinning hair or bald.

To solve the pressing problem, Coulson had to brace himself and greet the monster before him.

"How should I address you, sir?"

"Call me Treasure Chest Head, Treasure Chest Monster, or Greedy One, whatever you like. But judging from your appearance, do you need treatment?"

[The Mark of the Greedy: A head modeled after a treasure chest, inspired by the head of a greedy person. You can wear it on your head if you wish. It increases the souls gained from defeating enemies and enhances treasure hunting abilities, but due to the curse of the mark, your health will be reduced. The appearance of the greedy person is truly a mark of sin.]

He was struck by a shadowy figure while driving, losing part of the flesh in his left shoulder. Although Natasha gave him a simple bandage, the fact that he has survived until now only shows that Coulson is in good physical condition.

When the greedy man in front of him asked him if he wanted treatment, Coulson, whose mind was already clouded by blood loss, did not immediately agree.

After what just happened, and considering that the so-called greedy person in front of us doesn't seem like a positive character, in various ghost stories, the consequences of making a deal with the devil are truly horrific.

But the current urgent situation and the dilemma forced Coulson to reconsider what the greedy man had said.

Coulson gritted his teeth and asked the greedy man, "Respected greedy man, what must I offer to receive your treatment?"

The greedy one exhaled continuously, sticking out its huge, thin tongue. Its left hand supported its right, and its right hand stroked the lower part of the treasure chest on its head, as if it were touching a non-existent beard.

The greedy man pointed at Natasha and said, "She has the money to pay."

After she finished speaking, Natasha and Coulson were both taken aback. Then Natasha took all the money and items out of her pocket and handed them to the greedy man.

"No, no, no, it's not this kind of earthly currency, it's the money you have on you." The greedy man didn't even look at the pile of loose banknotes.

“She has a blessing that she can give to me. I accept that currency.”

Upon hearing about the blessing, Natasha immediately recalled the blessing Ash gave her after crushing a coin yesterday, after she sent the Fire Keeper back to Firelink Shrine.

Just as Natasha was about to agree, Coulson asked another question.

"Mr. Greedy One, what is that blessing? Does it harm Natasha?"

Coulson noticed that Natasha, who possessed some kind of currency, was about to agree to the deal, but as a comrade, he felt it was better to ask for clarification.

"You guys probably went through a chase, right? Only she escaped unscathed. And you, tsk tsk..."

The greedy man, who had mocked Coulson, continued, "It's a blessing that keeps one lucky. Don't worry, I'm just giving it to her; it won't harm her. At most, her luck will return to what it was before."

Coulson recalled everything that had happened since he received the mission from Freyna. Melinda's team was almost completely wiped out, his own men were almost all gone, and he himself had even been hooked.

As for the source of all this, Natasha was unharmed; at most, the dust from the crash left her face covered in dirt.

"I agree, you can take it."

Coulson was still considering whether to agree to the greedy man's offer. Natasha, standing next to him, immediately agreed.

The greedy man stretched out his right hand and beckoned towards Natasha. With a crisp 'clink', a coin appeared in his hand.

After accepting the coin, the greedy man pulled out a blood-red moss ball from who-knows-where and handed it to Coulson.

"Although it's for getting rid of maggots, it's also suitable for your current situation. Just eat it."

[Blood-Red Moss Ball: A red moss ball used to eliminate maggots. It can reduce the accumulation of Bleeding status. Bleeding status accumulates from attacks with sharp blades or needles, and once the accumulation limit is exceeded, it will cause massive damage. It is best to use this moss ball before getting into this predicament.]

Coulson accepted the moss ball offered by the greedy man. Hearing that it was a tool for eliminating maggots, he gritted his teeth and ate the moss ball despite his discomfort.

The effects were quickly apparent in Coulson. Feeling an itch on his left shoulder and back, Coulson pulled off the bandages and gestured for Natasha to record the changes in his body.

In Natasha's eyes, the blood in Coulson's wound stopped flowing instantly, and a substance of the same color as the moss ball filled the entire wound. Then, the surrounding tissue slowly intertwined and filled in, acting as skin that had lost its flesh.

In just a few seconds, Coulson's wound went from being bloody to pristine white.

Coulson shook his left shoulder, with only congealed blood falling to the ground. He didn't feel any problem. If it weren't for his current weakness due to excessive blood loss, no one would be able to tell that he had been injured.

After putting his clothes back on, Coulson expressed his gratitude to the greedy man.

"Mr. Greedy One, thank you for your help. Now, please help us deal with the monster at the door."

“No, no, no, one coin can only accomplish one thing.” The greedy man stretched out his hands in resignation, then crossed his legs and sat down, his height almost level with Coulson and the other man.

From this angle, Coulson could see inside the treasure chest on the Greedy Man's head. He had initially thought it was some strange creature wearing a terrifying treasure chest head to deceive people, but when he actually saw inside, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Inside the treasure chest, which was surrounded by sharp teeth and had a long, drooping, blood-red tongue, only two arms extended out; there was nothing else. Coulson could even see the point where the tongue connected to the chest.

“Mr. Greedy, a missile will be launched to wipe out this neighborhood in at least an hour. We will all be destroyed, so do you have any ideas that you can come up with sooner?”

The Greedy One, upon hearing Coulson's words, instantly became enraged. He bent down, reached out, grabbed Coulson, and held him up to his eyes. (Although the Treasure Chest Head doesn't have eyes.)

Sharp teeth dangled before Coulson's eyes, and a tongue had even wrapped around his neck.

"Are you threatening me, human?" the greedy one said in a very unpleasant tone.

Unable to move, Coulson forced a smile and said, "No, I'm just stating the facts."

The greedy man held Coulson up, making no other move, as if he were calculating something in his mind. Then he put Coulson back on the ground and said irritably, "But I can offer you loans to help you through this crisis."

## Chapter Twenty-One: Negotiations with Fury

Hearing that greedy individuals were offering loans to help them through this crisis, Coulson remained hesitant, unsure of the cost.

'Perhaps we can keep stalling until the missile arrives, and let this monster solve the problem on its own?' Coulson thought to himself. After all, the monster hesitated when he said the missile would level the entire block. Stalling and waiting might be a solution.

Just as Coulson hesitated, Natasha stepped forward.

"I agree. Now you can tell me your solution."

Natasha tried to take on the debt herself, since she was all alone and it was the best option no matter how it ended.

“Natasha, you…”

Coulson was deeply moved once again; this was the second time Natasha had willingly taken on danger. Having already considered Natasha a comrade, Coulson also decided to shoulder his responsibility.

“Mr. Greedy, I also accept your debt terms.”

Upon hearing their agreement, the greedy one once again assumed the pose of a thinker. He then fell into a state of deep thought and contemplation, even involuntarily uttering his own reflections.

"Hmm... let me think what I should ask you for? Lifespan or soul, or perhaps to knock Mephisto's head after you die."

Hearing the conditions the greedy man offered, Coulson and Natasha felt a chill run down their spines. They hadn't expected to be unable to find peace even in death. Familiar with mythology, they knew Mephisto was one of the demon lords of Hell, and this greedy man actually wanted them to knock a demon lord's head.

While the greedy man continued to ponder, Coulson's headset was switched on.

To prevent the incident from being exposed, Fury, who had made the plan, had already sent people to suppress communications in the area, which is why Coulson didn't report the encounter with the greedy man to Fury.

"Coulson, how's the situation in half an hour?"

Upon hearing the voice in the headset, Coulson hesitated whether to answer, unsure if the monster had the ability to hear what was in other people's headsets.

“It’s okay, you can answer the phone.” The greedy man directly provided the answer to Coulson’s inner question.

Knowing that the greedy could hear the conversation in the earpiece, Coulson had nothing to hide anymore and reported the situation over the past hour and a half to Fury, recounting his inner thoughts.

After hearing Coulson's report, Fury on the other end of the phone wanted to run over to Coulson and see for himself what was going on.

"Does that monster know who I am, Coulson?"

Coulson told Fury that the greedy ones could hear their conversation, but had not yet revealed any information about Fury in the conversation.

Therefore, Coulson did not understand whether the Greedy One knew Fury's identity, nor did he understand that Fury was testing the Greedy One who could hear the conversation.

The Greedy One instantly appeared next to Coulson, put his hand on Coulson's shoulder, and stuck his tongue into Coulson's ear, saying into the headset, "I know, you bald guy on the other end of the phone. It's okay, you can just say it, or you can even come over and talk to me in person."

Despite being unable to move, Coulson forced himself to suppress his fear and report the situation to Fury, trying to gather as much information as possible about the Greedy Ones before he died.

As Fury listened to Coulson recount the situation, he quietly ordered the bombing squadron to add a few more fighter jets.

"What are your conditions? Do you really want to take their souls? Perhaps we can trade something else," Fury stated his terms.

The greedy man released Coulson, gesturing for him to remove the headset, and held it in his hand, saying, "Interesting. What are your conditions?"

“We can trade intelligence and items. Coulson told me you have some amazing items, and I have some too. We can trade those.”

The greedy man reached out and pulled Coulson along, sitting together as if they were good brothers, listening to a phone call together.

"Okay, I agree to your conditions, but the transaction can only be for what I specify." The greedy one stated his terms.

"Deal. Now release Coulson and Natasha."

"They can leave at any time, but whether they'll be killed by the little cutie at the door is another matter."

Fury attempted to obfuscate the truth by getting Coulson and Natasha out first, then sending fighter jets to raze the place to the ground. However, the greedy ones weren't fooled. Both were seasoned con artists, and neither could truly deceive the other.

The situation has become a terrifying equilibrium, with everyone having demands and no one able to break the deadlock. Perhaps only the greedy are emboldened.

“I’ll state my requirements first, and then you can state yours based on the specific circumstances, since we need time to complete this.” Fury finally compromised and offered his solution.

The greedy man released Coulson, who was sitting in a row, indicating his agreement to Fury's request.

"Tell me first about the monsters guarding outside." Fury tentatively tried to learn some things he didn't know from the Greedy One.

“That’s a sad love story that’s forbidden,” the greedy man said, recounting the tale of the candy man.

Many years ago, a black man had his hand cut off because he fell in love with a white woman. Honey was then smeared on the severed hand, causing him to suffer from bee stings before he died. In the end, after being tormented, he returned from hell and killed those who had hurt him.

The greedy man finished recounting this so-called love story with dramatic intonation, ending with a sacrificial gesture. He even applauded himself in celebration.

However, Fury on the other end of the phone wasn't buying it. He realized that the greedy person had definitely hidden some of the information.

"If you don't explain the real reason, two F-22s will blow you to pieces."

Fury's words interrupted the greedy man, who was engrossed in his performance. The greedy man smacked his lips and made a loud noise in scorn for Fury, who had interrupted his performance.

"The Candyman had his hand cut off by your jealous black friend, who then sacrificed it to Beelzebub and turned him into an Inferi. So as long as you're black, you won't get hurt, you understand? Black Fury."

Fury recalled the greedy man's invitation to speak with him face to face. From that moment on, the greedy man had already laid the groundwork, waiting for his arrival.

"I'm not going. Forget it. Let's figure out how to deal with that monster."

The cautious Fury did not accept the greedy man's invitation, but instead asked for a solution directly.

"How about accepting my gift? All you need to do is have your bald subordinate accept becoming my subordinate, and I can turn him into an undead. He can easily deal with that black guy."

The greedy man stuck out his tongue and licked it, then told Coulson and Fury the solution, waiting for Fury's reply.