Chapter 99

Gordon: "Hmph, you think you can outsmart me with your little girl's tricks? Showing a bit of cleverness and taking a small advantage is one thing, but that's only because I'm being magnanimous and indulging you. Otherwise, hahaha..." —— sinister laugh

Dalei: "Being magnanimous and indulging me? You're just making things up." —— disbelief

Gordon: "Making things up? I advise you not to feel too good about your few small victories. You think you can negotiate with me like Loki did back then? To put it bluntly, you don't have the strength or the qualifications. Besides, the stakes you and he hold are not in the same league. He held the lives of all of us in his hands, which is why he could propose those conditions and outsmart me. You, on the other hand, only control the success or failure of the final negotiations. Don't think that SHIELD can't make any progress without your witchcraft guidance. We can always find someone else, like those so-called orthodox Amazon tribes..." —— directly threatening

Dalei: "Indeed, threatening you with this negotiation isn't enough. Even if the negotiations break down and fail because of you, I believe you can find a suitable reason to explain to the top brass of SHIELD, or simply blame it on a scapegoth, without endangering your position..."

Gordon: "I'm glad you understand."

Dalei: "So I want to use your life as leverage to negotiate with you. Do you think this leverage is substantial enough?"

Gordon: "My life? Can you even threaten my personal safety in Gotham City?"

Dalei: "I'm not threatening your personal safety, but saving your life." —— revealing her hand

Gordon: "Saving my life? What do you mean?" —— pretending not to understand

Dalei: "Don't play dumb with me. When we met at the dock, didn't I hug you and touch your head? At that moment, I sensed that your life energy was withering, and you don't have many years left."

Gordon: "You indeed used witchcraft to detect me back then..."

Dalei: "Don't look at me like that. I was worried about you. When we met again, your appearance had aged far more than just five years, which scared me. That's why I secretly used a detection spell to figure out the cause of your accelerated aging. But I couldn't understand the reason all the way. Can you tell me?"

I (narrator): "It seems Gordon was right to be wary of Dalei back then. I didn't know her true nature and was deceived by her."

Gordon: "It's due to an allergic reaction caused by a scientific transformation experiment. I can't clear the allergen from my body, so I have to rely on blood transfusions and dialysis to stay alive. My condition is getting worse day by day. As for your concern for me? That's a nice act."

Dalei: "Don't disbelieve me. I'm telling the truth. You know I came to Gotham City for two reasons: to conduct the final negotiations with SHIELD and to recruit talent. To achieve my goals, I naturally need to ensure the safety of the talent I recruit."

Gordon: "... So you want to recruit me?" —— pointing at himself

Dalei: "Yes, didn't expect that, did you?"

Gordon: "Lying! You didn't say that at the dock..."

Dalei: "You're stupid. With so many people around, could I openly discuss this with you?" —— interrupting Gordon

Gordon: "No, you admitted just now that you only found out about my short lifespan after we met at the dock. If you had planned to use my cure as leverage to negotiate with me before coming to Gotham City, you would have known my condition already. So this deal is a sudden idea, added on the spot. You originally intended to recruit someone else, not me." —— exposing her

Dalei: "Sigh, your body may be failing, but your mind is as sharp as ever. What should I say to you?" —— sighing, both pleased and disappointed by Gordon's keen insight

Gordon: "You don't need to say anything. Just stop trying to fool me with empty promises. I'm not senile." —— impatient with Dalei's pretense

Dalei: "Empty promises? Do you think we can't save you with witchcraft? Don't forget, even when Ares was severely injured, the witch Circe could heal him, though the cost was too high to implement. Your condition hasn't reached that desperate stage yet. I believe that with more research time, Circe and I have an 80% chance of curing you. Of course, the condition is that you leave SHIELD and join me."

Gordon: "Witch Circe? She's still alive? You didn't settle old scores and purge her?" —— not immediately rejecting or agreeing, but asking about Circe's situation

Dalei: "Of course she's still alive, and she retains her original position, still the second most powerful figure on Paradise Island. Those rumors about settling old scores and purges are lies spread by the island's opposing forces. How can a high-ranking SHIELD official like you believe them, unlike the uninformed masses?"

Gordon: "Rumors spread by Paradise Island's opposing forces? Do they include SHIELD's [Terrifying Shadow]? Who should I believe if not them?"

Dalei: "You should look at who I purged after taking power. They were all traitors who turned to Ares during my exile, like the acting governor you tricked into killing five years ago. As for those who had always been loyal to Ares and had to scheme against me for practical reasons, like Circe, I have been magnanimous and have not held past actions against them, continuing to use them as the previous leadership did. Rest assured, if you join Paradise Island, I won't settle old scores with you." —— magnanimous

Gordon: "You say that with more research time, you have an 80% chance of curing me. How much time is that? Give me a specific deadline, not vague promises."

Dalei: "Well..." —— evasive, hesitant

Gordon: "See, you can't even answer such a simple question and still dare to make guarantees? An 80% chance of curing me? You're fooling me!"

Dalei: "I'm not lying to you. Although I can't give you a specific deadline, I have an alternative method to stop the progression of your illness and grant you immortality."

Gordon: "Immortality? What does that mean? Make me a legend?"

Dalei: "A legend? Sort of, but not in the sense of your name, spirit, and deeds living on forever. It's your physical body."

Gordon: "My physical body?" —— confused

Dalei: "Exactly. This alternative method involves transforming you into a lich or a similar undead creature, thus escaping the natural cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. This way, your incurable illness will no longer threaten you, and you won't die from it."

I (narrator): "Transforming Gordon into a lich or a similar undead creature? Only Dalei could come up with such an idea. Unfortunately, she doesn't know that the old man has the [Cosmic Cube] and already has a way to cure himself, so he doesn't need such a twisted method and won't serve her. He's a hidden boss, after all."

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