American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 1096 Azu's Troubles, Gotham Undergoes Great Change!

Inside the study, Peter's gaze was fixed on Talia, his eyebrows slightly raised.

A moment later, he turned his gaze to the dagger that Talia had taken out.

"A dagger wreathed in lightning, from an ancient land..."

Peter's gaze lingered on the dagger for a moment before turning to Talia. "If I'm not mistaken, the aura emanating from it is that of Shazam. This dagger appears to have been found in some ancient tomb or ruin in Egypt. Is this the metal you've been searching for?"

A fleeting hint of surprise crossed Talia's eyes, but she quickly concealed it.

She hadn't expected Peter to be able to directly pinpoint the source of the dagger's power.

Talia nodded slightly, neither confirming nor completely denying.

“We cannot be 100% certain whether this dagger was forged entirely from the legendary metal we are looking for, but the power it exhibits is undoubtedly the closest to what is recorded.”

She reiterated her previous point: "That's why its value is immeasurable. Only those who truly understand its essence know what it means and are willing to pay the corresponding price."

"In the past, the world under its shadow had been turbulent for its sake, but it was unknown to the world."

Peter nodded to indicate that he understood, then changed the subject, asking about what he had seen during the day: "So, what was the purpose of that ceremony you held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art today? Was it an attempt to activate the dagger, or to verify if it was the metal your father was looking for?"

Talia seemed unsurprised that Peter knew about the museum, and said frankly, "It's a sacrificial ritual passed down from an ancient tribe. According to the records, the metal we're looking for has the property of tearing through spatial barriers and is the key to unlocking a realm containing infinite power."

"Unfortunately, the ritual failed. Although the dagger reacted, it was far from achieving the desired effect."

She sighed softly, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "This perhaps further proves that it is not what we are looking for."

Upon hearing this, Peter fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

Soon an idea took shape in his mind.

"Since you can't be sure if this dagger is what you really want."

Peter slowly spoke to Talia, "And it might have some research value for me... We can make an exchange."

Talia's eyes lit up instantly, and she leaned forward subtly, showing great interest: "Oh? What kind of exchange?"

One of her main purposes for this trip was to test whether Peter had any information about the mysterious metal.

Now that Peter has offered to make a deal, it suits her just the way things are.

Peter didn't answer directly, but instead reached into an inconspicuous drawer under the desk.

The drawer was enchanted with a space-expanding spell, making its interior much larger than it actually is.

When Peter withdrew his hand, he held a longsword.

The longsword has a simple and elegant design, with a slender blade that shines with a warm golden luster, as if it contains fragments of the sun.

The hilt is engraved with ancient Greek patterns, and the handle is wrapped in an unknown leather that feels warm to the touch.

The moment the longsword appeared, the temperature in the study seemed to rise a few degrees, and a warm, luminous power spread out.

"This is the Sun God Sword."

Peter placed the sword flat on the table and pushed it toward Talia. "Diana Prince—a gift from Wonder Woman. She said that this sword was forged with all her might during the early days of human civilization, to be dedicated to the great sun god Apollo."

He observed Talia's reaction and continued to explain, "The metal used to forge it is called Amazonian metal, which is also the primary material used to make Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth and Guardian Bracelets."

Peter deliberately mentioned a key piece of information: "This metal has a peculiar reaction to magic and certain energies. The shockwave generated by the violent collision of the two Amazon metal artifacts is extremely powerful."

He looked at the gleam in Talia's eyes and knew she understood the value of the metal.

These are the materials used by the gods to forge divine artifacts, containing sacred power and extremely high magical affinity.

"Although Amazon metal is extremely precious, it is one of the top magical metals on Earth."

Peter changed the subject, “But it doesn’t seem to be the kind of ‘unknown metal’ that you described, capable of opening up space and originating from the very source of the world. Trading it for a dagger whose value you can’t determine, or even one that you might not be able to use, might not be a bad deal for me, but for you and the League of Assassins, it should be a worthwhile deal. After all, it’s a genuine material for a divine artifact.”

Peter knew in his heart that the dagger imbued with Shazam's power might have a potential value far exceeding that of Amazon metal.

Shazam's power originates from the spells of ancient wizards and is directly connected to the laws of the divine realm. Its essence is closer to the "origin of the world" described by Talia.

He suspected that the dagger itself was made of that unknown metal, but the League of Assassins was unable to recognize and unleash its true potential.

Listening to Peter's words, Talia's gaze swept back and forth between the Sun God Sword and Peter's face, her mind quickly weighing the options.

The value of Amazon metal is undeniable; it is an excellent material for forging top-tier magical weapons, and its enhancement to the Assassin's Guild is immediate.

As for that dagger, although it was mysterious, the alliance had studied it for a long time but had not been able to crack its core secrets.

Trading a treasure that cannot be fully controlled for a known, powerful artifact material is indeed a worthwhile deal.

More importantly, she was willing to take this opportunity to do Peter a favor.

Ever since the last Gotham incident (when Talia and Bane attempted to destroy Gotham, but were stopped by Peter, Bruce, and Azu), and the later Hela incident, she has been filled with curiosity about this mysterious man.

Talia once used the Alliance's resources to investigate Peter, but she found nothing. All she knew was that he possessed great power and an equally powerful "problem child" family.

Peter Patrick was like a bottomless mystery, which aroused her strong desire to explore.

“A very fair deal, Mr. Patrick.”

Talia snapped out of her thoughts and smiled.

She reached out and gently stroked the warm blade of the Sun God Sword, feeling the immense power of light within it.

"I accept the exchange. This dagger is yours."

She placed the Shazam dagger on the table and pushed it towards Peter.

The transaction was completed, and the atmosphere seemed to ease somewhat.

Talia, however, showed no intention of leaving immediately.

She picked up the Sun God Sword and admired it, then suddenly looked up at Peter with a mocking gaze, asking a question that seemed completely out of place in the serious atmosphere:
“Mr. Patrick, I have another question I’d like to ask you, of course, it’s just my personal curiosity.”

Peter, examining the dagger without looking up, asked, "What's the problem?"

"Those children..."

Talia asked curiously, "Including the girls I met today, are they really your daughters and sons? Are they all your biological children?"

"..."

Peter paused, looked up, and stared speechlessly at Talia, who had a gossipy look on her face.

Peter rubbed his temples and replied expressionlessly, "It's a secret."

He hadn't expected this woman to be such a gossip.

Talia paused for a moment, then a smile appeared on her lips.

Knowing the importance of knowing when to stop, Talia did not ask any further questions. Instead, she gracefully stood up and carefully put away the Sun God Sword.

"Well then, Mr. Patrick, thank you for your generosity. I hope our next meeting won't be too long."

After saying this meaningfully, Talia turned and walked towards the window, her figure disappearing silently into the night as if blending into the shadows.

Silence returned to the study.

Peter paid no attention to how Talia left; all his attention was focused on the dagger in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, Peter held the dagger up to his eyes.

The dagger has a strong ancient Egyptian style in its design, with a short blade that gleams with a restrained, cold light.

On the blade, faint golden arcs of electricity flickered and danced, emanating an ancient and majestic magical aura.

Peter reached out his right hand, which was holding the dagger, and suddenly felt a surge of magical energy coming toward him.

The next second, Peter's consciousness seemed to be pulled into something.

The scene in the study before my eyes instantly distorted and was swallowed by boundless darkness.

He felt as if he had fallen into an absolute, dark void with no light, no sound, and no end.

But this darkness was not deathly still; it was filled with countless chaotic, frenzied, and malicious whispers and howls, as if billions of twisted souls were screaming at the same time.

Immediately afterwards, fragmented images forcibly flooded into his mind.

He saw the giant bat statue from Ceressa's dream, but this one was clearer and larger, standing atop the ruins of a shattered world, with piles of bones and endless wails at its feet.

In the depths of space, a colossal, indescribable shadow slowly rose from the abyss, emanating an aura that brought death to all things. Countless universes, like fragile soap bubbles, burst one after another before an indescribable vortex of pure chaos and darkness.

At the center of the vortex, it seemed as if a pair of eyes were coldly watching everything.

These images intertwined, overlapped, and assaulted his senses, giving him a strong sense of unease.

"Uh!"

Peter grunted, and the Shazam dagger he was holding fell onto the desk with a thud.

The hallucination receded like the tide, and he returned to his warm study.

Outside the window, the night was peaceful, but Peter was filled with dread.

Looking down, Peter stared in shock at the seemingly calm dagger on the table, golden arcs of electricity still slowly flowing within it.

What was that just now?
Was it some higher being conveying a message to him through this dagger?

Is darkness descending?

Peter's heart was filled with an unprecedented solemnity.

Strange metals, Shazam's dagger, deep-space shadows, giant eyes... these seemingly isolated objects are now connected by an invisible thread.

It seems that this dagger is more than just a weapon imbued with divine power.

It's more like a key, or an early warning system.

The metal it points to, and the fate it is associated with, will likely far exceed its initial expectations.

Peter gently put away the Shazam dagger, already having a general idea of ​​what darkness was about to descend upon him.

Metal and dark power—what else could they be but the evil entity I saw on the "golden toilet"?
The following morning, at Patrick Farm.

The air was filled with the aroma of fried bacon, toast, and fresh milk.

The living room was as lively as ever, with everyone sitting around the long table enjoying the breakfast prepared by Persephone.

However, at this moment, Ah Zu's mood was completely out of sync with the warm atmosphere.

Chewing mechanically, finding the food tasteless, Ah Zu's usually spirited eyes now swept over his brothers and sisters at the table with a gloomy expression.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Raven, who was quietly eating but exuding a powerful magic, before glancing at Tom, who was whispering something to Loki and whose left eye seemed to hold some secret.

An indescribable sense of irritability and suffocation welled up in his chest.

Why?
He, Homelander, considers himself Peter Patrick's rightful eldest son, is one of the earliest members of the farm, and possesses powerful heat vision and a superhuman physique.

I should be the most dazzling and the most relied upon.

After all, he was the heir to the Patrick Farm, the eldest son of Peter Patrick!

But what about the last Marvel multiverse trip?
What have I become?
A minor character who rushes to the front and gets beaten up, but ultimately becomes almost just a background figure.

Wanda, the dark witch, and Raven, whom he hated the most, became the protagonists who turned the tide.

Even Tom, whom he had always considered to have a low profile, suddenly experienced a surge in strength through some unknown method, and was able to exchange a few blows with Black Strange.

This feeling of being overshadowed and relegated to a supporting role was something that the proud, almost obsessive, Ah Zu simply couldn't tolerate.

Azu felt his position was seriously challenged, and his father's attention (though he never admitted to craving it) seemed to be diverted as well.

"I'm stuffed."

Ah Zu coldly tossed out a sentence, ignoring everyone's reaction, pushed back his chair, stood up, and left the living room without looking back.

The screeching sound of the chair scraping against the floor brought a moment of silence to the dining table.

But everyone seemed to have gotten used to his unpredictable temper, and they quickly resumed their conversation.

Peter watched Azu leave, his brows furrowing slightly.

What's wrong with this brat now?
With a gloomy face, Azu strode out of the farmhouse.

He needed some fresh air, he needed to find a place to process this pent-up frustration.

After pondering for a moment, Azu decided to go to the Talon Cafe in town, have a cup of coffee, and maybe it would cheer him up a little.

Tarong Café is filled with the rich aroma of coffee beans and soothing music.

In the afternoon, when there weren't many customers, Azu spotted Lana sitting by the window, frowning and deep in thought while looking at her laptop.

Ah Zu walked over and tapped on the table.

Lana looked up and saw it was Azu. She gave a polite smile and said, "Hi, John, what brings you here today?"

"Just take a walk."

Ah Zu sat down opposite her, ordered a black coffee, and chatted casually with her, "You look so worried, what are you busy with?"

"English academic paper."

Lana sighed and rubbed her temples. "The data analysis and literature reviews on cross-cultural communication models are driving me crazy."

Azu listened absentmindedly; he had no interest in these academic topics and just wanted to chat casually with someone to relax.

But soon, the thought that "I, a proud citizen of my motherland, am here listening to an ordinary girl complaining about her thesis" resurfaced, making him even more irritable.

After a brief chat and before finishing his coffee, Ah Zu made an excuse and left the coffee shop.

Lana watched his departing figure, shrugged in confusion, and continued to bury herself in her thesis.

Standing on the streets of the small town, Azu felt even more empty and bored.

Back to the farm?
Look at those "younger brothers and sisters"?

Do not!
Want to find some fun? But nothing seemed to pique his interest.

Suddenly, Azu thought of Gotham, and Bruce Wayne, who always had a stern face and pretended to be profound.

Although the two have been at odds since childhood and can't stand each other—Azu thinks Bruce is hypocritical and pretentious, while Bruce thinks Azu is arrogant and impulsive—after the previous vampire incident and their recent multiverse journey, their relationship seems to have subtly eased somewhat, at least from "mortal enemies" to "acquaintances who can tease each other a bit."

Maybe... I should go and have a chat with that little bat?
It's not a heart-to-heart talk, it's just... saying whatever comes to mind, it's better than someone brooding alone.

Ah Zu gave himself a lame excuse.

With that thought in mind, Azu no longer hesitated.

With a swift movement, he transformed into a blurry afterimage, speeding towards Gotham City at supersonic speed.

The sky over Gotham is always leaden gray, as if shrouded in a perpetual gloom.

Azu hovered above the clouds, looking down at the city filled with sin and legend, preparing to descend and head to Wayne Manor.

"Boom!"

An unprecedented, sky-ripping roar suddenly erupted.

Azu looked up in astonishment and saw that the space above Gotham City had been torn open by an indescribable brute force, creating a huge, irregular rift.

The crack was filled with an absolute darkness that was as viscous as asphalt and unfathomable.

Immediately afterwards, a thick black lightning bolt, like a twisted giant python, slashed down from the dark rift, striking an area in the suburbs of Gotham.

"Buzz!"

A visible black energy shockwave rapidly spread out in a ring from the point of impact.

As Azu stared in disbelief, the area struck by the black lightning groaned in pain, then violently bulged and rose.

The rocks and soil piled up and deformed wildly, as if they were alive.

In just a few dozen seconds, a strange, jagged, and pitch-black mountain suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the outskirts of Gotham.

The mountain peak was even taller than Gotham's tallest building, like a giant black thorn that pierced the city.

Even more shockingly, a strange aura began to permeate the air, a mixture of sulfur, metallic corrosion, and some ancient, malevolent energy.

This aura made even Ah Zu feel physically uncomfortable.

(End of this chapter)