"Hmm..." Silas sat on his chair, looking at the Color-Changing Snake that the Shadowkhan had presented, deep in thought.
So, he had the Color-Changing Snake, but how was he supposed to get the Talisman? By flaying the snake's body?
[Please, Host, look the snake in the eyes]
"Got it." The system's message immediately awakened a long-dormant memory in Silas; he recalled that episode with Shendu.
Silas grasped the snake's head, making its eyes look at him. Immediately, two streams of orange demonic chi flowed from the snake's eyes and slowly entered Silas's eyes.
"The Snake's Invisibility." As soon as Silas spoke, he vanished from the room, then reappeared again.
The power of the Snake Talisman flowed into Silas's body, and he instantly learned how to become invisible, as if he were born with the ability, without any obstacle.
Unfortunately, the Snake Talisman's invisibility had too many drawbacks. If Tony wanted to see him, he just needed to install a thermal sensor on his armor. There was an even simpler way: scattering colored substances around would also reveal Silas's outline.
However, there was an item in the system's shop: the Talisman Upgrade, which required one hundred thousand Justice Points or Evil Points. Currently, the most expensive item in the shop was a book, followed by the demonic chi of the Eight Demon Sorcerers. It was worth noting that this demonic chi represented the demons' power at their peak, not the kind of power that could be defeated by a regular person's kick.
Besides the Masks, he could also exchange for Shadowkhan Generals, who were much stronger than the regular Shadowkhan soldiers. They could do more things and were smarter, but Silas still believed Little Black was the cleverest.
Silas thought, glancing at Little Black, who was studying at the desk. Little Black sensed his gaze and nodded in response.
A Shadowkhan General required one thousand Evil Points, which wasn't too much, but compared to the Talisman clues, it was nothing. It was in a very awkward position. Once Silas collected the Twelve Talismans, he wouldn't need a Shadowkhan General anyway, as he would probably have other troops by then.
"A long and arduous journey." Silas was greatly looking forward to the arrival of the Chitauri army. When that happened, he would definitely earn huge amounts of Justice and Evil Points, and his strength would be further improved.
The Next Morning
"Silas! I got a message from Mr. Stark!" Peter exclaimed, excitedly climbing through Silas's window early in the morning.
Silas yawned, groggily rubbed his sleepy eyes. Was it morning already?
"Silas, did I just wake you up?" Peter realized he seemed to have disturbed Silas.
Silas turned, saw it was Peter, and without a word, immediately collapsed back onto the bed. "What is it~"
"Mr. Stark sent me an invitation!" Peter said, holding up a letter.
Silas immediately perked up, sat up, and asked, "What invitation did Stark send you?"
"A birthday invitation," Peter said, handing the invitation to Silas.
Silas took it, opened it, and read: Hello, Pajama Boy, I, Tony Stark, Iron Man, officially invite you to perform at my birthday party. I will send you the remuneration you deserve.
The "remuneration" was what Peter cared about most. He planned to ask Mr. Stark for help explaining things so he could buy a car for Uncle Ben.
"So you're going to the birthday party?" Silas handed the invitation back to Peter.
Peter thought for a moment. "Yes, Silas, I'm going to check it out. Mr. Stark said there's a reward."
"Then go, but be careful. If Stark asks you to reveal your identity, don't do it." Silas suddenly remembered a scene from the Marvel Comics where Peter, following Stark's advice, revealed his identity. The results were obvious: all the enemies Peter had ever offended came after him, and all of Peter's relatives were put in mortal danger.
"Don't worry, Silas, how could I reveal my identity?" Peter didn't understand what Silas was thinking. Why would he ever reveal his identity?
Silas nodded. "Alright, you can go now. I need to change."
"Change? What's there to be afraid of, Silas? We grew up together with our butts showing," Peter teased.
"No, you grew up with your butt showing, I didn't. Look, these are trousers," Silas retorted, holding up a pair of trousers.
"I'm leaving!" Peter stopped bothering Silas and opened the door to leave.
Finally, he used the front door. Silas summoned the Shadowkhan to help him get dressed and bring him a cup of milk.
"Come on, I don't really like drinking milk unless it has some sugar," Silas said.
A Shadowkhan nearby took a packet of sugar from its pocket, sprinkled it into the milk, and stirred it with a spoon.
"Nice work." Silas took the milk and took a sip. To be honest, even with sugar, he still didn't really like it.
The Shadowkhan were truly worried about their master. It was Little Black who had ordered them to make Silas drink the milk; as their master, he couldn't have a frail body.
After drinking the milk, the Shadowkhan all retreated. Silas suddenly remembered that he still hadn't washed up...
Downstairs
"Silas, aren't you going to drink milk?" Aunt May asked, puzzled.
Silas glanced at the milk and replied, "No, Aunt May."
"No, you must! You never grew tall because you skipped breakfast. Now you have to drink this milk to catch up," Aunt May insisted firmly. This was for Silas's own good.
Ben Parker, who was reading the newspaper nearby, said, "May, if Silas doesn't want to drink it, let it go. We have to respect their freedom."
"Uncle Ben is right! Aunt May, I'm done eating. I have a date today, so I'll be going now!" Silas was grateful to Uncle Ben for helping him out, gave Uncle Ben a look of appreciation, and rushed out the door.
"Ben..." Aunt May glared at Ben Parker unhappily.
Ben Parker awkwardly took Silas's cup. "Then, should I drink it?"
"No! Peter, you drink it." Aunt May gave the milk to Peter, who was chuckling nearby.
Peter quickly said, "Aunt May... but I already have mine."
"It's alright, have one more cup," Aunt May said with a smile.
"..." Peter's mouth twitched. Are you kidding? Why did he have to drink it just because Silas ran away?
However, since Aunt May had spoken, our little Spider-Man, Peter, could only obey honestly. It was just a cup of milk, simple. Still, drinking Silas's unwanted milk felt strange to Peter.
As for the "date" Silas mentioned, it was his appointment with Misty. They had agreed to go shopping together this morning. And after the scar incident, Misty and Silas's relationship had grown even closer.
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