Indeed, the brightness of the Loki Scepter's glow far exceeded the rest of its body.
Luca had noticed it earlier—the gem at the tip seemed excessively bright.
Initially, he assumed it was just the Mind Stone's natural glow shining through the system's "item glow."
But looking at the panel description again, something felt off.
Could it be that the system counts the Mind Stone and the Scepter as two separate Core Components?
It's not impossible.
With doubt in his heart, Luca reached out to touch the blue crystal casing at the top of the Scepter.
However, the panel that popped up was still the [Yuri Construction Yard].
Uh, okay. It seems I can't trigger a separate prompt through the protective casing.
This put Luca in a dilemma.
If he smashed the casing to get to the Stone, he might damage the Scepter itself.
If the system treated them as separate components, fine. When synthesizing the MCV, the unrelated material (the Stone) would be left behind. He could keep the Stone and see what else it could make.
But if the system treated them as a single unit...
Synthesizing the MCV might consume the Mind Stone along with the Scepter.
If that happened, he would never know what he could have made with an Infinity Stone.
For a moment, Luca was paralyzed by indecision.
Take the MCV... or gamble on the Mind Stone?
Just as he hesitated, a commotion erupted from below the building. Even on the top floor, Luca could hear the faint noise.
Before he could send the Haro Mech to check the window, urgent knocking came from the office door.
The person outside didn't wait for a response.
"Baron! A large crowd of Novi Grad citizens has gathered outside. They're rioting! They're protesting... um, protesting Aurantius Company's entry into Sokovia!"
Inside, Luca frowned. He stopped worrying about the Stone for a moment and handed the Scepter back to the Haro Mech.
He glanced at the dazed Strucker and whispered a command.
"Business as usual. Deal with this first."
"Yes, Boss."
After the command, Strucker, Raina, and Dr. List snapped back to "normal." It looked like they were just having a business meeting.
Strucker pushed open the office door and scolded the Hydra soldier outside.
"Do I need to teach you how to handle such trivial matters? Drive those troublemakers away! Shoot anyone who disobeys!"
"This..."
The Hydra soldier looked troubled.
It was understandable. Although the base was Hydra-controlled, many soldiers were recruited locally from Sokovia.
Ordering them to gun down civilians without hesitation was a hard pill to swallow for someone not deeply brainwashed.
Even Luca was surprised. He told Strucker to handle it "as usual," and this was his usual?
Since Luca planned to invest heavily in Sokovia under the guise of "giving back to the hometown," he quickly intervened.
"Ahem. Baron, I don't think violence is necessary. The Aurantius family is from Sokovia, after all. The people are probably just misunderstood and anxious about a foreign company entering. We should address their concerns."
Since Luca spoke, Strucker naturally wouldn't object.
He paused for a moment, then looked at the soldier.
"Fine. Take me down. Let me see the situation myself."
The soldier froze, looking at his leader in shock.
Since when is the Baron so reasonable?
He had fully expected to be punished for hesitating.
But hearing the American boy's words change the Baron's mind 180 degrees was startling.
Seeing Strucker walking toward the elevator, the soldier quickly jogged to catch up.
Luca didn't follow them downstairs. He signaled Dunshan and the bodyguards to relax, then walked to the window to look down.
What he saw was intense.
Hundreds of Sokovian citizens surrounded the Aurantius Tower.
Most were dressed simply, some looking like street vagrants.
But their expressions were fierce, their eyes burning with anger.
They held banners and flags, shouting curses at the building.
"Americans! Get out of our country!!"
"Get out! You are not welcome here!!"
"We want fairness! Not dollars!!"
Amidst the angry roars, some shouted in English, but most used local Sokovian slang.
Yes, Sokovia had its own language. But due to constant war and foreign intervention, English had become the official language.
Only in moments of extreme rage did people revert to their mother tongue to vent.
Fortunately, Gina had taught Luca Sokovian growing up. He understood every curse word they were throwing at him.
Well, understanding people cursing at you isn't exactly a blessing.
The protesters, seeing no response, were getting rowdy. They began to push against the security line, trying to storm the building.
If the guards weren't trained Hydra soldiers, the mob might have broken through already.
However, amidst this chaotic scene...
Looking down from the top floor, Luca's eyes instantly locked onto a figure in the crowd.
A flash of red... wrapped around pale white skin.