Marvel, Long Island, New York, top floor of Wilson Enterprises' office building.
It was early morning in Marvel; Su Ming found that with his travels back and forth, the time flow between the two universes became very close.
Originally, he spent over twenty years in Marvel, while only a month passed in DC. But last time, he visited The Ancient One, and after returning this time, only two days had gone by.
Su Ming touched the Jester Badge on his chest, speculating it should be the effect of the 'Manhattan Ball.' If he returned to DC again, he could completely use this badge to borrow passage in Manhattan and return to the point in time he left.
However, regarding that bag of gemstones, he currently only knows their origin. As for the principle allowing them to be used in Marvel, he has no guesses.
It's not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of cosmic cognition.
Manhattan explained to Su Ming using the Quantum Concept, but that was just his explanation. His set of theories isn't a universal rule that can be applied in every world.
For example, Tom and Jerry, those two animals frequently get flattened or cut into pieces and still bounce around lively.
Su Ming could guarantee that the eternal undying of those two has nothing to do with quantum; their world doesn't have the concept of death.
Even the common knowledge from his previous life, 'if one acts recklessly, one will die,' cannot be applied universally in every world, let alone DC World's quantum theory.
Therefore, Su Ming decides to explore the stars and sea first, to broaden his knowledge. Maybe one day he will understand these things.
He quietly leaned back in the boss chair, adding more liquor to the glass on the table, the brownish-red liquid gushing down.
He initially planned to vacation in DC, but unexpectedly ended up with a heap of matters on his shoulders. It's still peaceful here in Marvel...
Except for World War II still ongoing.
Steve and his 'World-shocking Wonders' team should still be in Egypt, right?
Having dealt with Conqueror Kang and with Apocalypse, Su Ming was too lazy to tangle with Hydra, letting Little Steve slowly build himself up.
"Boss."
Gin walked in from outside the door, still the same as always, wearing a black suit, just with that oversized ring Su Ming had gifted him on his finger.
"Any new intel these days? Still unable to find Wakanda?" Su Ming gestured for him to sit casually, having been old colleagues for over twenty years; there was no need for formality.
Gin also approached the desk, poured himself some liquor, sighed, and shook his head: "The general area you marked on the map, we've sent people to search, but still no clues. Now, both the Axis and the Allies have turned Africa into a battlefield, and the armies of both sides have not discovered any signs of an ideal indigenous nation."
Su Ming sighed, it seems Wakanda chose to completely hide itself due to world circumstances. Their technological level is already very high and hard to find with the current outside world's standards.
Everything in that country is built on Vibranium Technology, but it's still a chieftain state with idealistic tribal systems; they believe the Heart-shaped Grass and Vibranium are gifts from the Leopard God.
Su Ming's own technology tree had issues; he originally planned to find Wakanda, sign some contracts, exchanging cigarettes, beverages, and alcohol for industrial equipment.
But now, such a big country can't be found, making the plan infeasible.
Or should he first invest in Stark Industries? Extract some shares from the stock market?
However, it's still too early, Howard is even more unorthodox than Tony, besides helping SSR these days, he's also running to Hollywood to direct films, exploiting actresses.
Investing in Howard now would be like throwing money into a sinkhole; considering the movies directed by someone focused on exploiting actresses, one can completely imagine the level.
"How's the income status of our company?"
Su Ming took a sip of liquor, having spent some days not paying attention to company developments after traveling to Europe.
"Tobacco and alcohol remain the main revenue source. However, with the increasing numbers of the United States Army in Europe, the sales of stockings and cosmetics on the front lines have also seen a notable increase."
Gin, although unable to state many precise figures as he wasn't of accounting background but a follower, still understood which businesses were the most profitable.
English beauties love stockings, so many United States soldiers would use military pay to cater to their preferences, turning stockings into a gift of affection.
"Let's leave it for now; I'll rest for a few days before heading out. Inform Vodka to buy land for me on Long Island; I'm planning to establish a school."
"A school? That's not much of a money-making venture, is it?"
"Times have changed, my old companion, the world will only get crueler and crueler. Our manpower can't continue being just some street-recruited thugs."
Su Ming clinked glasses with Gin, turning to look at the scenic view outside the window, the distant sea shimmering with golden light as he calmly replied to Gin:
"The young people of the future must have ideals, be educated, be grateful, and be well-rounded in capabilities."
Gin understood, realizing that the school was actually a place to cultivate loyal followers.
"Alright, boss."
"Recruitment priority should be given to orphans who lost parents in the war, providing food and accommodation, from nursery to university all the same, assigning jobs upon graduation. The details will be discussed after the school's establishment, I still need to find a principal as we are not suitable for raising kids."
Cultivating confidants can't be accomplished swiftly, but fortunately, Su Ming has plenty of time.
Gin left, leaving Su Ming sitting in the chair pondering something.
He indeed needed a break; in DC, although it was just two days, the high-intensity battles and intrigues still left him feeling fatigued.
.......
Thus, in the following days, Su Ming was in a kind of idle state, every day Gin driving a stretch sedan, taking him to inspect various factories.
At night, most of the time was spent in the Peace Restaurant, drinking and listening to music.
The old tavern now seems insufficient; the war has brought more and more people seeking to drown their sorrows.
Su Ming directly instructed Gin to transfer money from the account and buy the residential building above the underground bar, completely transforming it into a comprehensive nightclub.
When Gin asked what a comprehensive nightclub was, Su Ming explained to him.
"As long as it's legal entertainment, arrange everything, since Wilson Enterprises is a lawful business."
Gin understood; the old rule still applies: stay away from gambling, drugs, and prostitution, but include everything else.
.........
These days, Monac visited Su Ming once, reportedly sent by The Ancient One, but Su Ming was temporarily uninterested in assuming the mantle of Supreme Mage, so he sweet-talked Monac into seeking Holloway.
"The war hasn't ended yet, the German sorcerers are still running wild, Captain America needs manpower to deal with the magic threat. You're representing the Magic Realm for the team formation, remember, keep my identity secret."
Monac has recovered quite well these days, at least not as haggard as when they parted, not sure how many rabbits have been victimized.
Su Ming knew he wanted to kill the German Ghosts, so he simply sent him back to the battlefield.
At least it could stall for a few more years, delightful.
And before Monac left, Su Ming even robbed him of his Magic Beard Wax; how could a big boss not maintain his beard?
Watching the Magic Prince leave, Su Ming realized he couldn't stay idle, or The Ancient One would surely come to bother him.
He needed to make a quick escape to hide in another world.
Just in time, there was a world whose contents intrigued Su Ming; perhaps they could be used to unlock Conqueror Kang's technological locks, so Su Ming planned to retrieve them.
On a dark and windy night, Su Ming set off again after only informing Gin; his target was the starry sea.
Thus, Gin once again witnessed the boss fully armed, then crazily self-mutilating with knives, disappearing into the office.
He initially had a secret he wanted to tell the boss, but every time he tried to speak, the boss interrupted him, seemingly having guessed it, yet utterly unconcerned about listening.
Gin felt helpless; he knew the boss was smart, but why couldn't he get a word in edgewise?
...........
In a universe not far from Marvel and DC, it too possesses a complex Multiverse System, with a green-and-white smiley face and a string of characters appearing on the World Barrier.
Su Ming notified Strangulation to get ready to breach the World Barrier. It should hide properly since it fears heat so much.
But Strangulation expressed its desire to withstand more heat, improving its high-temperature resistance.
Since that's the case, Su Ming didn't say much more, diving headfirst into this Multiverse, and still needed to choose his target among the many Monistic Universes.
He found it, on the World Barrier vaguely appearing an image of a mechanical planet's universe, and he began to move toward it.
.........
Despite being the same Earth, this planet once experienced some strange events.
In 1897, the United States National Arctic Expedition Team.
They have been trudging through the vast snowfield for who knows how long, but have gained almost nothing; although branded as a scientific expedition, they functioned more as an adventure team.
Here within the Arctic Circle, it wasn't the large icebergs floating on the sea, but the northern tip of Greenland, where solid rock lies beneath the snow.
What they were searching for were gold ore veins, gemstone ore veins buried under the ice, or creatures never seen by anyone.
These valuable things are the true incentive for the exploration.
But now, all around was endless white, and what might lie beneath it could only be tundra.
These things were worthless.
The biting wind howled, almost freezing the heavy sled to the snow.
Everyone's exposed beard and eyebrows were covered in frost, and the sled dogs continually exhaled heat, the entire team slowly advanced on the ice field, puffing white smoke like a train.
Food and fuel were running low; the harsh environment had claimed the lives of five expedition members, as the dream of wealth was being shattered by cold reality.
If nothing valuable were found soon, then this state-funded expedition team might never have another chance at exploration.
However, as the leader, Captain Vitevich would not just give up; he had a hunch that something immensely valuable awaited him not far ahead.
"Keep working hard! Boys! No sacrifices, no gains!"
Damn it, in a place where even a cup of hot water counts as a treasure, they were still hoping to find something more valuable...but as the captain, he must motivate the young men. If their spirit weakened, they might truly end up beneath the endless snow.
"Boss! There's something ahead!"
The team members shouted to him because at the lead, the pathfinding dogs used to seek out ice and snow voids to prevent car accidents began running forward and barking.