CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 050: TWELVE TALISMANS BRACELET! WANDA’S RETURN!

Alright.

So this thing can be redesigned, huh? And it can even be made in pairs at once!

Lorien took it out for a look—it was an exquisite women’s bracelet. It had twelve gems, all the same size and crafted with stunning detail, each representing one of the Chinese zodiac signs: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon... In short, it was beautiful.

However... it was clearly a women’s design, not really something a man could wear. The gemstones gave off a feminine vibe. On a man, it’d look a bit... soft.

And besides, with his Superman-level physique, Lorien didn’t need something like this. It was also a Valentine’s Day gift version, meaning that once he gave it away, the recipient would gain the same abilities. It could be given to one person—or to two.

"Alright then." Lorien tossed the bracelet in his hand before putting it away. "I’ll just give it to Wanda and Gwen when the time comes."

To be fair, the powers of the Twelve Talismans were perfect for the two of them. Wanda was a high-attack, low-defense sorcerer. Gwen was a well-balanced warrior. With the Talismans’ powers—Animation, Super Strength, Spiritual Balance, Super Speed, Combustion, Invisibility, Healing, Astral Projection, Animal Shapeshifting, Levitation, Immortality, and Thermal Vision—both of their overall abilities would skyrocket.

To put it simply: they could animate objects temporarily, boost strength, create yin-yang clones... and much more.

"Wait a second!"

Lorien suddenly froze. The yin-yang clone from the Tiger Talisman... could split the user into two! Which meant Gwen could become two Gwens... And Wanda could become two Wandas...

Double? No—quadruple!

Oh my god.

He quickly took out the Twelve Talisman Valentine’s bracelet for another look.

"Now I see... You’re the real treasure!"

Lorien stashed the bracelet away and stepped into the elevator to go downstairs. He’d made up his mind—he had to give this bracelet to Gwen as soon as possible!

Then, as the "Most Romantic Man in New York", he could test out just how powerful it really was!

Right? After all, it was equipment. And of course, Lorien had to personally test a piece of equipment like this!

Nothing else to it. Just a simple test...

...

At the same time, inside the Avengers Compound, Cap was holding the last meeting of the day.

After discussing the first citizen-reported issue, he pulled out another set of videos and documents to show the team.

"As you can see," he began, "a mech Tony calls a Transformer suddenly appeared in our world.

"Tony has assured us it wasn’t his creation, and no one knows how many of these Transformers exist or how powerful they really are."

"So, we’re adding another task to our list—find out who it belongs to and gather detailed intel on it."

With that, Cap dismissed the team.

Some members looked thoughtful, others nodded, and a few moved to take action. Only Wanda and Natasha seemed a little off. Both were thinking the same thing: Have I seen this before?

Natasha remembered the afternoon tea she’d seen Lorien Su having with Wanda. The car Lorien drove that day looked a lot like the one in the video—in fact, it looked very much the same. But this wasn’t something she could confirm just by talking; she’d have to see it for herself.

Wanda had almost the same thought. For her, it didn’t matter if it was Lorien’s or not—if it was, it’d be an unexpected surprise. Having Lorien own something like that would make her feel more at ease about his safety. If it wasn’t, that was fine too; it wouldn’t concern her.

So Wanda’s icy demeanor melted into excitement as she headed for the base entrance.

But before she could leave, she noticed it was raining in New York. She didn’t have a car—so what now?

"Ugh..."

Just then, Natasha pulled up in an Audi R8.

"Looking for Lorien? I’ll take you," Natasha offered.

Wanda eyed the two-seater and asked curiously, "But it’s only got two seats. Where will Lorien sit once we get there? Or are you dropping me off and heading back yourself?"

Natasha: ... Then should I just leave?

Kidding.

In the end, Natasha swapped it for a four-seater Audi. Wanda went back to her room, changed clothes, grabbed two umbrellas, and joined her.

With a press of the gas pedal, Natasha drove them toward the Northern Building.

...

Back at the Northern Building, Lorien stepped out of the elevator and only then noticed it was raining outside. He didn’t like rain—it always put him in a sour mood. And if he had to go out in it, that was even worse.

Just then, an umbrella appeared at his side.

He turned his head. It was Wanda.

Uh... two Wandas—no, no... Lorien quickly shook that thought from his mind.

"You’re back? No injuries?" he asked, a bit surprised.

"No," Wanda replied with a gentle smile.

She stepped closer, and the two shared the umbrella.

"The mission was simple. None of the enemies were as tough as the mutant rats. After the first wave, there wasn’t a second."

Her tone was calm and soft, but not far away, Natasha remembered Wanda using her magic to crush two cars with her bare hands. Blood had streamed from the seats and door seams—a scene that still made even Avengers veterans uneasy.

Wanda glanced back and added, "It was raining, so Natasha drove me here."

Lorien looked past her. "Oh, you’re here too?"

Natasha: ... What’s that supposed to mean?