Chapter 219: Chapter 218: Untitled
In the Marvel world, beings from Hell often appear, such as Mephisto, Loki, Blackheart, and Ghost Rider, and not just one of them. However, heavenly beings are rarely seen. This doesn't mean that there are no beings from Heaven.
In fact, in the past, Heaven was similar to Hell now, with beings appearing on Earth, just like the myths left behind by Asgard on Earth.
The reason Heaven is no longer evident now is because of the town of San Venganza. Long ago, Heaven and Hell made a bet using the residents of San Venganza to judge the good and evil of human nature.
Heaven believed that the residents of San Venganza would never commit any evil acts, while Hell believed that evil lurks in everyone's hearts, hidden away but ready to be unleashed given the opportunity.
What happened next is as Daniel Davis and Coulson and others said: the town of San Venganza, which was once so peaceful that doors weren't locked at night and nothing was stolen, fell entirely into evil acts, ultimately sinking into the abyss and becoming the evil spirits bound by the San Venganza contract.
According to modern psychology, this would be considered a group evil act, which is very likely to occur in remote, underdeveloped areas with poor communication.
Despite their devout faith, the residents of San Venganza committed such atrocities. Heaven, despite being unhappy, had to admit defeat and left Earth.
Humans are indeed strange creatures. One moment, a person can be as kind as a saint, and the next, their evil actions can surpass even those of demons. Conversely, someone who was a mass-murdering demon could suddenly become a monk who wouldn't harm an ant.
Judging human crimes is never about how many people one kills but about their actions. If we talk about killing, the town of San Venganza only killed one person, but their actions caused such evil that the entire town fell into becoming the most wicked of evil spirits.
This theory about the San Venganza contract wasn't something Daniel Davis came up with; he found it in some documents. Whether it's true or not can only be verified by asking Mephisto.
Moreover, this theory isn't without its flaws, as there are indeed angels on Earth. Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, is said to be an avenging spirit and an angel.
These tales of Heaven and Hell are best taken as legends. Daniel Davis didn't have a desire to pursue the truth; he's not an archaeologist like Robin.
Speaking of archaeologists, many scholars in the Marvel world are going crazy, especially those studying Norse mythology. The existence of Asgard, Thor, and Odin has completely overturned all previous records, driving them to madness.
It's said that many are preparing to revise these records, an enormous task. There's even a petition hoping to visit Asgard for on-site investigation, but no government would consider such a request.
Governments would love to inspect Asgard, but there's no way to get there. Submitting applications is useless as Thor doesn't bother with government officials.
The government allowing Stark to form the Avengers is partly due to Thor.
"That's the situation. If you want to contact Ghost Rider, send someone kind-hearted. I have things to do, so I'll take my leave." Daniel Davis said, disappearing from Coulson and the others through apparition. He reappeared in midair, and with a movement of the ring on his left hand, the black Ant-Man suit spread across his body, completing his outfit in an instant and vanishing into the air.
With nanotechnology, Daniel Davis no longer worries about changing outfits.
Titan World.
Given his current strength, Daniel Davis occasionally visits worlds like Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Ready Player One, even though they don't offer much help. Titan World, in particular, holds his second secret base.
His first secret base is undoubtedly on another planet, but in terms of importance, the base in Titan World is more crucial.
This base is located on a remote island, storing almost all the valuable items Daniel Davis has acquired, including the Mind Stone.
Here, Daniel Davis can freely research and develop. His Iron Man suits have far exceeded Stark's in number. They could be used for a large-scale modern war, not just fireworks.
If these suits were deployed to the Pirate World, they might not defeat the Navy or the World Government, but they would cause significant damage.
Multiple worlds' resources have made Daniel Davis extraordinarily wealthy.
Daniel Davis has no intention of starting a large-scale war. Most of these creations were made out of boredom by Red Queen when she had nothing else to do.
Even the mining is done by robots, a financially unwise move by capitalist standards. But since these are all Daniel Davis's assets, there's no real waste.
"This island looks usable." Wearing his nano Iron Man suit, Daniel Davis floated above a desolate island and immediately landed, planning to use it to complete the philosopher's stone with the San Venganza contract.
Now Daniel Davis has three sets of nano equipment: the nano Ant-Man suit, the nano Iron Man suit, and the nano armor.
The nano Iron Man suit is primarily for flying since flying by himself consumes his power. Using technology to fly is more efficient.
After landing, Daniel Davis quickly drew a massive transmutation circle on the island. The San Venganza contract contains over a thousand souls, so a small circle wouldn't do. If any souls escaped, it would be a waste.
Once the circle was ready, Daniel Davis stood in the center and opened the San Venganza contract, removing the restraints on the scroll.
After unsealing it, he quickly used a Shave to leave the center of the transmutation circle.
Whoosh.
As the San Venganza contract floated slowly to the ground, the previously sunny weather turned gloomy, and the air filled with an eerie, evil aura.
In an instant, a large number of evil spirits poured out of the scroll, causing the temperature to drop to freezing.
"These evil spirits are even more malevolent than the artificial humans' souls in Fullmetal Alchemist." Watching the black, terrifying evil spirits that could scare an ordinary person into unconsciousness, Daniel Davis immediately activated the philosopher's stone transmutation circle.
Endless red light emanated from the circle as the evil spirits howled in agony, making Daniel Davis shiver.
After a while, the howling ceased, leaving a red stone the size of an egg with an unmatched brilliance, even more vibrant than the philosopher's stone of Muzan Kibutsuji.
Picking up the philosopher's stone, Daniel Davis's consciousness barely touched the soul's power inside before he screamed in pain.
"Damn." He immediately cut off the connection and took a deep breath. Despite having made and used many philosopher's stones, he had never encountered such an evil power.
"So this is the true power of the San Venganza contract." Daniel Davis realized he had underestimated its strength.
Ordinary philosopher's stones, despite the negative emotions from being killed, can be purified. Daniel Davis always purified the power before using it, unlike the homunculi.
Van Hohenheim relied on conversing with the mad souls inside his philosopher's stone, awakening tens of thousands of souls to fight against the Dwarf in the Flask.
Daniel Davis, on the other hand, used his power to purify the souls, ensuring his soul remained pure. Even Muzan Kibutsuji's philosopher's stone didn't pose a problem, but the one from the San Venganza contract nearly overwhelmed him with its negative energy.
There was no way to purify this.
"So this is complete corruption." Daniel Davis finally understood the depth of true corruption, a soul utterly fallen.
Even the most evil person has a soft spot in their heart, and the same goes for souls.
"No wonder this power came from fallen saints." The residents of San Venganza, considered saints due to their devout faith, were much more powerful in their fall than ordinary people.
This power made the philosopher's stone exceptionally strong. Daniel Davis, having only touched it briefly, could tell this stone's power far exceeded that of a thousand ordinary souls combined. Even adding ten times that number wouldn't match it.
"Is this the full potential of a soul?" The mystery of the soul is something even Kamar-Taj's magic, based on this concept, doesn't fully understand.
A person's lifespan doesn't entirely deplete their soul's power.
Different people have different souls, just as ordinary Earthlings are different from Asgardians, whose average lifespan of over 5,000 years implies vastly different souls.
Daniel Davis once considered making a philosopher's stone from Asgardians to see the difference but quickly abandoned the idea. Some lines should never be crossed.
Capturing Loki or some Frost Giants would be easy for him now, but these actions were out of the question.
"This will have to be used as a consumable." The San Venganza contract's philosopher's stone can't be used for cultivation, disappointing Daniel Davis a bit. But it can still be used as an energy source for other philosopher's stones.
To Daniel Davis, souls are an energy source. With alchemy, they become a universal power source, and the San Venganza contract's stone will last a long time as a consumable.
Because of the stone's properties, Daniel Davis only uses it when necessary.
"Too bad this island is ruined." The presence of over a thousand evil souls, even for a short time, severely damaged the island, leaving its sparse greenery withered.
"Time will have to heal it." An ordinary person on this island now would quickly fall ill.
Pirate World
"The World Government is here to collect fees. How bold." Looking at the World Government's CP agents, Daniel Davis felt very annoyed, but he hid it well. These agents were sent to collect the Shichibukai fees.
The privileges of the Shichibukai aren't free; they come at a cost similar to a nation's Heavenly Tribute.
"
Is the World Government short on funds, using the Shichibukai system to raise money? Otherwise, such a ridiculous system wouldn't have been approved."
Despite the arrogance of the CP agents, Daniel Davis still paid them. Now is not the time to break with the World Government; he still needs the Shichibukai privileges.
The privileges are useful; just look at Blackbeard. Without being a Shichibukai, he couldn't have easily reached Impel Down and freed many dangerous pirates.
As long as he holds the title of Shichibukai, even the Admirals and Fleet Admiral Sengoku can't touch him.
To obtain World Government technology, he can't discard this title yet.
"I wonder if Hawkeye has to pay. With his self-sufficient lifestyle, he probably doesn't. Maybe just a token payment of a hundred beli or so."
After sending off the CP agents, Daniel Davis mused.
"The Donquixote family's slave traders have come here. Quite bold. Are they testing me?" Seeing the intelligence reports, Daniel Davis snorted coldly. As a modern man, he despised the slave trade.
Daniel Davis's disdain for the Navy partly stems from the slave auctions in Sabaody Archipelago, which the Navy euphemistically calls "employment agencies." Both Sengoku and Garp, as well as the three Admirals, turn a blind eye to it, yet they speak of justice.
It's laughable to talk about justice when the institution is so rotten.
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