Marvel: A Lazy-Ass Superman Chapter 860: A One-of-a-Kind Crystal

If Ezekiel Sims had been someone familiar with the etiquette of high society, someone who had ingrained the art of hypocrisy deep into his bones, he would have understood that he needed to back off for the time being after witnessing Henry’s behavior. He could wait for another opportunity or find a way to exact revenge behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, he was not that kind of man.

He was someone who had relied on the power he acquired thirty years ago to fight his way through every obstacle and climb to his current position.

However, this way of life had hit a brick wall a long time ago. The extraordinary power he had obtained from the Spider was useful enough against ordinary people, but when dealing with those who truly controlled resources and wielded authority, they could always find a suitable way to deal with him.

So Ezekiel Sims had compromised and chosen to cooperate with Abstergo. Although he didn’t consider it a simple case of being brought under someone else’s control, when their objectives conflicted, Abstergo’s interests had to come first. That condition still left him somewhat displeased.

Investing in whatever project Henry Brown might develop was Ezekiel Sims’s small act of defiance against Abstergo Industries’ rules. Unfortunately, the man had been too obtuse to accept his offer.

That meant things could only return to the proper course, with Henry accepting the olive branch Abstergo had extended.

Except that invitation had been rejected as well. Ezekiel Sims couldn’t quite figure out whether he was pleased or displeased with the way things had turned out.

As the man who had achieved everything through his own efforts prepared to make a few more remarks laced with veiled threats, a voice called out from the other side.

"Henry, could you come over here for a moment?"

Mrs. Mellon and a group of old-money elites were gathered around the holographic crystal, beckoning Henry over. Grandma Katherine Hepburn was standing beside Mrs. Mellon, the two women linking arms and looking as close as sisters.

With someone offering him a way out, Henry was more than happy to take it. He downed his glass of whiskey in one go, nodded toward the scowling Ezekiel Sims, and said, "Sorry."

Then he headed toward his creation.

"Coming!"

Since the host had called him over—and that host was a Mellon—Ezekiel Sims obviously couldn’t say anything. The status he had fought so hard to attain meant absolutely nothing in front of this group of American blue-blood aristocrats.

Without Abstergo as his backing, Ezekiel Sims alone wouldn’t even have qualified to set foot through the gates of Oak Spring Farm, much less attend this reception.

He had come to the event for another purpose, not specifically to meet Henry Brown. In fact, he had only spotted Henry at the reception, which was what prompted this impromptu encounter in the first place. The result, however, had been less than satisfactory.

Given the setting, Ezekiel Sims abandoned the idea of trying to further "persuade" Henry Brown. Instead, he turned his attention to his original target: a young artist with a distinctive style.

Abstergo had commissioned him to approach this young man, a wandering artist who rarely appeared in public, in the hope of purchasing an oil painting from him. Since Ezekiel was known for his considerable powers of "persuasion," the task had fallen to him.

As Henry walked away, he spared a sliver of his attention to keep tabs on the Frenchman with his super-hearing. The rest of him, of course, had to deal with the group of elderly men and women waiting before him.

Judging by the look of satisfaction and pride on the old lady’s face, the unprecedented work of art that was the holographic crystal had clearly fulfilled her desire to show it off.

"Henry, come over and tell everyone how you made this crystal."

The moment he heard the question, Henry immediately slipped into storytelling mode. With dramatic pauses and a lively, emphatic delivery, he began.

"The creation of this crystal was a matter of chance and good fortune.

"It happened on a dark and stormy night. I was alone in my empty house, tidying the place up. You see, I’m currently working as Mrs. Hepburn’s personal assistant, so I’m staying at her home.

"That means the house I bought has become a storage space for all sorts of odds and ends. It’s always a mess. As for this crystal, it was large enough to catch my eye, so I bought it as a collectible, hoping it would bring me good luck.

"But while I was cleaning up, a sudden flash of lightning and a clap of thunder outside startled me so badly that my legs nearly gave way. I knocked something to the floor, and the lights in the house went out as well.

"Since it was pitch-black and I couldn’t see the circuit breaker, I found a flashlight and switched it on to illuminate my surroundings. That’s when I suddenly noticed that the light shining on the crystal was producing a projection above it.

"I took a closer look, and, oh, my goodness! Wasn’t that Mrs. Mellon’s face?

"I stared in astonishment, shining the flashlight at the crystal from different angles. That’s when I discovered that the light from different directions produced different projections.

"Every image was lifelike. Sometimes it was Mrs. Mellon, sometimes Mr. Mellon. There were images of them when they were young, and others showing them after they had experienced more of life’s trials and tribulations.

"So I decided to take this opportunity to present the treasure I had accidentally knocked into existence to Mrs. Mellon. It wasn’t my achievement, just as the Renaissance master Michelangelo once said:

"’The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there; I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.’

"In the same way, this crystal was always meant to belong to the Mellon family. I merely happened to knock it onto the floor."

Henry finished his story with an air of complete sincerity.

Mrs. Mellon, however, looked puzzled.

"Wait a moment. The power went out, and you couldn’t find the circuit breaker, but you could find a flashlight? Does that make sense?"

"Wait a second, ma’am. Is that really the part you’re concerned about?"

Henry looked like a talk-show host who had just been outsmarted by someone in the audience. All he could do was stare back in stunned disbelief.

The crowd immediately burst into laughter. It was obvious that Henry was lying, but his story was so outrageously absurd that it had become a joke in its own right.

His old friend Givenchy was probably the most enthusiastic audience member. Wiping away tears of laughter, he exclaimed, "Good heavens, Henry! Aren’t you afraid that people will start lining up with their crystals, begging you to smash them on the floor?"

Since someone had picked up the cue, Henry naturally put on a peculiar expression and lowered his voice as though sharing a secret.

"That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, which is why I told that story.

"This is a one-of-a-kind work of art, after all. I can’t exactly turn it into a theme-park souvenir, selling for ninety-nine cents apiece so everyone can take one home, can I?"

Everyone present was a seasoned socialite. They naturally understood the deeper meaning behind Henry’s words.

Anyone hoping to invest in this business could forget about it. Even if someone wanted to commission a personalized holographic crystal, there was every chance this man would find an excuse to turn them down.

Mrs. Mellon, Rachel Lambert Mellon, was even more satisfied after hearing that.

At their level of wealth and status, what they enjoyed was often simply possessing something no one else had.

Although she wasn’t particularly obsessed with that feeling—not like certain people who became so fixated on exclusivity that they resorted to downright deranged behavior—there was still something wonderful about owning an object that was truly unique and extraordinary.

Katherine Hepburn, who had an excellent sense of timing, certainly wasn’t going to bring up the fact that she hadn’t managed to get a holographic crystal of her own. Instead, she mingled effortlessly with the old-money crowd, joining them in teasing and criticizing the young man who was all jokes and banter on the surface, yet utterly immovable when it came to giving anything away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~