Chapter 17: Those holding hammers aren't necessarily warriors; they might also be blacksmiths

Last night, Coulson and Melinda had a massive misunderstanding! Due to the misunderstanding and their mutual sulking, the two had each written a completely different report to report to Director Nick Fury.

Their standoff lasted until the next morning. It wasn't until Annie casually mentioned the truth while eating breakfast that the two, who had been giving each other the cold shoulder, finally reconciled.

Only then did they realize that a group of Brotherhood of Mutants members had been behind the trouble! Leading them was an old fellow in an iron helmet who could fly, and a blue-skinned, scaled mutant who could shapeshift into anyone!

Coulson and Melinda were well aware of the Brotherhood of Mutants. The two individuals Annie mentioned were famous within S.H.I.E.L.D.: the notorious Magneto and Mystique! How could they not recognize them?

This group of mutant terrorists dedicated to armed struggle had long been at odds with the military, frequently engaging in violent clashes. However, they had always maintained a policy of non-interference with S.H.I.E.L.D. Why was it different this time?

Since they were actually targeting S.H.I.E.L.D. this time, did they have some sort of conspiracy in mind? Realizing the gravity of the situation, and after obtaining the Director's permission, the two brought Annie to the Director's office at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

Nick Fury had always been curious about Annie. Upon learning about last night's incident, he specifically arranged this meeting. Firstly, he wanted to see this alien little girl in person; secondly, he felt it was necessary to win her over.

Although this little girl had caused nothing but trouble for S.H.I.E.L.D. since her appearance—to the point where Nick Fury felt he could practically label her a "troublemaker"—he still needed her. At the very least, in his Avengers Initiative, this little girl held a pivotal position!

However, Director Nick Fury's first meeting with Annie was not particularly pleasant.

Currently, Nick Fury and Annie were locked in a staring contest! Annie had provoked him the moment they met, and since he couldn't hit her or punish her, Fury had resorted to his "staring technique." Annie's response was: *What are you looking at? You stare at me, I'll stare right back until you die!*

And so, the two were at loggerheads!

The reason things had escalated like this was because the first thing Annie said when she walked into the Director's office was: "Wow! This one-eyed charcoal-head is your Director?"

That was it! With that single sentence, she had completely offended Director Nick Fury! Fury could already imagine the gossips spreading her new nickname for him: "One-Eyed Charcoal-Head!"

He, the dignified Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., might soon become a laughingstock. Even if people didn't dare laugh in his face, he could easily imagine the private whispers and mockery.

Coulson and Melinda stood to the side, struggling to suppress their laughter, their mouths twitching as they watched the two "living treasures"—one large, one small.

"Director, is there a mission? Why did you have us bring Annie here?" After a moment of thought, Coulson stepped in to interrupt the standoff. Someone had to break this awkward tension and give the Director a way out; otherwise, they might get caught in the crossfire and end up on his bad side!

Nick Fury ignored Coulson and continued to glare at Annie, hoping to force the little girl to back down and apologize first. However, after a while, the girl showed no sign of yielding. Realizing this wasn't going anywhere, he let out a fake cough to end the confrontation.

"Ahem. So, you're that mischievous brat, Annie?" Then he noticed the teddy bear in her arms. "And this is Tibers? Can I see it?" Nick Fury was very interested in Tibers, who could grow and shrink and had even stood up to and beaten the Hulk!

"I am Annie! And I am not mischievous!" Annie retorted indignantly. "I can show you the bear, but aren't you afraid it'll bite your head off?"

With that, Annie held the bear up with both hands and presented Tibers to Nick Fury. Her meaning was clear: *If you dare touch it, Tibers will definitely bite your head off. Go ahead, try it!*

"Ahem... Never mind then." Recalling Tibers' combat record, Nick Fury decided it was better not to seek humiliation.

Nick Fury had called Annie here today for two serious reasons. First, he wanted to get to know her and build rapport, though that hadn't gone smoothly; at least they were now acquainted.

The second matter was more important. S.H.I.E.L.D. had recently encountered a mysterious incident that even many experts were at a loss to solve. In his desperation, Nick Fury had suddenly thought of Annie because of her identity as a mage!

Although Annie was a bit young and its reliability was unproven, he took a one-in-a-million chance and had Coulson invite her to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. What if this little girl could see something? That would be a massive help to S.H.I.E.L.D.!

"Alright, Annie, you can take a look at this first."

Nick Fury handed Annie a photograph, gesturing for her to come closer. Seeing that the Director wasn't objecting, Coulson and Melinda also leaned in out of curiosity.

"Eh? Is it something fun?" Seeing the charcoal-head Director wanting her to look at a photo, Annie assumed it was something entertaining and quickly leaned in to take it.

Annie looked at the photo: *Oh, a hammer. Not fun at all!* She then tossed the photo to Uncle Coulson and Auntie Melinda.

"An ugly hammer! What's so fun about it? Why do you want me to look at it?" Annie curled her lip in disdain. She had skipped class and taken leave just to come to S.H.I.E.L.D. to look at a photo of a hammer? She'd rather go back to school and bully that fat kid!

"This hammer is no ordinary object! First, no one can move it—not even heavy lifting equipment! Second, it releases lightning! So far, our people have been unable to do anything with it!" Nick Fury handed her another photo of the hammer discharging lightning.

"Oh, so it's a magic hammer with an owner! Of course you can't move it. But it really is ugly!" Annie tossed the photo down with a look of contempt. So short and ugly—a hammer that ugly probably only a blacksmith would use.

And just like that, Thor was relegated to the same status as a blacksmith in Annie's eyes!

"Are you sure?" Nick Fury frowned at Annie. She had made a definitive judgment after just two glances; surely she wasn't just talking nonsense?

"Of course! Only magic weapons release lightning, fire, or ice! And only magic weapons have soul-binding or owner-recognition functions! Under those circumstances, no one can take it except its owner!"

A sharp glint flashed in Annie's eyes!

A soul-bound magic weapon that releases lightning! It seemed quite powerful, and since it could refuse outsiders, it must be at least a divine artifact level. A divine artifact! Annie suddenly felt a strong urge to steal it.

But after thinking about it, she gave up!

While a wandering divine artifact was tempting, the hammer was simply too ugly, and Annie didn't like it. She wasn't a blacksmith! What use would a stolen hammer be? Was she supposed to go out and smash people with it? She didn't want to do that! Besides, stealing a divine artifact with an owner would definitely anger them. Better to let it be.

Annie was quite knowledgeable about magic weapons. Given her upbringing and the backing of the entire Gray Order, her knowledge base was far from shallow—not to mention she was a powerful genius mage! Anyone called a powerful mage was no simple character; beyond talent, they required vast amounts of knowledge.

If you thought Annie only knew how to play when she was in the Voodoo Lands, you were dead wrong! A girl who could tame a powerful Shadow Bear with magic at age two and turn it into a toy—was that something achieved through talent alone? Reaching the Hero rank of Valoran at age five? What were most five-year-olds doing? Playing in the mud?

Amoryn, the Shadow Witch and Annie's mother, could tell you with certainty: by the age of seven, Annie had already finished reading the entire library of the Gray Order! Although Annie spent most of her time "playing," how did she play? She played with fire magic like a toy! She played with Shadow Bears! She roasted old dragons! She practically broke the entire Voodoo Lands with her "play"!

"Is there any way to take it away?"

After learning the truth about the hammer, Nick Fury's first thought was to secure it. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been professionally collecting strange objects for a long time; the items in their storage were far weirder than this hammer. Such strange things posed a great danger to Earth, and to maintain peace, they belonged in S.H.I.E.L.D. storage—nowhere else!

"Either let me refine it with fire and melt it into an iron block so it can be carried away, or wait until its owner shows up!"

Annie was confident her flames could melt this hammer. It was just an unattended divine artifact! What was the big deal?

Of course, doing so would inevitably offend the hammer's owner. But Annie didn't care! If she couldn't win the fight later, she'd just say: "The charcoal-head Director made me do it!" Hmph!

"Melt it and take it? That's... wait, you mean it has an owner?" Nick Fury caught the key point, slightly surprised.

"Of course! You don't actually think it just fell from the sky, do you?" Annie gave Nick Fury a look of disdain.

*It actually did fall from the sky! Satellites even caught it!* Nick Fury added mentally, but he didn't say it aloud. There was no need to bicker with a little girl over such things; business came first.

"Fine. Then what kind of person would the owner be?" Nick Fury asked one last time.

"How should I know? Maybe a deity! Maybe a legendary warrior! Or maybe just some magic blacksmith!" Annie replied petulantly. How could she know who the owner was from a photo of a hammer? The name wasn't written on it!