The office's blinds filtered the sunlight, casting dappled rays into the dim room, falling across Norman Osborn's face as if cleaving his face into light and shadow.
"Osborn, your plan failed."
Hearing this voice, Osborn nodded slowly and said: "Yes, it did fail. But I didn't expect to bring down the Avengers in one go. This outcome, though unexpected, isn't entirely unacceptable. At worst, I'll hold off on follow-up plans and act when the next opportunity arises."
"But this means your Green Goblin identity can't resurface anytime soon."
"No matter. Oscorp can still serve the Shadow Council. As for losing the Green Goblin's combat strength, I don't think it's a major issue for the Shadow Council."
At that moment, Doctor Doom stepped out from the room's shadows. He looked at Osborn and said: "You need to watch out for Tony Stark and Reed Richards. But the one you must be most cautious of is Sebastian Shaw. You'd best not provoke him, or he won't play by the law like other Avengers. His most likely move would be to show up at your door and strike you down directly."
At these words, Osborn frowned slightly and asked: "Isn't he an Avenger?"
"He is an Avenger, but before that, he's a sorcerer. Follow my advice to ensure your safety. If he truly sets his sights on you, the Shadow Council would need to deploy half its first-tier core members to stop him, and even then, it's not guaranteed."
The Shadow Council still operates under a core member council system. Unlike before, when it was led by a dual structure of Mandarin and Doctor Doom, things have changed. After Mandarin's hands were severed in his defeat by Sebastian and he was saved by Doctor Doom, Mandarin voluntarily relinquished his seat in the Shadow Council, stepping back and handing full control to Doctor Doom.
Now, Mandarin is merely an ordinary core member, while Doctor Doom is the Shadow Council's sole chairman. Under Doom's reorganization, the Shadow Council absorbed new members. Besides Norman Osborn, who provides substantial tech and financial support and boasts top-tier intellect as the Green Goblin, all others are relegated to second-tier peripheral members, excluded from council management.
The first-tier core members, those managing the Shadow Council, currently number six: Doctor Doom, Mandarin, Venom, Elektra, Hydro-Man, and Green Goblin. These are the council's ruling core.
After warning Norman Osborn, Doctor Doom left the Oscorp Tower.
At that moment, Osborn's son pushed open the office door and walked in. Seeing the dim office, he strode over to pull open the curtains and blinds, saying: "Dad, what's with your secretaries? They don't even open the curtains and blinds for you. I think they deserve to be fired."
Watching his son deftly open the curtains and pour him a glass of water, Osborn's face showed a rare, genuine smile. He said to his son: "Harry, shouldn't you be heading to school?"
"I'm about to go. Today, I'm doing a science group activity with Peter and the others."
"Science group? I didn't know about that. How's it going for you there?"
"Dad, the science group isn't for fun. It's for learning and preparing for science competitions. Peter and I are the best partners. Together, we're sure to take first place in this competition!"
"Good. I'm glad you have a friend who shares your interests, especially one who's hardworking and aims for first place. I've met Peter; he's a good kid. I'm at ease with you two together."
Nodding with a smile, Harry looked at his dad and said: "Alright, I'm off to school. See you tonight, Dad."
"See you tonight, Harry. Remember to come back for dinner."
"Okay!"
As Harry left, the smile on Osborn's face gradually faded. He swiped and tapped on his desk, summoning a holographic screen filled with information about the Avengers and others. Staring at the data, he sank deep into thought.
…
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Sebastian stood in the headmaster's laboratory on the school's top floor. On the ground was a three-meter-diameter alchemical array, surrounded by burning black-red hellfire. Above it floated seven orb-like souls, suspended under the influence of the hellfire and alchemical array, gradually purging their memories and self-consciousness, transforming into the purest soul energy.
Looking at the white, faintly glowing soul energy orbs, Sebastian waved his wand again. The seven indistinguishable soul energies swiftly merged, forming a near-tangible soul energy mass.
At that moment, Sebastian took out a prepared magical artifact—a pointed hat enchanted with spells for talent discernment and Legilimens-like mind-reading, fortified with powerful protective charms to ensure it couldn't be easily destroyed.
He tossed the hat into the alchemical array and waved his wand once more, guiding the soul energy mass into the hat.
The instant the soul energy fully entered, the hat's wrinkles transformed into eyes and a mouth. It bowed respectfully to Sebastian and said: "Master!"
"From now on, you are Hogwarts' Talent Hat. Your duty is to discern students' talents, guiding them to study deeply in their suited fields. When assessing their talents, consider their own wishes. Beyond that, you're also tasked with reading students' surface memories to identify anyone harboring malice or evil intent toward the school."
"I understand!"
"You can slumber when not in use. I'll awaken you when needed."
"As you wish!"
With that, the Talent Hat reverted to an ordinary hat. Sebastian extinguished the hellfire, erased the alchemical array, and placed the Talent Hat on a display rack beside his headmaster's office.
This rack was meant to hold all items essential to the school's operations. Sebastian planned to recreate items like the Pensieve and Goblet of Fire, though their functions might differ significantly. While troublesome, he relished the task as a tribute to his past life's memories.