Mephisto looked at Nick, who was trying hard to remain calm, with a scrutinizing look.
"Do you understand loans and insurance?" Mephisto asked doubtfully. He didn't smell money or greed from this person. Instead, he smelled a dark scent that might interest some other lords of the Hell dimension.
"Do you need this kind of talent to help you answer something? I can recommend you the best financier in Midgard." Although Nick was a little confused, he quickly guessed what he was thinking based on the previous conversation between Luke and Mephisto and Mephisto's current questions.
"No, you don't need to explain anything to me. I have harvested the souls of some bankers and financiers in your Midgard, and everything they have is mine. I understand their knowledge and methods. But what I need is someone who can help me fill in the details, who can work for me in the future, and who can teach the demons under my command now." Mephisto said.
"No problem, I can provide those talents." Nick thought for a moment and replied.
"Really?" Mephisto sounded surprised.
"Of course." Nick said affirmatively.
"You have the final say?" Mephisto demanded.
"Of course." Nick nodded again, implicitly. It was just a few finance experts helping fill in the gaps and build some things. Nick was confident this wouldn't be a problem for them.
"That's great. Of course, maybe we should sign a contract first?" Mephisto took out a piece of parchment with satisfaction. A black feather pen wrote a mixture of words about hell and the atrium on the parchment.
"Contract? Of course, but I believe a contract is sacred, requiring the approval of the Ancient One and the God-King Odin." Nick answered sensitively and carefully. How could he casually sign a devil's contract? Didn't he know what would happen to Ghost Rider? Even if he were to sign, he'd have to have the Ancient One and Luke and the others present, agreeing and endorsing it before discussing it.
"Ah, the ring!" Mephisto glanced at the soul rings on the fingers of several people, his quill still writing on the paper. "Don't worry, this isn't for you, but for the talents you helped me find. The Ancient One and Luke strictly forbade me and my men from entering the atrium. So, first, a hundred souls."
"What do you mean?" Nick was shocked by Mephisto's last words.
"Aren't you going to find talent for me?" Mephisto looked at him strangely.
"Yes, but I mean I can give you people to, uh, help you with your work, and teach some demons and so on. They sell their time and expertise, not their lives and souls," Nick said seriously. Even with just their first contact, he realized that these demons' mindsets were different from humans'.
"Don't bother. Teaching those demons is a waste of time, and there's no guarantee they'll master it. Just give me their souls, and I can transform them into demons. If that doesn't work, I can just let the demons possess me through a contract and devour me, gaining their knowledge directly. We're so overwhelmed right now, let's save as much time as possible." Mephisto waved his hand, signaling that it wouldn't be necessary. That approach was far too inefficient.
"I'm afraid that won't work." Nick decisively raised Ancient One: "This requires discussion between Master Ancient One and us."
"You said you can make the decision." Mephisto stopped writing with his quill, and stared at Nick with two green flames flickering in his eyes.
"I mean to help you work while ensuring their lives and safety." Nick emphasized again.
"You are also one of our collaborators, right? S.H.I.E.L.D.? Well, let me see, a service organization that serves our group?" Mephisto grabbed a piece of white paper from somewhere and looked at the information on it.
Nick's face suddenly darkened when he heard this.
SHIELD's reputation has been damaged.
"Name your price," Mephisto said helplessly. "How much energy currency per soul?"
"What?" Nick, Coulson and the others opened their mouths in surprise.
"Name your price. Damn it, it was fine before. But ever since you started charging residency fees, accommodation fees, and activity fees, Ancient One has been forcibly extracting a small amount of my energy regularly. I'm not even sure if that's all she's taking. I'm just having an agent harvest a sinful soul to help you purify the world, and you're actually asking for money?" Mephisto cursed. "Business in the Atrium is really tough right now! Don't let me know who came up with this wicked idea!"
"We don't do this kind of business." Nick thought it was ridiculous. He had never imagined that he would one day be discussing the sale of souls with a Hell Lord. He had only ever dealt in arms! However, Nick forced himself to remain calm and continued his speech, offering another solution: "We can send someone here to open an office."
"Too inefficient." Mephisto muttered twice. He couldn't understand why it was a waste of time and trouble when it was clearly a matter of one soul.
"This has nothing to do with efficiency." Nick smiled helplessly.
"I suggest you ask those people for their own opinions. If that doesn't work, dying talents can also do! Compared to the short life of humans, the lifespan of demons is much longer! Maybe they don't mind changing their life form to survive? If you still have concerns, I can change this contract into a talent extradition regulation. They will be my first batch of subordinates after I take office! There are no obstacles to the upper channels, and the treatment and career potential are excellent! I know some of the rules of your atrium. If it is a talent introduced by you, I can pay you an introduction fee. I can even share the money earned by the other party in the future with you." Mephisto was still not giving up, and seduced Nick very cunningly.
Mephisto's offer was tempting, tempting the morally challenged Nick. If it had been Luke speaking, he might have agreed. But it was Mephisto! A demon lord from the Hell dimension! Without further confirmation and assurance from the Ancient One and Luke, Nick was extremely wary and cautious.
"It seems you are still a little hesitant, but it doesn't matter. We will have opportunities to deal with each other in the future." Mephisto's bone mask showed a strange smile, and then the entire virtual projection disappeared on the spot.
"Is that the dimensional demon? It seems, well, it's not that difficult to communicate with." Agent Coulson sighed as he watched Mephisto disappear. He had originally thought that those dimensional demons were always ready to invade and destroy the world, and that they were impossible to communicate with.
"That's because we have the Ancient One and God-King Odin behind us." Nick understood the reality of their attitude. Without the backing of these two, even if Luke and Mephisto were planning a grand bargain, their attitude wouldn't be what it is now. Different races, different life forms, communication is inherently hindered.
"Is he gone?" Luke's voice suddenly sounded behind Nick. The three turned around and saw Luke standing one meter away from them, holding a heavy mask of unknown material.
"Let's go." Nick made way and walked with Luke to where Luke had been sitting.
"How was your take?" Luke said with a smile, looking at the silence of Nick and the other two. He was a little surprised and said, "You didn't miss this opportunity and didn't even close a deal or get your consulting fees, did you?"
"Consultation fee?" Coulson and Maria Hill looked at each other, and then looked at their boss in unison.
"He ran very fast." Nick didn't want to say it because he hadn't had time to think about it. To prevent Luke from asking more questions and saying anything that would hurt him, he quickly took the initiative and asked his own question: "You caused such a big scene, and we were the last to know about it. I'm so sad, Luke."
"I can't help it. I've been so busy in the lab lately that I haven't slept in three days." Luke spoke with energy, not at all like someone who hasn't slept for three days. "I've built a rudimentary mind network in the galaxy. Remember Loki's scepter? I modified it temporarily and used it as the main server of the mind network."
"That should belong to SHIELD. At least SHIELD has the legal right to keep it." Nick took a deep breath.
"I'm not saying it's not yours, but isn't it useful? It's better to let it shine and create value in my hands than to have it gather dust in some lab, right?" Luke whispered softly, but one could still hear his perfunctory attempt to appease Nick. "Besides, it generates profits, and you and S.H.I.E.L.D. get a share of that, too."
"Then may I ask, when will it generate profits?" Nick sat opposite Luke and asked him face to face with a serious face.
"The investment hasn't been recouped yet. But believe me, just like communications, it definitely has unlimited potential." Luke raised his hand in assurance. "I won't take your share or your S.H.I.E.L.D.'s share."
"I hope so." Nick didn't want to waste time with Luke on these unresolved issues. He looked at the mask Luke placed on the table. He sensitively sensed a familiar power from the mask. "What is this mask?"
"Persona." Luke's eyes fell on the mask he had casually placed on the table. "An alternative version of the Mind Ring, or rather, a Hellish export version."
"Can we use it?" Nick asked subconsciously.
"It's difficult. These are specially customized according to the requirements of the Hell dimension. They are more corrosive and the sequelae are more stubborn and paranoid." Luke explained.