Soothing music played in the background, its gentle melody making people unconsciously relax, like warm, clear spring water flowing through the heart.
As Alex walked through the magnificent hall that looked like a palace made of crystal, for a moment, he felt as though he had been transported back to the 21st century rather than standing here in the 1960s.
To be honest, the luxury of this villa had exceeded his expectations.
Aside from a few outdated stylistic choices dictated by the era, this was without question the most upscale place Alex had ever stepped into—across both of his lifetimes.
Looking around, he saw men in tailored suits and polished shoes bustling through the hall. Their hair was meticulously combed, their shoes gleaming like mirrors, exuding an air of wealth and refinement.
They strode with confidence and elegance, polite yet insincere smiles hanging on their faces as they mingled throughout the grand hall.
"First time in a place like this?"
Howard Stark glanced at Alex's awed expression and couldn't help but ask.
Alex nodded. There was nothing to hide.
"How does it feel?"
Howard asked with genuine curiosity.
"Hmm... Feels like such a nice place—what a shame it hasn't been smashed up by the Hulk yet," Alex replied seriously after a moment of thought.
The Hulk?
What the hell?
Howard Stark was completely baffled. Had he really gotten so old that he couldn't keep up with the younger generation's jokes?
"Howard!"
"Mr. Stark!"
"Stark!"
Just as Howard was about to ask Alex who or what "Hulk" was, a crowd of people began to gather around him, greeting him with evident respect.
Even in this place packed with high society elites, Howard Stark was still the brightest star in the room.
"Mr. Stark, I'm gonna wander around on my own for a bit."
Seeing Howard quickly get "swallowed" by the crowd, Alex gave him a quick nod before heading off to explore the opulent hall alone.
This was an informal trade fair. All around the hall were display cases filled with an eclectic collection of oddities—antiques, magical stones, ancient swords, and all sorts of strange items.
To help guests understand what they were looking at, each case had a label explaining what was on display.
Alex wandered from one display to another. It felt like he was touring a museum of rare treasures—not boring at all, actually.
"Leibniz's Notes."
"Published in 1684, Leibniz's paper defined the concept of calculus. These notes contain his complete derivation of the foundational principles."
Wait, rich people are into this kind of stuff?
"The Wright Brothers' Pocket Watch."
"Flight was one of history's greatest inventions, but success didn't come without relentless effort. This watch was used by the Wright brothers to time their early flight tests."
Alex took a closer look. The watch had long since stopped ticking.
"Count Dracula's Ring."
Count Dracula?
Alex's eyes lit up with interest.
Now that was a famous name. Countless works of literature had portrayed the character, and even in the Marvel Universe, there was a Dracula.
Wait a second—
A thought struck Alex, and his expression shifted. What if Count Dracula really existed in this world?
After all, this universe had werewolves.
And as everyone knows, where there are werewolves, there are always vampires. If vampires existed, it wasn't that far-fetched for Count Dracula to be real too.
[Special energy source detected!]
Just then, the system's prompt rang out in Alex's mind once again.
At the same time, his vision shifted into scan mode. The ancient-looking ring in the display case was immediately highlighted by the system.
[Analyzing energy source…]
[Energy value: 276 Origin Points. Status: Extractable.]
"Extractable!"
Alex's eyes lit up with excitement. This was a delightful surprise.
He had just been wandering around on a whim, hoping to trigger a mission or two, and instead, he'd stumbled upon another special energy source—one that was extractable.
Didn't this mean that as long as he got his hands on that ring, he'd gain 276 Origin Points just like that?
Not bad. Not bad at all!
"System, extract the special energy source!"
After calming himself, Alex gave the system the command.
[Extracting…]
[Extraction failed!]
Failed?
Could it be… he had to physically touch the object to extract it?
That seemed entirely possible. Extracting something remotely was a bit too cheat-like, after all.
If that was the case, then there was only one solution—buy the ring!
Alex made up his mind on the spot.
He looked around the room, trying to spot the flamboyant playboy. He hadn't brought much money on this trip—he'd need to borrow some from Stark.
Unfortunately, Howard Stark was still surrounded by admirers, laughing and flirting with a few young ladies. From the way he was carrying on, Alex suspected the guy might've completely forgotten about their mission.
Typical Howard Stark.
Rolling his eyes, Alex looked back at the ring with curiosity.
To him, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary ring. Honestly, it was ugly as hell. He was genuinely surprised the system had flagged it as a special energy source.
The placard next to the ring talked about some "Prince of Wallachia" or something, but it wasn't anything particularly new or exciting.
"You seem quite interested in this ring."
A sudden voice, cold and unexpected, rang out beside him.
A man had appeared beside Alex without him noticing. He wore a long coat, had shoulder-length hair, and carried the dignified air of an old-world noble.
Alex jumped in surprise.
The man's presence had been completely undetectable until he spoke—a feat nearly impossible given Alex's current level of strength.
This guy was definitely no ordinary person.
In that first instant, Alex's instincts screamed a warning.
Then his pupils contracted slightly.
In the glass surface of the display case, Alex could clearly see only his own reflection.
There was no reflection of the mysterious nobleman beside him.