Chapter 399: Horse Talisman Clues!
Whinny! Neigh!
The thunderous sound of galloping hooves echoed from afar, and soon, eight magnificent steeds appeared before Silas's eyes.
The eight sweating, long-maned horses galloped wildly around Silas. Then, one by one, they dissolved into starlight, coalescing into the pattern of the Horse Talisman in mid-air.
"Noble horses indeed." Silas couldn't stop himself from grinning. The Horse Talisman was the ultimate panacea; it could cure any illness and purge all abnormal external influences from the holder's body.
With this, Silas's recovery speed would rival Deadpool's, though perhaps not quite as "cartoonishly" indestructible. After all, the Horse Talisman wasn't a passive skill; it was active. The magic only flowed when you consciously utilized the talisman.
The Dog Talisman was different—it was effectively an "always-on" trigger. Only by using the Horse and Dog together could one maintain a permanent state of invulnerability and peak health. Most importantly, the Horse Talisman could not prevent death itself; it only healed.
"I hope the Horse Talisman is easy to find." Silas actually wanted the Dog Talisman more, but he had to unlock the Horse first.
Stepping forward, Silas reached out a practiced finger and tapped the emblem. The pattern exploded, transforming into lines of text.
[The noble horse can cure all diseases because it possesses a heart that seeks to aid life.]
"The usual routine—exchange for two more clues immediately." Silas sat on the ground with a sigh. As expected, a single clue wasn't enough to unlock a talisman. To his surprise, the system had reverted to the "riddle" format for these clues.
[The horse is not just a skillful doctor; it is also a stubborn thinker.]
[Every horse must receive the guidance of the herdsman before they can return to their true mission.]
"What on earth is this?" Silas ran his hands through his hair in frustration. The clues for the Horse Talisman felt like the hardest ones yet—well, except for the Sheep Talisman. The problem was that he had zero leads. The system wouldn't even hint if the talisman was an object or something intangible.
"What could it be?" With a thought, Silas exited the system space and returned to his bedroom.
"Noble horses... what a pain." Silas lay on his bed while Blacklight appeared by the computer desk. As Silas's right-hand man, Blacklight naturally took on the task of decoding the riddles. Meanwhile, the "Talisman Squad" of Shadow Ninjas would also be put to work. It was frustrating that the clues became more cryptic just as Thanos's arrival loomed closer.
"Silas!" Peter Parker walked in.
Silas didn't get up, only asking, "What's up?"
"How is Gwen doing?" Peter asked. He was still quite weak himself.
"She's alright, but she seems to still have a fever," Silas replied, relaying information from his Shadow Ninjas.
"The fever is that serious?" Peter had assumed it would have broken by now. After a moment of thought, he asked, "I want to go see her. Which hospital is she in?"
"Fullus Hospital. Remember to come back early; you're still frail," Silas warned, worrying Peter would push himself to fight crime again.
"Don't worry, I know my body," Peter grinned, turning to leave.
"Wait, Peter," Silas called out. "Help me think about something..." Silas shared the talisman riddles with him. More heads were better than one, and Peter had helped him decode the Pig Talisman clue before.
"I can't think of anything right now. Let's talk when I get back," Peter said, his mind clearly focused entirely on Gwen.
"Fine, I get it. Go ahead." Silas waved him off. He shouldn't have expected much from a Peter in the middle of a romance. Women—they really do slow down the brain.
"Sigh..." Silas felt like this was going to be a long night.
Hell's Kitchen Region
"Is everyone here?" John asked solemnly, sitting at the head of a table.
"All here, hee-hee~" Jenny sat in her seat, playfully hugging "Five-Six-Seven"—her pet Eater Ninja.
"I'm here, I'm here," a raspy voice called out as Mike "The Underworld" arrived. John watched him; Mike looked strangely familiar to him.
"I didn't realize there were so many Shadow Generals!" Eddie Brock stepped out of the shadows. The voice actually came from Venom on his shoulder.
"Sorry, he hasn't seen much of the world," Eddie laughed awkwardly.
"I am offended!" Venom glared at Eddie.
"Cough, don't worry—a whole box of chocolate when we get back," Eddie whispered, having already mastered the art of managing his symbiote.
"That's more like it," Venom said haughtily.
Jenny's eyes lit up when she saw him. "So cool! A talking liquid! What's your name?"
"Remember this, little girl: I am Venom!" Ever since Venom lost his fear of noise and fire, he had become more arrogant by the day.
"Cool! Venom, that's a pretty name. I'm Jenny! This is Five-Six-Seven." Jenny held up her ninja.
"Hi, I'm Eddie." Eddie smiled sheepishly. He hadn't expected such a young girl to be a Shadow General.
"Save the introductions for later," John interrupted from the head seat. Eddie nodded; the setting felt like a classic villain's lair—eerie darkness, faint flickering lights, and cobwebs on the ceiling.
"Stay cool, don't let them look down on us," Venom encouraged Eddie. They were, after all, Shadow Symbiote Generals.
"Sorry I'm late," Rei said, walking in with her katana. "I hope I'm not the last?"
"Certainly not. I'm here too," a massive figure entered with a wicked grin.
"I never expected the famous Kingpin of crime to become a Shadow General!" John said, looking up sharply.
"No, no, I'm not Wilson Fisk. I'm just his body double," the man laughed. He was telling the truth. He was a double who had accidentally found Sumo's Shadow Mask and subsequently became a General. Naturally, he hadn't stayed a puppet; he killed the real Kingpin and took his place. While Fisk was powerful, he was no match for a Shadow General. The fake Fisk had simply tossed the real one into the Shadow Kingdom.
"Alright, everyone is here," John said, leaning back.
"I want to know the purpose of this meeting," Rei said, seating herself and putting away her cursed blade. Since becoming a General, she had opened a kendo dojo in Clinton and traveled frequently between Japan and the US.
"I'm curious too," Eddie added. Venom looked on with disdain.
"The reason I called you all here is simple. We all know who we serve," John stated.
"The Great Shadow Master, Destiny!" everyone chorused, including Venom. It was a subconscious drive implanted by the masks; the more they used the power, the stronger the loyalty became.
"There are nine Shadow Generals, as far as I know. Only six of us are here," John noted.
"Meaning three more haven't been awakened?" Mike asked.
"No, only two," a voice interjected.
"A Shadow Ninja?!" The group was stunned. How could a ninja speak?
Blacklight ignored their shock. He tossed the Ninja Mask of Ninja-class in his hand. "I am also a Shadow General."
Everyone looked at each other; it was their first time seeing a General in this form.
"Don't be so surprised. I just haven't put mine on yet," Blacklight said, taking a seat. There were ten seats total—nine for Generals and one for Silas, the Shadow Master.
"I don't know if you've heard," Rei spoke up suddenly, "but in San Francisco, a wealthy socialite seems to have gained some kind of ability to fly."
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