With a mindset composed of three parts luck, three parts unwillingness to give up, and four parts refusing to waste precious potion ingredients, Harvey carefully continued stirring for another 20 minutes.
When a strange sense of euphoria suddenly surged in his heart.
"Now is the time!"
Seizing the perfect moment, Harvey stopped the heating and stirring.
"It should be a success!"
Seeing the potion in the cauldron turn red at the very last moment, Harvey smiled broadly.
The next step was to let it sit for two hours, slowly waiting for the potion to cool down naturally.
He flipped over the hourglass in the corner of the lab bench to start the timer.
The long waiting process was sheer torture.
Barely half an hour passed before Harvey couldn't sit still anymore.
"It should be evening outside by now. Let's grab some dinner first."
He had already promised to take Hermione out for a delicious meal tonight, and Harvey couldn't just stand her up.
He cast another Stunning Spell on Steve, whose face was so pale it lacked a trace of blood, to ensure he wouldn't wake up too early.
He then cast three successive protective charms over the entire laboratory.
"Salvio Hexia!"
"Repello Muggletum!"
"Protego Totalum!"
Harvey had originally wanted to add a Fidelius Charm to ensure absolutely no one would discover his secret laboratory.
But the smartphone in his pocket suddenly rang with a melodious tone.
Although Harvey was a wizard, he never refused to use the high technology of the Marvel Universe.
He certainly wouldn't miss out on something as great as a smartphone, and he even spent a fortune custom-ordering a holographic screen phone manufactured by Stark Industries.
However, since acquiring the phone, he hadn't given his contact info out to many people.
Besides the siblings Wanda and Pietro, his contact information was only known to a scant few: Hermione, a New York black market merchant, and the vampire Duke Eli Damaskinos.
Harvey pulled the phone from his pocket and glanced at the holographic screen.
A flash of pleasant surprise immediately appeared in his eyes, and he couldn't wait to answer the call.
"Hello, this is Harvey Ferguson. Miss Wanda, have you decided to accept my terms?"
"What? A price hike? You want two million dollars? Why don't you just rob a bank! You're not made of gold..."
Harvey was so pissed off that the pitch of his voice rose two octaves.
"Greedy women never meet a good end. I advise you to quit while you're ahead; one million dollars is more than enough for you and your brother to live a wealthy life..."
"You also want two American green cards? That's simple for me... So you agree, right?"
"You pick the meeting location... The outskirts of Sokovia? No problem, I'll be right there!"
Beep beep—
Hanging up the phone, Harvey hurriedly made a swiping motion with his left hand, which wore a Sling Ring, opening a portal to Sokovia in Eastern Europe.
...
In the outskirts of Sokovia, the darkness of night shrouded a quiet forest.
Due to the time difference, it was now 10:00 PM here.
When Wanda Maximoff and Pietro Maximoff—wearing tattered clothes that still couldn't hide her voluptuous, curvy figure—saw Harvey step out from a portal.
A yearning for such a magical phenomenon instantly appeared in both of their eyes.
The Maximoff siblings had actually known Harvey for two months now.
Two months ago, Harvey tracked them down and proposed a deal: exchanging money for their blood samples.
At this time, the civil war in Sokovia had been going on for over a decade. The entire country was shattered and prices were skyrocketing.
Living here, the siblings—orphaned early on—lived a miserable refugee life, never knowing where their next meal was coming from.
Therefore, regarding the deal Harvey proposed.
The siblings had considered it for two months. Although they didn't understand why their blood could be exchanged for so much money.
But they were ultimately defeated by the cruelty of life.
Compared to going hungry every day, they no longer cared about the consequences of making a deal with an evil wizard.
"But Mr. Ferguson, can you give us the money first?"
Wanda asked cautiously.
Towards this wizard, who seemed to only exist in legends, she felt both envy and fear.
She envied the fact that the wizard knew so much wondrous magic.
She feared that, according to the legends, wizards often used human blood to brew evil potions.
Harvey nodded generously and, defying all logic, pulled a silver briefcase out from his small pocket.
"Here is the one million dollars. You don't have to count it; after all, I wouldn't scam you over such a trivial amount."
Pietro took the briefcase and flipped it open.
Stacks of neat, crisp dollar bills exuding the intoxicating smell of ink made the kid's eyes glow green with greed. He quickly and vigilantly looked around.
After confirming no one was there, he nodded at Wanda.
Wanda's eyes were hesitant, but thinking that this small briefcase contained the hope for her and her brother Pietro to live a good life...
She closed her eyes in fear, extending her fair, slender arm, speaking with a slight tremble in her voice.
"We have a deal, Mr. Ferguson. You can take my blood!"
Looking at this future illustrious Scarlet Witch presenting such a pitiful, vulnerable appearance in front of him.
Harvey couldn't help but feel a surge of hot lust rise from the bottom of his heart.
But haste makes waste.
He took out two syringes and skillfully drew blood samples from both siblings.
Once the two vials of warm blood were safely in his pocket.
He suggested, as if carelessly:
"How about my treat later? I'll take you to New York, sort out your green cards, and we can grab a drink together to celebrate the beautiful new life you're about to step into?"
Wanda, her pretty face pale from the blood loss, exchanged a glance with her brother Pietro. Ultimately, they didn't dare refuse Harvey's seemingly casual offer.
"Mr. Ferguson, we accept your invitation."
Noticing that the siblings looked frighteningly pale, Harvey pulled out his wand and pointed it at them.
"Rennervate!"
Color gradually returned to their faces, and their feeling of physical weakness quickly vanished.
Realizing who was responsible for this, Wanda hurriedly thanked him.
"Thank you, Mr. Ferguson!"
"You're welcome. Let's go." Saying this, Harvey opened a portal once again.
Taking the siblings, whose faces showed a mix of anticipation and nervousness, the three arrived at the rooftop of the Waldorf Hotel in New York, at an open-air bar with a neon sign reading [P.J. Clarke's].
Guided by a waiter, the three found an empty table and sat down.
Not far from the terrace, the dazzling city skyline could be taken in at a single glance.
This beautiful view of the bustling, neon-lit metropolis made the siblings feel a deep sense of longing.
The floor of the bar was covered with exquisite carpets hand-woven by Persian artisans.
From the semi-open-air ceiling hung crystal chandeliers, with countless finely cut crystals refracting brilliant light.
In a corner of the outdoor space, a pianist dressed in a proper tailcoat sat at a Steinway piano, offering beautiful melodies to the guests.
The tattered clothes worn by the siblings, however, looked entirely out of place among the glamorous attire of the other patrons.
But fortunately, Harvey had already cast a Confundus Charm on them both, preventing any cliché melodramatic scenarios where a waiter would look down on them.