Chapter 29 – "Hard-Boiled Detectives & Soft-Boiled Breakfasts"
Adam hovered above the glowing fields of spiritual wheat, holding a mug of steaming mana-infused tea. The air shimmered with power, his city expanding like a divine Pinterest board gone wild.
Behind him, Frank Castle was casually sitting on the edge of a floating platform with a BFG-style mana sniper resting across his lap and a fruit bowl beside him.
"You're really just gonna eat grapes while armed like that?" Adam raised an eyebrow.
Frank bit into a mana grape. "They're crunchy. Like bone."
"Frank… what the hell kind of bones are you crunching?"
"No comment."
Adam sighed. "Anyway, it's time to recruit our next chaotic emotional grenade—Jessica Jones."
🕵️ Scene: New York City, Hell's Kitchen, 2008
Jessica Jones was everything Adam expected and more: hungover, pissed off, sarcastic, and—by sheer force of irony—reading a self-help book titled "How To Not Punch Your Problems".
Adam dropped into her office through the ceiling. Literally. A glowing portal opened above her and deposited him directly onto her couch with a dramatic thump.
"Hey there, alcoholic Batman."
Jessica blinked. "You just fell from my ceiling."
"Portal. Sorcery. Multiversal bullshittery. Long story. Want a job?"
She looked at him like he was a guy selling dead rats in trench coats.
"Hard pass. Unless you're paying in whiskey and not asking questions."
Adam stood and dramatically handed her a bottle of thousand-year-old Asgardian liquor he yoinked from the Dominion Vault.
Jessica took a sniff, then a swig. Her pupils dilated like she just saw Jesus in a shot glass.
"…Okay. Now I'm listening."
💀 The Future Vision Bomb
Adam didn't waste time. He conjured a crystal ball-like projection from the ring, showing Jessica a future timeline.
Her being captured. Mind-controlled. Turned into a puppet. Killing people she loved. Her eyes blank, her hands soaked in blood she didn't want to spill.
Jessica dropped the glass. "That… wasn't a dream, was it?"
"Nope. One possible future," Adam said quietly. "But I have something that ensures it never happens."
He pulled out a glowing artifact from the Dominion Vault. It shimmered with anti-psionic wards and multiversal resistance scripts—designed to burn out anyone who tried to control the mind it protected.
[Artifact: Mindbreak Circlet – Anti-Mind Control Crown]
Origin: Unknown divine plane
Passive: Nullifies all forms of psychic, magical, and tech-based mind control.
Active: If triggered, burns out the intruder's mind completely.
Jessica stared at it. Then at him. Then took another drink.
"…What's the catch?"
"You join my little empire, help me recruit a few morally gray superhumans, maybe punch some space gods later. And you wear that thing like a tiara while doing it."
"…Do I get health insurance?"
"You get eternal protection, anti-mind control bling, and unlimited fruit that might make you fly."
"...Deal."
🍷 Later That Day, in Adam's Domain
Jessica stood on the highest balcony of Adam's citadel, now dressed in a magically restructured version of her usual outfit (complete with sarcasm-resistant boots).
She stared at the glowing mana-sea below.
"Is that… wine?"
"Mana. But if you imagine hard enough, it can be wine," Adam said.
Frank passed behind them, carrying a flaming sword-shifting shotgun hybrid. "She get fruit too?"
"Only if she doesn't punch the fruit farmer."
Jessica looked him dead in the eyes. "No promises."
[EMOTIONAL SPIKE DETECTED – Jessica Jones]
Visions of her dark future + genuine salvation triggered deep-seated relief and gratitude.
+1 Charisma
+1 Intelligence
+4% Skill Fragment: Interrogator's Insight(2% doubled to 4%)
+$5,000 Cash Deposited
[Artifact Acquired – Anti-Mind Control Circlet]
Status: Bound to Jessica Jones
[System Perk – Pact of Unbreakable Loyalty Activated]
Loyalty verified. Skill may now be granted.
A-Level Skill Transferred:
"Psionic Anchor" – Grants resistance to all mental influence. Also enhances willpower and resilience.
Status: Permanently gifted to Jessica Jones.
🌱 Meanwhile…
As Jessica settled into the citadel with sarcastic grumbling and subtle relief, Adam pulled out a new set of maps from the Vault.
The farming districts were under construction, spiritual greenhouses blooming like magical Ikea stores. People from around the world were arriving—refugees, farmers, wanderers—each eager to work the land in exchange for a new life.
A group of Nepalese monks were currently in a heated debate with a group of Scottish druids over where to plant the dragon carrots.
"I swear to Dormammu, if one more magical culture tries to claim sole ownership of mana potatoes, I'm building a wall."
📦 Chapter 29 Summary
Stat Gains:
+1 Charisma
+1 Intelligence
Skill Fragment Gained:
Interrogator's Insight (4%)
Cash Gained:
+$5,000
Artifact Acquired:
Mindbreak Circlet – Anti-mind control crown, bound to Jessica.
A-Level Skill Gifted (via Pact of Unbreakable Loyalty):
Psionic Anchor – Mental resistance, enhanced willpower and resilience.
New Ally Recruited:
Jessica Jones (Status: Loyal, Armed with Anti-Mind Control Wards, Sarcasm Level: Max)
Ready to jump into Chapter 30 – Jessica's bonding with Frank and Adam, suspicious exploration, and possibly punching a demon-possessed fruit?