🎉🎉DOTM: Chapter 645/648

Chapter 645: Walking Around

They packed up their things casually. There wasn't much to pack anyway. Ethan and the others were mostly just waiting for Evelyn and the rest, who were still out having fun, to return.

After spending over two years exploring this world, they had basically done and seen everything they wanted. Evelyn and the others had also lost interest.

This once again proved that after boarding Ethan's ship and witnessing countless wondrous worlds, they were no longer content with a quiet, ordinary life. They could enjoy it from time to time, but if they had to live that way for the rest of their long lives, they'd die of boredom.

So when Ethan contacted them and asked if they wanted to return to Artemis, O'Connell, Jonathan, and Evelyn all responded that they would report back shortly to go with him.

And it was clear that for a long time to come, they would all be seeking excitement.

Just like O'Connell. The moment he saw Ethan and Logan, his first reaction was to complain that he was no longer normal. After enjoying a few years of peaceful life, he actually found himself missing the days of killing bugs in Starship Troopers.

"When you go back this time, you can use your connection with Cherry Military Industries to return to the battlefield... under the pretense of testing new equipment."

Cherry Military Industries was progressing steadily. During Ethan's last visit, the Claymore rifle had already gained widespread recognition. The design and manufacturing of the Iron Monger and power armor were already on the agenda.

"Or... you don't have to rush back to Starship Troopers. If you're that bored, I can arrange a mission for you."

Just as he had planned, now that his crew had matured, Ethan no longer needed to handle everything personally. For those worlds that held interesting things but were no longer very important to him, he could let his crew handle them.

"No problem. Leave it to me!"

O'Connell suddenly realized that this was the first time Ethan had assigned them a 'formal mission' in the true sense. It meant his abilities were being recognized.

More importantly, there were so many people on the ship. The first to be sent on a mission wasn't Logan, Ada, or Selene, who were either stronger or had closer relationships with Ethan, but him—someone relatively average. This gave him a strong sense of being acknowledged.

In reality, O'Connell was overthinking it. Ethan sent him simply because he happened to be standing right in front of him. But with Ethan's increasing status, this kind of situation would likely become more common in the future.

"But can I at least know what kind of mission it is?"

"A modern Earth world. There are some interesting technologies in that world that I want you to retrieve."

Ethan was thinking of the G.I. Joe world. In one of the G.I. Joe movies, both nanotechnology and powered exoskeletons were introduced—two things he was very interested in.

Tony also had nanotechnology, and his was even more advanced, but it was fundamentally different from what was seen in G.I. Joe. As for powered exoskeletons, they were more for Cherry Military Industries. The powered armor in G.I. Joe was well-suited as a basic template. It could be further developed and improved into more powerful and advanced models.

More importantly, that type of powered armor was far more suited to mass production than Tony's Iron Man suits. Tony's suits were now so advanced that, even after removing various functions, the complexity couldn't be drastically reduced.

After briefly explaining the situation to O'Connell, Ethan didn't provide further details. O'Connell would need to investigate the rest on his own. After all, it wasn't realistic for Ethan to give a full technical lecture every time someone went on a mission.

With strength far beyond that of ordinary people and the support of various equipment, O'Connell could basically do whatever he wanted in the G.I. Joe world. Even if he couldn't complete the mission perfectly, there would be no real danger, so Ethan had no concerns about his safety.

"Need any help?"

O'Connell looked at the two people beside him. Evelyn was clearly uninterested in this kind of task. She preferred worlds rich in "historical heritage."

Jonathan, however, nodded. The two of them often moved around together now. Since they were from the same world, they had a closer bond.

After returning to Artemis, besides these two, Maria Hill had also been feeling bored and wanted to explore other worlds. So, she conveniently formed a small team with O'Connell and Jonathan.

With Hill joining, Ethan was confident that they could complete the mission. O'Connell and Jonathan had their unreliable moments, but Hill could effectively make up for that weakness.

After all, Hill was a professional agent and knew better how to handle real missions. With her guidance, O'Connell and Jonathan would also have a clearer direction.

However, the team didn't depart immediately. Ethan spent a few days upgrading and improving the teleportation device. Once everything was ready, he had them stand on the largest teleportation platform, and together with Luna, they sent the group to the G.I. Joe world. Of course, he had tested it himself beforehand to make sure there were no issues before putting it into actual use.

"One step closer to the teleportation device I envisioned."

Originally, this teleportation device could only connect to the Starship Troopers world. Now, it could teleport to other worlds, although it still required Ethan's assistance for positioning. When he wasn't present, it could currently only link to Starship Troopers and the Marvel universe.

After establishing the Starship Troopers world, Ethan had finally connected his main world with the Marvel universe. Now, time in both worlds was fully synchronized. The people aboard Artemis no longer needed Ethan's help to travel to the Marvel world.

Compared to Starship Troopers, everyone was more familiar with the Marvel universe. Not to mention, there were already locals like Maria Hill, Banner, and Nebula.

After all of this, Ethan returned to the Starship Troopers world for a look. Annette was still steadily developing her company. The Claymore rifle from Cherry Military Industries had gone through several upgrades and refinements, steadily moving toward the original power level Ethan envisioned.

"At this pace, the rifle can be fully matured within two years."

By then, the Claymore rifle wouldn't just easily kill bugs, it would also possess significant lethality against armored vehicles and aircraft.

Only at that level could it be considered a truly excellent interstellar weapon.

"What about the Iron Monger?"

"The Federation has shown some interest, but they want to see the finished product and its actual performance on the battlefield before making a decision."

Cherry Military Industries was currently building the Iron Monger prototype. Although they already had a relatively complete design, some technologies needed to be modified using this world's resources, so it would take more time before the physical product was completed.

Although Ethan had stayed in the Harry Potter world for over two years, nearly three, when he entered that world, this one was in a frozen state due to its connection to the main world. In other words, not much time had passed here.

For these people, it had only been a few days since they last saw Ethan. Ada didn't miss him and wasn't particularly eager to see him. She was still having fun exploring other places.

After discussing the major matters, Ethan left directly.

He waved to the group that had just tested the Claymore rifle. This large group of "shareholders' kids" all left the Starship Troopers world and returned to Artemis.

"Where are we going next?"

Even though the Starship Troopers world was boring for Ethan and the others, Scáthach, Illya, and Rin still found many interesting things in it. After all, it was a "futuristic world." Just some of the electronics were enough to fascinate them.

"I need to return to your world for a bit, but you don't need to follow me. I'll be back right away."

"Then send us to Emiya's place."

Ethan naturally didn't refuse. He sent them all to Arthur's location. When he arrived, he learned that Arthur was still out conquering, and Shirou, Artoria, and even Sakura were still with him.

In this world, Britain's territory was larger, and such a vast land inevitably had people stirring up trouble—especially after modern weapons became more widespread. Some people believed that knights' personal strength had lost its decisive role and their ambitions exploded.

However, Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were repeatedly proving them wrong. With overwhelming power, they crushed these enemies. It just took time to deal with them one by one. And for Arthur and the others, Ethan hadn't been gone long.

During the battles, Artoria gained the recognition of the Round Table with her powerful strength. Several times, she had single-handedly destroyed the enemy's musket and artillery positions with pure martial skill. Not only did she help secure victory, but she also greatly reduced casualties.

Many knights proposed promoting this young Knight Guard to a seat at the Round Table, or even granting her real military authority.

But what confused many knights was why King Arthur, who was usually wise and strategic in using talent, repeatedly refused. This led many to speculate about the true identity of this Knight Guard. Looking at her appearance and her nearly identical golden hair, could she be the King's illegitimate daughter?

When Ethan brought Rin and Illya over, Arthur had just finished suppressing another rebellion and was interrogating the prisoners to decide who to keep and who to eliminate.

Artoria, meanwhile, was enjoying dinner prepared by Shirou. During this time, she had learned a lot from the knights' performance in the war and Arthur's leadership. Her inner turmoil had gradually resolved, and she had started smiling more often.

When Ethan brought Rin over, Artoria was smiling happily.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 646: The Hell Ahead

"It seems you've figured out a lot of things."

Seeing Ethan again, Artoria formally expressed her gratitude.

If Ethan hadn't brought her here to observe how another King Arthur dealt with rebellion from a relatively objective perspective, she probably wouldn't have been able to resolve her inner conflict so quickly.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?"

"I plan to face my own ending."

Arthur had been speaking with her frequently these past few days, helping her understand many things.

She realized that her thoughts on certain matters had indeed been too stubborn. Her belief that she could prevent Britain's destruction by not pulling the Sword from the Stone was nothing more than her own delusion, and she shouldn't invalidate her entire life just because of one failure.

The bad must be faced directly, and the good should not be denied.

After finally understanding this, she no longer remained stuck in the past. Once she helped Arthur suppress the rebellion, she planned to return and bravely face the end that awaited her.

She knew that if she asked, Ethan could restore her health, and she could even lead the remaining knights to pacify Britain once again. But she had already accepted her end and wasn't going to change it.

Just as Ethan had said before, "Britain is doing fine. It doesn't need anyone to save it." And her Britain had already fallen. She had seen her own limits, and even reunifying Britain would only begin the cycle anew.

"So you're planning to meet that guy?"

"..."

Artoria didn't immediately understand what Ethan was referring to, but then a certain white-haired man suddenly flashed through her mind.

"Why would I need to meet that guy?"

Ethan looked at her and, judging from her curious expression, finally realized that this person, known by many as the "Ahoge King," really was a bit dense...

She hadn't realized at all that her soul had long been "bound," and even in death, the result would be completely different from what she expected.

After Artoria's death, her soul would enter Avalon and live there peacefully for a long time, enjoying a carefree existence in a place detached from all world lines. If she ever got bored, she could choose to sleep until she was rested.

In that world, Merlin cared deeply about Artoria and had arranged everything long ago.

Perhaps the only thing he hadn't foreseen was that Artoria's obsession at the time of death would be so strong that it attracted a certain negative consciousness intent on abducting her, which led to her meeting Emiya Shirou and the emergence of several possible futures.

Even with those unexpected changes, Merlin still did his best to ensure Artoria's happiness. After she entered Avalon, Merlin even found a way to "guide" Shirou, who shared a deep connection with her into that world, so the two could be reunited.

He had been more thoughtful than a biological father.

However, now that Ethan had intervened, and given that Merlin and his Avalon were under Ethan's jurisdiction, it didn't matter where Artoria chose to go. As long as Ethan wanted to find her, he could, whether she went to Avalon or ascended to the Throne of Heroes.

Their conversation wasn't hidden from the others, and Shirou also heard what Artoria said.

Shirou looked a little disappointed, but he didn't try to make her stay. Instead, he was glad that Artoria had resolved her inner conflict, and he introduced her to a game Illya had just taught him.

"Artoria, there's even a character of you in this game!"

"Huh? There's a game like that?"

Artoria had once been a king who unified Britain and ruled for years, but now that she had come to terms with herself, when she wasn't fighting or discussing serious matters, she behaved like an ordinary young girl. Ethan had even suspected more than once that the Sword in the Stone might have frozen not only her physical age but her mental state as well.

Now, seeing her watching Shirou play the game with a surprised expression, then happily accepting the brand-new phone Illya handed her, she didn't resemble an experienced ruler at all.

However... was it really a good idea to teach Artoria this game? The road ahead in that game was hellish!

Not just for Shirou, but for Artoria as well.

"But this is pretty fun."

Ethan only thought this to himself. He didn't say anything to stop them. After greeting Arthur and checking in on everyone, he left.

According to the previous arrangement, Rin and Illya would be staying here for a few days. During that time, the flow of time in this world would remain synchronized with Ethan's personal time flow. The time in the Harry Potter world was also still synced with Ethan, all to ensure they could finish summer break properly.

After settling everyone, Ethan first checked on Ryu's progress in the Yu Yu Hakusho world.

Overall, things were going well. He had successfully trained in spirit energy and combined it with the swordsmanship he had learned from Sasaki Kojiro, along with various types of magic from Medea.

He hadn't become Genkai's disciple. Yusuke Urameshi, the main character, had both strength and plot armor, and Ryu, who had started as a normal person, didn't have a good way to outshine him.

Still, he had already built some friendships with key characters like Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei, and had smoothly integrated into the main group.

If things continued like this, Ryu might not surpass the protagonist or drastically alter the plot, but by staying with them, he could steadily gain battle experience and improve his strength.

If he was clever enough, he might even obtain Kurama's and Hiei's exclusive training knowledge. Kurama's ability to control Demon World plants through his fox demon bloodline, and Hiei's Evil King Flame Killing Fist, which manipulates Demon World flames, were both of great interest to Ethan. He wanted to study the techniques that controlled all types of fire and also that unique Demon World flame.

Ethan recalled the entire Yu Yu Hakusho storyline in his mind. From beginning to end, it only spanned a few years. Not very long, so even if Ryu remained alone in that world, it wasn't a big problem.

But Ethan still decided to give him a little reward. Seeing that Ryu had just completed a major story arc and performed well, Ethan sent Medea to that world as well.

To Ethan, the closer and more stable the relationship between Ryu and Medea became, the better. Especially since the world Medea came from was now under Ethan's jurisdiction.

After handling that, Ethan returned to Artemis. After some thought, he didn't immediately head to the Marvel universe to inform Tony about the connection between the two worlds. Instead, he chose to travel across dimensions directly.

This time, he went specifically to the Edge of Tomorrow world. He ignored the protagonist and heroine entirely. Upon arriving, he headed straight for the battlefield.

His goal was to collect the blood of the alien creatures that could control time. First, he captured a smaller creature, drew its blood, then killed it and personally experienced the sensation of time reversal.

Because Ethan possessed spacetime power, even though he didn't get any of the blood on him (it was securely stored in his space storage), he wasn't affected by the reversal like others.

His memory remained fully intact. He could stand there motionless and watch the world around him rewind rapidly. He had completely detached himself from the timeline, becoming a unique observer.

After the experience, Ethan went directly to the alien lair, killed the largest creature, and stored its entire body in a specially made storage device for proper preservation.

Ethan's actions were equivalent to saving this world, but he had no desire to be thanked by its people. After collecting what he needed, he left immediately.

He gathered these materials because, when Harry entered his third year, a very interesting item would appear in the story: the Time-Turner.

This magical item, which allowed the user to travel back in time, was an incredibly powerful cheat.

With it, Hermione had been able to take all her elective classes despite a tight schedule, and even reversed several unfortunate events.

More importantly, it was very easy to use, far more convenient than the time energy Ethan himself controlled. Even now, Ethan had yet to fully master the magical properties of time.

One of the reasons he chose the Harry Potter world in the first place—besides its rule-based magic system and the fact that it suited him.

With the third year fast approaching, it wasn't strange for Ethan to start preparing early. He wanted to deepen his understanding of time and see if he could master the Time-Turner's principles, thereby gaining full control over time.

After finishing everything, there was still quite some time before school started, so he decided to make a trip to the Marvel universe.

After properly storing all the items he had collected, Ethan found Bruce Banner, who was comfortably living on a small island, and asked if he wanted to come along.

"Back to my world? Might be good to take a look."

Bruce didn't particularly miss his world. He didn't have many good memories there, and life there wasn't as peaceful or comfortable as his recent days.

He had simply heard that Ethan had established a stable connection between the two worlds and was curious about this method of teleportation. According to Ethan, this device would allow him to travel freely between the two worlds from now on.

"That's quite convenient."

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 647: Little Friend

Originally, Ethan had planned to take Illya to the Marvel Universe for a visit. After all, the Marvel Universe is a world I frequently visit and have already established very stable relationships in, whether through genuine friendship or mutual benefit. On top of that, most of my current resources come from this world, making the Marvel Universe a very important logistical base for me.

However, Illya is currently tutoring her younger brother. After staying in the Harry Potter world for over two years, Illya has gained a certain understanding of the situation aboard Artemis and knows that she will likely be staying on the ship in the future, which is fine by her. Illya feels that it's all the same wherever she is.

What's bothering her is her younger brother, Shirou. From what she heard from Logan, Ethan values Shirou's cooking skills because their team has lacked a proper chef for many years.

She has no doubts about Shirou's ability in that area, but there isn't a single ordinary person on the team. If Shirou is just a regular person, or rather a completely low-level mage, he wouldn't have any standing in a group like this.

Because of that, Illya decided to give Shirou some serious tutoring, not just in magic, but also in actual combat skills.

To that end, Illya even brought Scáthach over, planning to use the Queen of the Land of Shadows' skill in training disciples.

The newcomers wouldn't be coming along, and the veterans, aside from Hill who had gone to the Special Forces world, weren't interested in heading out for a change of pace. After all, Ethan was only going to notify Tony that the Marvel Universe was now connected to his world and, incidentally, give Tony a tracking device to ensure he could be reached when needed.

Besides Tony, Ethan also planned to give Thor and Loki each a device. These three would have the authority to contact Luna directly for reverse teleportation.

As for the Ancient One, there was even less to say. Ethan only needed to give her the specific location, and now that he had established the connection, she could travel over herself without needing anyone else's help.

Other than that, those with relatively weaker relationships would have to go through these few to reach Ethan.

"Oh, right, that cat named Auriel..."

As he walked toward the teleportation room with Bruce Banner, Banner suddenly mentioned Auriel, who Ethan hadn't seen in quite a while.

"I noticed that little guy keeps burying magic stones at the foot of the mountain."

Bruce had thoroughly studied the various technologies aboard Artemis. Of course, he recognized magic stones and knew that Ethan used to rely on them as the core of many devices, though he had gradually phased them out due to the difficulty of maintaining a stable supply.

Currently, the magic stones stored aboard Artemis basically serve as food for Auriel. Banner had once asked Ethan what would happen if Auriel, as a creature, needed to rely on consuming magic stones to survive, and one day they ran out.

Ethan hadn't given the question much thought because it wasn't a big deal.

Magic stones are a unique product of the Empire. The ones Ethan and his team use are collected from the training grounds, and everything in those grounds is created by the system, a massive piece of equipment.

Magic stone mines are essentially renewable, clean energy sources. The Empire's technology in this area is highly developed. Once Ethan and the others find the planet where the Empire civilization is located, they can acquire this technology. Betty, of course, knows nothing about this tech.

When the time comes, getting a dedicated device for manufacturing magic stones to serve as Auriel's cat food won't be a problem.

If the supply runs out before then, Ethan could also just modify Auriel's constitution so it can eat something else.

Based on Ethan's observation, Auriel eats magic stones mainly to absorb the massive energy inside them. For Ethan, high-energy items aren't hard to come by.

For example, there's a hot spring containing arcane energy on the island. At worst, he could open another one for Auriel to drink its fill.

What surprised him was that Auriel had already started trying to solve its own food problem. Was this guy planning to dig a hole, bury something, and count one, two, three, four, five?

"I'll go check when I get back."

Considering Auriel's intelligence, it shouldn't be doing anything too absurd. Maybe this little creature really knows how to grow magic stones?

Standing on the wide teleportation platform, Banner looked around. He noticed there was an operating console next to the platform, meaning that if they didn't want Luna to handle the teleportation, they could use the console themselves.

"You don't need to stand by the console. You can operate it directly using the holographic panel."

Luna, the AI, handles the operations. There's the holographic panel, the physical console, and if both are down, you can only contact Ethan directly.

"Very well designed."

The teleportation activated. A bluish-white light filled their vision. When it faded and they could see clearly again, Ethan and Banner had arrived in the Marvel Universe, specifically in Ethan's mansion.

"Welcome back, Mr. Ethan."

"Thanks, JARVIS. Where's Tony?"

Having JARVIS manage the mansion had a huge benefit. Ethan no longer needed to avoid all the house staff. Under JARVIS's control, they didn't need to know whose mansion this was, or where the owner went, or what he did.

They just showed up for regular maintenance when notified by JARVIS, then left once the job was done.

"Mr. Stark is currently at the Avengers Headquarters in New York."

"Notify him that I..."

Ethan suddenly paused.

"JARVIS."

"Yes, sir."

"How did you recognize me?"

Banner, who had been standing off to the side, only now realized this too. Ethan wasn't in his original appearance. He currently looked like a young child.

And with that appearance, JARVIS had recognized him the moment he showed up. Banner hadn't even noticed this at first, likely because he had grown used to Ethan walking around with this face.

"Mr. Stark has archived comprehensive data on all Avengers members, as well as his relatives and friends. While Mr. Ethan's appearance and physique have undergone significant changes, key identifiers such as mental energy fluctuations, voiceprint, and retina match. Physical appearance ranks relatively low in Mr. Ethan's identification parameters."

Ethan nodded slightly, then signaled JARVIS to stop.

His body had indeed been reforged, but those characteristics hadn't changed. They still matched his original data, which is why JARVIS didn't mistake him for someone else.

Also, based on JARVIS's report, the primary identifier used was mental energy fluctuations. This was even more unique than fingerprints. No two people's mental energy was exactly alike, making it a very reliable identification method.

Since Tony became a qualified mage, he had clearly upgraded his various devices. JARVIS's recognition systems now included many features related to the mystical.

"Tell Stark I'm coming now."

"Mr. Stark is already waiting for you, sir."

Ethan gave Banner a look, then used teleportation magic to travel directly to the Avengers Headquarters in New York.

Located on the outskirts, far from the city center, the Avengers Headquarters spanned a huge area and had all kinds of facilities, including its own small airport.

With so much ground to cover, Ethan didn't want to walk all the way from the main gate. Tony wouldn't run to the gate to pick him up either. Without any contact, the two of them met in front of the main building, both knowing the other's habits well.

Unsurprisingly, Tony paused for a moment when he saw Ethan, then took off his sunglasses dramatically, wiped them twice, and put them back on.

"If you want to see better, why are you still wearing sunglasses?"

"It looks cooler." Tony paused, then deliberately glanced down at Ethan with a mock serious look. "Didn't anyone teach you to be more respectful to your elders?"

"Are you sure you want to keep this up?"

"Ahem, relax, just messing with you. But I really didn't expect you to turn into a kid."

Tony had expected Ethan to become a teenager at most. He hadn't thought he would turn directly into a child. He subtly used his sunglasses to snap a bunch of photos and even recorded video.

"JARVIS, remember to encrypt and save these photos and videos."

"Yes, sir."

Ethan stared speechlessly at Tony. It wasn't that his senses were so sharp that he could hear the smallest sounds, but that Tony didn't even try to hide it.

Maybe realizing that Ethan would definitely be annoyed and might retaliate, Tony immediately ran off after saying hello to both Ethan and Banner.

"I have something to take care of at the equipment warehouse. Anyway, you know this place well. Just walk around. Or you could say hi to Steve and the others?"

After saying that, and not giving Ethan time to respond, he vanished with a Blink spell.

Ethan shrugged. He had come here to explain some things to Tony, but the guy had slipped away the moment they met. Still, he couldn't hide forever. At the latest, he'd have to show up at dinner.

"I'll look around a bit. Got anything you need to do?"

Banner had nothing urgent. He planned to head back to his room. The two of them agreed to meet later in the lounge, and Ethan went off on his own.

Unexpectedly, not long after they separated, a young woman in a red jacket stopped him. She looked concerned and asked, "Little friend, why are you here alone? Are you lost from your family?"

"..."

Ethan suddenly realized that he really shouldn't have separated from Banner.

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to Kds89 for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉🎉

Chapter 648: Tony's Disciple

He certainly knew the woman standing before him, wearing a red leather jacket and a black skirt. Wanda Maximoff, code-named Scarlet Witch.

Wanda and Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff, were twin siblings. In the comic universe, they were older sister and younger brother. Due to certain special reasons, in the movie universe, their superpowers came from Hydra's human experiments.

However, in this timeline, already altered by Ethan, these two shouldn't have had the opportunity to gain the same powerful superpowers through Hydra's experiments as in the original plot. The key to that experiment's success was Hydra obtaining Loki's scepter, which concealed the Mind Stone.

That scepter was now in Loki's possession, and the stone hidden inside had already been removed by Ethan long ago. It was currently stored in Asgard, under the safekeeping of the Asgardians.

Simply put, the Mind Stone was now under Loki's control. With Thor mastering the Power Stone as well, the two brothers' power had increased far beyond the original storyline. Combined with their powerful equipment, including the Infinity Stones, Asgard's combat strength had increased many times over. In this situation, Thanos couldn't easily take the Stones, let alone Hydra.

Without the Stones, these two would be ordinary people. Without superpowers, how could they attract the attention of the Avengers, let alone be recruited?

"Could it be..."

Ethan's thoughts raced. After all the changes he had caused, it should be impossible for Scarlet Witch to appear here. There was only one person who could have made this happen.

"Tony?"

Tony had downloaded many comics from other worlds. With that data as a reference, he could specifically search for these special talents.

Although Wanda and Pietro in this world were not mutants, Hydra's human experiments were certainly not conducted on just two people.

To survive and even gain some special abilities, these two must have had something unique about them. Maybe that was what caught Tony's attention.

"Little friend?"

Ethan snapped back to reality, looking up at Wanda, who had half-crouched in front of him. He sighed helplessly. This was the fundamental reason he couldn't casually run off to other worlds for fun.

"I have an appointment with Dr. Banner in the lounge."

"Banner?" Wanda was momentarily surprised, then quickly realized who he meant. "Bruce Banner? Didn't he go out?"

"He came back today."

Hearing that, Wanda did not doubt him at all. She didn't think Ethan was an intruder trying to sneak into the Avengers base. While the headquarters seemed to have no security on the surface, the entire facility was under strict surveillance. Unauthorized individuals would not be able to get inside unnoticed.

So when Ethan said that, she offered to walk with him.

"I know the way..."

"I'm heading there too. Let's go together."

This Scarlet Witch clearly thought he was just a normal child. Perhaps she was worried he would get lost, which was understandable. The base was massive, and its interior was complex. Getting lost was not unusual. It was said that some new staff had gone missing inside, and it had taken a full search team to locate and rescue them.

"Where did this kid come from?"

When they arrived at the lounge, Ethan understood why Wanda said she was going there. Pietro, Quicksilver, was already there. Though dressed in casual clothes, the towel around his neck and his still-damp hair clearly showed he had just finished training and was now resting here.

"I met him on the way. He said he was coming here to meet Dr. Banner, so I brought him along."

"Which Dr. Banner?"

When the two siblings arrived at the Avengers base, Banner had gone with Ethan to explore other worlds. They had never met him. And compared to his other identity, Banner himself was not particularly well known among the general public.

"The one who turns into a big green guy."

"Oh, right, him. Wasn't he out doing something?"

"They say he came back today."

The two began chatting. Wanda originally wanted to offer Ethan a seat and ask what he needed, but after seeing him casually open the fridge and grab a drink, it was obvious he was very familiar with the place. It seemed he really did know the way.

"What's your name?"

Unexpectedly, after chatting for a bit, Pietro spoke up and greeted Ethan. Based on first impressions, Ethan thought he was someone who didn't like to talk much. If it had been the Pietro from the X-Men world, he wouldn't have been surprised. That one was a chatterbox.

"Ethan."

He casually answered while opening the holographic interface on the coffee table in front of him.

This lounge was for internal Avengers members. Regular staff at the base had no access. Even the coffee table had advanced functions, allowing members to access various data at any time.

Ethan was looking at the profiles of the two in front of him.

The public information was vague, simply stating that the two were outstanding individuals recruited from the civilian population. They were not yet full members of the Avengers and were still in training.

But from the internal Avengers data, which could only be accessed by official members and was managed by JARVIS, Ethan saw that Wanda and Pietro were actually test subjects rescued by Tony Stark during a raid on a secret Hydra lab.

It was clearly documented that the two had voluntarily become test subjects and had undergone multiple enhancement procedures. They were among the few relatively successful cases.

Although they hadn't gained powers as strong as in the original plot, Wanda's psionic power was significantly above average, and Pietro's body had mutated and improved. His agility and speed now exceeded the limits of ordinary humans.

"Maybe this was the talent they originally had, and the Mind Stone only served to stimulate and strengthen it?"

Ethan couldn't confirm without personally examining their souls, but it was a possibility.

Of course, this wasn't what really caught Ethan's attention. What surprised him was what happened afterward.

Wanda and Pietro had volunteered to become test subjects for Hydra out of hatred for Tony Stark. Yet in a strange twist of fate, it was Tony Stark who saved them from that endless nightmare of experiments and even said he would personally teach them.

That was bizarre enough, but what happened next was even stranger. Tony took the two of them to track down the person who had actually bombed their house, helped them get revenge, and emphasized again that he was no longer the arms dealer he used to be.

Stark Industries had already transitioned into a tech company. Furthermore, there were many fake products on the market falsely using the Stark brand. That faulty piece of junk that hit their house was most likely a knockoff. Tony claimed that if it had been a real Stark weapon, they would not have survived at all.

As much as they wanted to argue, they also felt like that explanation made a bit of sense. Although the siblings were still wary of Tony, mainly because they didn't know his true intentions, their hatred began to fade, and their interactions became relatively normal.

With that as a foundation, things progressed smoothly. Scarlet Witch became Tony's disciple and began studying magic. Quicksilver started training under Steve Rogers and Clint Barton, learning various combat techniques that leveraged his physical strengths.

"So... you took on a disciple?"

As Ethan closed the holographic display, Tony and Banner entered the lounge. Tony was not surprised that Ethan had found him. In fact, he would have been more surprised if Ethan hadn't.

"What do you think? Not bad, right? I picked a pretty good student."

Ethan rubbed his temples. This guy definitely didn't decide to accept Scarlet Witch on a whim. Most likely, he was influenced by Ethan taking Leah as a student, and then searched for a similarly talented candidate from the available pool.

Scarlet Witch's background was right there for anyone to see. With Tony's personality, there was no way he would pass up such a promising student in favor of someone completely unqualified.

"Not bad."

Even if Scarlet Witch in the movie and comic universes had different backstories, her power type had always leaned toward psionics and magic. That made her a good fit to be Tony's student now.

In fact, having Wanda learn magic from Tony seemed closer to her original comic setting than her movie counterpart.

"You're not actually teaching her how to warp reality, are you?"

Tony didn't expect Ethan to figure it out so quickly. He wasn't the type to hide it either, so he admitted it with only a hint of awkwardness.

"Reality warping isn't that simple. Right now, she can barely twist someone's neck."

"Tony!"

Banner looked at Tony in shock.

"This is what you're teaching your student?"

What happened to your grand scientific vision? Even if you've embraced mysticism now, magic is still a rigorous field. And yet you're only teaching your first student how to snap necks?

At that moment, Wanda and Pietro also realized that the child standing before them was not ordinary. They didn't dare to interrupt and simply waited quietly for Tony to make an introduction.

Then Tony said something that left Wanda completely stunned.

"This is Ethan. The most mysterious member of the Avengers, and the teacher who taught me magic."

(To be continued.)