DOTM: Chapter 407/408

Chapter 407: Want to Fly Higher

Selene couldn't give a direct answer to the question Ethan posed.

This kind of thing isn't something you can just blurt out on a whim. She needed to think carefully about what she truly wanted—or rather, what kind of future she desired.

Selene hadn't had the time to consider this question before because she felt she couldn't stay in this team for long and might leave at any time, so thinking too much was pointless.

But now that Ethan officially asked her this question, it seemed to imply that as long as she didn't decide to leave herself, or do something that harmed the team and had to leave, Ethan was very willing to let her stay in the team indefinitely.

In that case, she really needed to think about what her goals were.

"Let me give you a simple suggestion. If you really don't have anything you want, why not aim to become an immortal supreme being?"

"An immortal being… is it really possible to reach that stage?"

"Who knows? Maybe you'll strive your whole life and still never reach that realm." Ethan shrugged. He genuinely didn't know if he could reach that level. Perhaps after thousands or even tens of thousands of years of effort, he would still reach the end of his life. "But you have to have a goal, right? It's because I had a direction to strive for that I went from a scrawny ordinary person to where I am now."

Ethan using himself as an example was truly convincing. Selene didn't know how thin Ethan was back then, but she understood how fragile ordinary humans were.

To go from an ordinary human with no background to the current level equivalent to a demigod, that was a huge leap. Considering this, even if Ethan couldn't reach that immortal and indestructible realm in the future, he probably wouldn't be too far off.

Regardless, striving in that direction, even if ultimately unsuccessful, would yield far better results than just drifting along aimlessly as she was now. Selene felt that if she really couldn't think of any other goal, she might as well work toward that one.

As a vampire who had lived for hundreds of years, she was accustomed to having a long life. But being a vampire didn't necessarily mean living forever. Just look at those elders from back then; to prolong their lives, they would periodically go into hibernation to reduce the wear and tear caused by activity, thereby extending their lifespan.

After several enhancements, Selene certainly didn't need to turn into a mummy-like state from time to time, but her lifespan wasn't endless. Perhaps after a thousand years, she would experience the feeling of reaching the end of her life.

Although that time was still far off, if there was an opportunity to live longer, she had no reason to give it up.

Even if she truly felt she had lived too long in the future, she could choose to hibernate or even take extreme measures to end her life. At the very least, she wouldn't regret not having strived when her life neared its end and she hadn't lived enough.

"That goal sounds pretty good."

Selene just thought it sounded good. She hadn't truly made it her ultimate goal. She still needed to quietly think about what she really wanted in this life. Or rather, how she wanted to spend her increasingly long life.

Ethan also took the opportunity to ask Logan the same question. Wolverine didn't think too much about it. He was living comfortably right now. Maybe he would consider the question when he got tired of it. Until then, he just wanted to continue enjoying his easy life.

"If you really have nothing to do, why not find someone to keep you company for a long time? Anyway, Laura is grown up now and won't object to you finding a girlfriend."

Laura couldn't possibly be unaware of how "happy" Logan was living on Paradise Island, but she didn't voice any opposition to her father's personal life, perhaps also feeling that Logan needed someone to accompany him.

Ethan was equally happy. After the first two days passed, Diana started coming to find Ethan frequently. Even if she didn't appear during the day, she would arrive punctually at night.

Having rested and recuperated for two days, Ethan was fully prepared this time and successfully gained the upper hand. With his rich knowledge from his previous life, he finally won back a few rounds.

Although he was still tired and sore afterward, he was at least not constantly being suppressed, and Ethan felt very proud of this.

Because he realized that his physical fitness was still not on the same level as these true demigods. Diana could often just flip her hand and press him down, and he couldn't resist—unless he used magic to enhance himself with power, but was that necessary?

Besides spending all day being intimate with Diana, she was also trying to teach Ethan how to fly.

Having become a demigod, his life level was the same as Diana's. And having evolved using divine blood of the same origin, Ethan should theoretically also possess the ability to fly.

It was just that he had never thought about it that way. His flying primarily relied on the combined effect of several spells. In addition to the most commonly used and primary source of power, the Flame Wings, he would also appropriately cast minor spells like Feather Light to help him float better in the air.

This minor spell was roughly similar in theory to Feather Fall, just used at slightly different times. Moreover, when Ethan used this level of minor spell, he no longer even needed casting materials; he could cast it with just a thought.

Becoming increasingly effortless in flight, he hadn't considered exploring Diana's method of flight.

"Can you succeed?"

"I don't know, but you don't have anything serious to do on Paradise Island anyway. Why not give it a try?"

Diana seemed to enjoy the feeling of guiding Ethan. It reminded her of the days when Ethan taught her various things, and the reversal of roles also brought a strange sense of accomplishment.

"But I don't know how you use your power to fly."

"Actually, I don't use any specific power. My ability to fly is like walking or running; I can just fly naturally."

This was what gave Ethan the biggest headache. He really wanted to understand how Diana used her power when flying to achieve the effect of flight.

But Diana's answer wasn't what he expected. There was no release of divine power to envelop herself, no use of divine power bursts to create thrust to send herself into the sky, etc. From Diana's description, it was more like she wanted to fly and so she flew—a situation that couldn't be explained at all.

Carefully recalling some settings from the original works as a reference, Ethan quickly gave up.

Diana's settings had been modified several times. Regarding her flying ability, there was a version where she gained the ability to fly through equipment bestowed by the gods, meaning that in that version, Diana herself did not possess the ability to fly.

It's just that comic book companies in North America love to refresh their worldviews and constantly introduce new settings. Moreover, the Diana in front of him came from the movie universe, and the movie universe didn't give a detailed explanation at all. The ability to fly seemed more like a talent that awakened naturally after reaching a certain level of power.

"Talent..."

Ethan suddenly thought that Diana's flight was like instinctively understanding the concept of flying. And it just so happened that the potion-making he learned back then included the content of "concept manipulation."

For example, extracting the concept of "detoxification" from certain plants and then making a relatively universal antidote, completely ignoring the type of poison. As long as it was poisoning, the antidote could be used mindlessly and could perfectly neutralize most toxins.

There were also "restoring vitality," "healing wounds," etc. He was very familiar with the methods of extracting these concepts. Could he apply this to his own use of abilities?

In fact, many magic systems contain related content, but this part has always been rather mystical. Ethan read a lot but always found it difficult to truly understand. even though he could cast many of these spells effortlessly, if he wanted to modify them, he wouldn't know where to start.

"Just like Feather Fall..."

Extracting the concept of lightness like a feather and bestowing it upon the caster or other targets, making the subject of the spell or oneself as light as a feather.

Now he was just changing the concept, trying to "find" the concept of "flying" that was already contained within himself, and then activate it.

He firmly believed that having completed his evolution and become a demigod, he absolutely possessed this talent, but how to activate it required some effort.

The initial attempts were not very smooth, but he also knew that if this ability were so easy to activate, he wouldn't have had no inkling of it until now.

With continuous attempts, Ethan finally made some progress. After a period of practice, he could now leave the ground without casting any spells and float about two meters high in the air.

"Although it's weak, I'm finally flying."

His group of friends nearby kept making fun of Ethan as he wobbled in the air as if he were about to fall at any moment. After all, most people couldn't distinguish between Ethan's current flight and the floating caused by the surge of magic power around him during meditation before—it even looked less stable than that state.

But these two types of flight had essential differences. Now, even if Ethan lost his magic power, he could still fly. This kind of flight didn't consume magic power or divine power; instead, it consumed some physical strength.

Landing back on the ground, Ethan let out a breath. The rest would be easy. Just practice continuously like learning to walk, and eventually, he would be able to fly at high speed as freely as Diana.

By then, he could fly however he wanted and as high as he wanted. However, to truly fly at high speed as freely as Diana, Ethan first needed to improve his physical fitness further.

"How did I end up back at the starting point?"

Ethan was helpless but had to work in this direction. Even just for better and happier "sparring" with Diana, he urgently needed to continue improving his physical fitness.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 408: Hill's Choice

Ethan floated high in the air, looking down at Paradise Island, which had become tiny beneath his feet. Feeling the biting wind at high altitude, he noticed a layer of frost forming on his body.

Letting out a breath, Ethan realized he couldn't ascend any further unless he released magic to form an energy shield. Any higher, and his body would feel uncomfortable—not damaged, just uncomfortable.

This meant that below this altitude, his body could exert its full strength at one hundred percent. Any higher, and he would be affected.

This effect might not seem significant, but if a fight broke out in the air, the altitude would constantly change. He couldn't be sure if this effect would suddenly intensify. To avoid such a situation, he needed to establish a warning line early. Once near the warning line, he would have to strengthen his self-protection.

"Let's go back first."

Life on Paradise Island was very comfortable. Coupled with the beautiful scenery and abundant food, everyone was having a great time. They treated this trip as a vacation, as long periods of sailing at sea, even without combat, still caused considerable stress and required appropriate land-based activities for relaxation.

This was also why Ethan often took everyone to visit other worlds. Even though the Prinz Eugen was incredibly stable now and wouldn't cause intense discomfort unless encountering storms, he still insisted on doing this.

He descended from high altitude, finally landing lightly on the beach. Not many people paid him much attention. Ethan had been practicing flying for a while now, and even the most amazing things lose their novelty after being seen repeatedly.

The only one who had consistently paid attention to him was Maria Hill, the newly joined temporary member. She was standing there waiting for Ethan to return and specifically greeted him after he landed.

Looking at Maria Hill, who was dressed less casually than the others, Ethan knew she must have been observing his flight data just now. It was highly likely she had already calculated his altitude and speed, memorized the data, and would write it down in some hidden notebook after returning.

As the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria Hill had always been highly valued by Nick Fury. But this did not mean she agreed with him on many concepts.

In fact, many of Nick Fury's ideas did not align with Hill's expectations, especially his attitude toward superheroes.

Nick Fury would appropriately offer some benefits to these superheroes, even granting them considerable privileges, in order to win them over to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side and make them allies.

Hill had always been opposed to this behavior. In her eyes, superheroes were also criminals—law was law, and people should not be treated differently just because they had special abilities.

She believed that rules, once made, should be obeyed, and no one should violate them for any reason. Once someone violated the rules, they should be punished. What many superheroes did was essentially violating or even ignoring the rules, and she wished she could arrest all of them.

At the same time, she strongly agreed with Nick Fury's operating style: suspecting everything, maintaining sufficient vigilance toward everyone, and always having a backup plan.

For example, on this trip, she observed Ethan up close, meticulously recorded the details of his strength, and would then formulate detailed response plans upon returning. This was to ensure that if Ethan ever truly threatened their world, S.H.I.E.L.D. or any other organization wouldn't be caught unprepared.

Although S.H.I.E.L.D. no longer existed, Maria Hill would still not abandon her principles. She would firmly continue on her path, dedicating everything to protect her world.

"You can relax a bit here."

"I'll relax when it's time to relax."

Ethan shrugged. There was nothing he could do about Hill constantly maintaining a "working state"; she was there to work, after all.

"You've been on the ship for a while now. You should realize that I have no ill will toward your world."

Hill nodded. She agreed with this point. Ethan indeed had no malice toward their world, as she had already perceived that Ethan intended to develop his own world as a logistical base.

From this perspective, the two sides even had more possibilities for cooperation.

Ethan could travel through multiple cosmic planes. Even if not considering other worlds, the pure oceanic world alone had enough magical resources to develop. Just like the part of the magic stone technology that Tony had obtained, that kind of energy utilization technology could significantly raise Earth's civilization level.

Putting aside other things, with an extra layer of energy protection, weapons such as soldiers, aircraft, and warships could exert stronger combat power. Even against an Asgardian invasion, they would no longer be completely defenseless.

Considering that Ethan wanted to develop that world into a logistical base, a stable, large rear would certainly be more useful than a chaotic one. Therefore, to some extent, Ethan would even help them protect Earth—because the two sides had overlapping interests to a certain degree.

It was precisely because she thought of this that Maria Hill's attitude toward Ethan softened slightly. She was still very wary of those with supernatural abilities, so becoming true friends in a short time was impossible. Having the current level of acquaintance was already quite good.

This was thanks to the fact that there were no particularly strange individuals within Ethan's team. Selene and Logan were tough on the outside but soft on the inside. They might seem indifferent on the surface, but when you needed help, they were more dedicated than anyone.

Imhotep and Anck-su-namun were the most "arrogant," but they were very clear about their position and wouldn't senselessly provoke Hill in the current situation.

As for O'Connell, Jonathan, and Evelyn, those three were either goofy or naive, and otherwise just ordinary people. Hill felt no pressure interacting with them.

The only one who was a bit difficult to get along with was Annette. This kind of research fanatic and her, as an agent, lacked common ground. However, as long as she wasn't interrupted during her research, Annette wouldn't actively bother anyone.

Ada...

She sensed a similar aura in this woman as she did in Black Widow, and she also knew that this woman was an elite spy specifically invited by Ethan to join, clearly for the convenience of gathering various intelligence information when the team traveled to unfamiliar worlds.

All in all, Maria Hill had a reasonably pleasant time living on the Prinz Eugen during this period. Ethan's companions did not exclude her because she was a temporary member. Perhaps this was also related to the fact that there were always temporary members in the team before? Even now, O'Connell and the others hadn't fully found their place yet, so where would they get the confidence to exclude newcomers?

Life was reasonably pleasant, and she had more or less become friends with a few people. Ethan felt it was time and began asking Maria Hill about her plans.

He had asked similar questions to several people recently, and their answers were all similar: they needed to think about it.

Maria Hill was the only one who didn't need to think about it so complicatedly. She had clear tasks and ideas. What Ethan was asking about wasn't a vague goal; he wanted to know if Hill had any thoughts about her own strength.

"Although you are only a temporary addition to our team, there are some situations that must be considered."

Ethan and his team's time flow was not synchronized with that of the Marvel Universe. For Nick Fury and the others, Hill was just away on a business trip for a few months or a year. Here, she might have spent several years or even decades.

Such a long time could turn a child into an adult, or allow an ordinary person to live out their entire life.

Presumably, Nick Fury wouldn't be happy if the young woman in the prime of her life he sent to learn suddenly turned into a grandmother older than himself in the blink of an eye.

"So I can also use the enhancement potions you made?"

Enhancement potions were no secret on the Prinz Eugen. Everyone on the ship had used them, and people often discussed the specific effects of the potions. Someone like Jonathan, who loved to brag, was completely open about his changes, and no one avoided her when discussing how to better stimulate the potion's effects.

"Why not?"

Hill frowned. She hadn't expected to get such a great benefit so quickly. Was Ethan trying to win her over?

Seeing her expression, Ethan smiled and shook his head. "You've misunderstood something. You might think this enhancement potion is something very valuable, but to me, it's not a big deal anymore."

It was pretty much like the military issuing a full set of equipment and daily necessities to new recruits. In Ethan's eyes, the basic and advanced enhancement potions were just that kind of thing.

Of course, this was still a very valuable item to Hill. After all, the value of an item largely depends on how much the other person wants it.

Hill certainly wanted to obtain the potion to strengthen herself, but she thought she would need to earn some merit for the team to get it. She didn't expect them to just issue it as standard equipment.

"You might think this potion is very effective, but for me, this thing can only provide you with a good enough basic condition. You still need to consider your learning direction. Which aspect do you ultimately want to work toward?"

Become a mage like Ethan? Or a pure warrior? Or perhaps learn Holy Light energy to become a paladin or priest? Although Ethan didn't know much about it, becoming a shaman wasn't out of the question either.

The options Ethan presented were not absolute. She could completely learn all the knowledge she was interested in. After all, this wasn't a game world where choosing a profession fixed your talents and skill tree. In the real world, there were many people who learned skills and knowledge across professions or worked multiple jobs.

So these so-called professional directions were just a reference. Ultimately, he was asking what Hill wanted to learn.

Hill's choice surprised Ethan. This former Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was interested in the Holy Light.

(To be continued.)