DOTM: Chapter 384/385

Chapter 384: Plot Crusher

Ethan's suggestion wasn't accepted. Neither Tony nor Howard liked the name, which Ethan found quite regrettable.

After a brief chat with Howard and Maria, Ethan left the "delivery room." Tony came out shortly after.

Howard and Maria's daily activity time was strictly regulated. Once Jarvis gave the reminder, they had to return to their equipment to continue sleeping and await their next period of activity.

Once Tony came out, Ethan brought up the equipment needed to help Selene strengthen her body and transform her physique using the serum.

Since the requirements for this equipment were basically the same as the principle behind the maturation device used by the Stark couple, and Tony definitely had spare equipment and parts on hand, it could be assembled in a short time.

"That's not difficult. Do you need it now?"

"No need to rush. Assemble it first. I'll use this time to prepare the necessary serums."

Tony looked at him as if to say, "Are you kidding me? You want me to assemble the equipment before you even make the serum? What if I finish building it and then you tell me you can't make the serum?"

He knew Ethan wouldn't do something so unreliable, but that didn't stop him from complaining a little.

"During this time, I'm not just preparing the serum to change Selene's physique. I also need to make a batch of serums, including one for you."

Tony's body, having been slowly cultivated and improved during this period, had not only returned to its peak but even surpassed his prime.

That was the effect of the serum he used back then, along with his poor physical foundation — the main issue being his age.

So now, his current state was the full realization of the serum's effects. It hadn't pushed him to the limit of human potential, nor made him look younger, but he did look more energetic and full of vitality.

"Besides the extras for your parents and one for Pepper, do you need any more?"

Ethan asked because he wanted to know if Tony would want to prepare one for Rhodey. After all, Tony didn't have many friends in this world. Arguably, Rhodey was his only one. If he had something good to give away, apart from Pepper, it would likely be Rhodey.

Ethan also had a good impression of Rhodey. He didn't care about his military status or anything like that. Ethan even thought Tony could establish closer ties with the military high command through Rhodey, which would provide more support and help prevent Tony from being played for a fool by someone like Ross—who lost his military post and was forced into politics. How dare that guy claim the Avengers' battles had caused countless innocent casualties? Weren't the civilians killed in the Hulk vs. Abomination fight even more innocent?

Leaving aside the Tony in the comics, the Tony in the movie universe was definitely a greenhouse flower—a political idiot. As a capitalist giant with vast resources, fully qualified to influence certain decisions in Washington, Tony had seemingly never thought about putting effort into that area.

Of course, if we're just talking about the movies, it involved production concepts, audience preferences, directorial choices, and so on. But here, this was the real world. The fact that Tony hadn't done similar work only proved that in this universe, Tony was indeed a pure scientist who neither liked nor was good at handling those matters.

In that regard, his father Howard was far stronger. He knew how to use capital to gain leverage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become one of the founding members of a special organization like SHIELD.

Ethan suddenly realized that the resurrection of Howard and Maria probably wasn't just about Tony getting to see his parents again. It might even profoundly affect the subsequent plot of the Marvel universe.

"Anyway, I've already torn everything apart. There's no plot left to speak of…"

He estimated that perhaps only Doctor Strange and Ant-Man remained unaffected. As for events like the formal formation of the Avengers, the Battle of New York, the Battle of Greenwich with the Dark Elves, etc., none of them had happened. Earth remained peaceful, and most ordinary people still lived in a "normal" world.

At the same time, without the Avengers, even if SHIELD were disbanded and Hydra reemerged later, things wouldn't develop the same way they originally did: with the Avengers becoming a private organization instead of an official one, attracting the displeasure of politicians from various countries.

In this world, with Howard's reminder, Tony definitely wouldn't allow the Avengers to openly operate from his private property.

Even if he were to form or accommodate the Avengers, Howard would surely make Tony obtain an official identity for them, turning the Avengers into an official organization so that this force could be better preserved.

Ethan even suspected that once Howard regained full mobility, he would likely take over SHIELD's remaining forces.

Whether it was reorganizing SHIELD or forming a new agency based on it, it would be official in nature.

The Avengers, having become allies of many politicians, wouldn't be viewed as a threat anymore. There would be no need to suppress or defame them. In fact, their achievements would likely be praised and used as leverage to climb higher or secure positions.

His thoughts had drifted again. After Tony hesitated for a while before saying he might need a few more doses, Ethan knew Tony hadn't yet decided whether to give one to Rhodey.

If it had been something he developed himself, he could give it away however he pleased. But since it was a gift from Ethan, he felt a bit awkward, wondering if using Ethan's item to do someone a favor seemed inappropriate.

"Don't overthink it. Rhodey and I are friends too."

As for whether giving away the serum would attract the greed of some fools, Ethan didn't care at all. He believed that with Rhodey and Tony's personalities, they would definitely handle such people appropriately.

Even if someone was truly courting death and insisted on provoking him, Ethan still wouldn't care.

Not to mention that he now possessed the Infinity Stones and the Gold Cloth. Even without using either of those, his magic alone could make people understand what it meant to provoke someone they shouldn't.

To put it plainly, the increase in his own strength meant he no longer needed to act cautiously on Earth like before. He didn't even bother issuing threats like, "If you dare to provoke me, I'll kill you!"—because threats were meaningless. He could talk until his mouth went dry, and there would still be people who didn't believe in fate.

So the old saying was right: if you can act, don't waste your time talking. Just talking is useless.

Nick Fury and the Security Council should feel fortunate that Ethan hadn't been powerful enough at the time. Otherwise, for those who tried to steal the Infinity Stones from him, Ethan wouldn't have just let them die. He would have extracted their souls and tortured them.

However, the members of the Security Council probably didn't have time to deal with him recently. Nick Fury's plan for a large-scale purge within SHIELD seemed to be going smoothly. SHIELD's Triskelion headquarters still stood intact in Washington, and there hadn't been any signs of Hydra reemerging.

The conflict between both sides had remained in the shadows. It was also possible that the higher-ups had received some intel and quickly sealed off leaks to prevent public panic or unnecessary chaos.

But Ethan knew that while both sides were currently restrained and keeping the conflict hidden, that wouldn't last forever.

When the battle reached its final stages, no matter who had the upper hand, SHIELD or Hydra, the losing side would definitely make a last-ditch effort. At that point, nothing would be hidden anymore. The priority would be to beat the other side down first.

Especially Project Insight. Once Hydra, in desperation, implemented Project Insight, they definitely wouldn't care about being exposed. After all, the three helicarriers in orbit could supposedly eliminate all threats. One had to admit, Hydra was truly optimistic.

Leaving others aside, just Tony Stark alone could dismantle the three helicarriers with his Iron Man suit. Their only chance might be to catch Tony off guard and blast him to death when he wasn't wearing his suit and had no idea what was happening.

Ethan didn't know if they had a chance in the original plot, but in this timeline, it was absolutely impossible.

Tony had been spending most of his time recently in the underground lab, with occasional breaks to spend time with his parents, research new technologies, and practice arcane magic.

His current magic level was at the beginner stage. Even if he went out without his suit and got targeted by a helicarrier, he didn't have to worry about being instantly killed. Even if he couldn't avoid injury completely, he could still survive.

As long as he wasn't instantly killed, he could immediately use the life-saving serum Ethan had prepared to revive with full health and then deploy his nanotech suit to dismantle the helicarriers.

That's right. Not long after returning, Tony had already built his first nanotech suit. Moreover, thanks to his knowledge of magic, his nanotech armor could now transform into discreet accessories worn on his body, instead of being stored in the chest unit like the original version.

Tony was now beginning to explore the perfect integration of nanotechnology and magic. Once successful, even without an arc reactor, he could power the entire suit using arcane energy.

But this was still in its early stages. He was pondering how to effectively combine his armor with magic—for example, how to cast more powerful spells while wearing the suit and how to use magical power to enhance his armor's strength and durability.

He was currently stuck at this stage, while Ethan had already completed all the serums and begun further cultivation using the Reality Stone:

Using his own magic to create a real, tangible item.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 385: A Spell That Can Enhance Your Strength

During this time, whenever he had free time, he used the power of the Reality Stone to help himself understand the "composition of the real world." Later, he found this topic too broad, so he narrowed his focus and started by analyzing relatively simple items, such as the structure of various basic substances.

In his original plan, he wanted to carefully observe the process by which the Reality Stone constructed a certain item and then try to replicate that process using only his own magic.

However, he awkwardly discovered that when the Reality Stone created a real object, there was simply no process. As long as he had the thought and gave the Stone a "command," the Reality Stone would directly "place" the item he wanted in front of him. There was no process at all.

This was rather awkward, so Ethan had to use the power of the Reality Stone to issue commands like "provide the detailed composition of a certain item," and then learn from the most basic level.

After this period of study, especially with Tony helping him brush up on a lot of physics knowledge, Ethan could now finally "create" some simple items using his own magic without relying on the Reality Stone.

His method was very "simple": use magic to construct a basic atom, and then "combine" it according to physics knowledge to create the item he wanted.

It was very troublesome, and the magic consumption was not low. At present, it had little practical use. Even though he had spent more than half a year studying and practicing, and could now condense a magical longsword that could freely use fire elements, the magic still lacked practical utility.

One reason was that the casting time was too long, and he couldn't be disturbed during the process.

Another reason was that the item, once created, did not exist permanently. As soon as he stopped channeling magic into it, it would begin to revert to base magical form and eventually dissipate. It could also be reabsorbed into his body.

There were advantages, however. Items created through this magic had excellent affinity with magic and could cooperate with it perfectly.

If this magic could be practiced to the point of instant casting, then he wouldn't need to worry about weapons in the future. He could just create whatever weapon he wanted with magic. He suddenly realized he probably shouldn't wear red clothes anymore in the future.

He swung the strange red and black longsword in his hand. The orange-red flames generated by the swing were extremely hot. This weapon was the best he could create at the moment.

"Although this kind of training doesn't seem like something that can be completed in a short time, based on the additional benefits alone, I have to stick with it."

When Ethan studied the composition of all things, he found that he had gained a deeper understanding of fire and water. He had already mastered the fire and water elements and was also analyzing lightning, arcane energy, and Holy Light. He hadn't expected that understanding all things would help him in these areas as well.

But in reality, it was very helpful. He gained a deeper understanding of lightning, arcane energy, and even some elemental attributes he hadn't encountered before.

He found that understanding a certain element or energy wasn't a one-time thing. Even if a certain element's characteristics had already been integrated into his magic, it didn't mean he fully understood that energy. In fact, such understanding was just the beginning.

As his knowledge grew and his strength improved, he would develop new perspectives on energy attributes he had already mastered. This would further improve his control and, in turn, increase his strength.

"So, knowledge is power?"

Ethan leaned on the strange longsword in his hand, standing there organizing his thoughts. He was considering how to proceed in the future.

Currently, it seemed that when he tried to understand the nature of all things, he could also grasp many other insights along the way. This understanding might not be entirely correct or comprehensive, so when practicing this magic that allowed him to create things through magic, it was best to continue collecting various materials for research and analysis, broadening his horizons while also verifying and comparing the knowledge he already had.

"Even the same thing may manifest differently in different worlds."

In short, it was all about exploration, observation, and collecting more samples for study. As long as he kept doing this, his strength would improve and the nature of his magic would become more diverse.

"In that case, setting aside the Soul Stone for now, I need to find an opportunity to come into contact with the Time Stone and observe the energy within it."

Considering that the space-time orb he held also had time-related attributes, the energy of the Time Stone was indeed very important to him. This wasn't a difficult task. Given his current relationship with the Ancient One, although it was impossible to directly ask for the Eye of Agamotto, it wouldn't be hard to borrow it for training during a visit.

While thinking this, Tony also finished his training for the day. He now meditated daily and was attempting to communicate with the plane filled with arcane energy, officially beginning to try to absorb arcane energy into his body.

Ethan advised him not to be too eager to absorb too much energy into his body. It was best to start with a small amount, fully master it, and then gradually increase the arcane energy.

"It's like building a pool. You have to make the pool strong and deep enough before it can hold more water."

The principle was simple, and everyone understood it. But understanding was one thing, and countless people couldn't resist the urge to "become stronger" quickly. As a result, even though they absorbed more arcane energy, they also buried many hidden dangers within themselves.

Tony sometimes seemed overly impatient, but that was only in areas he was familiar with. He had absolute confidence in himself, which was why he did things that seemed crazy to outsiders. That didn't mean he was truly impatient.

When caution was necessary, he showed plenty of patience. Learning thoroughly before mastering new abilities was the right path.

Moreover, his current progress was by no means slow. He could already cast some basic spells with his own power, and spells like Mage Hand were already highly proficient. He found them quite convenient when doing research.

"It's really convenient."

Many minor mage spells were essentially designed to make life easier for mages. It wasn't wrong to say that mages were a group of lazy people. Of course, most of them saved their precious time to do more important things, but there were always some who simply enjoyed comfort.

Now, another person had joined their ranks. Tony was definitely someone who enjoyed life and was good at it too.

"This thing in your hand—is this the result of your training during this time?"

Tony knew very well what Ethan had been researching lately. As a top-level scholar, he had also helped Ethan brush up on a lot of knowledge. Strictly speaking, the two were each other's teachers, absorbing one another's knowledge to improve themselves. Therefore, Ethan couldn't be considered Tony's master.

"Sort of."

"Is this a greatsword? Why is it shaped like that?"

Tony originally thought the sword in Ethan's hand looked that way because Ethan had made some mistake in casting it, resulting in a distorted appearance.

But after seeing Ethan's expression, he realized he was wrong. Ethan had deliberately shaped the longsword that way.

Recalling the equipment Ethan had made before, his aesthetic wasn't like this. So there was another possibility: the weapon had a prototype, and Ethan had replicated it using magic.

"Does this strange longsword have a name?"

"It's a sword used by a very famous historical figure."

"Oh? Who is it?" Tony immediately thought of King Arthur. That famous figure had been here before and had even been Ethan's companion for a while. It wouldn't be surprising if Ethan recreated King Arthur's weapon.

But no matter how he looked at this longsword, it didn't match the style of that handsome, golden-haired knight. The design clearly didn't fit.

"Nero."

"The tyrant from the Roman Empire?" Tony's eyes lit up—literally. This wasn't just a metaphor. His eyes actually glowed. That proved he hadn't fully mastered his arcane energy yet, which leaked out when he got excited. The eyes were one of the easiest places for magical energy to leak, which was why some mages looked like they had light bulbs for eyes when casting spells.

Tony, with glowing eyes, examined the longsword repeatedly. When he swung it in his hand, he also felt the strong fire energy it contained.

"Wait… The Nero you know isn't the same one I know, is it?" He suddenly realized that this longsword absolutely could not belong to the Nero of "normal" history. Moreover, the historical tyrant Nero shouldn't have known magic, while this sword could unleash powerful flames.

"Of course not."

Ethan took the longsword back. He had created the sword on a whim, just to test the effect of integrating fire energy into a weapon created through magic.

Now that the experiment was basically complete and he had obtained the results he wanted, Ethan stopped channeling magic. The longsword quickly reverted to pure magic and was reabsorbed into his body.

There was still some loss, but Ethan found the amount to be less than expected. This meant that once items constructed with magic were formed, they only consumed magic for maintenance. And once dissolved, some of that magic could be recovered.

From this perspective, as long as Ethan could solve the issue of casting time, this spell was already quite mature.

"But this still seems like a long and steady road…"

Fortunately, he wasn't in a hurry, and he had plenty to do. He could take his time.

(To be continued.)