DOTM: Chapter 382/383

Chapter 382: Golden Cloth

Tony's Dyson Sphere project was still only on paper. Putting it into practice would require solving problems far more complex than what Ethan currently faced. Who knew how many years it would take before Tony actually began constructing his own Dyson Sphere?

Even so, Ethan still supported Tony's plan.

For no other reason than that it would benefit him as well.

He had always wanted to turn the Marvel Universe into his logistical base. If Tony could truly build an artificial celestial base in the universe, then in the future, Ethan would have a ready-made supply station. After all, once he broke free from the ocean world and ventured into the sea of stars, he had no idea what kinds of situations he might encounter, or whether he could even find a habitable planet.

Some resources in space could be collected independently, while others would require logistical support and couldn't be obtained directly.

If possible, he hoped Tony would start designing and building the space base right away.

However, one must take things one step at a time, just as he had advanced to his current level. Rushing would only backfire. For now, his focus remained on the task at hand.

After repeated forging, testing, modification, and re-forging, the twelve sets of Gold Cloth had finally been completed.

Although their power could not match the original versions and there were some differences in effect, Eitri's forging skills were indeed extraordinary. These twelve sets of Gold Cloth fully met all the requirements Ethan had proposed.

In addition to being activated via mental connection, capable of automatic disassembly, recombination, and equipping, the shared ability of these twelve Gold Cloths was to amplify and enhance the user's natural abilities.

When used, the Cloths could bear a degree of backlash. That meant the user could increase their output beyond what their body could normally endure. With the support of the armor, this originally dangerous power became manageable.

Not only that, but when using certain attacks, the energy stored within the Cloth would blend in, strengthening the attack. At the same time, this energy could automatically convert into pure, harmless energy to replenish the user's own energy reserves. As for the Cloth's internal energy, it could be recharged directly from a star—in other words, as long as the user remained within a star's influence, the Cloth would stay in a charging state.

Considering Ethan spent most of his time on Earth, it was safe to say that the Cloth would always be connected to a power source. There was no risk of running out of energy. Even at night, as long as the user was within a star's range, the Cloth remained charged. It didn't have to be daytime.

Aside from these shared traits, each Cloth had its own special abilities and could perform unique attacks. Unless the user's energy nature completely conflicted with the technique, the Cloth would automatically adjust the attributes, allowing most people to use the moves. It could be said that these Cloths perfectly replicated the effects Ethan had previously demonstrated.

If there were any shortcomings, they were quite clear: these Cloths could not make users comprehend the so-called Seventh Sense or Cosmo, nor could they allow someone to move at the speed of light. Even Leo's Lightning Plasma was more like a lightning barrage than true light-speed punches.

Still, Ethan didn't mind these limitations. If one was truly powerful enough to move at light speed or attack at such speeds, they could do so without amplification.

If one lacked that power, trying to force it with equipment would be uncontrollable anyway. Ethan even doubted whether his current body could withstand light-speed movement. While he might strike down an enemy with a single hit, his own body might collapse under the pressure.

So Ethan didn't feel it was a pity that the Cloths couldn't reach light speed. On the contrary, he was quite pleased to have completed all twelve sets of Gold Cloth.

In addition to the Cloths themselves, each set came with a special Cloth Box. These were not just simple containers but had unique functionality:

Ethan could activate the teleportation circle inside the Cloth Box using his own magic. Others could also summon the Cloth by using a dog tag-like item provided by Ethan. Even if Ethan wasn't in the same universe, the Cloth could still be summoned. That was the special feature of these Cloth Boxes, capable of interplanar summoning through the dog tag and the box.

Looking at his work, Eitri was also very proud. These sets of armor were his most perfect creations in recent years. Unfortunately, none of them could be left behind. Even the discarded test pieces and the previously made molds were destroyed by Ethan.

Of course, Ethan didn't kill Eitri to keep things quiet. These dwarves loved the process of forging and would celebrate after creating something perfect. However, they would not go on to mass-produce or sell powerful equipment like this—especially highly customized sets. At most, they would keep a prototype or mold as a memento.

Even if Ethan hadn't insisted, he didn't need to worry that the next time he returned to the Marvel Universe it would be full of Gold Saints.

Furthermore, this equipment—like Thor's Stormbreaker—had high requirements for the user. Currently, among Ethan's team, aside from himself, only Thor was qualified to use it. No one else could gain the Cloth's recognition.

The reason he insisted on destroying the molds and test pieces was because he didn't want Thanos to find out. Ethan knew Thanos would come to the dwarves and ask them to forge the Infinity Gauntlet.

Thanos was far more ruthless than Ethan. He had massacred the entire dwarf kingdom, leaving only Eitri alive—and even then, he had destroyed Eitri's hands.

"As a favor in return, let me remind you of something."

"What is it?"

Eitri was about to say it wasn't necessary. After all, Asgard would compensate for any loss. Though the dwarves had spent effort and energy, that was nothing to them.

Moreover, the equipment they had forged was so exceptional. The knowledge and experience gained were already the best rewards.

"If someone comes asking you to forge equipment capable of wielding all the Infinity Stones at once, you'd better be prepared. Whether you choose to forge it or not, take your people and hide in Asgard as soon as possible."

Ethan wasn't sure if Thanos had already asked the dwarves to forge the Gauntlet. He hadn't seen any prototype or mold during his time here.

Still, he suspected the dwarves were secretly forging the Gauntlet for Thanos, hoping that fulfilling his demand would spare them from harm.

It was a naive thought, but things like that happened all the time in the universe.

Ethan didn't feel the need to persuade Eitri any further. He had issued the warning. If the dwarves still believed they could appease Thanos by completing his commission and went ahead with forging the equipment, then their eventual destruction would be their own doing.

If Eitri took the warning seriously and moved his people to Asgard in advance, then as thanks for forging the Gold Cloth, Ethan would help protect them—he would even face Thanos head-on if necessary.

It wasn't that Ethan felt confident he could defeat Thanos, but because he believed it was the right thing to do.

Eitri looked at Ethan, his expression solemn. The ruler of the dwarves finally gave a serious nod, indicating that he would remember Ethan's warning.

"Don't worry. Asgard will keep a close watch on Nidavellir to make sure nothing happens."

It was hard to say something like that to the dwarf king directly, but there was no need to beat around the bush with Thor. Ethan shared his concerns with him, and Thor promised he would have people monitor Nidavellir closely to prevent Thanos from destroying it.

Others might not be able to respond quickly enough, but Thor, who now wielded Stormbreaker, could travel from Asgard to Nidavellir in a very short time to help the dwarves if anything went wrong.

Even if he encountered Thanos, Thor wouldn't be entirely powerless to fight back.

During their time on Nidavellir, Thor had not only become proficient with Stormbreaker but had also begun trying to control the Power Stone. It had to be said, the Power Stone was truly formidable. When Thor's lightning power merged perfectly with the Power Stone, the resulting purple lightning and energy fluctuations were terrifying.

Ethan's previous tactic of distorting space to avoid Thor's attacks was no longer unbeatable. Thor could now use brute force to blast apart the distorted space, forcibly restoring it to normal.

Of course, that didn't mean the Space Stone was inferior to the Power Stone. It simply meant the two were now back on equal footing, and any battle between them would come down to execution and strategy.

The power gap had been completely erased by the Infinity Stones. With Stones in hand, both sides had nearly limitless energy to draw from.

If they fought now, they could easily level the entire Nidavellir. That was why they didn't spar here.

At this point, Ethan had nothing left to do on Nidavellir, and Tony had been gone for so long that he was starting to worry about things back home.

Even the others felt they had stayed long enough in this kingdom of craftsmen and were beginning to miss the comfort of Earth.

"So, it's time for us to return."

Everyone agreed. Only Star-Lord, who had gotten along well with everyone during this time, looked a bit hesitant.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just not sure if I should go back to Earth."

He knew Ethan and the others didn't need his ship to get back. He already understood what the Bifrost was. Thor, who could control the Bifrost, could send them straight to Earth, faster and more conveniently than any spaceship.

Still, deep down, he wanted to go back and take a look. After all, he was half Earthling.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 383: Selene, the Misfit

In the end, Star-Lord still chose not to return to Earth. Not only did Earth hold few fond memories for him, but he had also left at a very young age and was far more accustomed to life in the universe.

He also felt that going back to Earth was unwise. If Yondu couldn't find him, he might go to Earth to search for information. Returning there would be like exposing his whereabouts.

"In that case, I wish you smooth sailing in your future."

Since Star-Lord wasn't coming with them, they no longer needed his spaceship to return to Earth. This was actually a relief for Logan and the others.

While the Milano was quite comfortable and Star-Lord's piloting skills were excellent, the ship's biggest problem was its size.

Cramming so many people into such a small space was far from ideal. Everyone preferred to teleport directly back to Earth.

After watching Star-Lord board the Milano and disappear into the vastness of space, Ethan looked around at the people beside him.

Only those who had come to Nidavellir with him were present. Eitri didn't come to see them off. After all, Nidavellir and Asgard had close ties, and they would have many chances to meet again. There was no need to act like they were parting forever.

To this point, Eitri still believed that Ethan and the others were Asgardians.

"Well then, it's time for us to return to Earth."

Tony was eager to go back and check on his parents. After being away for so long, the initial training should have been completed. Returning now would be just in time to welcome his resurrected parents.

As Ethan cast the teleportation spell, everyone vanished from the dwarf realm of Nidavellir in the blink of an eye, reappearing directly in the manor on Earth.

Speaking of which, Ethan—the owner of the manor—was often elusive. Even the staff didn't know when he left or returned. Although Ethan wasn't afraid of revealing his powers, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he had designated several restricted zones within the manor that regular workers weren't allowed to enter.

These were also the places he frequently used as landing points for teleportation.

Of course, the safest location was always the underground laboratory. The space there was large enough, and the surface staff had no idea it even existed.

As for cleanliness and other concerns, Ethan didn't need to worry. This place was far more important to Tony than it was to him. Tony took care of every minor detail and ensured that no secrets would leak out.

Especially the secret regarding Howard and Maria Stark... Ethan suddenly realized that Tony's gesture of building this manor for him might have also factored in Howard's need for a concealed identity after resurrection.

If Howard didn't mind revealing his identity, that would be fine. But until the hidden threats were eliminated and their strength was sufficient to face any complications, it was better for Howard to remain hidden.

Arranging for them to stay here—whether as "temporary managers" or "partners" left by Ethan to manage the property—would provide Howard with a relatively "legal" identity, allowing him to resume normal life.

Ethan had Logan and the others take everyone upstairs to rest. Although no one was physically exhausted after their journey, their spirits needed time to recover. Only in this place, which could barely be called "home," could they truly relax.

"Oh, right. Selene, stay for a moment."

Selene didn't know why Ethan wanted her to stay, but she had no objection. Just like on the ship, she quietly followed orders and rarely offered opinions or voiced dissent.

Ethan knew why she was like this. It ultimately stemmed from her identity as a vampire, which gave her a natural sense of being an outsider among the others. After all, everyone else on Ethan's ship was human (Auriel: ???). Mutants only had special abilities, and even Imhotep, who had once been a mummy, had regained his human form after resurrection.

Even Loki, who had only stayed with them for a while, was an Asgardian god but resembled humans closely in appearance and habits.

Only Selene stood out—not because of her appearance, but because of the vast difference in dietary needs, which made her feel alien.

Ethan had long promised to resolve Selene's physical issue and hadn't forgotten. However, completely solving it wasn't a simple matter.

Until he obtained the Reality Stone.

While training with the Reality Stone, Ethan had also used it to help resolve some lingering problems. He could use the Stone to simulate various experiments and predict whether the results would succeed.

This method didn't save time, but it did save materials. It could even perfectly simulate substances he didn't currently have access to but understood well enough to replicate, allowing him to test more combinations.

The final result exceeded his expectations. With only the materials currently on hand, he could completely alter Selene's physiology without causing any negative side effects.

The formula for the potion bore some resemblance to the one Loki had used to fully transform into an Asgardian god, though the effect was less dramatic.

Given that Selene's physical attributes were far inferior to Loki's, she clearly couldn't just drink a potion and complete the transformation without issue.

"So if I want to become 'human,' I'll have to go through a more complicated process?"

"Yes. It's similar to the special potion method I used before, but Tony has a lot of advanced equipment here. I can ask him to build a dedicated chamber to carry out the transformation within a relatively short time."

After explaining the situation, Ethan reassured Selene that the transformation wouldn't reduce her strength. On the contrary, it would raise her potential ceiling. As long as she continued training, she would become even stronger than she was now.

At the same time, the traits she had inherited from her vampire identity—such as her affinity for shadow—would not disappear. Instead, thanks to adjustments to her constitution, her Holy Light abilities, which had previously been difficult to improve, might now make progress.

However, from Selene's perspective, these were just bonuses. What she truly wanted was to live like a normal person, able to enjoy regular food and drink with everyone. That way, during meals or group chats, she wouldn't have to sit silently by. She wouldn't have to worry about her blood-based survival needs repelling her companions.

"Is there anything I need to do?"

"You don't need to do anything. Just sleep in the chamber for a while, and when you wake up, you'll be a brand new Selene."

It sounded a little strange, but Selene didn't mind. Her only concern was that once she regained a human body, she might lose her ability to read memories by drinking blood. That meant if Ethan needed information in the future, her greatest utility might be gone.

Ethan told her not to worry. After studying magic for so many years, he had gained some insight into this kind of mystical ability.

"In my opinion, your vampire powers may just change form slightly."

"That would be best."

After resolving Selene's issue, Ethan went to find Tony.

As soon as Tony returned, he had rushed to the "delivery room" to check on his parents' condition. Ethan hadn't followed him right away. He had stayed to talk to Selene and only went over after Tony had made some arrangements.

When he arrived, he saw Tony speaking to two children who looked about ten years old. They were dressed in clothes similar to hospital gowns.

Ethan knew these two children were Howard Stark and his wife, Maria Stark.

They had already completed the first stage of resurrection: perfect fusion of their souls with new embryonic bodies, followed by natural development.

They were now in the second stage: accelerated growth using equipment, allowing their newborn bodies to reach adult form in a short time.

During this stage, they could leave the equipment periodically to adapt to their bodies and begin learning modern knowledge, avoiding any sense of unfamiliarity after their physical maturation.

Using their new bodies also promoted deeper soul-body fusion. Even if they had wanted to remain in the cultivation chamber until adulthood, Jarvis would still recommend that they move around to encourage full integration.

Fortunately, both Howard and Maria were mature adults, unlike Tony in the past. They understood the necessity of these procedures and participated in each activity accordingly.

While Tony and the others had been away, Howard had already pieced together most of what had happened after his death. He had also self-studied recent developments in science and theory, once again becoming a top-tier scientist on par with Tony.

He just looked a bit too young on the outside.

Ethan briefly checked their soul-body fusion status and confirmed that everything was as expected. They were essentially reborn, their bodies and souls fused perfectly, making them impossible to mistake for soul-possessed bodies by any special means.

"At this rate, you'll be able to leave this place in six months at most."

That meant it was time to start thinking about identity. Preparing ahead was always better than making something up on the spot.

"I can't go around using the name Howard Stark right now! What should I call myself?"

Tony and Howard were both thinking hard about an alias. Ethan casually offered a suggestion.

"How about Ryan Wrynn..."

(To be continued.)