DOTM Chapter 354/355

Chapter 354: Tony's Strengthening

Ethan knew what Tony was talking about—it was the Extremis virus that appeared in Iron Man 3.

He had been interested in it back then, but as his personal strength continued to grow, he gradually stopped paying attention to it.

Now, his interest had been rekindled because Ethan realized that if he wanted to develop his mental power into a universe, it needed to encompass everything. That meant understanding and mastering various kinds of power, not just limiting himself to a specific type of magical energy.

The Extremis virus performed impressively in the movie, but its side effects were also obvious—it was very easy to lose control, and once it did, the user would directly explode into nothing.

However, such a small side effect wasn't a problem for Ethan. Not even mentioning him, even Tony was confident he could remove the side effects.

In the original plot, Pepper Potts was injected with the Extremis virus and was later easily cured by Tony. Whether he simply removed the side effects or completely eradicated the virus, allowing Pepper to return to a normal state, the movie didn't give a detailed explanation.

Ethan had seen Pepper Potts before and hadn't felt any energy fluctuations from her. She was now just a bit healthier than the average person, with a better physique. It seemed that in this world, Pepper had returned to being a normal human.

That meant Tony had thoroughly understood everything about the Extremis virus, which also seemed to give him enough confidence to improve it and apply it to himself.

As Tony described the virus, Ethan also brought up several viruses he had mastered and the enhancement serums developed from them.

It was then that Tony realized Ethan possessed so many good things.

"You never mentioned it!"

"You never asked, did you?"

"So you got taller and more handsome because of those serums?"

"Yes, exactly! Aren't you especially envious?" Ethan had a look like he'd seen through everything. He had long noticed Tony had been particularly concerned about this recently.

"Damn it. I'm definitely going to improve the Extremis virus to be better than the serums you have."

"Heh."

Ethan didn't believe Tony could do it. One of the most important ingredients in the enhancement serum he used was Ares' divine blood. Where would Tony find something like divine blood? Even if he worked himself to death relying solely on the Extremis virus, he wouldn't be able to create a stronger serum.

After a bit of banter, the two returned to serious discussion.

Howard and Maria's bodies didn't need any attention for the time being. With Jarvis, the very capable intelligent system, monitoring everything, there wouldn't be any problems.

What would truly require effort and attention was when Howard and Maria's bodies reached their teenage years.

At that point, they could leave the cultivation equipment and begin engaging in regular activity, which would help them better adapt to their new bodies.

At the same time, they would need to rest in specialized equipment every day. This equipment would continuously stimulate accelerated physical growth, ensuring the two bodies could grow to around twenty years old in a short time.

After that, there would be no need for 'forced ripening' using the equipment.

Although they were resurrected and weren't young when they died, that didn't mean they had to return to their previous age after resurrection. Who would want to live with an elderly appearance if they could be young again? A young body wasn't just about being attractive—it also meant better health, free from countless subtle yet tormenting ailments.

Tony suddenly started thinking about creating enhancement serums, partly because he thought about his parents becoming young again in their twenties. Would he still want to maintain the image of a middle-aged man?

Especially since he'd had similar thoughts before, his parents' resurrection only deepened this motivation. On top of that, the fact that his parents had been assassinated strengthened his resolve. He was Iron Man, but without the Iron Man suit, his body was still just that of a normal person. If someone targeted him for assassination, could he survive being caught off guard?

Although he had many methods and could react quickly if given a little time, could he guarantee he'd always have that time? What if the enemy took him out in a single instant?

Aside from staying cautious and creating more defensive equipment for himself, the safest method was to strengthen his own body. If he could become a modified human like those with the Extremis virus, even being shot multiple times wouldn't kill him immediately. As long as he had a moment to react, he'd have enough means to handle the situation.

"Your line of thinking is correct."

Ethan agreed with Tony's idea. With the many black technologies Tony had, what he feared most was exactly this kind of one-hit-kill assassination. There was no perfect defense against this. The simplest and most effective solution was: don't let them kill you in one blow.

He couldn't always hide inside the Iron Man suit, so he needed to improve his own physical body.

"I do have an enhancement serum that's quite suitable for you. This serum is a semi-finished product. It doesn't have any special effects—at most, it keeps your body in a very healthy state for a long time, slows down the aging process, and grants strong self-healing abilities. However, a direct hit to vital areas like the head or heart would still be fatal."

Ethan was referring to the enhancement serum made from the G-virus. This wasn't anything extraordinary; even the serums used by Ada and Annette were better.

He wasn't being stingy. Rather, he planned to use this serum as a base and try combining it with the Extremis virus Tony had. If the fusion succeeded, they could continue refining it into a new, more powerful serum.

"Sounds interesting."

Ethan gave Tony two options. One was to first inject the serum Ethan provided, allowing him to immediately enjoy a healthier body and some basic self-preservation abilities.

The other was to wait until the new serum was successfully developed and go through the enhancement in one go.

"Do these two methods have any advantages or disadvantages?"

According to Tony's thinking, the two options might affect his future potential. Perhaps if he used the ordinary serum first, he'd run into trouble when injecting the new serum later—issues like poor compatibility or diminished effect.

This was a perfectly reasonable concern, but Ethan kept shaking his head.

"No, it won't affect anything no matter which you choose. It's just a matter of whether you want to enjoy a healthy body sooner or later."

"..."

When developing enhancement serums, Ethan always prioritized 'sustainable development.' He would never cap someone's potential directly. Even if a serum with capped potential seemed to offer better short-term results, he would always choose the long-term approach.

Tony's concerns were completely unnecessary. Even if he used the improved G-virus serum first, he could still integrate the full properties of the new serum later. The effectiveness of future serums would not be compromised.

"Then what is there for me to hesitate about?"

Hearing that, Ethan took out a glass vial about the length of a finger and handed it to him.

"This is it?"

"This is it."

"It doesn't look like anything special." Tony held it up and examined it for a long time. "Do I need to inject it?"

"No. Just open the stopper and drink it."

When Tony heard Ethan's words, he felt suspicious. Was such a precious enhancement serum really used so casually?

Ethan had to explain to Tony again what he had told Ada back then, which finally convinced Tony that this really was how the serum worked.

"This serum won't take effect immediately. It will gradually improve your physique over time. The transformation will only be complete once your body has fully absorbed the energy in the serum."

Just as he'd explained before, he reminded Tony that it would be best to exercise afterward to help the body absorb the serum's energy faster. Tony had no complaints about that. In fact, he had always kept up with physical training because many of his tasks required strength and good health. If middle-aged Tony didn't maintain his training, he wouldn't be able to perform those tasks at all.

Especially after becoming Iron Man, he needed to fight, which demanded a strong and healthy body. In the first Iron Man movie, Tony hammering in the cave already showed how physically strong he was.

As Tony drank the serum, Ethan said something that almost made him spit it out.

"Actually, there's another path you can take—learning magic."

"Magic? Me? Stop joking." Tony thought Ethan was just messing with him, but after seeing Ethan's serious expression, he realized he was serious. "Are you kidding me? We've worked on research together so many times—you should know I'm not suited for learning magic at all."

"No. Actually, you're very suited for learning magic. What you lack is systematic foundational magical knowledge. Once you learn that, you'll immediately become a top-tier mage."

Tony's talent was undeniable. Coupled with the vast knowledge he had accumulated and his thorough understanding of various phenomena in this world, he could even comprehend magical phenomena from a different perspective and blaze his own trail in magic.

The hidden door above the lab that required mental power to open was already very close to being a magical technique.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 355: Thor Seeks Help


After spending a relatively peaceful period in Los Angeles, Tony would visit Ethan's place every day, mainly to check on his parents.

While there, he would also spar with Ethan. But after one match, where he discovered that Ethan's current physical fitness was even stronger than Captain America's, he decisively gave up on this masochistic training method.

"If you want to train, the person best suited to be your opponent here is Ada."

"What?" Tony glanced at Ada nearby, who was wearing a suit and looked every bit like a professional woman. "I don't hit women."

Ethan stepped back and looked Tony up and down before speaking, seeing the displeasure on Tony's face. "Where do you get the confidence to think you can beat her?"

Tony was furious, but he didn't immediately challenge Ada out of anger. Instead, he asked about the others.

By now, Tony had already gotten a general understanding of Ethan's new companions. Part of it was thanks to Pepper Potts' strong social skills, and the rest was because these people didn't deliberately hide their identities, so he could learn everything just by asking around.

"With so many new companions this time, isn't there anyone suitable to be my opponent?"

"Imhotep has just been resurrected and hasn't recovered his strength. Jonathan is just an ordinary person. O'Connell is a veteran, but only a regular soldier—not like Steve. They haven't been on my ship long and have only taken the most basic enhancement potions."

That is, the basic potion that prolongs youth, increases lifespan to some extent, and improves overall health.

The path Ethan arranged for them was to first stabilize their foundation, allowing their bodies to reach their peak before proceeding with further enhancements, rather than boosting their strength all at once.

His suggestion to Tony was the same. Even though he possessed much stronger and better potions, he initially only gave Tony the most basic one, and he didn't hide it, stating so directly.

"Taking it step by step like this is better for your future."

As for Pepper, he said that if Tony needed, he could provide Pepper with a powerful potion that would directly elevate her beyond the level of ordinary people.

"Let's talk about that after I get stronger. I don't want to be bossed around by Pepper at home."

Ethan shrugged and didn't bring up the topic again.

"You said I could become a sorcerer?"

After spacing out for a bit, watching Ethan's new companions either training or chatting, Tony thought of the suggestion Ethan had made earlier.

"You really think I can become a sorcerer?"

"Yes. You have the talent."

Otherwise, the Ancient One wouldn't have listed him as one of the candidates for Sorcerer Supreme. That alone proved Tony not only had the talent to become a sorcerer, but that his potential was top-tier—ranking among the best of Earth's human population.

"So, do you think I should systematically study magic?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're the only sorcerer I know."

As the two were talking, the sky suddenly darkened in the blink of an eye. A very obvious energy fluctuation came from overhead. Ethan looked up at the sky where dark clouds were gathering and pulled Tony back a couple of steps.

"I've seen this scene before."

Tony looked up at the swirling dark clouds. Just as he was about to say something else, a beam of rainbow light pierced through the clouds and shot down in front of Ethan and Tony. As the light dissipated, Thor, the God of Thunder, appeared before them.

"I was just about to say this guy was probably coming." Tony smiled and waved at Thor. "Hey, done with your business?"

"Hey." Thor wasn't in a very good mood. He forced a smile back at Tony, then immediately turned to Ethan with a serious expression. "Ethan, I need your help."

Seeing Thor suddenly appear, Ethan guessed something had happened.

Normally, if Thor came to Earth to relax after wrapping up his business, he would first go find his girlfriend Jane Foster, spend some private time with her, and only then visit Ethan, Tony, and the others.

In that case, he would appear in a relatively "normal" way, such as arriving by car or on foot and ringing the doorbell.

Thor appearing directly via the Rainbow Bridge could only mean he needed help with something urgent.

"What happened?"

Thor's sudden appearance had drawn everyone's attention. His entrance was far too eye-catching to ignore. However, most people didn't recognize him and simply watched from a distance.

Only Logan, after seeing Thor, had been saying something to Ethan. Sensing something was off, he specifically walked over to ask.

"It shouldn't be a big deal. Probably just a small favor Ethan needs to help with."

"Tell me what happened first."

Ethan would definitely help. Even if it was something difficult, he wouldn't refuse. Thor had always treated him like a brother, sincerely and without pretense. Now that he had come to ask for help, Ethan couldn't just say he was busy.

"Jane. I can't find her."

Tony rolled his eyes. He had thought something serious had happened. He remembered Ethan saying Thor was busy pacifying the Nine Realms. Could he have encountered a formidable enemy and come asking for help?

He hadn't expected to hear just this one sentence.

"Uh… your girlfriend? Maybe she just went out for something?"

Tony didn't understand the situation, but Ethan knew exactly what Thor meant.

"Heimdall can't find her either?"

"Yes. He could see her before, but now she's gone."

Although Tony didn't know who Heimdall was, the conversation between the two made him realize something was seriously wrong.

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"I'm not sure, but she's definitely not on Earth."

Now Tony was interested. He rubbed his chin, thinking about what they could do to help Thor find his girlfriend. Ethan casually asked, "Where was Jane last seen?"

"I think it was called England?"

Thor severely lacked common sense about Earth. Being able to say "England" already showed he had done some homework. But Tony just wanted to roll his eyes... Were they supposed to search all of England?

Fortunately, Heimdall had provided the precise location. Ethan decided to go take a look first.

"Do you guys want to come along?"

Imhotep and the others weren't considered. Evelyn was interested but was held back by O'Connell. He could tell that Ethan and the others might face danger on this trip, and with their current strength, they would only be a burden if they went.

"In that case, you guys stay here. If you get bored, feel free to go out and explore. It's best to have someone familiar with the area guide you, like Logan."

"Don't I need to go too?" Logan thought he'd be needed, since with his heightened senses, he was definitely good at tracking people.

"You stay here and look after our new companions. Thor and I will go ahead and check out the situation."

"Wait, I'm going too."

How could Tony miss out on such excitement? If he hadn't heard anything, fine. But now that he had, there was no reason not to go.

"But give me a moment to change."

He had just finished exercising and was still in workout clothes, definitely not suitable for going out. However, since he might take a while, Ethan directly tossed him an amulet.

"Thor and I will go ahead first. Once you're ready, just crush this amulet and I'll summon you over."

Tony could see that Thor was anxious. Plus, he needed to shower and fix his hair, which would take some time, so it wasn't good to keep them waiting.

"It's settled then."

Ethan and Thor nodded. Ethan casually opened a portal and stepped through first. Kamar-Taj's teleportation spell required the user to have a clear and accurate mental image of the destination. In other words, it was difficult to teleport to places one had never been to or wasn't familiar with.

But what Ethan was using now was the power of the Tesseract. As long as he had the coordinate data, he could open a teleportation channel without needing to understand the area.

Of course, the Tesseract's teleportation was more convenient, so he usually used it. Unfortunately, it only worked within this universe.

Exiting the teleportation channel, Ethan found himself in a deserted factory. There were workshops everywhere that looked long abandoned, with old cars parked around that seemed to have been left for years.

None of that was particularly noteworthy. What stood out was the fact that some containers were stacked like building blocks, trucks were tipped over, and some were even floating in midair.

Ethan sensed the area and found that the fluctuations here were extremely chaotic. Various energies filled the space, interfering with the basic rules of this area.

"This place is a bit strange."

Thor's senses weren't as sharp as Ethan's, but as the God of Thunder from Asgard, he could also tell something was wrong. Thinking that Jane had disappeared in this kind of place only made him feel worse.

"Don't worry. We may not know what happened to Jane, but panicking won't help. What we need to do now is figure out what's going on here and bring Jane back."

"You're right."

Thor had matured a lot since they last met. He was no longer the hot-blooded, impulsive warrior he once was. He understood that the more anxious he was now, the more likely he was to make mistakes. Calmly searching for clues and figuring out what had happened here was the right approach.

Just then, a familiar figure walked out of a rundown factory building, looking around anxiously while constantly dialing on her phone.

Thor immediately recognized who it was.

"It's Daisy."

Daisy was Jane Foster's assistant. Although they hadn't found Jane, seeing her assistant might give them a lead on what happened.

Unfortunately, Daisy didn't know where Jane had gone either, because at the time, she had been happily observing a spatial anomaly.

(To be continued.)