DOTM: Chapter 352/353

Chapter 352: Spiritual Universe

While Tony reminisced with his parents, Ethan and the Ancient One were chatting about magic in the vast underground space.

For Ethan, these casual conversations were incredibly helpful. Many of the theories the Ancient One casually mentioned unintentionally provided him with significant insight.

After all, the Ancient One was a master who had studied magic for a long time. Many things that came as naturally to her as eating and drinking were difficult problems that younger mages like Ethan—who had only studied magic for a short time—had pondered for ages.

Unfortunately, much of the knowledge the Ancient One shared could now only serve as reference.

As Ethan's strength increased, the gap between his training method and the system used by Kamar-Taj mages grew larger. The amount of experience he could directly use was becoming less and less, and much of the content could only broaden his horizons.

"Although the path you've chosen is difficult, if you can persevere, your future achievements will be nearly limitless."

Ethan hadn't deliberately hidden the path he was on: focusing on training his mental power, using that as the core to condense and nurture magic that belonged solely to him. This magic would slowly grow from a spring into a pool, then a stream, a river, a lake, and eventually an ocean of magic.

Besides the fact that this magic was entirely nurtured from within—free of side effects and easily used with just a thought—the Ancient One also keenly sensed that the ocean of magic was not the endpoint.

Once enough magic had accumulated, would he trigger a Big Bang with it, allowing his mental world to infinitely expand and evolve like the real universe?

Or perhaps he would expand the ocean into the size of a planet, then condense new magic planets, ultimately forming a galaxy of countless magic planets?

"I definitely won't choose the first option."

That first path sounded appealing. His strength would instantly leap to a high level, his mental world would directly become a spiritual universe, and the magic infused throughout it by the explosion would gradually take on various forms, enriching the composition of that universe and granting Ethan more abundant and diverse magic.

It would be equivalent to Ethan personally owning the magic of an entire universal space—one that constantly regenerated and grew.

But this approach was too extreme. He couldn't recklessly apply such a purely theoretical concept like the Big Bang to himself.

He felt that if he really tried triggering a Big Bang in his mental world, it wouldn't create a universe. It would more likely blow his soul to pieces.

So he would almost certainly choose the more stable second path: first accumulate enough magic, then gradually let the magic ocean form into a planet. After that, he would strive to turn the planet into a star, then slowly construct new planets, forming a structure similar to a solar system with one star and several planets orbiting it.

Then, little by little, he would increase the number of "stars" until a massive galaxy was formed.

He estimated that once his mental world reached the planetary stage, he could go head-to-head with Thanos.

If the magic planet reached the level of a star, he should be able to suppress even Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet.

If he went a step further and formed a solar system-like structure—one star plus several planets—he was confident he could easily defeat Thor wielding Stormbreaker.

At that point, his strength would be at least on par with peak Odin-level.

Of course, these were just Ethan's rough estimates. The actual outcome would certainly vary. It was also possible that once he developed his magic planet to the stellar level, he would already have reached Odin's level.

After all, he had no way of measuring his strength precisely at that stage, nor did he know Odin's exact combat power.

As for reaching the distant galaxy level—something like the Milky Way, composed of countless stars—he didn't dare imagine it yet.

And as for truly evolving a universe... if he could reach that level, even he didn't know what state or form that would take. Maybe by then, he could achieve eternal life through magic alone.

However, he faintly realized that with just the magic attributes he currently possessed, no matter how much his magic grew, he still couldn't transform his mental world into a planet.

This wasn't just a question of quantity.

In addition to vast amounts of magic, he also needed high enough quality and the right properties to complete such an evolution. After all, the composition of a planet was incredibly complex.

"It looks like I need to accelerate my research and mastery of various attributes."

Putting other things aside, Ethan felt he first needed to master natural elements from traditional magic systems. Then, he also had to understand and control unique concepts from specific schools—like Aether, Nature, and other energy types.

After all, his ultimate goal was to construct a universe, and a universe includes everything.

"From that perspective, I still have a long road ahead."

"You don't need to worry about lifespan."

"That's true."

Having taken enhancement serum, obtained divinity, and also having knowledge of the Fountain of Life and special magic circles that could gather life force, Ethan didn't need to worry about his lifespan for at least a thousand years.

As his life level continued to rise, his lifespan limit would also increase. This would become a virtuous cycle, and by the time he finished constructing his mental universe, the concept of lifespan might already be meaningless to him.

"A truly bright path."

The Ancient One's path as a mage was the very orthodox one taught by Kamar-Taj.

Tempering the will, mastering mental strength, manipulating special energies that exist in the world, and using unique methods to channel these energies to achieve one's goals.

From this, it could be seen that the magic used by Kamar-Taj mages primarily came from external sources.

Throughout history, every Sorcerer Supreme had drawn the magic they needed from a specific dimension. Only the Ancient One was different—she chose the extremely dangerous Dark Dimension.

At this moment, Ethan suddenly thought of something.

The Ancient One had already decided to cut ties with the Dark Dimension. So after she was reborn, even though she wouldn't need to worry about being corrupted by dark power, she would also lose her formidable strength.

"After you're reborn, how do you plan to regain your power?"

"I just want to be a happy, ordinary mage."

She could never reconnect with the Dark Dimension. Though with her vast experience and unchanged soul, she could easily reestablish that link.

But if she did, Dormammu would realize he had been fooled and would certainly make trouble for her.

Finding a new power source was no simple matter either. Most mages in Kamar-Taj couldn't find an alternate dimension rich enough in magic to serve as their magic source. The few who could basically became Sorcerer Supremes—and even then, they usually had only one such magic source until the end of their lives.

If the Ancient One had found a magic source that could rival the Dark Dimension back then, she wouldn't have risked tapping into the Dark Dimension for all those years.

"Someone who has stood at the peak can't settle for an ordinary life."

Ethan believed in the Ancient One's character. He didn't think she would do anything bad just because she had 'returned to the mundane world.' However, he also didn't believe she could truly be a 'happy' ordinary mage—because she wouldn't be happy.

"As for magic sources, I do know a few. You can try them later."

He had access to powers like Holy Light and Arcane energy. Although he didn't know how compatible the Ancient One would be with them, with her capabilities, she could forcibly wield them if necessary.

"Then I'll thank you in advance."

The Ancient One didn't decline out of politeness. She knew Ethan was right—someone who had once stood at the summit couldn't possibly be content with being ordinary. Even if she couldn't tap the Dark Dimension again, she hadn't given up on growing stronger. She'd even considered taking the path Ethan was currently on.

Though the path wasn't easy, the Ancient One had full confidence in her talent and comprehension. She believed that with enough time, she could also achieve remarkable results.

Of course, she wasn't planning to ask Ethan for his methods. Instead, she intended to explore the path herself based on what she'd seen.

She believed that if she asked, Ethan wouldn't refuse. But as a mage revered across the multiverse, the Ancient One felt too embarrassed to ask for help.

Unknowingly, quite a bit of time had passed. After chatting with Ethan for a while longer, the Ancient One left.

Her goal in meeting Ethan today had been achieved. Next, she would begin making arrangements for her successor, and at the same time, she needed to think seriously about how to train Tony Stark into an outstanding mage.

Not long after the Ancient One left, Tony finally came out of the room.

Ethan saw that Tony's eyes were red. He must have cried earlier. However, Ethan didn't make a sarcastic remark this time. He simply asked calmly:

"Finished reminiscing?"

"My father has some things he wants to ask you."

Ethan nodded. He figured that after Howard understood the situation, he would definitely want to talk to him. That was why he had been waiting here. The only uncertainty was how long the family reunion would last. If it dragged on all day and night, and he just waited here awkwardly, it would be a bit silly.

Fortunately, Howard had a clear mind. After understanding everything, he immediately sent Tony out to find Ethan.

When Ethan returned to the room, he saw the Stark couple again. This time, Howard Stark greeted him warmly, immediately stepping forward and giving him a hug.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for Tony."

It had to be said—compared to Tony, Howard was not only a top-tier inventor but also far better at social interactions.

"You're welcome. Tony's helped me quite a bit too."

With just these two sentences, both sides felt a deeper connection. It laid the foundation for the conversation to come.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 353: The Long Work of Resurrection

The conversation between Howard and Ethan didn't involve much probing. It felt more like Ethan was visiting a friend's home, where the friend's parents warmly welcomed him and casually asked about various trivial matters.

Of course, Howard had probably already gotten answers to more important questions from Tony. This chat felt less like gathering information and more like building rapport.

The resurrected bodies for him and his wife, Maria, had been prepared by their son, Tony, so there was naturally nothing to worry about on that end. However, he was currently still in soul form, clearly dependent on the mage named Ethan.

Moreover, the perfect fusion of his soul with the new body also relied on Ethan.

"Is it very difficult?"

"It would be very difficult if the body were already fully developed and had its own soul, or had once possessed one."

Ethan briefly explained why he had Tony prepare the bodies in advance but didn't let them develop completely.

It was so that once the embryos were formed and reached a stage where they could accept a soul, Howard and Maria's souls could be inserted into the new bodies.

In this way, as the bodies gradually grew, the souls would merge with them over time. The spiritual energy that developed along with the body, combined with the soul, would help them integrate smoothly.

As long as this process was maintained over a period of time, Howard and Maria's souls would feel like the original souls of these bodies, without rejection or discomfort.

If the bodies had already been prepared, they would have developed their own spiritual energy during formation, and perhaps even formed a new soul. In that case, achieving perfect fusion would require considerable effort and might even leave behind undesirable hidden dangers.

"So that's how it is."

Ethan had repeatedly emphasized to Tony not to prepare the bodies in advance. Even if they were ready, they couldn't be used right after summoning his parents' souls. New bodies would still need to be created.

That was why it couldn't be done that way.

"How long does it take from the start of body creation to embryo formation?"

"Three hours."

That speed was quite fast. Given the time they had spent chatting, a brand-new embryo could already be created.

"And how long until the body reaches full form?"

That would take more time. Tony estimated that if cultivated using special equipment, it would take about three months for the embryo to grow to an infant state.

"However, even with the aid of various special equipment, it will likely take about half a year for the new body to develop into a teenager."

At that point, they could leave the cultivation equipment, but would still need to undergo daily 'forced ripening' using specialized equipment to reach adulthood in an extremely short time.

Ethan frowned. Tony thought Ethan found the speed too slow, but to his surprise, Ethan thought it was too fast.

"Half a year is too short. It won't allow the soul and body to fully merge, and some special entities might notice a problem."

He estimated that it would take roughly a year for the body and soul to fully integrate. With the new body nourishing and affecting the soul, the resurrected Stark couple would resemble reincarnated individuals without any flaws.

If the timeframe were too short, people in the mystic world might perceive them as 'possessed' or similar entities. It might even attract the attention of the rule that had previously governed Howard and Maria as 'kings.'

A full year of integration would allow the body to exert an influence on the soul and slightly alter its fluctuation. This way, even if someone encountered them face-to-face, they might not recognize them. After all, differing soul fluctuations would make the 'rule' regard them as completely different individuals.

Tony didn't argue. While he wanted his parents to be resurrected as soon as possible, he didn't want to risk trouble. It was just one year. He could wait.

With the conversation reaching this point, the matter was basically settled. Ethan first had the Stark couple return to their crucifixes, then dispelled the surrounding magic.

After that, he followed Tony to the 'delivery room' and activated the equipment, quietly waiting for the embryos to be cultivated.

During this time, Ethan wasn't just watching idly. He also needed to set up a magic circle in the room that could continuously block external sensing, ensuring that the Stark couple's resurrection wouldn't be discovered during this period.

By the time all of this was completed, the embryos were nearly finished. Ethan and Tony stood together in front of the two cylindrical cultivation chambers, staring at the faintly glowing blue liquid inside.

"I never thought I'd get the chance to see them again."

"This proves that as long as one lives well, there's always a chance to witness a miracle."

Ethan could guess what Tony was about to say, but he wasn't used to such a serious mood. He made a joke to lighten the atmosphere.

"Thank you."

Tony wasn't one for excessive sentimentality. Understanding Ethan's intention, he simply said thank you and didn't say more. But from his expression, Ethan could tell that if he asked Tony to do something clearly suicidal, Tony would agree without hesitation.

"You're welcome."

As the machine gave off a beeping alert (Tony had even connected Jarvis to the lab, which allowed Ethan partial access to Jarvis), it signaled that the embryos were complete.

"The rest is up to you."

Ethan didn't say much more. The next step, while important, was as easy as eating and drinking for him. He just needed to release Howard and Maria's souls again and use his magic to place them into the two embryos.

Of course, the actual process wasn't so simple. He had to protect the soul masses with magic, and after guiding them into the embryos, he needed to link the spiritual energy within each soul mass with the weak spiritual energy forming inside the embryos.

This was somewhat like a surgical procedure connecting spiritual nerves or blood vessels. It didn't require a high level of magic power but demanded extremely precise control.

That had always been Ethan's specialty, so it didn't take him long to complete the 'surgery.'

When he was finished, he even joked with Tony, who had been nervously standing beside him the entire time.

"Looks like I've got a knack for being a doctor too."

Hearing Ethan's joke, Tony understood that his parents had already achieved a preliminary perfect fusion with the new embryos. The next step was simply a long wait.

The two devices would continuously inject the necessary nutrients to ensure the embryos grew as planned.

As for the fusion of soul and body, Tony had no way of monitoring it with technology. In that area, he could only rely on Ethan to check in regularly and ensure nothing went wrong.

From that perspective, placing this lab beneath Ethan's residence was clearly the right choice.

At this point, Tony finally let out a long sigh of relief. He felt like he had finally completed a major mission.

It wasn't just him—Ethan felt the same.

Carrying a promise wasn't a pleasant feeling. Sometimes, when a person carried a promise or a debt of gratitude for too long, they might even hope the benefactor would die sooner, simply to be free of the mental burden.

Now, Charles's request had been fulfilled.

The promise to Tony had also been largely fulfilled. Ethan felt a sense of freedom and could finally do what he wanted.

Tony, on the other hand, couldn't just do as he pleased, especially after hearing some unpleasant things from his father.

He had already known his father was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., which wasn't surprising. But learning that his parents had been assassinated made him furious.

While working on his parents' resurrection, he hadn't talked much—not only because it involved his parents, but also because of this matter.

Now that the resurrection was mostly complete, Tony began to think about it again.

"Ethan, I want to quickly increase my strength. Do you have any suggestions?"

His parents hadn't died in an accident. They were assassinated.

Who was behind it? Tony still had no clue. But the fact that it was faked as an accident, and that he only learned the truth directly from his parents, and that S.H.I.E.L.D. had given him no explanation—all of this made it clear that S.H.I.E.L.D. could not be trusted.

He'd talked to his father, and Howard had pointed out that there was likely a problem within S.H.I.E.L.D., something he had already suspected before his death. So, in the absence of clear information, he warned Tony not to trust anyone but himself.

Howard didn't know Ethan, so to him, Ethan wasn't trustworthy either.

Tony was torn about whether to follow his father's advice. After thinking for a while, he decided to talk to Ethan about it.

He believed Ethan was the most trustworthy person. After all, Ethan wasn't from this world, had no conflict of interest with him, and they shared many goals.

Plus, Ethan had helped him tremendously—first with his injury, then with his parents' resurrection...

If he couldn't trust Ethan after all that, then he truly had no one he could trust.

Even his best friend, Rhodey, had a bit of distance between them due to his military ties.

"There are many ways to become stronger. Let me ask you first—do you have anything in mind?"

Ethan had countless ways to increase strength at his disposal, many of which were suitable for Tony. He was curious whether Tony had any particular direction he wanted to pursue.

"A few months ago, some people caused me trouble. Although the serum they used had major side effects, like spontaneous explosions, it still had its merits. I plan to make some improvements."

Tony had originally wanted to acquire Super Soldier Serum research data from S.H.I.E.L.D. and obtain some of Steve Rogers' blood samples.

But now, he felt it was best not to get too close to S.H.I.E.L.D.

(To be continued.)