"What just happened?"
Tony and Ethan stood on the lawn, looking out at the Pacific Ocean. The terrifying sensation from moments ago made Tony feel like jumping off the cliff into the sea would be better than standing there.
"Space collapse."
Ethan was incredibly thankful he had made the right choice—to perform the summoning ritual in a small, isolated space instead of foolishly picking some random spot to summon the souls of the Stark couple.
This universe wouldn't collapse entirely from one such incident, but if he had done that, he would have been completely locked onto by the other party, who would keep a constant watch on him going forward.
"It looks like that space was completely destroyed."
"It doesn't matter. We won't need that place anymore anyway."
The Ancient One didn't think it was a big deal. That pocket dimension was where she had connected to the Dark Dimension to draw power.
She had worried that drawing magic directly from Earth was too dangerous, which was why she had specifically chosen that space. Now that she was determined to sever her link to the Dark Dimension, she wouldn't be drawing power from it anymore, so the space was no longer necessary.
Tony was curious about what it looked like when a space collapsed due to a mysterious force, but for now, he was more concerned with whether Ethan's soul summoning ritual had succeeded.
Although he had watched the entire process from the side, he couldn't see anything.
The magical glow emanating from Ethan's hands had been dazzling. The symbols formed by his hand gestures were mysterious and beautiful, and the final magic pattern was certainly magnificent, but had it actually worked?
As an ordinary person, Tony couldn't see souls, so he missed the moment when the two soul lights had entered the cross Ethan had prepared in advance.
Since it concerned his parents, even though he always said he wasn't young anymore and had weathered many storms, Tony couldn't remain calm. Once it was safe, he immediately asked if the ritual had succeeded.
"Of course it succeeded."
Ethan took out the cross, intending to release the souls of the Stark couple like he had shown Imhotep before. But just as he was about to act, he remembered—this wasn't the Goddess of Dawn. After leaving the Mummy world, the Ocean world no longer had any 'jurisdiction' over Anck-su-namun's soul, which was why nothing special had happened then.
However, the Stark couple were from this world. Their souls were governed directly by this universe's underworld or hell, or perhaps by some powerful being. He had just stolen their souls, and showing them off now would be an open provocation.
Whether it was a rigid law or a sentient higher being, it was unlikely they would just turn a blind eye.
"We'd better change locations, and I need to make some preparations."
Ethan thought for a moment and asked Tony where the lab for cultivating the bodies was located. He wanted to familiarize himself with the route first to facilitate the Stark couple's resurrection—and the future resurrection of the Ancient One.
After hearing that his parents' souls had been "rescued," Tony calmed down and was in the mood to joke again.
"Guess. You'll never guess."
Ethan looked at Tony's smug expression, then down at his feet, then back at the mansion resembling a European palace.
"You didn't set up the lab here, did you?"
Tony looked even more surprised. He thought the setup was foolproof and completely unexpected.
"How did you figure that out? I thought hiding it here would be the last thing anyone would think of."
Not many people knew Ethan's identity. Those who did were aware he was a mage. It wasn't strange for a mage to deal with mysterious matters, but no one would think a high-tech lab was hidden beneath his residence.
Ethan hadn't overanalyzed it. He just saw Tony's smug expression and connected the dots.
Tony had done this out of necessity. Resurrection wasn't something that could be publicly discussed, and cloning technology was a sensitive topic. More importantly, he couldn't openly purchase the related equipment and materials. He needed a good cover for the enormous expenditures.
So the absurdly rich Tony Stark came up with a plan: he gifted Ethan a property. The house had to be a top-tier luxury mansion with expansive grounds and an eye-watering cost.
The large estate ensured no one could easily observe what was happening. The vast space around the house also helped prevent unwanted intrusions.
The inflated costs were crucial.
During construction, Tony personally visited the site multiple times, constantly nitpicking and replacing materials with more expensive ones, making the cost soar like a rocket.
The contractor, of course, was overjoyed. But the real purpose was to cover some questionable expenses.
Once Tony was satisfied with everything, he had successfully purchased all the equipment and resources he needed. After the house was delivered, he personally built the bio-lab.
The lab was underground, and the entrance was in Ethan's master bedroom.
Calling it a "bedroom" was a bit misleading. Ethan's master suite was more like a multi-functional apartment. Upon entering, it resembled a small living room, followed by a private study. Further in was the actual sleeping area, complete with a bathroom, shower, and walk-in closet.
The lab's entrance was hidden in that study.
"Another bookshelf?"
Seeing the hidden entrance behind a bookshelf, Ethan was speechless. Are secret room designers really that unoriginal?
"Classic designs are classic for a reason."
Tony demonstrated how to move the bookshelf and open the concealed wall panel. In addition to standard tech-based security that allowed only Tony access, there was also a separate "magic" sensing system.
"Oh? Now this is interesting."
Once Ethan's mental signature was recorded, he could simply release a thought to trigger it. In short, it was activated by intent alone.
This tech had been developed by Tony based on magic stone technology. Ethan had to admit, Tony's ability to mess with black technology really was like cheating.
Behind the hidden door was an elevator.
Taking it led them to a vast underground chamber—Tony had even dug a tunnel connecting his house directly to Ethan's.
"You sneak. You connected your house straight to my bedroom?"
At first, it didn't sound like a big deal, but upon realizing where the entrance was, Ethan felt deeply uncomfortable.
Tony hadn't thought much about it at first, but after Ethan pointed it out, even he started to feel something was off.
"You've got to trust my character."
"I think changing rooms would be more reliable."
Tony was speechless. "Even if you don't trust my character, at least trust my orientation!"
Ethan, of course, knew Tony's orientation. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped at just a few complaints—he would have dismantled the entire underground tunnel on the spot.
While the two were bantering, the elevator reached its destination. As the three of them stepped out, a vast space spread out before them.
Tony, ignoring the earlier awkwardness, proudly began introducing his masterpiece.
This underground lab wasn't just a bio-lab. The space was huge and divided into multiple sections. Aside from one area labeled the "birthing room," the remaining spaces could be arranged however Ethan liked.
However, Ethan had already noticed areas clearly intended for "forging" and "mechanical processing." It was obvious those functions were pre-planned. The remaining blank sections were left for him to configure for magical research.
In addition, Tony explained that the walls and ceiling could serve as massive display screens capable of projecting various environmental settings. With adjustments to temperature and humidity, they could even simulate an immersive natural environment, eliminating any sense of being underground.
"Well? What do you think?"
"A very good laboratory."
After looking around, Ethan was very satisfied with the underground lab.
The space was ample, the equipment was complete, and with Tony—the insanely wealthy patron—handling all material costs, he really couldn't think of any drawbacks.
As for Tony putting the bio-lab here? That wasn't an issue either. The entire mansion and lab were Tony's gifts. So what if he stashed a few things inside?
In reality, this was Tony's secret base, just conveniently placed under Ethan's name.
After exploring for a while, they finally arrived at the biological lab Tony had dubbed the "birthing room."
The name was actually quite fitting. For the Stark couple and the Ancient One, resurrection was more like welcoming a new life.
"Ever since you suggested this method, I've been making preparations. I even taught myself a ton of related tech. At this point, I'm one of the world's top experts in genetics and cloning."
"'Expert' isn't always a compliment."
Ethan casually replied, then looked at the two most conspicuous glass cylinders in the lab.
These were clearly the devices used to cultivate the Stark couple's new bodies. According to Tony, everything was ready. All he had to do was press a button, and the machines would begin the body cultivation process. The whole thing was automated and required no further intervention.
In reality, plenty of tasks would be needed throughout the process. Tony had spent a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money to prepare everything.
It also showed just how much he trusted Ethan. He firmly believed Ethan would keep his promise and never considered the possibility that his preparations might go unused.
Seeing how competent Tony was, Ethan felt he should show some appreciation. Not just to repay Tony's trust, but also to give the Ancient One more confidence in him.
(To be continued.)