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.)
***
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