When they set off for Asgard, they were accompanied by Tony, Logan, Selene, Laura, and Auriel.
Upon their return, the group was even stronger with the addition of Thor, who had already mastered the power of the God of Thunder. Unfortunately, he could not be considered a member of the Goddess of Dawn.
Ethan could already tell that Odin intended for Thor to inherit the position of God-King, which was why he allowed Thor to travel the universe with him.
As for why Thor was with him, it was likely that Odin wanted him to learn how to control his power from Ethan. At the same time, it was a way to repay Ethan for his help.
As Ethan and the others traveled through the universe, there were definitely many things they didn't understand, which Thor could help explain. Thor's presence was also like having a mobile wallet. He just didn't explicitly say, "Buy whatever you want, I'll pay!"
"Where is this?"
"Next door to Tony's place. It's considered my residence in this world." Nominally, this property belonged to Ethan, but in reality, Tony had used Ethan's name to build a base that could serve as a cover. Ethan, however, highly doubted the effectiveness of such a disguise.
Not many people in this world knew his identity, and those who could target Tony's secrets happened to be among them.
"Tony's home? Isn't it that building in New York?"
Thor didn't know much about Tony. He had always thought that the Stark Tower he visited last time was Tony's residence.
"That's just one of my many properties. We're currently in Los Angeles, on the West Coast of North America."
Knowing that Thor wasn't familiar with Earth's geography, Tony explained the difference in the simplest way: one was on the East Coast, the other on the West Coast.
Explained like that, Thor easily understood.
As for saying things like "I'm filthy rich and have tons of properties," there was no need. After all, strictly speaking, Asgard ruled the Nine Realms, and Earth just happened to be one of them.
That meant Earth was Asgard's territory, and Thor, who was about to become God-King, was technically the ruler of all Earthlings.
"We have some matters to attend to next, so Thor, you might need to wait a few more days."
"No problem. I can also take this opportunity to visit some old friends."
Thor was talking about Dr. Selvig. Jane had already recovered and returned to her own life. Having been gone for so long, she likely had many things to deal with.
"Take this. We'll notify you when we're about to leave."
Tony casually handed Thor a phone. It had excellent signal reception. In Tony's words, as long as the God of Thunder was still on Earth, he would definitely receive the call.
As for whether Thor could use it? He could even pilot a spaceship. Understanding a basic communication device wouldn't be a problem.
"Do you need my help?"
Seeing Thor and Jane staring at him intently, Ethan understood they wanted him to open a portal and send them directly to London.
After all, when Thor flew now, he was wrapped in lightning, and his control over his power was practically nonexistent. If he were holding Jane, she'd likely get electrocuted before they flew two meters.
"That would be best."
Turning around, he opened a portal. Thor waved at Ethan and, smiling, took Jane to visit Selvig and other old friends.
After Tony took off his armor, he sent the armor and the "logistics station" back for necessary repairs and maintenance. He then went to the lab below to check on his parents' condition. Although Jarvis had already reported that everything was normal, he needed to see it with his own eyes to feel at ease.
Ethan didn't go with him. Instead, he walked around the house to check on those who had stayed behind.
He found that they were doing quite well, especially Evelyn and the others. Having arrived in a new world, they were curious about everything.
O'Connell and Jonathan were very satisfied with the rich entertainment options, while Evelyn was eagerly catching up on the scientific achievements of the past several decades. She felt she had missed out on far too much. Even if the length of a day were multiplied several times, it still wouldn't be enough.
Imhotep and Anck-su-namun were much calmer. The two of them enjoyed a peaceful life, no longer needing to hide their relationship, while also diligently working to improve their strength.
They knew this life had been granted by Ethan. They saw themselves as Ethan's servants, and if their strength was too weak to help their master, being abandoned would be entirely understandable.
For the sake of their future, Imhotep was training more diligently. He had previously asked for Ethan's notes on Holy Light and Shadow, and also "requested" some of Ethan's Holy Light as a seed to help comprehend this power that Ethan completely controlled.
Although Imhotep hadn't yet recovered to his peak, he had already condensed some weak magical energy and cultivated some progress with the Holy Light seed. He could now be considered a priest proficient in ancient Egyptian magic with a preliminary grasp of Holy Light.
Originally, he had mastered many divine Egyptian spells, but after abandoning his faith in the Egyptian gods, he lost the divine power granted by them and could no longer cast those spells.
After Ethan returned, Imhotep immediately reported that his training had made some progress and hoped that Ethan, his "master," would give him a chance to prove himself.
"There will be opportunities."
Ethan didn't have high expectations for the two ancient Egyptians who considered themselves his servants. For now, he was just cultivating them. As for what they would become in the future, even he was a little curious.
"Where is Ada?"
"Ada went shopping with Pepper at noon." Imhotep took his duties seriously. Although focused on training, he kept a close eye on the movements of everyone on Ethan's ship. When Ethan casually asked, he immediately had the answer.
This was a pleasant surprise. Ethan suddenly felt it was quite nice to have someone like this as a subordinate.
However, Imhotep certainly didn't know that Ada, despite her appearance as a normal woman, was anything but ordinary. On the surface, she was out shopping. In reality, she was likely gathering intelligence.
Especially since she was close to Pepper Potts, many hidden details of the Marvel Universe would be accessible to her. As a spy, she probably found it quite enjoyable. Spies seemed to have a habit of digging up secrets just to satisfy their own curiosity, even when not on a mission.
"Pack your things. Soon, I'll take you all out to see a wider world."
Ethan hadn't originally planned to bring so many people into space, but thinking about how cooped up they'd been in the manor, it seemed more fitting to take them out for a tour.
Watching Imhotep bow and retreat, Ethan stood on the open-air balcony for a while, then went to the underground lab to find Tony.
However, before he reached the study entrance, Tony appeared in front of him.
"If there are no problems, we can go see your new ship anytime."
"Everything normal with Howard?"
"Yes. The equipment is operating normally. Everything is progressing as planned." This was good news. It meant there were no issues. All that remained was to wait. Soon, his father would be able to leave the restoration equipment and be fully resurrected.
Although there was still time before he would be completely independent from those machines, he would soon be able to talk and interact like a normal person. Except for needing daily rest in special equipment, his daily life wouldn't be much different from others'.
"Is there anything you want to do in the meantime?"
"Hmm... thoroughly research and develop a new strengthening potion."
After seeing the battle between Ethan and Thor, he increasingly felt that his own combat power was laughably small. He hoped to develop a stronger potion as soon as possible. At the same time, he was considering how to effectively combine the strengthening potion with his armor.
"And I want to further improve my armor."
"About your portable logistics station," Ethan said. Although he didn't know much about the Iron Man armor, that didn't stop him from giving reasonable suggestions. "You could completely redesign that thing into a vehicle that can be ridden or piloted. That's better than a pile of metal composites."
For example, make it a rideable mechanical flying object. It already flew. Making it suitable for Tony to ride or pilot would at least add another function.
And if he spent a little effort on its appearance, this logistics equipment could become less conspicuous. If he drove it around like a normal car, who would suspect it was actually Tony's mobile armory?
"That's a really good idea."
His mind was already racing with designs and manufacturing plans. But it was easier said than done. Solving all the technical challenges wouldn't be any easier than resurrecting his parents.
"If I can fully master nanotechnology, it'll become much easier."
At this time, nanotechnology on Earth was still in its early stages. Only a few top scientists had made some breakthroughs. The most notable among them was Dr. Helen Cho—the female doctor who secretly liked Thor.
But in the wider universe, nanotechnology was no longer rare. It was already on Ethan's list of must-have tech. Acquiring it would also be crucial for maintaining the Prinz Eugen in the future.
"We can get nanotechnology soon. Besides those two goals, I think you should start learning magic."
"Learn magic? You'll teach me?"
"If you've got free time, why not?"
Ethan was curious about what Tony would become after learning magic. With enhanced strength and armor combining both tech and magic, how far could his combat power rise?
As for magical energy? Ethan thought arcane energy would suit Tony perfectly.
(To be continued.)
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