"Wanda really is my lucky star!"
Hearing the system notification ring in his mind, Cassius's mood became ecstatic. The Witch was truly blessed with good fortune, bringing him two surprises in just one day. Next time, he would definitely have to reward her properly.
God-Tier Magic Talent meant he would have an innate, incredible comprehension of magic. Learning it would now come as naturally as breathing.
Tap, tap, tap...
There were hurried footsteps in the hallway.
"Cassius!" Tony Stark's slightly weary voice came from the door. "You've been in there for so long. Are you having a tryst with a beauty?"
He had been waiting outside for several minutes without Cassius coming down, so he decided to go up himself to hurry him along.
"I am." Cassius pulled the door open, took a deep breath with a smile, and said, "The room still has her fragrance lingering in it!"
"You really do live a carefree life," Tony said with a sigh. As a former playboy, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of Cassius's leisurely demeanor. He was a superhero now, but the burden he carried was far heavier than before. And with Pepper in his life, he couldn't even think about messing around.
"Alright, let's go downstairs and talk!" Cassius adjusted the belt on his bathrobe, patted Tony on the shoulder, and headed downstairs.
As he moved, Tony's eyes glanced into the open room. It was messy, and there was no one inside, only a shirt lying on the bed. The French windows were open, and the curtains billowed slightly in the breeze. Tony shook his head, not paying it any more mind as he followed Cassius to the lounge.
The lounge featured a handmade classic-patterned carpet and gold-trimmed sofas. The scent of an air freshener wafted through the room.
"Mr. Stark, would you like to have a drink or something else?" Sitting comfortably on a plush European-style sofa, Cassius asked lazily with his hands spread open.
"A drink..." Tony hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll have some tea." He needed to stay clear-headed.
Cassius simply gave the maid a look, and soon two cups of Earl Grey tea were placed on the marble table in front of them.
"I can't believe the famous superhero Mr. Tony Stark is up so early, running over to my place in the middle of the day." When the maid left, Cassius looked at Tony with a teasing expression. Tony's mental state seemed much worse than usual; his eyes were filled with exhaustion.
"Cassius, no more jokes." In response to the teasing, Tony forced a pained, bitter smile onto his tired face. "I'm in no mood to sleep, let alone sleep until noon."
He used to sleep until noon all the time, but that felt like a lifetime ago. Now, all he had were deep, dark circles under his eyes.
"Actually, I heard about the incident in Germany, and I was about to look for you." Cassius put his crossed leg down, his relaxed expression turning serious as he got straight to the point.
"Yeah, you know Ross, that old geezer from the military?" Tony said, his voice full of anger. He gritted his teeth and took a sip of tea. "That damned guy is now the Secretary of State!"
"What does he want?" Cassius nodded in agreement; he didn't have a good impression of the guy either.
"If we can't solve this problem, the Avengers will be put directly under government control!" Tony put down his teacup and sighed, rubbing his forehead. He was stuck in the middle, and choosing a side was incredibly difficult.
"Heh," Cassius scoffed with a cold laugh. "Do they really care? These heartless politicians are just looking for an excuse to control the Avengers!"
All of them were acting for their own selfish interests. Cassius also knew that in this incident, while Wanda was the biggest victim of the public backlash, Tony Stark behind the scenes was undoubtedly under the most pressure. This whole thing had started because of him. He was responsible for the entire Avengers team and for cleaning up the consequences and impact of the incident.
Secretary of State Ross had long wanted to put the Avengers under government management. While Tony Stark didn't necessarily oppose this, Steve Rogers and the others didn't want it, which put Tony in an extremely difficult position.