Sebastian’s thoughts churned as he recalled that Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, and Thor himself were sent to Earth separately. The immense energy he’d sensed moments ago likely stemmed from Mjolnir’s arrival via the Rainbow Bridge, a mystical conduit from Asgard. That realm, known as Asgard, seemed to harness an energy akin to magic, vibrant and otherworldly.

Notably, there appeared to be a time gap between the Rainbow Bridge delivering Mjolnir and Thor. Mjolnir had landed on Earth first, meaning Thor’s arrival wasn’t far off.

This complicated things. Sebastian had just solidified his alliance with Tony, and now Thor was about to crash into his plans. Managing both felt exhausting.

Building a rapport with Thor, especially in Mexico, wouldn’t be simple. Thor’s brash nature made him a challenge to connect with. Sebastian needed to linger in Mexico long enough to gain Thor’s trust. His ultimate goal—acquiring rare materials from Asgard—hinged on Thor. Without his cooperation, accessing or leaving Asgard would be nearly impossible.

Sebastian turned to Wong, nodding gratefully. “Thank you, Wong. By the way, why’s Kamar-Taj so quiet today? Where is everyone?”

“Casillas and Mordo are leading a team to confront demons from Hell. Word is, the Witch Heart Demon, son of Mephisto, Hell’s ruler, has come to Earth. Demons worldwide are stirring, so they’re working to maintain order and, if possible, eliminate some of those threats.”

Mephisto, Hell’s king? His son, the Witch Heart Demon? This was no small matter. Did the Ancient One know? Why wasn’t she handling it? Was something in Mexico more pressing than the Witch Heart Demon?

The Ancient One’s motives were a mystery to Sebastian. Her wisdom, like a calm yet unfathomable sea, always left him guessing. Still, he respected her deeply, their shared moments at Kamar-Taj hinting at a bond that could grow stronger with time. Compared to Asgard’s might and Odin’s power, the Witch Heart Demon might not be as significant a threat in her eyes.

As Sebastian pondered, a nagging feeling tugged at him. Mephisto and the Witch Heart Demon sounded oddly familiar, as if he’d overlooked a crucial detail.

Never mind, he decided. That’s not my problem right now. I need to focus on handling Thor.

————————————————–

Tony stared at Pepper, disbelief etched across his face. “That guy Hammer is showcasing his steel soldiers and armor at my Stark Expo? What’s he thinking? How does he even build anything worthwhile with that second-rate team of his?”

He had already entrusted the Mark II suit to Rhodey, a process far smoother than expected. Unlike the tensions of the past, Rhodey had long admired the Iron Man armor and eagerly accepted Tony’s gift, taking it back to his Air Force base. But history had a way of repeating itself. Rhodey had planned to let the military modify the suit, and to Tony’s dismay, they turned to Hammer Industries. Though Rhodey knew Tony’s disdain for Hammer, the company’s close ties with the military made it the default choice. Rhodey, ever the professional, didn’t let personal feelings sway him, but he was upfront with Tony about the decision.

The news gnawed at Tony. He’d always known the military would tinker with the blank Mark II, but Hammer Industries? The thought of his creation being mangled by their shoddy engineers felt like sending his own child into a lion’s den. He’d pushed it out of his mind for a few days, but just as the sting began to fade, Pepper arrived with worse news: Hammer Industries was set to display their steel soldiers and armor at the Stark Expo. Old frustrations and new outrage collided, leaving Tony fuming.

“Pepper, are you seriously letting Hammer pull this off at my Expo?” he asked, his voice sharp with incredulity.

Pepper shrugged, standing beside her new assistant, a poised woman with sharp eyes and long, wavy hair. She met Tony’s gaze with calm resolve. “The Stark Expo invites high-tech companies worldwide to showcase their work. That’s its core mission. We can’t exclude Hammer Industries without causing a backlash.”

Tony’s shoulders slumped, and he gave a reluctant nod. “Okay, okay, have it your way. You’re the president of Stark Industries now—you call the shots. When’s Hammer’s big show?”

“Two weeks from now, Saturday, at the central booth.”

“What? The central booth on Saturday?” Tony’s jaw dropped. “You actually agreed to that?”

Pepper sighed and sat beside him, her tone patient but firm. “Tony, the military pushed for this. We could say no, but straining our relationship with them further isn’t smart. Your past actions already put Stark Industries at odds with them. We need to smooth things over, or they could make life difficult for us.”

Tony studied Pepper’s face, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the exhaustion she couldn’t hide. His frustration melted into guilt and concern. He nodded slowly. “Of course, of course. I’ve caused you enough headaches. Handle it your way—I’m on board.”

Pepper’s face softened into a grateful smile. “Thank you for understanding.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for, I—”

Before he could finish, his phone buzzed insistently. With an apologetic glance at Pepper, Tony tapped the wireless earpiece in his ear, answering the call. This was his private line, known only to a select few. Every call from this number mattered, and he couldn’t afford to ignore it.

“Hey?”

“Tony, it’s me!”

“Sebastian?”

Tony straightened up from the sofa, his voice laced with surprise and curiosity. When he said Sebastian’s name,

Pepper grew quiet, her expression sharpening with interest. Natasha, Pepper’s new assistant, tilted her head slightly, her keen eyes catching every detail.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had moved beyond suspicion, having confirmed Sebastian’s identity. However, since Sebastian had rebuffed their advances,

Nick Fury had ordered agents to avoid private contact or interference, acting as if his identity remained unknown.

That didn’t stop their investigations, though. With Sebastian and Tony growing closer, Fury had directed Natasha to monitor and protect Tony while quietly digging into Sebastian’s motives and actions.

“Tony, I should have told you that I am a practitioner of the principle of equivalent exchange.

The matter of me helping you prepare the blood cleansing potion is a transaction. I have already thought about what I need, and I will seek your help now.”

“Of course, I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. You also know that I have never felt the feeling of owing people money. I have to say that this feeling is really not that good. I don’t owe you money, but I owe you a favor, and I think those feelings are pretty similar.”

“Since you are ready, then I will not talk nonsense. When I prepared the blood cleansing potion before, I discovered the effect of artificial intelligence on restoring ancient potion prescriptions.

My own strength is too weak.

Restoring all the potions on my own could take forever, and I don’t know when I’d finish.

So I hope you can use a method similar to investing in a laboratory,

invest me a sum of money to set up a laboratory, and provide a certain degree of artificial intelligence to assist me in researching the problem of healing potions.

Of course, this laboratory can also produce some mass-produced potions for commercial activities.

Because my potions require magic power, the outside world basically cannot copy them. In addition, this laboratory will also be able to sell high-end drugs in the future.

What do you think?”

“Sebastian, even if you don’t say so much, I will help you. For me, just an investment can be exchanged for yours…” Glancing at Pepper, Tony didn’t continue, coughing lightly. He continued: “I think I got a bigger bargain with this deal, so I just do it. The two of us form a company, I will provide everything you need, including the highest level of artificial intelligence, you will be responsible for research and manufacturing, which can minimize the part you need to worry about. Of course, you can trust me to handle my end. What do you think?”

“How are shares calculated?”

“I want 30%, you keep 70%, how about it?”

“Okay, I took a big advantage.”

“This company may exist because of you. As for the 30% of it, it is my hard work. After all, the company’s site selection and decoration and other messy things are still very troublesome.”

“It’s not so much that 30% of the hard work is for you, it’s more for Pepper.”

“Sebastian, you guy…you know me!”

“Okay, I don’t care about other things. You can tell me when you’re ready. Finally, I have two requirements. I need a laboratory that is secret enough and a training room that is strong enough. This will trouble you.”

“Okay, I see.”

“Then I won’t bother you, if you have anything you can call me.”

“Don’t worry, once there is a problem, I will not forget you… But then again, why is there so much wind in your place, what are you doing? Are you climbing a mountain?”

Sebastian glanced at the sweeping landscape below the mountain, a faint smile crossing his face. “Yes, I’m just climbing the mountain, so don’t bother me, I’m going to continue climbing.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep