A Huge Win

Howard ultimately agreed to Josh’s invitation, even though it looked like it left him deeply depressed.

What did he mean by saying that by the time he reached seventy, he would have been in this world long enough? Was he saying that by then, he would have lived enough and could die in peace? When Howard heard Josh say that, he nearly blew his top and rejected the invitation outright. But when he thought of Josh’s silver flames and elusive magic, he wisely chose not to bring it up again.

It was no joke. A specially made steel pen had touched those silver flames and been reduced to nothing, not even ash remaining. One could imagine just how terrifying those flames were. Although Howard had not felt any scorching heat, he thought that was only natural. If a magically created fireball gave off intense heat, wouldn’t it burn the caster too?

Howard also asked Josh why, with so many top scientists in the world, he had chosen him specifically. Josh’s answer nearly made him cough up blood: because the rich ones weren’t as young as you, and they couldn’t accept unknown things. The ones as young as you weren’t as rich. Without money, how could you help me buy all that production equipment?

Most importantly, Josh even brought up Howard’s son, who had no idea when he would be born: "Also, I know your future. Your son will be a top scientist just like you, and he’ll become a superhero too. His creativity will even surpass yours, so I’m reserving your son as well."

Howard did not know what to say. But thinking about it, Josh really had mentioned more than once that he knew Howard’s future. Things like assassination, for example. That weighed heavily on Howard’s mind, and he began considering his future safety as well.

What reassured him somewhat was that, once Josh saw that he had agreed, he immediately gave him a necklace and told him to protect it carefully, especially the gemstone on it. The gemstone contained a Magic Shield that could save his life at the most dangerous moment.

Although anything related to magic would have to wait until he went to the Muya Continent, Howard was already satisfied. After all, he had made a deal with someone extraordinary, and he might very well become extraordinary himself in the future. What was there not to be satisfied about?

"Lord Josh, when are we leaving for your world, the Muya Continent?"

When faced with a new world and new things, Howard was no different from any other scientist. He felt as though he had returned to childhood, filled with the passion stirred by one unknown equation after another. This made him far happier than rolling around in bed with a blonde.

"No rush. And it seems I haven’t told you that time flows differently on the Muya Continent and here, have I?" Josh smiled slightly at the impatient Howard. He did not mind Howard’s eagerness. They would go sooner or later, and Josh intended to give him time to prepare properly.

"On the Muya Continent, one day may equal seven days here. I think you understand what that means. So I think you should settle the matters at hand first, and study urban construction planning properly. That would be better."

"But if I don’t inspect it in person, how can I know what the hell your territory is actually like? As for studying? That’s easy for me. I can guarantee that I’ll grasp the essentials of BC City’s construction planning in just one week!"

Howard’s words did make Josh think it over. There did not seem to be any problem with them. Although Josh knew Howard probably wanted to get his hands on magic, alchemy, and enchanting as quickly as possible, he had indeed hit the key point, and Josh had no real rebuttal.

"If that’s the case, are you sure you’ve sorted out everything you have on hand? If you spend seven days on the Muya Continent, a month and a half will have passed here."

"Absolutely no problem," Howard said confidently.

"As for those military matters, the negotiations are basically done. I just need to tell them I agree and sign my name. And leaving for a month and a half? That’s even less of a problem. When the time comes, I’ll just say I’m doing research."

Josh thought about it. Scientists often vanished from the public eye for long periods whenever they secluded themselves to work on inventions. Howard’s explanation did not seem to have any flaws. So Josh nodded and accepted his reasoning.

"Fine, then. Tomorrow morning, go to the temple at 117a Brick Street and find me. The temple’s administrator is a friend’s disciple. Just wait there when you arrive."

Josh chose that temple mainly because it was Master Ancient One’s territory. To put it bluntly, Earth in the Marvel Universe could basically be considered Master Ancient One’s territory, but that temple would put him closer to her. Josh chose it mainly for convenience, and it would also serve as a heads-up to Master Ancient One that he might be taking some people away.

Josh did not think Master Ancient One had any reason to refuse him. Besides, she herself planned to go to the Muya Continent and cultivate properly for a while. Although she could not stay long, she had at least accepted Josh’s favor, so she would not stop him from doing many things.

"You’re not planning to stay the night?"

Seeing Josh rise to his feet, Howard immediately spoke. He had only just come into contact with magic and was still incredibly excited. Magic’s mystery and unique superiority fascinated him deeply. He wanted nothing more than to spend the entire night talking with Josh about this new thing called magic.

"Are you planning to put on a show for us?"

Before Josh could speak, Natasha directly snapped at him. She had thoroughly investigated Howard Stark. To be blunt, aside from his reputation as a genius scientist, his most prominent reputation was that of a playboy. In Natasha’s eyes, he was a scumbag.

If Josh knew what Natasha was thinking, he would definitely burst out laughing, pat the little girl on the head, and solemnly tell her: "Actually, in the Marvel Universe, aside from the current movie parallel world, no matter which parallel world it is, the biggest scumbag woman is you! A scumbag woman looking down on a scumbag man—now that’s interesting."

But Josh did not know. Even if he did, he would only secretly enjoy it and would not say such interesting things that might not even happen. Following Natasha’s lead, he cast a disdainful glance at Howard’s lower body, then smiled, shook his head, and casually summoned a silver portal.

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Anyone could see that contemptuous expression, especially Howard.

"Hmm. Here’s some advice: you should probably see a doctor. After all, you didn’t have a child until you were in your fifties."

"That must be because I didn’t want to give up my wonderful life so early!"

"Who knows?"

Without caring that Howard stood there with an ugly expression, Josh directly led Natasha through the portal and disappeared from the hotel. Howard looked helpless, but he soon discovered that the space around him was shattering like a mirror.

This time, however, he did not panic. With his previous experience and the knowledge that he was inside a Mirror Space, he figured Josh’s departure had caused the space to collapse as well. The facts proved his guess completely correct. After the space shattered entirely, Howard experienced a brief darkness before immediately returning to where he had been before.

"Darling, you were really vigorous just now!"

The blonde looked at Howard, who had somehow returned to her side, and spoke coquettishly. Josh’s magic had confused her, and she had no idea what had happened. She did not even know that Howard had not been in the room earlier.

"Not bad." Howard glanced at the blonde and only then realized that he seemed to have been lying in that very spot the entire time. He touched the gemstone necklace hanging against his chest, confirming that it had not been a dream and that magic had truly affected him.

"Do you want to go again?"

"No, darling. I’m a little tired. Besides, I have a lot going on tomorrow."

After refusing the blonde’s invitation, Howard quickly turned over and closed his eyes. He hoped he could fall asleep quickly. Though he could tell that the woman beside him was dissatisfied, Howard did not care at all. He had a new goal now.

"If the others find out, they’ll probably die of envy, won’t they?"

No matter what had gotten into Howard, when Josh and Natasha stepped out of the portal again, they had already returned to Kamar-Taj. Josh was in such a good mood that a faint smile still lingered on his face.

He certainly had reason to be happy. Although Howard had originally been little more than a supporting character in the Marvel Universe, he was no ordinary supporting character. He was someone future generations would worship and admire. Put plainly, he was a legend.

Josh recalled the plot of Iron Man 2. By then, he had no idea what era it was, but he knew technology had advanced who knew how many times beyond his previous life. Yet Tony, the top scientist of that era, had been on the verge of death because of the toxin in his body.

The final solution turned out to be a new element created by his father, who had been dead for who knew how many years, who knew how many years ago. And Howard was not just skilled in technology. His political acumen was also far beyond Tony’s. In the movie, Tony had constantly been pressured by the government and ultimately made all kinds of compromises.

But look at Howard. It was as if he had long known that the company he founded would be watched by the government from every angle, so he simply went all in and directly cooperated with the government. Later, he even helped establish a global organization—S.H.I.E.L.D.

From these aspects alone, it was clear that Howard was far superior to Tony in both methods and political acumen. Perhaps it was the product of his era, but that did not diminish Howard’s shrewdness. In Josh’s eyes, aside from not being a superhero and dying in such a frustrating way, the man was practically an all-around superhuman talent!

"It seems that even with women, Howard is much better than his son Tony."

Josh rubbed his chin, feeling that he had truly struck gold. Not only had he acquired a super genius of this era, but he had also tied down a super genius who had not even been born yet. That meant he would not need to worry much about building his territory in the future. And Josh believed that once Howard came into contact with magic, he would become utterly obsessed with it.

"By then, he probably won’t even be willing to come back if I try to throw him out. Hmm, should I take him to the Wizard World after he finishes his inspection, so he can learn some more modern things and the basics of magic? Right, Natasha needs to come too. Otherwise, this little girl will probably fall behind by who knows how much."