Before the Code, Everyone Is Equal

"You really should go back and take a look."

"Earth is about to become unsettled as well."

Hearing Tony’s words, Harvey spoke.

"I was only planning to go back and see Pepper, and now you’re telling me Earth is about to become unsettled again?"

Tony had been extremely relaxed, but upon hearing Harvey’s words, he involuntarily sat upright, and his voice rose considerably.

"A powerful artifact similar to the Tesseract will soon appear on Earth."

"Once something like that emerges, it will naturally attract the attention of certain people."

Harvey replied.

He knew why Tony reacted this way. Tony was already under immense pressure preparing for Thanos, and now other matters had cropped up along the way.

Still, this was something that was bound to happen. Harvey was merely informing him.

"An artifact comparable to the Tesseract is going to appear? Don’t tell me it belongs to God King Odin again."

Tony said irritably upon hearing Harvey’s words.

"It does count as something belonging to God King Odin, though it has always been kept on Earth."

Harvey nodded as he spoke.

The Reality Stone could be considered Odin’s treasure, since Odin had sealed it away on Earth.

"Why is God King Odin always leaving things lying around? Wouldn’t it be better to retrieve artifacts of that level and keep them safely stored away?"

Tony was somewhat speechless when he learned that it really was God King Odin’s treasure.

"The Nine Realms are essentially Odin’s territory, so there is no question of retrieving anything."

"But you needn’t be so anxious. There will only be some minor unrest. As long as it is handled properly, there won’t be any problem."

Seeing Tony’s expression, Harvey spoke calmly.

"During the last New York War, although the losses were minimized, quite a few people still died."

"To most ordinary people on Earth, the arrival of aliens means they could suffer an undeserved disaster at any moment."

Tony clenched his fists as he spoke.

It was precisely because there were so many ordinary people on Earth that he wanted to lead Earth into the interstellar age.

Only when Earth as a whole became stronger would it gain the ability to fight back, even if it could not become completely fearless of alien invasions.

"When gods fight, mortals suffer. That is an extremely common occurrence on every planet."

"Even when powerful beings are not causing trouble, disasters on Earth have never been few."

"Your strength is considerable, but it is still impossible for you to protect everyone completely."

"So do not place too much pressure on yourself. That may cause you to fall into the abyss of desire."

Seeing Tony’s desire to act yet inability to act freely, Harvey’s gaze flickered, and his voice became steady.

"Thank you."

When Tony heard Harvey mention the abyss of power, he realized how anxious his thoughts had become, as though waking from a dream.

He knew that after joining the Void, time would bring him everything he wanted.

But he also knew exactly what shortcuts could rapidly increase his strength in the shortest possible time.

Just now, he had nearly begun thinking about how to become stronger as quickly as possible, so he could protect everything he wanted to protect.

Once such thoughts took root, even if he did not act on them immediately, they would become the trigger that led him into the abyss of desire, leaving him no path back.

"Tony, you are highly talented and exceptionally intelligent. You have made tremendous contributions to the Void Cult."

"After so many evolutions, your strength ranks among the best of the Void Cult’s many members."

"But if you become a monster consumed by desire and violate the Code, then even if I admire you greatly, I will kill you."

"The Void Cult’s Code is equal for every member."

"Tony, you must understand that even the strongest beings will inevitably encounter regrets, so long as they have not become omnipotent."

Seeing Tony’s lingering fear, Harvey spoke calmly.

Tony’s heart tightened at Harvey’s warning beneath that calm tone.

"Understood."

But Tony also knew that Harvey had helped him, so he nodded.

"But do you have regrets too?"

"You’re already so powerful."

Then Tony thought of something and asked curiously.

As soon as he asked that question, Sonia also looked at Mr. Kassadin with concern.

"I have not encountered anything regrettable so far, but that does not mean I never will in the future."

Facing Sonia’s and Tony’s gazes, Harvey considered the matter and, finding that he had no regrets, shook his head.

He had no regrets because he had already accomplished everything he wished to accomplish.

However, the years ahead were so long that he did not dare claim he would never encounter something that filled him with regret. That self-awareness was important.

"I see. Then I understand."

"I’ll go hold a celebration banquet first and treat Kyle and the others to a good meal."

Hearing Harvey’s words, which sounded like a humblebrag yet carried a hint of caution, Tony’s eyes flickered as he spoke.

The way he viewed Harvey was much like the way countless people on Earth viewed him.

People on Earth believed he had both fame and fortune and could live freely and carefree every day, but in reality, he had troubles too.

If he failed to stop that great enemy from the future when the time came, it would become one of his regrets.

Likewise, he believed Harvey was omnipotent, that his strength was unfathomable, and that every difficulty would be resolved with ease.

But if Harvey did not say anything, no one knew whether he had worries of his own.

"Go on."

Seeing that clarity had returned to Tony’s eyes and that he had resumed enjoying the present, Harvey knew Tony was no longer being controlled by pressure, so he nodded.

Tony then left directly.

Only Sonia and Harvey remained in the villa.

"Mr. Kassadin, do you also plan to visit Earth in a few days?"

After Mr. Tony left, Sonia spoke.

"Yes, I’ll go over and stay there for a while in a few days."

"But you can contact me anytime."

Harvey did not deny it.

"Alright. While you are away, Mr. Kassadin, I will keep watch over Void Island."

Sonia knew that it was not yet time for Mr. Kassadin to decide to remain on Xandar permanently, so she was not too disappointed.

"Sonia, I have always been at ease when it comes to you."

Harvey had no concerns whatsoever.

Sonia’s abilities had already earned his complete recognition.

"I’m very happy to hear you say that, Mr. Kassadin. Then I’ll go make some preparations first."

Sonia smiled as she spoke.

Afterward, Sonia went to investigate the backgrounds of people involved in spatial technology development.

Although Mr. Tony had not yet given her the most detailed list, investigating these matters in advance would still be useful.

After all, they could not recruit complete outsiders with no relevant knowledge to do the job.

Third update delivered.