Hallucinations?

"Thank you."

Hearing that he could stay here for the time being, Steve thanked Tony as well.

He could figure out a way to earn money to cover his daily meals later, but for now, it was better to accept help from others.

"It’s nothing. No need to be so polite."

"You two also need to practice controlling the strength that’s growing by the day."

Tony shook his head with a smile.

He had his own reasons for helping Steve and Banner.

As long as Steve and Banner grew stronger and could properly control the power within them,

he could leave Earth without worry in the future, head into the universe to learn more advanced technology, and perhaps enjoy the pleasures of life like he had in his younger days.

Of course, that was not to say Tony found life on Earth unhappy. He had more than enough money to eat well, drink well, and live well here. Earth was his hometown, and that would never change.

But for Tony, simply eating well, drinking well, and living well was clearly not enough. He also wanted to show himself without restraint, so he certainly was not as happy here as he was on Xandar.

Banner and Steve both nodded at those words.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. My wife, Pepper, is also your senior. She joined the Void on the same day I did."

"She’s no weakling, so watch what you say around her in the future."

"You know how it is. Women can be pretty terrifying when they go crazy."

Tony suddenly remembered something and gave them a warning.

"You married Pepper?"

Banner was somewhat shocked by the news.

"Pepper is Tony’s secretary, right?"

Hearing Pepper’s name, Steve recalled seeing it mentioned in the intelligence reports on Tony.

"Pepper and I haven’t held an official wedding, but she is undoubtedly my wife."

Tony answered.

If Pepper had not helped him manage Stark Industries on Earth, he would not have been able to head into the universe so peacefully before.

So even though staying on Earth meant he could not go around flirting with other women, Tony suppressed those urges and dutifully kept Pepper company whenever he had time.

Even if Tony wanted to have fun, he at least could not let Pepper find out.

He felt that Pepper probably could guess some of the things he might do in the universe.

However, Pepper never pressed him too hard about such matters, since they were things beyond Earth.

Sometimes, only by seeing through things without saying them could a relationship last. If every matter was laid bare, the little boat of love could capsize at any moment.

"No wonder Miss Pepper has been looking younger and prettier. So that’s why."

Banner said thoughtfully.

"Pepper joined too? Then that means, Tony, your emotional anchor…"

After hearing Tony’s words, Steve thought for a moment and immediately realized something.

"You’re right, Steve. Pepper is my emotional anchor."

"But unlike you, it wasn’t born from guilt or a desire to make amends."

"I simply felt that, through a long life and endless years, walking forward alone would be far too lonely."

"So back then, I made that request to Harvey as well."

Tony nodded and said with a smile.

Looking back now, having Pepper join the Void had added another layer of restraint to his life on Earth and made him less free.

But Tony did not regret it, because that restraint also helped him hold on to his true self.

If he could suppress even his lustful desires on Earth, then suppressing the urge to endlessly devour was naturally possible as well.

Steve and Banner continued talking with Tony for a long time.

A few days later, Steve took a helicopter back to New York to find Peggy.

Although what Steve said sounded utterly unbelievable, Peggy could also see that Steve had become much younger since his last visit.

So she followed Steve’s instructions.

Afterward, Peggy gained recognition, and Harvey even bestowed some life energy upon her.

Harvey was far stronger than before now. Even a casually given cluster of life energy contained terrifying power.

It directly made Peggy, who had already reached the age of ninety and could only lie in bed without walking freely, more than forty years younger.

Peggy had already felt immense reverence after witnessing the greatness of the Void.

But when she saw her skin, once wrinkled and sagging with age, become youthful and firm again,

Peggy was utterly impressed, repeatedly calling it a gift from god.

Steve personally watched as Peggy’s appearance gradually returned to youth, and his reverence for Harvey grew even deeper.

If Tony had not told him not to disturb Harvey lightly, he would have wanted to bring Peggy to visit and thank him in person.

However, Steve knew that as long as he and Peggy did not die in an accident, they had plenty of time. There would be countless opportunities to thank Harvey in the future.

Afterward, Steve took Peggy away from New York and headed for Tony’s Private Island.

Once Peggy had fully regained her youth, appearing in New York again would not cause much trouble.

After all, aside from Steve, most people from Peggy’s generation had already died.

Although S.H.I.E.L.D. had photographs of Peggy from her younger days, as long as she kept a low profile afterward, it would not cause any trouble.

After Harvey bestowed his blessing upon Peggy, he knew there would not be any major events on Earth for the time being.

So Harvey sent Tony a message, asking him to look after his properties and assets on Earth.

Then Harvey directly used Void magic, transforming into Kassadin in golden armor and white robes. With a single step, he left Earth.

He had been away from Xandar for more than a year. It was time to take a look, and only a few minutes later,

Harvey arrived on Xandar again. When he reached Void Island and entered the villa,

he heard dull, booming impacts coming from underground.

Following the sound, Harvey went directly to the third basement level and discovered a secret training ground spanning more than two thousand square meters.

Within that vast, intricate training ground,

Harvey saw a beautiful figure in a tight training outfit that accentuated her fiery body. She moved swiftly, continuously striking a huge block of unknown metal.

Even though her fists and feet were covered in blood, her brows did not furrow in the slightest, as though she had long grown accustomed to such pain.

"…"

Seeing Sonia like this, Harvey felt some admiration, but also thought she was pushing herself too hard.

In truth, Sonia did not need overwhelming strength in Harvey’s eyes.

After all, what he had initially recognized was Sonia’s competence and attitude, not her immense strength.

Just as Sonia threw another punch with a clang!, her body recoiling backward through the air, she caught sight from the corner of her eye of a figure wearing a golden mask, golden armor, and a white robe.

Sonia’s movements froze for a moment. Then purple light immediately appeared around her, and her body stopped in midair. The wounds on her body rapidly healed at a visible rate, while the blood on her skin began to evaporate as if scorched by flames.

"The intervals between our contacts are getting longer and longer. Have I started hallucinating?"

Yet as Sonia looked at Mr. Kassadin’s figure, she rubbed her eyes and muttered to herself.

Second update delivered.