Chapter 109: Such a Familiar Excuse

Pepper, witnessing the awkward scene, quickly turned her head away, unable to face Tony. Originally, Tony had intended to show off a bit of his charm in front of Harvey, proud as he was of his technological creation. Regardless of its actual power, the suit at least looked impressive and felt thrilling to wear. There’s an old saying that every man understands the romance of armor and mechs—Harvey was a man, so surely he would appreciate it too.

But instead of appearing cool, Tony’s attempt only elicited strange looks from Harvey, making Tony wish he could just dig a hole and disappear. Seeing Tony’s failed posturing, Harvey stifled a smile and simply watched him.

“Jarvis Mark II, armor deployment!” Tony forced himself to speak loudly, swallowing his embarrassment.

“As you command, Mr. Stark.”

Only when Tony called out to Jarvis Mark II did the intelligent AI respond. The hiss of thrusters filled the room as pieces of the armor swiftly shot out from the underground lab, seamlessly assembling around Tony’s body. Within seconds, he transformed into the sleek figure of Iron Man, clad in gold and red armor.

“After all, it’s a newly upgraded AI, so it’s not quite fully intelligent yet,” Tony explained, turning to face Harvey’s amused gaze, trying to save face.

“Though there was a hiccup, I have to say, the way you called out just now was pretty cool,” Harvey remarked with a smile.

“This is how the transformation’s supposed to work,” he added.

Suppressing a laugh, Harvey stood up as his own purple and gold armor reappeared on his body. A golden mask covered his face, a white cloak draped his shoulders, and his eyes shifted from black to a commanding gold.

Tony was left speechless, feeling that perhaps he had picked the wrong person to show off to.

“How did you do that? Can you teach me?” Tony asked, drawn to the impressive display.

“When you’ve truly mastered the Void Power, I’ll teach you,” Harvey replied.

“Alright,” Tony said, recalling the purple energy Harvey had released earlier and understanding the reference.

Having evolved over fifty times already, Tony’s rate of advancement had slowed considerably. Even after more than half a year of training with the Void Power, he had only reached eighty-one evolutions. His physical strength was formidable now, but the Void Power he could manifest was barely more than a few centimeters—hardly impressive.

“Let’s head to the underground lab; just grab your stuff and we can go,” Tony said, accepting that it wasn’t the right time to learn yet. There would be plenty of time ahead.

Meanwhile, he was already thinking about how to make an impressive entrance next time he met the others.

Unaware of Tony’s desire to show off, Harvey simply headed to the underground lab and released his Void Power, enveloping the gravity device and Tony. Suddenly, a black hole of void energy formed beneath their feet, and the two vanished.

The next moment, they appeared on the moon.

Tony stood inside a purple energy barrier, gazing in awe at the distant blue planet and the white lunar surface beneath him. As a scientist dedicated to military technology, who hadn’t dreamed of stepping into space? Now that the dream was real, excitement and wonder filled his heart.

Almost immediately, a void black hole about a kilometer wide reappeared beneath Tony’s feet, and the two vanished once more.

“How far did we just travel?” Tony asked, startled by the sudden change in scenery and the unfamiliar sight of a black-and-red planet in the distance.

“Over tens of thousands of light-years. We’re almost there,” Harvey replied casually.

Before Tony could fully process the staggering distance, the scenery shifted again, placing him inside a house. The purple energy barrier dissipated, and the gravity device, packed in large crates, settled smoothly onto the floor.

“...This is it?” Tony looked around, surprised to find he could breathe easily. Outside the window, a forested villa came into view. He still hadn’t quite grasped the reality.

“Yes, we’ve arrived,” Harvey confirmed with a slight nod.

“Crossing tens of thousands of light-years in under ten seconds?” Tony exclaimed, disbelief evident in his voice.

“This is a form of Void Magic. Traveling tens of thousands of light-years like this is nothing,” Harvey said nonchalantly.

“Nothing?” Tony was stunned by Harvey’s casual tone. He knew Harvey was powerful—after all, Harvey had mentioned that provoking the Ancient One and Odin was merely troublesome, implying he was a significant figure in the cosmos. But despite understanding that, every time Harvey demonstrated his true power, Tony realized how limited his own understanding was.

“In terms of cosmic civilizations, while crossing tens of thousands of light-years in under ten seconds is impossible, doing so in a matter of days is feasible. So don’t be too amazed—when you see the various technologies out there, you’ll be even more astonished.”

Harvey noticed Tony’s awestruck expression and said, “Remember what I told you before we came here.”

Suddenly, Harvey’s voice dropped to a whisper, as if he sensed something.

Tony was still pondering the significance of Harvey’s words when a figure with golden hair swiftly descended the stairs.

“Mr. Kassadin, welcome back,” Sonia greeted Harvey with a smile.

“Good. Prepare some drinks for me,” Harvey instructed with a slight nod.

“Right away, sir,” Sonia replied promptly. Noticing the armored figure alongside Kassadin, she was curious but followed orders without hesitation and quickly left.

“...Mr. Kassadin, is that your companion?” Tony’s curiosity flared as he watched the youthful, charming woman leave.

“No, she’s my housekeeper, Sonia,” Harvey replied casually. “If you need anything for your lab or require materials, you can speak to her.”

Tony was skeptical. “I don’t buy it. If she’s just a housekeeper, why don’t you hire a few on Earth?”

Harvey was a well-known young billionaire on Earth and unmarried. Even if he were married, it was unlikely that one wife could keep him tied down. If he wanted, hiring a dozen personal female secretaries wouldn’t be a problem, let alone a single housekeeper.

“Think what you want,” Harvey said, uninterested in further explanation.

“That’s such a familiar excuse,” Tony teased, “But given your status and power, what’s there to fear? No one can really control you, right?”

Tony’s intent was to keep Harvey talking about the earlier topic.

“I didn’t bring you here for gossip,” Harvey said with a hint of exasperation at Tony’s knowing demeanor.

———
A side note: Today marks another milestone; here’s the first update.