The process of traveling through time felt peculiar, like passing through a foggy tunnel. Suddenly, Blake found myself in a vibrant, colorful world where everything gradually reassembled in front of me, forming distinct objects.
For Blake, this experience felt more like motion sickness combined with waking up from a hangover, lacking the grandeur often depicted in fantasy novels where one breaks through the barriers of worlds and everything falls beneath their feet.
Returning to the secret room built by Tony, Blake sat at the computer desk for a while before slowly getting up to carefully explore his house. Compared to the real estate prices in top-tier cities back home, Los Angeles didn't seem too expensive.
For less than two million dollars, he bought a nearly 400-square-meter high-rise apartment with a single apartment per floor. Although this translated to over ten million yuan, there was also a difference in living costs to consider.
While the property wasn't excessively priced, Blake still had to pay nearly ten thousand dollars in annual taxes to the government due to the size of his property. This reminded him of the saying that buying a big house in the U.S. was easy, but maintaining it was hard. Perhaps he should buy a house in Shanghai next time he returned.
Today marked his housewarming party, according to local time stasis. Hosting a dinner was in order. Motivated by 30% to promote traditions, 20% to show off his luxurious new home, and 50% to alleviate boredom, Blake sent out a message to everyone he knew in this world. The message read:
[Hi! This is Blake! Today, I moved into my new home. According to tradition, when moving into a new house, it's customary to invite friends over for a meal! So, I've decided to host a grand dinner at my place tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM. You're all welcome to join me.
PS: Another tradition is to bring gifts and 'Red Envelope' when visiting friends who have moved into a new house. You can Google 'Red Envelope' for more information. A friendly tip: you can buy 'here'. I've attached a screenshot with a map marker for directions!]
In truth, Blake wasn't very good at cooking. He could manage a few simple home-cooked dishes, but not a banquet. However, with thousands of years of culture, not knowing how to cook couldn't stop him from hosting a meal. Enter the hot pot! A trip to the market provided all the necessary ingredients, sauces, and various types of seasonings.
While he might not use everything, having them at home added a sense of living atmosphere. From the twin-flavored pot to lamb slices and beef, he quickly realized why people don't venture out of their house often. The variety of items available in one block exceeded what could be found in a large supermarket further away.
From snacks, different types of clothing, even the smallest items, like pickled vegetables were plentiful. There were also herbal shops, mahjong parlors, and even funeral wreaths. Although some restaurant dishes had been Westernized, differing slightly from domestic flavors, it still felt familiar.
Having bought a large assortment of items, Blake was ready for his housewarming celebration.
Carrying bags of groceries home, Blake boiled water to prepare the hot pot base, washed and chopped vegetables, and arranged them neatly on the table. He also washed a variety of fruits and placed them out for guests. The whole process made the house feel more lively.
"Perfect!" Blake said, biting into an apple as he waited for guests, or rather, for their gifts.
The first guest to arrive was quite unexpected: Dr. Banner. Blake hadn't sent him an invitation, and since Banner had been taken by S.H.I.E.L.D., Blake had no way to contact him.
Sitting on the sofa, he watched the security feed showing Banner at the door. "Nicole, open the door!" Blake instructed.
"Yes, sir!" The convenience of having an intelligent housekeeper was apparent.
"Hi, Dr. Banner, welcome to my home!" Blake greeted warmly. Though they weren't close, he had to be hospitable.
Banner, being a straightforward person, seemed a bit embarrassed as he handed over a bottle of wine. "I've been controlling myself well lately, haven't transformed in a while. They mentioned an Avengers initiative and suggested I get to know you better. Agent Romanoff said you moved, and according to tradition, I should bring a gift. So, I brought some wine!"
"Did she not mention anything else?" Blake asked, noting the absence of a red envelope.
"No, is there something I should know? She's parking the car downstairs," Banner replied, looking uneasy.
"No, no, it's fine," Blake said, realizing it was unfair to expect a gift from someone currently without a home. He warmly invited Banner to sit down.
Within a few minutes, Black Widow arrived. "Hey, Blake, I picked up Dr. Banner from Canada today and didn't have time to buy a red envelope. I didn't know what gift to get, so here," she said, giving Blake a light kiss on the cheek.
"Alright," Blake said, shrugging. "Beauties always have privileges, but if the next guests don't bring red envelopes, I curse them with exploding hemorrhoids!"
Soon after, more guests arrived. Tony Stark took a break from his work on a new element, and even Nick Fury, accompanied by Hawkeye, showed up. Agent Coulson, stationed in Los Angeles, also came. Essentially, the founding members of the Avengers were all there, except for Captain America, who was still frozen, and Thor, who was in Asgard.
However, none of them brought red envelopes. They came with various gifts: wine, a painting, and Hawkeye even gifted an arrow.
"What am I supposed to do with this? Use it as a back scratcher?" Blake complained, using the arrow to scratch his back.
"Since you're all so stingy, don't blame me for being ungrateful!" Blake muttered to himself. While preparing the hot pot, he sneakily added two packets of spicy hot pot base to the clear broth side of the pot.
*******************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on.
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is S_Pandey_0170
Although in this world, Blake wasn't as wealthy as he was in the real world, he still had a few million dollars in his bank account. So when it came to choosing ingredients for the meal, he spared no expense, selecting the most expensive options regardless of their suitability.
With hotpot, the quality of ingredients matters more than cooking skills, and Blake's choices ensured a top-tier meal. For these fools, this meal was an entirely new experience. Even Tony Stark, who had seen and tasted it all, was sweating and praising the food.
As the spiciness overwhelmed them, they washed it down with cold beer, which was a delightful combination.
"Blake, you're really stingy. Even if Banner brought wine, you don't have to drink it the whole time. Hotpot pairs better with ice-cold beer!" Nick Fury, unusually relaxed, teased Blake as he enjoyed his meal.
Blake just smiled mysteriously and kept his thoughts to himself.
"A bunch of barbarians, daring to drink cold beer with spicy hotpot on their first try. I've had it too often to make that mistake. Let's see how your stomachs and rear ends handle it tonight for not bringing red envelopes!"
While secretly cursing them, Blake noticed Black Widow sweating from the spicy food. He pulled out a dark bottle of herbal tea and took her beer.
"Try this," he said.
"What is it? Looks like flat cola," she remarked, taking a small sip. "The taste is a bit odd."
Even though modern herbal teas are flavored, they can still be an acquired taste.
"This is good stuff, great for your skin. Trust me!" Blake winked at her playfully.
The meal lasted nearly two hours, leaving a group of people capable of dismantling a small country sprawled out on the sofas, completely worn out. Black Widow, mindful of her figure, ate less and naturally took on the task of cleaning up, as everyone else was too full to move.
Blake had opted for disposable dishes to make cleanup easier, except for the hotpot, which required some extra effort. Watching Black Widow clean up gave Blake a sense of domestic bliss, as if hosting friends at home while his wife tidied up the kitchen.
Feeling quite pleased with himself, Blake sat up straighter.
"Blake, Banner should have mentioned the purpose of his visit. The Avengers initiative is officially underway. Once you've all gotten to know each other better, I'll assign you a mission for some hands-on training. Agent Romanoff has already secured a base for you all to use soon," Nick Fury said, slumped on the sofa, looking more like an old, weary man than a slick spy.
"My focus will likely shift to New York soon. As you know, Stark Industries no longer makes weapons. We're moving into new energy and finance, and New York is better suited for that than Los Angeles," Tony Stark added.
In reality, Tony had already purchased land in New York for the new Stark Tower. Although he hadn't yet handed over the CEO position to Pepper Potts, he was extremely busy, especially with the board's chaos following Obadiah Stane's death.
"Exactly, Stark. Your base is in New York!" Nick Fury snapped his fingers.
"Fuck!" Blake sat up straight. He knew that his future would be centered in New York, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.
"I just bought this house. Do you know how much effort I put into renovating it? Do you know how hard it was to buy a big house in downtown Los Angeles? I've only slept here for one night. Damn it, I can't afford to buy another house in New York!"
"Technically, the money for your house was won by Agent Romanoff at the casino, using chips given to you by Stark. Stark also handled all the renovations and furniture. It's like you got the house for free," Nick Fury said, his one exposed eye conveying a strong sense of disdain.
"No way! I demand a raise. You're dragging me from the West Coast to the East Coast. The Pacific Ocean outside my door will become the Atlantic Ocean. I'll have serious climate adjustment issues," Blake said, playing the rascal.
"Don't worry. This time, the salary will definitely satisfy everyone," Nick Fury replied with a mysterious smile.
Even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, world-threatening crises didn't occur all the time. In these early stages, with hidden powers aside, figures like Odin and the Ancient One, both powerful beyond measure, maintained order.
Odin safeguarded Asgard, preventing other cosmic forces from coveting the Nine Realms. The Ancient One, relying on the mystical protection of the three sanctums in New York, London, and Hong Kong, shielded Earth from dimensional threats.
Blake had no idea what targets Nick Fury had in mind for them. But judging by Fury's secretive words and shifty eyes, it was unlikely to be anything good.
Despite these concerns, the dinner was quite enjoyable. After everyone left, Blake wanted to take Black Widow out for a walk to build some rapport, but Nick Fury whisked her away on a mission.
"That damn bald head. He must have never had a woman in his life. I bet the photo on his nightstand is of a burly man. That damned bastard!" Blake complained to the only remaining guest, Tony Stark.
"Exactly, my friend! Not everyone has a photo of themselves with a genius playboy on their nightstand," Tony shamelessly responded.
Blake thought about the giant photo on his bedroom wall, where he and Tony posed with peace signs, and was at a loss for words.
That night, Tony, who usually spent his time in his underground garage, ended up in his luxurious bathroom. On his flight to Washington, Hawkeye didn't leave the plane's bathroom once. The worst off were Coulson and Nick Fury. Although Black Widow had left for her mission, they and Banner, who was temporarily housed at the Los Angeles branch, faced the consequences.
At around 3 a.m., Coulson and Nick Fury stood in what was practically a ruined branch office. Nearby, Banner lay on the floor, struggling to control his transformations.
"Blake, you're a damn bastard! Motherfucker!"
The power of the spicy hotpot was terrifying! It fulfilled Blake's curse: their butts were indeed wreaked.
Blake lay in his bedroom, with the photo of him and Tony hanging above. He rolled over and, thinking of something in his dream, suddenly laughed out loud like a pig.
*******************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on.
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is S_Pandey_0170
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