The elderly neighbour chatting in the tea restaurant told Blake that the small building once belonged to a British baron named Igris.
Before Hong Kong's return, his family did trade business here, and the building in the photo used to belong to them.
The elderly neighbour's parents used to work for this Baron Igris.
This photo came from his parents.
After Hong Kong's return, the Igris family moved back to the UK, leaving the building unoccupied.
A few years ago, a massive typhoon hit, tearing off the top floor of the building.
The Igris family contacted the elderly neighbour's surviving father and sent some money, entrusting him to restore the building.
That's why the round glass window at the top disappeared.
Blake said he especially liked the window and casually asked where the building was located.
After listening to the elderly man talk about past stories, he left to see the building.
Although he was almost certain Ancient One's guess was correct, he thought, 'Since I'm already here, why not check it out?'
The building was located at a Y-shaped intersection—a classic, stand-alone structure with a narrow front and wide back, forming a stout triangle shape.
It was clear that the window layout and the exterior wall had changed significantly from the photo.
The wooden double doors were closed with a metal gate outside and several loops of thick iron chains, with a palm-sized lock on them.
Following his instinct to check for any clues, Blake twisted the lock lightly, and it came off the chain.
He pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside, surprised to find no stale smell typical of a long-vacant place.
The floor was clean, and the wall, when touched, was spotless and free of dust.
This was entirely different from what the elderly neighbor described.
According to him, the Igris family was wealthy and left the building unoccupied without plans to sell or rent.
So why was the place so clean?
Unable to figure it out by thinking, Blake lifted his leg and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
The staircase was the old-fashioned type, with a large flight that split at a corner.
As he reached the corner, before he could turn, the wooden handrail undulated like waves.
Blake watched in shock as the wooden handrail transformed into a massive metal sword before his eyes.
With a swoosh, it swung horizontally toward him.
Instinctively, Blake ducked to avoid the sweep, leaping back down several steps and using the corner wall to block the sword's attack.
"What the heck is this?"
As the thought flashed through his mind, the connection between the steps and wall also started undulating like waves.
Suddenly, the steps separated from the wall, morphing into a giant hammer that swung down toward him.
With no way to dodge, Blake crossed his arms to shield his head, taking the impact head-on.
"Bang!"
The fierce collision allowed Blake to propel himself out of the staircase's range.
"Enough with the tricks!"
Standing two or three meters away, he watched the stairs gradually return to normal.
"If someone's there, come out and talk. Otherwise, I'll tear this whole building down!"
Blake said, looking toward the corner of the staircase.
After crossing over into the Marvel world, Blake had seen all sorts of bizarre beings and wasn't about to be scared off by this display.
However, the ability to manipulate matter was indeed impressive.
For a moment, Blake even wondered if he was in a timeline with the X-Men—those so-called mutants.
But he quickly abandoned the thought, as right after he spoke, a figure slowly appeared around the corner.
It was a woman with black hair, black eyes, and yellow-toned skin, looking just like any ordinary person.
The only unusual thing was the faint golden geometric shapes glowing on her hands—a circle with a few curved lines inside.
Blake's first thought was that she might be a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj.
But he dismissed the idea, as Kamar-Taj's magic had a more intense, fiery orange hue and appeared much more volatile.
The energy on this woman's hands was a pure, calm golden yellow, so subtle that it was hard to realize it was a form of energy at all.
The pattern and energy felt familiar to Blake, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Suddenly, it hit him, and three words jumped into his mind: The Eternals!
While Blake was still processing this, the woman wasted no time. She waved her hand, and her golden energy wrapped around two nearby chairs, transforming them into two hammer-like weapons the size of watermelons.
With a gesture, she sent the hammers hurtling toward Blake like two meteors.
Blake sidestepped quickly, dodging the hammers.
As he stepped forward, he was met by five or six swords of varying shapes, all aiming to strike him.
The swords covered every inch around Blake, leaving no escape.
Reacting instantly, he drew his Tang Sword.
With his intermediate weapon mastery, Blake skillfully wielded the blade, creating arcs of steel as it sliced through the air.
The sounds of metal clashing echoed as his Tang Sword deftly deflected each of the swords controlled by the woman.
It took less than a second for him to knock away all six swords.
But just as he finished, he was immediately surrounded by over ten more swords, closing in on him from all directions.
Realizing it would be impractical to fend off each one individually with his Tang Sword, Blake swept his blade horizontally, knocking away the swords directly in front of him.
Ignoring the other swords coming at him from various directions, he charged straight toward the woman.
Blake wasn't one to stay on the defensive for long.
As he took a step forward, he opened his mouth and unleashed a searing pillar of fire toward her.
This finally broke the woman's calm expression, a hint of surprise flickering in her eyes.
*******************************************
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
The energy in her hand controlled the surrounding matter, and this time, she directly turned the wooden stairs into streams of freezing water, clashing head-on with Blake's pillar of fire.
Water and fire clashed, neutralizing each other mid-air, and thick steam filled the space between them.
Neutralizing Blake's fire attack, the woman hadn't yet regained her senses through the massive steam cloud in front of her.
A piercing sound rang out as Blake's fist tore through the steam, hurtling directly toward the woman's head.
This punch was only about 50-60% of his full strength; Blake didn't want to accidentally kill her since he still had questions that needed answering.
Unfortunately, when Blake traveled to this world, the Eternals movie hadn't yet been released.
Otherwise, Blake wouldn't have underestimated his opponent so much.
A punch he thought could stop a truck was caught effortlessly in the woman's palm.
Other than a resounding "smack," the punch had no effect at all.
The woman's arm, held straight, showed no sign of strain, as though the punch was insignificant to her.
"How is this possible…"
Since crossing into the Marvel universe, Blake had always dominated his enemies in strength.
This was the first time he'd encountered someone who matched his power.
Not willing to believe it, he roared and pulled back his fist, gathering his full strength and throwing another punch directly at her.
The woman didn't try to stop him; instead, she tilted her head as if lost in thought.
Just as Blake's fist was about to reach her, she extended her hand and met his punch.
With just that one punch, Blake felt like he'd been hit by a train.
His entire arm went numb, clearly overpowered.
The woman, however, was unfazed. Her smaller fist forced Blake's entire arm back, then she turned her fist into a palm and struck his chest.
Blake was sent flying backward toward the door.
Before he could exit the room, the door and nearby furniture transformed into a thick metal sheet.
The impact left a deep dent in the metal behind him.
Blake felt his organs rattle, and it was clear he'd suffered a minor internal injury.
This small injury wasn't much for him, but the power of this Eternal in front of him was terrifying.
As he lay on the ground, the energy in the woman's hand extended like vines, reaching toward him.
It wrapped tightly around his body, binding him in at least seven or eight layers.
The energy was incredibly resilient, and Blake couldn't break free with his current strength.
As the woman approached him, a voice from his system began blaring in his mind.
Why "blaring"? Because it went like this:
[Warning! Warning! The Eternal in front of you possesses Sky Father-level power. It is advised that the host retreat immediately! Challenge her only when you're stronger!]
'Why don't you just wait until I'm dead before saying something, huh?'
Blake snapped angrily in his mind.
He'd thought this world had no high-level threats, but it turned out to be the ultimate battleground.
Blake suddenly remembered the theories from his previous life about the Eternals.
Some said that Thanos was an Eternal too.
Blake didn't know if that was true, but judging by strength, this woman was definitely on Thanos' level.
His rage had no effect on the system.
[Please remain calm. I am merely a system, not a scouter from Dragon Ball or a cheat in a video game. I cannot directly read the opponent's strength.]
Blake was infuriated.
But now wasn't the time to argue with the system.
He shouted in his mind.
'Can't you see I'm tied up? I can't escape! Tell me something useful and stop rambling!'
[Mind your tone. I issued the warning the moment I detected the opponent's strength. The host's endless rambling prevented me from providing solutions earlier.]
[The following is the system's emergency plan: Since the host has been in this world for less than fifteen days, the system will deduct 200 points to initiate an emergency transfer. If you agree, say '1'; if you disagree, you may end this conversation!]
'To hell with you…1! 1! 1!'
Blake really wanted to curse, but the woman was already right in front of him.
He could only shout "1!" frantically in his mind.
[Emergency plan activated. Congratulations, host! This is a wise choice! As the saying goes, 'a gentleman seeks revenge even after ten years.' Your inability to defeat her is only temporary. With the help of this system, the host will soon be able to return and avenge yourself!]
After a brief monologue, the system finally activated. Before the woman could reach out to Blake as she squatted down, he disappeared in a glimmering light.
From Hong Kong, he returned directly to New York. Though it seemed like a journey across half the globe, Blake had actually traveled across worlds.
Taking a deep breath, he recalled his knowledge of the Eternals from his previous life.
Unlike the comic books, in the movie universe, the Eternals weren't created by the Celestials using their DNA to transform early humans. Instead, they were guides from an alien civilization that arrived on ancient Earth.
They helped early humans develop writing, learn agriculture, and so on, acting as prophets, guides, and even gods.
Possessing eternal life, they remained hidden within human society, rarely interfering in human affairs.
Another theory suggests that the Eternals had their own enemies. When the Celestials created two races, this group of Eternals may have come to Earth to hide from their foes.
Helping humanity was incidental; avoiding interference in human development may have been to avoid exposing themselves once their enemies arrived on Earth.
Regardless of their reasons or any conspiracies hidden in their timeline, or any agreements they made with the TVA, none of that mattered to Blake now. What mattered was going through these storylines, earning points, growing stronger, and finally avenging that punch.
In doing so, he could uncover the real secrets hidden between the two timelines.
Since his last encounter with Dreykov, who had taught him a hard lesson, this time Blake had learned a painful lesson in strength from the Eternals.
Thinking that he was invincible just because he was a traveler or had a system was foolish. Both his mindset and his strength needed gradual growth.
Only then could he eventually stand tall in this Marvel universe filled with all kinds of incredible powers!
*******************************************
The protagonist is certainly no match for the Eternals right now—don't think I'm being harsh on him. This is just a small setback, and he'll definitely get his revenge. Remember, even with a system, an ordinary person needs to transform gradually after traveling. A protagonist who's instantly unbeatable after crossing over becomes too predictable!
*******************************************
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
Vous aimerez peut-être aussi
Commentaire de paragraphe
La fonction de commentaire de paragraphe est maintenant disponible sur le Web ! Déplacez la souris sur n’importe quel paragraphe et cliquez sur l’icône pour ajouter votre commentaire.
De plus, vous pouvez toujours l’activer/désactiver dans les paramètres.
OK