"You really should go back and check on things," Harvey said after listening to Tony. "It seems Blue Star is about to get a little chaotic."
Tony, who had just been feeling completely relaxed, suddenly straightened up, his voice growing louder. "I'm just planning to see Pepper, and now you're telling me things are going to get chaotic again?"
Harvey responded calmly, "There's going to be a powerful artifact surfacing soon, something similar to the Tesseract. Whenever these things show up, it attracts a lot of unwanted attention."
Tony groaned in frustration. "Please don't tell me it's another one of Odin's messes."
Harvey nodded. "Yes, technically, it's one of Odin's treasures. It's just been hidden on Blue Star for a long time."
Tony threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why is Odin so careless with these world-ending treasures? Can't he just take them home and lock them away for good?"
Harvey chuckled. "The Nine Realms are Odin's territory, so from his perspective, there's no need to 'take them home.' But don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. Just a little unrest, nothing that can't be handled with the right approach."
Tony clenched his fists. "The last time, during the New York battle, even with minimal casualties, too many innocent people still died. For most of the civilians on Blue Star, any alien invasion feels like sudden, unavoidable doom."
It was because of Blue Star's vulnerability that Tony wanted to usher it into the interstellar era. A stronger planet might not be immune to invasions, but at least it could fight back.
"Gods fighting their battles while mortals suffer... it's a common story on countless planets," Harvey said, his voice calm but firm. "Even without powerful enemies, Blue Star has always faced disasters, both natural and man-made. You may be strong, but you can't protect everyone. That's an impossible task. Don't let that weight crush you, or you'll end up falling into the abyss of desire."
Tony, hearing the warning in Harvey's voice, suddenly realized how dangerously close he had been to overburdening himself with responsibility. He exhaled slowly as if waking from a nightmare.
He knew that joining the Void Sect gave him the time and space to grow stronger gradually, to eventually achieve his goals. But moments earlier, he had nearly succumbed to the desire to become as powerful as possible, as fast as possible, to protect everything he held dear. That was a dangerous path, one that could lead to ruin if followed blindly.
"Tony, you're incredibly talented and your contributions to the Void Sect are significant," Harvey continued, his tone steady. "After so many evolutions, your strength ranks among the top within the Sect. But if you ever let that hunger for power turn you into a monster, I won't hesitate to kill you, no matter how much I admire your abilities. The laws of the Void Sect apply to everyone equally."
Tony felt a chill run down his spine at the warning. He knew Harvey was serious.
"I understand," Tony said, nodding solemnly. He was grateful for the intervention—Harvey had saved him from walking down a dangerous path.
"But you? You seem so strong already," Tony said, curiosity evident in his voice. "Do you still have regrets, too?"
Sitting nearby, Sonya also looked at Harvey with interest.
Harvey thought for a moment, his gaze distant. "Right now, I haven't faced any regrets. But in the future? Who knows."
For Harvey, there were no lingering regrets because everything he had set out to accomplish had already been achieved. But the future stretched endlessly ahead, and he knew that unforeseen challenges could arise. Self-awareness was key—he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he'd never encounter regret down the line.
Tony, processing Harvey's words, stood up and smiled. "I get it. Well, I'm off to throw a celebration. I owe Kael and the others a good feast."
As Tony left, Sonya remained, watching him go before turning to Harvey.
"Master Kassadin, are you planning to visit Blue Star soon as well?" she asked softly.
"Yes," Harvey replied without hesitation. "I'll stay for a while. But don't worry, you can always reach me if needed."
"I'll keep everything in order here while you're gone," Sonya said, reassured. She had expected that Harvey wouldn't remain on Xandar forever, and she was already prepared to take charge during his absence.
"Sonya, I trust you completely," Harvey said, confidence evident in his voice.
Sonya beamed at the praise. "Hearing that from you means a lot, Master Kassadin. I'll go prepare now."
With that, Sonya left to begin researching and hiring the right people to assist with Tony's starship project. She knew that even though Tony hadn't provided the full list of specifications yet, being proactive would only help speed up the process.
Note: If you are interested, read up to chapter 335 at patreon.com/MythicForge11
Once the production lines were running, Tony knew that even more money would flow in, so he didn't care about the initial expense. Sonya, meanwhile, expanded its operations to six smaller islands, distributing different production stages for space jump technology across them. This division of labor was essential for protecting the core information from being leaked.
After setting everything in motion, Sonya reached out to some of her high-profile clients, letting them know that Tony Stark had successfully developed a space jump technology with performance metrics that matched the best on the market. Doing business with Void Island meant faster delivery times and avoiding the bureaucratic red tape that often slowed down other deals, which made Tony's technology highly sought after.
On the open market, space jump technology typically sold for 30 to 40 million, but Tony was selling them for 20 to 30 million. The military-industrial companies had to pay enormous sums for research and development, keep large teams running, and maintain their exclusivity, which kept prices high. But Tony, with his genius and minimal overhead costs, could easily offer more competitive prices while splitting profits with Harvey.
Tony knew that these early models weren't the most advanced. In a year or two, once he perfected the technology, he planned to offer a higher-performance version at a premium price. However, with the news of impending trouble on Blue Star, Tony realized he didn't have time to fully develop the next iteration just yet.
After overseeing production for about a month and ensuring that the three initial versions of the product worked flawlessly, Tony entrusted operations to Lalatina in early September 2013. He then set off on his journey back to Blue Star, carrying a haul of alien technology, materials, and research books.
Tony hadn't forgotten his next big challenge: improving the propulsion systems. Even though Blue Star didn't offer the best environment for such research, he could still make progress on the theoretical side. Thanks to his self-made space jump technology, the return journey was much shorter—he was back on Blue Star in just twenty-seven days.
Meanwhile, Harvey, after informing Sonya, returned to Blue Star himself to watch the unfolding events.
As soon as Tony arrived back on Blue Star, he reunited with Pepper. After a warm embrace, the two spent hours in each other's arms, catching up and sharing everything that had happened in their time apart. It was during this intimate exchange that Pepper revealed some surprising news.
"Who's Killian?" Tony asked, absentmindedly running his hand along Pepper's smooth skin.
"Aldrich Killian, the CEO of AIM," Pepper explained. "He initially approached me with a proposal for collaboration. His focus was on biotechnology, and I noticed he had already injected himself with some sort of serum. So, I did a little digging."
Pepper continued, her voice calm but firm. "I found out that Killian developed something called the Extremis virus. Successful injections allow people to regrow limbs, enhance their strength, and even manipulate fire."
Tony nodded thoughtfully. "Extremis virus, huh? Sounds impressive, but with a name like that, it's probably not without side effects. What's the catch?"
Pepper sighed. "Oh, there's a big one. The injections have a high failure rate, and even those who succeed, have to keep getting injected to maintain stability. The virus ends up destabilizing the body over time—it's more like poison."
"So where is he now?" Tony asked, sitting up slightly. "Did you kill him?"
Pepper chuckled softly. "Yeah. I found out he was using the virus to carry out terrorist attacks. So, I took him out and dismantled his organization, freeing the people he was holding."
What Pepper didn't mention was that Killian had tried to lure her into a trap, attempting to forcibly inject her with the virus while claiming he had feelings for her and promising they could 'transcend' humanity's limitations together. She hadn't wanted to reveal this, knowing it would only infuriate Tony.
"Shame," Tony muttered. "Sounds like he had real potential, but he went down the wrong path."
"If I hadn't killed him, Steve or someone else would have taken him out sooner or later," Pepper added casually, though part of her motive for eliminating Killian had been his disturbing obsession with proving he was better than Tony.
"Yeah, his talent was wasted, but he picked the wrong road," Tony agreed. "Wait, you said he had something against me? Why would that be?"
"I don't know," Pepper replied, feigning ignorance. "But when I interacted with him, I got the feeling he resented you. He even tried to offer me more than you ever could to work for him, like he wanted to prove he was better than you."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "This is the first time I've even heard the name Killian. I guess I should have been in the loop earlier."
Pepper smiled playfully, her fingers tracing light patterns across Tony's chest. "It doesn't matter now. He's dead, so let's not dwell on it."
Tony exhaled, his muscles relaxing again. "Yeah, no point getting worked up over a dead man."
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