Capítulo 4076: Chapter 3184: "Romantic" Wedding Season (68)
The small island was situated not far from Palm Beach, and it shared California's mild climate. Even in the morning, there wasn't much of a chill; the breeze that blew was warm.
With the crowd on the plaza growing, waitstaff led them through tree-lined paths to the adjacent lawn for breakfast, which was still in the form of a buffet, just with some welcome props added to the side.
Each arriving guest could pick up a souvenir gift, which wasn't the official wedding favor but rather some trinkets for the welcome banquet. Shiller received one as well, having no idea what it contained.
The breakfast was lavish but consisted mostly of cold dishes. Shiller had little appetite and found a chair to sit down and began to unpack the gift.
The gift was split into two parts, a small box and a rolled-up letter. Upon opening the letter, it contained commonplace content expressing welcome and thanks, complete with the signatures of Stark and all the brides and grooms at the bottom.
Shiller then opened the small box and found an electronic watch inside. Turning it over, he saw the Stark Group's logo; it must be Stark Group's new product.
After starting the electronic watch, he discovered it had a holographic projection function. The clock that displayed digits seemed to float above the dial. It was undoubtedly a product Stark would design. Practicality aside, it was absolutely showy.
Shiller put away these two gifts. As breakfast wasn't over, he idled around with a plate, grabbed some bread, and wandered around while eating.
Shiller spotted some young heroes, mostly Matt's students. A few members of the New Warriors Team were there too, but the young people were all gathered, studying the electronic watches and discussing some popular topics on the internet.
Only then did Shiller remember he needed to update his account; not that he wanted to stand anyone up, but he really wasn't accustomed to taking photos wherever he went. It had been several days since his last update.
Thinking of this, Shiller took out his phone, shot a photo of Stark's welcome gift, and snapped some pictures of the food at the breakfast buffet. However, since all the guests were important figures, he made sure not to capture anyone in the frame.
Then, with casual editing and random music selection, he finished and uploaded it just as the breakfast was coming to an end. Ultron approached and said, "Sir, you posted a new video? I was also considering whether to post a record of the wedding."
"I think you could do an interview with the bride and groom," Shiller suggested. "Anyway, Tony will definitely accept your interview. You can ask him about his feelings and such; he must have a lot to say."
"Good idea!" Ultron said. "But aren't you doing it yourself, Sir?"
"If I went, they would just expect a big surprise from me," Shiller shrugged helplessly.
"Oh, right, you must have surprises prepared, so no time for interviews. Then, I'll go." Ultron waved his hand and headed toward the mansion's back door.
Shiller could only watch his retreating figure helplessly.
The breakfast was over, and all the guests had arrived. The service staff led them along another path to the backside of the estate's transportation station, where flying shuttles would take them to the official wedding site.
Stark opted for a beach wedding, located on the longest stretch of white sand beach he had created. The podium for the priest was set facing away from the sea, while the guests faced the ocean.
Seats were lined up on both sides, with a bright red carpet down the middle—perhaps because it was a group wedding, there was plenty of space left in the middle, and the carpet was spotless, without a grain of sand.
The guests quickly took their seats. Obadiah, the officiant, and the priest were discussing something in front of the podium.
After Shiller sat down, Star Lord was to his left, Eddie to his right, Natasha in front, Connors behind, Dr. Banner sitting diagonally in front to the right, and even the Winter Soldier was diagonally behind to the left. Wow, how worried must they be that he'd cause trouble?
Surrounded by superheroes, Shiller was not nervous at all. He surveyed the wedding site, which during the rehearsal had only been a skeleton without such richness.
Besides the carpet and chairs, the main area of the wedding was also adorned with flowers, balloons, and shrubbery arches. Aside from roses, there were also many precious-looking tulips and roses in colors of orange, red, and white, resembling California's most famous cocktail, the "California Sunset."
The balloons were mainly in shades of pink, blue, and white, made of a special material that reflected a silk-like gloss in the sunlight.
To the right of the main venue was the dining area, far larger than the breakfast venue. Another important purpose of the wedding was socializing; clearly, this was where the real action of the wedding would be.
The left side was obviously a playground for the kids. Many guests came with their whole families, big kids and little kids—it was a big crowd. Stark simply built a sandcastle, embedding slides, ropes, and the like for them to enjoy to their heart's content.
Though it looked like a playground, it was also meant for socializing. While the kids played inside, parents could gather nearby to chat and drink, talking about their children.
Today's wedding was bound not to end quickly; there was too much for everyone to talk about.
Shiller glanced at his phone. Dream Power Doctor Strange told him he was ready. Next, of course, was the act of riding in hot air balloons and passing through the Illusion world.
Shiller didn't know how Eddie had edited the sequence. But seeing several couples descending from the hot air balloon looking somewhat bewildered, he understood the goal was achieved.
As the guests were steadily taking their seats, Shiller had already changed into his groomsman outfit. Accompanying the brides and grooms, he emerged from a cave on the side of the beach. As soon as they made their appearance, the beach erupted with enthusiastic applause.
Gwen still went on to be a bridesmaid, wearing a long dress interwoven with silver-white and light pink colors, walking behind Gwen who was holding that crocodile bouquet dressed in a skirt.
She seemed to really like the crocodile, constantly touching its head as she walked. Shiller could only pray in his heart that when it was time to toss the bouquet, nobody would try to catch Gwen's.
Shiller walked behind Steve, and the flower girl Helen beside Pepper gave him a wink.
They made their way up to the podium.
All the newlyweds arrayed themselves in a line, with the groomsmen standing behind them; the priest began to read out the vows, the witness standing beside them with a smile on their face.
It's traditional at weddings not to ask whether one is willing, so after the vows were read, the couples began exchanging rings.
The rings moved from one hand to the other, but no one was in a hurry to turn around because there was one final step: that was for friends and family to express their blessings for the marriage.
The representative of friends and family was naturally Shiller.
He walked up to the podium, thought for a moment, tossed aside the polite script Eddie had given him, flashed a smile, and began to speak.
"Without a doubt, today is a fine day, with the sunlight beaming down on us, making everything seem so gentle."
"As I walked over the red carpet, the warm ocean breeze came towards me, the white fine sand dancing close to the ground like performing an ancient and desolate dance."
"Our shoes left shallow imprints in the sand; on this land, countless people have left such marks—there were pioneers, fishermen, and gold prospectors."
"They scurried between the sea and the land, buried their bodies into the sand, and sent their souls off to the sun."
"I sing the praises of California State, where the sun is so kind, sheltering many a traveler without a home, building a new haven here."
"The shimmering emerald water, the gently swaying palm leaves, the rustling sea breeze by our ears, all seem to whisper 'wealth, fame,' yet to my ears, they also murmur 'love, romance.'"
"Many years ago, when the natives here plucked palm leaves, slit them and wove them before placing them on the newly built roof, wealth, fame, and love intertwined, giving birth to a tangible name—'marriage'."
"As toddlers step in their parents' footprints, leaving their mark here, the sunlight of California is still so kind, the sea breeze still dances with the sand at their feet, and we cheer passionately for everything we witness at this moment."
"When our bodies dissipate like sand in the river of time, the souls interwoven under the sunlight by lovers will forever dwell in the sun's memory."
"In the human race's history, so brief it cannot be any shorter, in the sun's life, so long it cannot be any longer, there will always be the name of this moment."
"Let us praise it, praise the sunlight of California, praise the marriage woven from wealth, fame, and love, praise the footprints named responsibility solidified in marriage."
"Praise the sand we've gathered like most precious gold that will cover these footprints, praise this flash of human emotion that never fades—the praise of God."
As Shiller finished speaking, the guests erupted into enthusiastic applause, and everyone stood up and came forward to hug the bride and groom.
People gathered together, cheering and taking photos, then dispersed again, the brides moving to the front, turning their backs to the crowd, and tossing their bouquets.
Shiller had already moved back into the crowd, timing his reach just right—good, he caught nothing.
The crocodile Loki bouquet landed squarely in Natasha's hands; now Shiller decided to silently mourn for the crocodile instead.
Just then, Stark suddenly clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. He spoke loudly.
"Thank you all very much! Thank you! The ceremony is now complete, but I still have one thing to say!"
"My friend, or rather my many friends, they've spent a lot of time to give us such a perfect wedding, but if I were to say what touched me the most, it would naturally be the scene we saw as we made our entrance, sitting in the hot air balloon."
"My friend, Doctor Schiller, allowed his friend to enter our dreams, and realized for us an impossible hypothesis—'If we were to abandon our current selves, would our souls still attract each other?'"
"I was quite anxious about this, even to the point of losing sleep, but now I have my answer. I saw it in the dream, and it moved me deeply."
"Now, I hope I can share this emotion with you all. Please give me a few more minutes, let us witness this beautiful dream of love together."
Everyone quieted down, curious about the beautiful dream Stark spoke of, while Shiller, standing at the back of the crowd, revealed a sly smile.
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