บท 642: Avengers' Training: Iron Man
"Stark, it's your turn."
"What an invasion of privacy," Tony complained. "Give me a moment." A few minutes later, Stark walked through the portal into the white room. He looked around: "So, this is the Potential Room the others were discussing." He observed and discovered there was nothing but an orb at the center.
"How does this work exactly?" Tony asked.
"The orb will first scan your body to see if you have any hidden bloodline talent or if your genetic makeup is predisposed for certain tasks," Edward explained. "Then, it will use your memories to understand your life and create a character model for yourself. Once that is done, it will generate billions of possibilities/alternate timelines from that model to determine in which field you would excel the most. Lastly, it will use Fate/Divination Magic to compensate for what it previously failed to see."
Tony thought momentarily: "So, Data-gathering that involves Genetic Information and Memories, Multiverse Variant Deduction, Quantum Probability, and Causality Manipulation?"
"In the scientific terms — yes," Edward nodded, silencing Tony. He knew his knowledge in these fields was subpar as some of them were considered science-fiction even by him. He sighed before saying: "Let's get this over with."
Tony's test was quick, and Edward did not even double-check after the abnormal results.
"So, he's basically you, excerpts his talent is geared toward technology instead of magic," Morgana commented.
'Just so you know, I'm one of a kind,' Edward retorted. However, despite his words, he must admit that Tony's talent was indeed on his level.
"You have four options," Edward said to Tony.
"A pure technology path, a pure magic path, technology, and magic combined with technology as the main, or a combination path with magic as the main."
"What do you mean by pure technology?" Tony asked in confusion.
Edward looked at him with a frown, "I'm confused why you're confused."
"I thought magic was just a more advanced form of technology, but due to the culture difference from your dimension, you called it magic instead of technology," Tony explained. "Now, your words insinuate that's not true."
"You're not completely wrong," Edward explained. "At a high level, these two paths are more similar than different. However, they are still two distinctive paths, each with their own rules and regulations by which they function."
"I see," Tony nodded before asking: "If I chose the pure technology path, how advanced are you talking about?"
"Advance enough to grant you power on par with the creatures I have shown you from the Convergence or even to build a Potential Room without using magic," Edward replied, making Tony squint.
"And you have such advanced technology?"
"Why are you surprised?"
"I figure you're more of a magic guy, so even if your technology is advanced…"
"You assume a lot of things, don't you?" Edward said.
"That's just the logical conclusion after the information you've provided me."
"I have visited plenty of dimensions with advanced technology," Edward explained. "Furthermore, once I accomplished something wonderful with magic, it's easier to deduce its technology counterpart."
"That makes sense," Tony nodded.
"So, what's your choice?"
"I have no interest in magic," Tony said. "However, your words about using magic to develop technology have inspired me, so I guess I'll take the third option."
'His predisposition is toward technology, but it seems he strongly rejects magic because of you,' Morgana commented. 'He probably figured it was too late to compete with you in the field of magic, but since technology is his forte and not your focus, he can one day stand side-by-side with you once he has made sufficient achievements.'
Morgana sighed deeply.
'I truly despise this strong prideful aspect of you, geniuses.'
Edward did not comment, as she perfectly captured Tony's psychology. In fact, he knew there was a high chance he would have made the same choice if he were in Tony's shoes. He summoned a datapad and a scroll, which he handed Tony.
"What are those?"
"The knowledge you want and a contract that states that you must share any new invention you've created from now on."
"What? Are you serious?"
"I'm about to share with you knowledge that human civilization probably won't be able to develop before the next 100,000 years. I got to get something out of it."
"But that's not fair."
"It's not," Edward agreed.
"Why did no one else sign such a contract?" Tony talked to the others, and no one mentioned an unfair contract.
"None of them are Tony Stark," Edward replied.
Tony was speechless. Although such words stroke his ego, he could not be happy or gain any satisfaction from them. He looked at the contract and asked: "What if I don't sign it?"
"That's fine," Edward replied. "I'll just change your training to strength training and build the armor for you. You'll just be a pilot. Anyway, unless something unexpected occurs, that's the plan for your friend, Rodhey."
Just a pilot — these words rubbed Tony the wrong way. People might be able to pilot his suit, but he was Iron Man. He can build the suit anytime and anywhere.
He took out his phone to scan the contract before asking Jarvis to review it and summarize it. Everything was normal since the contract was direct, without any flowery words or hidden clauses, except for one thing.
"Why is there no time limit on this contract duration?"
"We're living in dire times, meaning we could die at any time, so I did not feel the need to add a time limit," Edward explained casually.
"Nice try," Tony sneered. This meant that if they survived, he would have to hand over his innovation for the rest of his life. "Add a time limit. Let's say, about 20 years."
"Keep dreaming," Edward sneered. "With how much I'm investing, don't think about getting from that contract for at least 50,000 years."
Tony wanted to yell that he wouldn't live that long, but then he realized that he was dealing with things on another scale. With this technology, achieving immortality was simple.
"That's too long," he still said. "300 years."
The sneer was even more apparent on Edward's face. Then, the two argued back and forth before compromising to half the time. Tony's heart ached as he signed the contract. For the next 25,000 years, nothing he creates will be his alone.
"Don't exaggerate things. It's not like I'm asking you to share the profit from your work, just the data."
Tony glared at him.
"And, all my investment will go down the drain if you die. I'm the one taking the risk, yet you're acting like you're the one suffering."
Tony looked in disgust, especially after realizing he had said something similar countless times to companies or people he had previously invested in.
"Alright, now that is done, let's move on to the next topic," Edward stated. "It's about your parents." He told him what happened.
"Hydra, Bucky," Tony muttered before saying with gritted teeth. "I'll kill him."
"You can't kill him," Edward said.
"Because of Steve?" he asked while glaring.
"Yes."
Edward's perspective on the movie Civil War is somewhat unique. Back on Primordial Earth, he was on Steve's side, believing the government should have no control over the Avengers. However, he despises Steve's reaction after knowing the truth and going too far to protect Bucky.
However, his current self would totally control the Avengers since, after becoming an Emperor, he is the government. He also appreciated Steve's willingness to go against the world and his comrade for the sake of his former friend. Edward believes he would do the same for his family.
"Don't look me like that," Edward continued. "As a recommendation, I'll help you revive your parents. Or, you can build a time machine and take them to the future. Don't just prevent their deaths, but bring them right before they die to the present time.
"If you just go back and save them, you'll mess up the timeline, and you may not succeed as that would only create another timeline where they were saved."
Tony took a deep breath to calm down. "I understand."
บท 643: Avengers' Training: SHIELD
Tony's training soon finished since Edward chose a more hands-off approach with him. Once everything ended, he called the three members of SHIELD: Fury, Coulson, and Maria Hill. As soon as they arrived, they looked around at this white room.
"I would like to launch a complaint," Coulson said.
"What is it?" Edward asked.
"Why are we together while everybody has a one-to-one training session?"
"That's a fair complaint," Edward nodded. "The test is about to start. You only need to stand before that ball."
"You're not even going to respond?"
"Do you want me to be a jack-ass and tell you the cold truth?"
"Never mind," Coulson said, slightly hurt. However, Fury and Maria remained calm. They knew they were not heroes; they had heroic qualities, but they understood, at their core, that they were government workers. So, they proceeded with the test. Edward looked at the results, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.
'Well, at least there are some normal results,' Morgana commented.
'Indeed.' Besides Fury, the other's tests were regular, but only by the standards of the Avengers. By all the other standards, even the Empire, they were excellent. Edward pondered how to train them.
"Is something wrong?" Fury asked.
"No," Edward reassured. "Maybe." he changed his mind. Everyone looked at him in confusion.
"Do you know your greatest talent?" he asked Fury, and the latter shook his head.
"Besides your abilities as a top spy, your greatest asset is luck."
"Luck? As in, I'm lucky?" Fury was confused. He never considered himself lucky, and he could not imagine how this was a power.
"Luck is an illusory thing but also a potent force," Edward explained. "However, in your case, it has manifested in the form of survival. In other words, you're not lucky in the typical sense, but when in danger, you can always find a way out. Even the universe will actively help you escape."
Fury frowned. During his long career, he faced countless dangers, some of which he survived through sheer luck. But he never thought this would be a talent.
"Wouldn't that mean no one could kill the director?" Maria asked. However, Edward shook his head: "Everything is subjective. For example, if I wanted to kill him, even if the universe materialized itself and intervened, it could not stop me from eradicating him."
The three understood his words. Fury's luck might be extraordinary, but his luck will be useless when faced with these beings that can influence things on a cosmic scale.
"However, if you were more powerful and had access to certain abilities, this would be another case," Edward said with squinting eyes.
"Do you have something planned?" Fury asked.
"I have a mission for you, but it's voluntary."
Fury immediately frowned. Although he'd only meant Edward for a short period, he could tell he was willing to enforce his views and ideas on others. Yet, such a person was asking for his permission.
"Is it dangerous?" Coulson asked.
"Extremely," Edward told the truth.
"How dangerous are we talking about?" Fury asked.
"If something goes wrong, even someone like me will die instantly."
Coulson almost gasped, while Maria and Fury could not contain their calm demeanor. "What kind of mission is so dangerous?"
"I want you to infiltrate a timeline with a Multiversal Entity and gather information on them."
Fury had to use every fiber of strength in his body not to curse. After Clint and Natasha's training, everyone knew the Tier Classification of Strength. They knew Edward was Tier 10, meaning he could effortlessly influence an entire universe. They also learned about higher tiers.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Fury asked, trying to control his emotions.
"Listen to me first," Edward stated. "I won't send you blindly. First, your soul will have to reincarnate into that timeline."
"Reincarnate? As in, become another person? And maybe even a baby?" Coulson asked, interrupting him. However, Edward calmly explained.
"You'll eventually awaken your memories, and your current personality will be the dormant one," Edward explained. He won't let Fury follow the same path as his clone, where he's born with his memories and forced to grow up instantly. If Fury has a traceable identity in that universe, it will be easier for him to integrate and hide himself.
"Second, I'll engrave the spell: Fortune Eyes into your soul," Edward continued. "It will allow you to see your own luck and others. With it, you'll be able to predict danger and better use your survival talent."
Fortune Eyes is one of the Empire's accomplishments after years of studying the Felix Felicis (Luck) Potion and the concept of luck as a whole. Unfortunately, Luck seems to be a branch of Destiny Magic, meaning Edward's talent in that area was mediocre, so he rarely used it.
"Third, I'll give you a [Synthesizer]," Edward added.
"Synthesizer?"
"It's an artifact that can make anything you need for your mission to succeed," Edward explained. "I'll program it to build you a Tier 10 Suit just after you're born to protect you."
"It can build anything?" Fury asked for confirmation.
"Yes, anything." Alright, Edward was bragging, but the synthesizers' limitations were minimal. He doubted Fury would ask it to build something that fell into these limitations.
"Can it build a universe?" Coulson asked as a joke.
"That's easy," Edward nodded, almost making the SHIELD agent choke. Then, he remembered what kind of entity he was dealing with. Fury was deep in thought.
"Director, you're not really thinking about this, are you?" Maria asked.
"I am."
"But…"
"We're living in an unprecedented time, and everyone must pull their weight," Edward said. "With me here, our timeline does not need to worry too much about Tier 10 threats. However, Tier 11 or higher is something else. Although I have plans to prepare to deal with these entities, my confidence in this matter is too low. If Fury can gather some basic information about these entities, it will help me prepare to deal with them."
"Do you have a way to deal with Tier 11 Entities?" Fury asked.
"Yes, but it's still in the works." Edward did not elaborate further. These people were weak, meaning their minds were easily read. Additionally, Fury might be reincarnating soon, so he needed to be on the lookout in case someone caught him and searched his soul.
"Alright, I'll do it," Fury said. The others opened their mouths but did not say anything.
"You're a real man; I admire your courage," Edward praised.
"Thank you." Fury did not know whether he meant those words or was just acting how the people in power treated people willing to sacrifice themselves for their causes. Regardless, he also knew how to maintain relationships.
"For this plan to succeed, we must take a few precautions," Edward continued. "First, you won't be born on Earth. Earth is usually the center of many major events in the universe, meaning that countless powerful entities have their gazes on it. We need to minimize the possibility of your discovery.
"Additionally, I cannot provide the [Synthesizer] with too much energy, or there is a risk of someone discovering your reincarnation. The artifact will be programmed to draw energy from the universe and the surrounding dimensions. However, it would be best for you to actively search for better energy sources, like the Infinity Stones.
"However, these artifacts are also hot potatoes, so it's best to decide after figuring out the situation of that timeline."
Fury nodded.
"Secondly, you must understand that if a Tier 11 entity catches you, the synthesizer will instantly eradicate your soul," Edward said calmly.
"What? You can't do that," Coulson said.
"No, he must," Fury said. "We can't risk anyone tracing my origin to our timeline."
"Exactly," Edward nodded. He could have sent only a piece of Fury's soul into reincarnation. However, such an approach had a hidden danger: it's possible to calculate the cause and effect of that soul even if a piece is destroyed. Forget Tier 11. Even a Tier 10 entity good at divination, or even Curse, can find the origin of Fury's soul and trace it to this timeline.
As such, Fury's entire soul must reincarnate. The process of reincarnating and assimilating with the new timeline will further isolate his cause and effect with this Earth, and once the soul dies, the cause and effect will be permanently severed.
"Don't worry about your death since you can rely on Project Phoenix to live again."
"What's that?"
"I'll copy your memories, store them, and if your soul dies, I'll transfer them to a clone. You won't technically be the same person since your soul will be different, but you'll still be you."
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