Alaric used teleportation and in an instant returned to the temple, far away from Wade and the weasel.
At the same moment, his clothes changed, returning to their original, neat appearance.
Magic, as if in passing, also removed all the scents he had brought from the bar, leaving him clean and fresh.
Convenient.
That was the true advantage of magic.
"Phew… of course, it's still most comfortable here. The bar was too chaotic."
On the third floor of the temple, sitting on the sofa by the Window of the World, Alaric commented quietly, gazing at the night scenery.
At that moment, the cellphone rang, the one he had borrowed from the weasel.
Alaric immediately knew the call was from Wade.
"Hello?"
"Oh, fuck! How did you just do that?!"
Wade's voice on the other end was full of shock and disbelief.
"Superpowers. What else," Alaric replied casually.
"You're a mutant too!? That's awesome!"
Wade sounded like he had found a kindred spirit, genuinely excited.
At that moment, he was convinced that Alaric really could find Ajax.
"Wait… don't tell me you're also one of those Ajax created? Or are you his accomplice?"
Wade suddenly became suspicious.
"If I were Ajax's accomplice, would I need to look for you through the weasel?"
Alaric rolled his eyes.
"Hm… good point."
"In short, I can find Ajax using my abilities. You just prepare the money."
Finding someone with the help of the All-Seeing Eye was not a big problem for Alaric.
"Got it! I'll gather the money as soon as possible! Just wait!!"
Wade quickly replied and hung up.
"So you're saying he's also a mutant?"
The weasel asked curiously.
Earlier, when Alaric suddenly disappeared, the weasel thought he was hallucinating from the alcohol.
"He should be. And his abilities can help us find Ajax. This time that bastard won't have anywhere to run!"
Wade was visibly excited.
Finally, he wouldn't have to wander in the dark without any clues.
"No wonder he dared to accept such a job."
The weasel nodded, slowly understanding. At first, he thought Alaric was desperate or crazy, going straight to his death.
But now it seemed Alaric was very confident in himself and his abilities.
Even if they didn't know what his powers were, as a mutant he was surely far above ordinary mercenaries.
"Alright! My dear friend, tell me right now what's the most expensive job you've ever been paid for!"
Wade put on his mask and spoke excitedly.
"Won't you rest at all?"
"Rest? Time is money, my friend!"
...
The next day, Alaric slept for a long time before finally waking up.
After that, his day boiled down to boredom.
He read books, meditated, or simply dozed off, fighting against emptiness and idleness.
"This is too monotonous… so this is what temple-keeping feels like?"
Late at night, Alaric looked boredly through the Window of the World at the starry sky above New York.
On the table beside him lay the cellphone.
He was waiting for Wade's call.
But, as he had anticipated, he wouldn't receive that call tonight.
Gathering a million dollars was no small matter.
Which meant that he, even if he wanted to treat himself to just a single cup of coffee or milk tea, couldn't afford it.
"I should've gone to the Ancient One and tried her tea… what a pity."
Alaric muttered, feeling a slight regret.
Far away, in Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One suddenly sneezed.
"???"
The Ancient One, who hadn't felt even the slightest cold in years, raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Could it be that kid Alaric is mentioning my name behind my back?"
She paused for a moment, then immediately nodded, convinced of it.
Her intuition was often unerring.
"Good thing this boy isn't trying to peek into everything… otherwise…"
She had to admit that she was somewhat envious of Alaric's power of the All-Seeing Eye.
Fortunately, Kamar-Taj had its own protective magic, and her own strength was enough to prevent him from spying.
"Looks like he's bored."
She smiled softly, guessing Alaric's thoughts without mistake.
...
"I need to find something to kill the boredom."
Alaric finally decided not to sit idle.
"Now that I think about it, since arriving in New York I haven't checked on Tony's condition at all."
With a slight sigh, he closed his eyes and summoned the power of the All-Seeing Eye, focusing on the name: Tony Stark.
His gaze pierced through the barriers of space and time as if through a hazy veil, crossing over the city until it reached Tony.
In the next moment, he saw Tony lying on the sofa, his face pale, as if he were on the verge of death.
There was no arc reactor on his chest, it had disappeared without a trace.
"Ah… this scene… that means Obadiah Stane has stolen the reactor."
Alaric immediately recognized the moment in the story and understood exactly which phase of Iron Man's plot they were in.
"In that case… now is the perfect time for me to appear."
His eyes sparkled, sensing the opportunity to get involved.
...
Tony lay on the couch, his empty gaze fixed on the ceiling.
He felt the coldness tightening its grip on his body, his blood flowing slower and slower.
Without the reactor in his chest, the shrapnel threatened him with death.
Even if he wanted to get up and go to the basement for the old reactor to save his life, he no longer had the strength to move.
At the moment when he had completely lost hope, the entire room was suddenly illuminated by light.
In his field of vision appeared a young man in a long white suit and a red cloak, as if he had come out of nowhere.