These two names were pivotal figures in the lives of both Stark and Captain America.
And they hadn't seen either of them for a very long time.
Five years ago in the Wakanda battle, Bucky had been snapped to dust by Thanos.
For Stark, Howard had already been dead for thirty years!
So for a moment, both Stark and Captain America felt their eyes redden.
"In this World… my father is alive?" Stark asked Fang Yuan.
"He actually died once, but I resurrected Howard and his wife." At this point Fang Yuan wasn't about to hand the credit to the Sorcerer Supreme.
It was me—every good deed was mine!
"His wife?" Stark shivered. "Mom!"
Fang Yuan, ever considerate, turned to the Avengers 4 squad. "Want to go take a look?"
"Can we?" Captain America stepped in when he saw Stark's emotions spike.
"Of course." Fang Yuan nodded. "But you can only stay inside the Mirror Dimension; if you meet them in person you could easily disrupt the normal course of our Universe."
"No problem!" Stark answered quickly.
Even without words or touch, simply seeing them from afar would be a great comfort.
Captain America, Ant-Man, and Dr. Green had even less objection.
So Fang Yuan opened a portal straight to Stark Tower and, at the same time, created a Mirror Dimension at its entrance.
The four of them stepped inside.
In the Mirror Dimension they could move freely, but the outside World couldn't sense them and they couldn't affect the outside World.
Stark Tower was already hosting a huge party: Avengers, Howling Commandos, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Coulson and Agent Hill, plus many Military officers and government officials were all present.
This time the cooperation between the Avengers and the Military and government went smoothly; the authorities, for once, didn't hold the Avengers back and even provided great assistance, so everyone was free to party.
The moment Fang Yuan appeared he became the center of attention.
His single-handed charge through the portal to wipe out the Chitauri army had won everyone's awe.
The undisputed hero of the Battle of New York—Fang Yuan deserved the title.
Add to that his status as manager of Kamar-Taj's Outer Disciples, and no one dared neglect him; the higher-ups coveted his Longevity Serums even more.
Rumors had already spread that the Sorcerer Supreme had lost her magic, so Kamar-Taj would need a new Sorcerer Supreme.
Was there anyone more suitable than Fang Yuan?
Consequently, these mighty figures who were untouchable outside all took the initiative to greet him, and Fang Yuan refused none of them.
"They're all my premium leeks—of course I have to tend them carefully," he thought.
After all, they were the ones currying favor.
Meanwhile, the four Starks headed straight for the Avengers.
Stark spotted Howard at Steve's side in an instant.
At that moment Howard was gulping down alcohol, ignoring Tony's grimacing face opposite him.
"Hah, still as annoying even when he's younger," Stark muttered, though his eyes misted slightly.
"Howard!"
A familiar female voice rang out, scolding Howard for disregarding their son.
Stark's body jolted; he looked over—sure enough, it was his mother, Maria!
"Still as beautiful as ever," Stark said of his mother, his tone entirely different.
Captain America nodded, gazing at his own confident self, eyes full of nostalgia.
Dr. Green—Banner—was even more shocked.
"Hulk and I… we're actually separated?" He leaned closer and felt a sharp pang.
Because he saw that in this Universe, Banner had a girlfriend—Betty!
Banner was holding Betty's hand while Hulk flexed his biceps for soldier-fans, having the time of his life.
The sight was unimaginable to him.
Stark sniffed hard, wiped his face, then turned to the other three. "I'm ready to trust Fang Yuan and hand over the time-travel tech."
"I agree," Captain America was first to respond.
"No problem!" Banner nodded as well.
Last was Ant-Man, who couldn't wish for more superheroes to help.
"I'm in—and I think even if we don't give it…" Scott shrugged, pointing at Tony, Howard, and Banner, "they'll figure it out themselves."
Stark gave a wry laugh—true enough.
At that moment Fang Yuan stepped to the front and addressed the crowd. "Everyone!"
At his voice the entire hall fell silent, every head turning to listen.
The once-boisterous venue became so quiet a pin drop could be heard—such was Fang Yuan's influence now.
"Victory in this war against the Chitauri belongs not only to each of you here, but also to one other person." Fang Yuan pointed beside him. "Loki!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the guests.
Only the Avengers and Fury and a few others knew Loki was undercover; to everyone else he was still the would-be conqueror who had led Asgard's army against Earth and even once assassinated Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan raised his voice to explain: "Loki came to Earth only under coercion by the mastermind behind the Chitauri. Even without him, someone else would have opened the portal for them."
"After seeing the devastation the Chitauri caused, Loki decisively abandoned the dark side and chose to help Earth, leaking the location of the Chitauri mothership to the Avengers—only then could I carry out the decapitation strike."
"So although Loki was at fault, he's already made amends with his actions; his contributions can't be ignored either!"
Only after hearing Fang Yuan's words did everyone learn the secret backstory, and they promptly looked at Loki in a new light.
"No wonder Loki could show up here. I thought Thor brought him along just to keep an eye on him—it turns out it was because of this."
But some still struggled: "Still, Loki really did cause casualties. A lot of people died in the explosion at the Joint Dark Energy Research Center."
"I heard Loki didn't actually kill anyone that time—it was Director Nick Fury overreacting and triggering the self-destruct sequence..."
Nick Fury, who'd been on-site, immediately darkened; the blame had somehow circled back onto him.
Most people, however, simply marveled at Fang Yuan's magnanimity.
"The Chief Sorcerer is so broad-minded—Loki literally ambushed and killed him last time."
"Exactly. This is what a true Superhero leader looks like. No wonder he could build the Avengers and beat the Chitauri—he even reformed someone like Loki."
"Hush—now we address His Majesty the Black King!"
Loki's physique was far beyond human, his hearing equally sharp; he clearly caught every "whisper" in the hall.
"What do you mean, someone 'like Loki'?" he grumbled inwardly, frowning at the speaker.
Sensing the crowd's gaze shifting from rejection to acceptance, Loki wisely held his tongue.
With Fang Yuan personally vouching for him, Loki's reputation flipped almost instantly. Seeing everyone agree, Fang Yuan continued.
"Those who've contributed to Earth deserve full publicity. When you retell our heroes' deeds, please help clear Loki's name as well."
Though Fang Yuan said "please," most of the dignitaries present were Outer Disciples of Kamar-Taj—everyone shrewd enough to realize this was a political assignment.
The guests promptly straightened up. "No problem, rest assured!"
"We'll make it happen!"
Inside the Mirror Dimension, Stark and Captain America exchanged glances, stunned.
They recognized many guests, quite a few of whom had given them grief over the Sokovia Accords.
Yet in front of Fang Yuan they were this obedient?
"Even more surprising than Loki being a good guy," Tony muttered.
Cap heartily agreed. "Fang's a man of means."
Though upright, Steve had seen his share of darkness and knew how much dirt these elites had under their nails.
Fang Yuan could make them toe the line—definitely a shrewd operator.
He couldn't be darker than all of them combined, could he?
Look at the happy Stark family, the harmonious Banner and Hulk, the smiles on Steve and Bucky's faces, the universal praise for Fang Yuan—no way was he a villain.
"We may have landed in the wrong World, but we've probably met the right person." With someone promising to help save their World, Stark felt more confident than ever.
Cap and the others nodded.
Another bunch seduced by Vought-demon Fang Yuan.
The party didn't wind down until afternoon.
Tony and Earth's heroes went off to rest; Fang Yuan led Stark's group back to Kamar-Taj.
"So, have you considered—"
"We agree!"
Fang Yuan hadn't finished when Stark cut in, though still puzzled.
"But our mission on this timeline is to collect three Stones. Can you get the Tesseract and the Mind Stone Scepter?"
"Of course." Fang Yuan nodded.
He even offered a safer approach.
"Is your time jump one-off or limited? If you need materials, I can try to source them so you won't worry about me missing the rendezvous and ruining your plan."
His words dispelled every concern; Ant-Man Scott blurted, "Pym Particles—we need those!"
The Avengers 4 squad had barely enough Pym Particles for one round trip each; if Fang Yuan could supply more, perfect.
"Hmm... Dr. Hank Pym?" Fang Yuan feigned difficulty. "He's a tough customer."
He didn't actually know Hank Pym yet, but that wouldn't stop him from stringing the Avengers 4 team along.
After all, his all-powerful persona was firmly rooted in their minds.
"Totally agree!" Scott raised hands and feet in support.
"I can probably score four vials at most," Fang Yuan frowned.
Stark replied instantly, "That's enough!"
Two vials meant two extra round trips; even if Fang Yuan missed the date, they could still fix things.
Deal happily struck: Fang Yuan gained the Avengers 4 team's time-travel tech, and Stark gained an ally.
The only casualty might be Hank Pym—
"Damn it, who stole my particles again?"
"Howard Stark?"
You will get 90 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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