"Goodbye, Karl. Come visit us when you have time. And if we get the chance, we'll come to Earth to see you."
Gamora hugged him as she spoke.
"That's right," Rocket added. "Earth's on our travel list anyway. Maybe there are some intergalactic fugitives hiding there. Could make us a fortune."
As usual, Rocket's mind was full of money.
Drax didn't say much. Instead, he gave Karl a powerful hug, patting his back so hard it thumped loudly. He had been the first among them to meet Karl in the prison, so naturally he felt reluctant to see him leave. Still, he said nothing—he knew Karl could disappear and reappear whenever he wished.
"I am Groot."
Groot plucked a small flower from his arm and handed it to Karl as a farewell gift.
"Everyone," Karl said with a smile, holding the flower, "I've marked your ship. If I want to visit, I can come anytime. Next time I'll introduce you to some new friends."
"Well then… goodbye, everyone."
Karl lifted the Chocobo whistle and blew it.
---
One Month Later – New York
Inside the DevilMaycry Agency, Karl had already been back for nearly a month.
The moment he returned from Xandar, Gwen and the other two girls immediately surrounded him, demanding he take them to an alien planet.
In terms of authority at home, the three of them completely dominated Karl.
So he had no choice but to take them back to Xandar for another trip, letting them experience the culture and scenery of an alien world.
Another notable event: Wanda had officially graduated from Kamar-Taj.
She could now skillfully control the Chaos Magic within her.
However, according to the Ancient One, Wanda's power could still spiral out of control if her emotions became extremely unstable. She specifically warned Karl to keep a close eye on her.
Wanda had also learned some spells from the Darkhold—though only those filtered and approved by the Ancient One. The more dangerous dark magic had been deliberately withheld.
On Karl's desk sat a pot containing a small blue flower.
It was the one Groot had given him.
After learning that the flower came from a sentient tree-being, Gwen and the others took turns caring for it every day. They had also seen photos and videos of Groot through Karl's recordings.
Karl's alien adventures fascinated the three girls endlessly.
Whenever they were bored, they would head to Xandar again for sightseeing.
At this point, even Xandar felt too small for them.
---
Meanwhile, Natasha, Shuri, and Pepper—who were all part of the same chat group—were unbelievably jealous.
They wanted to visit alien worlds too.
Unfortunately, they couldn't travel through Karl's Chocobo Space.
All they could do was watch the photos and videos Gwen posted in the group.
Shuri had already taken action.
She had decided to develop Earth's first interstellar spacecraft.
Once she learned that interstellar travel required space jumps, she immediately began researching antimatter and warp mechanics day and night.
Pepper also joined the effort.
She mobilized Stark Industries to develop energy systems capable of supporting long-distance space travel.
In short:
Shuri → spaceship design
Pepper → energy systems
Which meant the real victim was Tony Stark.
Pepper didn't actually research energy technology herself—so the work inevitably landed on Tony's shoulders.
Recently he had been so busy he barely slept, even using his Iron Man suits as research assistants.
---
Another major development occurred during the month.
The new Avengers base had been completed.
It had already begun operating quietly.
Nick Fury recruited new personnel after extensive background checks, ensuring none were affiliated with hostile organizations.
After some adjustment, Steve Rogers had moved into the base as well.
He, Coulson, and several others now lived there.
Even Natasha relocated to the facility.
According to Fury:
Karl no longer needed to be monitored.
However, Natasha would remain the liaison between Karl and the Avengers.
Everything was progressing steadily.
After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., the World Security Council wanted to create a new international authority anyway.
So Fury quickly reached an agreement with them.
Thus, the Avengers Initiative quietly became a formal organization.
But this time, it would not operate openly as a global authority.
Instead, the Avengers themselves would be the public face—heroes protecting the world.
---
Stark Tower in New York had now become the public headquarters of the Avengers.
It served as their gathering place and one of the most iconic buildings in the city.
Tony had moved Stark Industries to a new skyscraper.
The old Stark Tower was handed over to Fury.
As the former landmark of New York, it was perfect as the symbolic home of the Avengers.
The new Stark Tower and Avengers Tower stood a few blocks apart on Manhattan Island—one to the north, one to the south.
The new Stark building was completely smart-controlled, with JARVIS managing every system inside.
---
Meanwhile, Karl was relaxing in the hot springs inside Chocobo Space when suddenly—
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Mission completed. Reward: New Summon – Titan.]
Karl instantly shot to his feet.
A new summon.
Titan.
Among all summons, Titan possessed the largest physical size—surpassing even Bahamut.
Naturally, gaining Titan also meant Karl obtained a new elemental affinity:
Earth Element.
The element with the greatest defensive capability.
Karl focused his thoughts.
Immediately, two massive stone arms emerged beside him, moving fluidly in response to his will—as naturally as if they were his own limbs.
---
That same day, Nick Fury called a meeting for all the Avengers.
Karl was excluded.
Mostly because Karl had completely ignored Fury's invitation.
Fury even summoned Tony.
Apparently remnants of HYDRA had been discovered inside a fortress in Siberia.
The original Avengers assembled again and boarded a Quinjet, heading straight for the location.
The operation went smoothly.
Inside the base, however, they discovered something unexpected.
Loki's Scepter.
After the Battle of New York, the scepter had been confiscated by S.H.I.E.L.D.
When S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, it disappeared.
Now it had resurfaced in the hands of HYDRA remnants—who were attempting to research it.
The Avengers successfully recovered the scepter and returned to Avengers Tower in New York.
Everyone returned unharmed.
Except Clint Barton.
For some reason, Clint had the worst luck imaginable.
He was hit by a stray bullet in the waist and was rushed into the medical wing.
Inside the medical room, a beautiful woman with an East Asian appearance was adjusting the medical equipment.
She was a physician recently hired by the Avengers.
Her specialty was advanced scientific medicine.
Her name was Dr. Helen Cho.
Meanwhile, Tony's Iron Legion followed the team inside.
These were mass-produced suits Tony had developed.
They possessed no special combat capabilities—not even weapon systems.
Their purpose was purely support:
setting up security perimeters
guiding civilians
managing evacuations
In short, they were non-combat robotic assistants designed for logistical support.
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