After a whole week of celebration with Asgardian.
Lucifer decided to go back to earth. As for Loki. He just let them take care of him.
He won't actively take part in any events. He didn't want to gain anymore attention he already had.
Lucifer closed the Multiverse Store interface with a sharp flick of his wrist.
His Fundamental Insight had given him a cold reality check: while $13,225,000 felt like a king's ransom on Earth, it was pocket change in the cosmic marketplace for Tier 9 artifacts.
To truly stand a chance against a Titan who intended to court Death itself, he needed more than just Earthly wealth.
He needed to jump again—to a more dangerous world where the rewards matched the risks.
"Not yet,"
Lucifer muttered, the Martial Art Master's Presence settling around him like a heavy cloak.
"I can't leave this world just yet. I need a foundation."
Raven stepped beside him, her hood casting a shadow over her pale features.
"You are thinking of a sanctuary. A place where we can rest without being disturbed."
"Exactly. A base. Somewhere that can survive what's coming."
Lucifer didn't return to his apartment.
He flew directly to Stark Tower, flanked by Raven and a surprisingly focused Harley.
They bypassed the standard security, Lucifer's Stealth and Force Field masking their thermal signatures until they were standing directly in Tony's private workshop.
Tony was mid-weld on a Mark VII boot when he sensed the pressure shift in the room. He flipped up his mask, wiping soot from his brow.
"You're back. And you've got that 'I'm about to ask for something expensive' look on your face,"
Tony remarked, setting his tools down.
"I need a base, Tony,"
Lucifer said, getting straight to the point.
"Not an apartment. A fortress. Off the grid, shielded from both satellite surveillance and magical scrying. I have the funds to cover the materials, but I need your engineering and S.H.I.E.L.D. bypass codes to make it happen."
Tony whistled, leaning against his workbench.
"A fortress, huh? Planning for retirement at eighteen?"
"It's about survival,"
Lucifer replied.
Tony swiped a hand across a holographic table, pulling up a map of the New York harbor.
"I've got a decommissioned S.H.I.E.L.D. 'Black Site' beneath an old industrial pier in New Jersey. It's deep, it's reinforced with special iron-laced concrete, and it's officially listed as 'destroyed' in the 1990s."
Lucifer looked at the layout. It was perfect.
"I'll buy the deed through one of my shell companies. I want the following integrated:" Asgardian Reinforcement: Use the Uru-scraps I brought back to reinforce the primary doors. The Void Chamber: A specialized training room where I can unleash Void Severance without collapsing the ceiling. Raven's Sanctum: A magically dampened wing for her to monitor the astral plane. Harley's Lair: A messy place with punk gothic style. And pink… The Hangar: Space for the SUV and whatever flight tech we 'borrow' from you."
"Wow, It's going to cost you,"
Tony warned.
"The tech alone... the life support, the cloaking... you're looking at ten million minimum just for the initial setup."
"Transferring $10,000,000 now, and the rest I will pay you in installments."
Lucifer said. The System Fund dinged as the transaction cleared.
[System Fund Update: -$10,000,000]
[Current Funds: $3,225,000]
[New Asset Unlocked: The Sanctuary (Under Construction)]
"Alright, it's you so we work it out somehow."
Over the next month, Lucifer spent his time between the Tower and the construction site.
He used his Master-level conditioning to help the automated drones move heavy machinery, and he worked with Raven to etch protective runes into the very foundation of the base.
Harley, surprisingly, took charge of the interior design.
"If we're gonna hide from a space-prune, we might as well do it in style! I'm thinkin' neon lights, a weapon wall that would make a warlord jealous, and a kitchen stocked with enough snacks to last a hundred years!"
As the base neared completion, Lucifer felt a pull from the Dimensional Logistics function.
The "World Reset" cooldown was almost over.
He knew that to face Thanos, he needed a power spike that Earth simply couldn't provide.
On the final night before they were set to move in, Raven approached Lucifer on the balcony of Stark Tower.
The city lights of New York twinkled below, blissfully unaware of the cosmic shadow approaching.
"Thanos is moving,"
She whispered.
"He has already begun the search for the first Stone."
Lucifer tightened his grip on the railing.
"Then we need to be stronger. If $13 million can't buy what I need here, I'll find a world where it can."
"Where will we go?"
Raven asked.
"Somewhere with a higher ceiling,"
Lucifer said.
"A world where I can become stronger. But not too strong…"