"I will take this as repayment. Knowing you, you don't want a free ride, so consider this wardrobe paid for.", Tony's voice said, only to see a change in his appearance, alongside Pepper and I. He reached out, and yoinked a thousand dollars. Tony is right, I consider this a transaction. I'm getting a bunch of stylish clothes from him.
It ranged from branded t-shirts of various colors, stuck-out collared polo shirts, slacks, jeans, track shirts, cargo shorts, and even a denim jacket or two. I now had a wide variety to select from.
"Is a thousand enough to cover all of this?", I said, taking a look at the walk-in closet that was filled to the brim.
"You know what, make that two g's.", Tony said, and yoinked more cash from me. "Happy will be busy setting up that shell company for you. Once the paperwork is ready, Happy will come over to pay you another visit. Once again, congratulations on being a successful business owner at the age of eighteen."
Tony smirked at me as he put emphasis on that last part.
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that last part. It's not like I'm going to be doing anything apart from moving funds around to make it appear legitimate in the eyes of the government. I do want to purchase a car sooner or later so I can hit the road and experience life, you know?", I said.
Since I was plopped into the MCU, I did a whopping two Instance Dungeons, and moved into a luxurious, twelve-floor apartment. Most of everything I could think of is available here, but I don't want to be cooped up all day inside of Azure Point. What's the point of enjoying life if you don't have a little fun along the way?
Sure, the rich life is good in its own way, but there's a big world out there. And knowing this is the MCU, there's a wide universe out there too. I don't need to limit myself to Planet Earth. In due time, If I wanted to visit Planet Hala, I could. If I wanted to visit Planet Xandar and potentially meet Star Lord, I could. Even visit Asgard? No problem at all! Not saying that I will, because I need the appropriate strength, and the means to head into outer space first, but that's just the point I'm trying to make.
I don't need to limit myself to just one area!
And shifting perspectives closer to home, if I decide to let's say, pay Kamar-Taj a visit and pay my respects to the Ancient One, I'd rather do it on my own terms. I'm pretty sure she's the one who has been snooping around since yesterday. I'm surprised Soul Protection didn't trigger once we finished the second Instance Dungeon, so perhaps she has backed off for now?
I know the Ancient One moves from Sanctum to Sanctum, so right now, she may not be in New York City. Nonetheless, the New York Sanctum is still the closest one and I vividly remember the street name, so it shouldn't be hard to find. Apart from buying a car, my traveling paperwork is already in order. Once I can dip into that fifty grand, I may visit New York City. We'll see.
"I can get behind that. Tinkering away at my lab back at Malibu is what I like to do to pass the time. But that's me saying that as an engineer. I still like to hit up the night life as you can see. If you want to visit places, no one is stopping you.", Tony said, nodding his head in agreement. "By the way, I made sure the items Ms. Potts and I used in that dungeon were stored away in my Inventory before you disbanded the Party. It does look like I won't be able to access them, and I can't open my Status anymore. I'll need to keep that in mind when I decide to hammer away again. I'll hit you up if I feel like crafting more items."
"Sounds good to me. I still want to get settled and everything first. I made a bet with Jarvis and he is keeping the pantry stocked until next Wednesday, and is cooking my meals for me, so until then, I can kick back and relax. I may tackle that third Instance Dungeon too. I also have a couple things to review.", I said.
The Kobold Nest - Level 10 Instance Dungeon. My new Equipment and Spells. Access to Light Magic. Beginner's Pack Level 5 and likely it's next step. And my improved Stats. I have a lot to review, and a lot of it happened right as I defeated the boss!
"Thanks for letting me use the shower in one of the guest rooms. I know this place is being rented by you now. I'll overlook Tony's previous attitude before when we first came here. I do apologize on his behalf if we interrupted your day.", Pepper said, feeling a bit apologetic. Even she received a new outfit from this. Our worn and torn clothes were long gone. Straight into the shredder. No one needs to know how that came to be, apart from Tony, Pepper and Happy.
"I'm still just as shocked you two are fine going along with all of this. I assume some things can't be explained, like how you vanished for those three minutes. I refuse to believe these dungeon things are real until I see it with my own eyes.", Happy said, and sighed.
"Hahaha!", I laughed, hearing that. "Perhaps one day you will, Happy. You do not need to worry whether or not I can earn enough to continue living here. I basically met Tony's requirement, even though it isn't a hundred-percent of the way there yet. I'll leave the shell company to you."
"Yeah...", Happy said, and sighed. "You really put too much on my plate, Mr. Stark. At the very least, you can keep those board members happy while I get this business squared away. You owe me that much."
"Fine. I'll humor you.", Tony nodded, causing surprise to reach Happy's eyes again.
"You're actually agreeing with me?", Happy asked with his eyes raised.
"Yeah. I am.", Tony replied with another nod. "You better take this before I change my mind. I know I suddenly put a lot on your plate. Besides, Stane will likely want to know where I've been. He's such a stickler for the finer details. You may meet him down the line too, Myles. You best be ready for that."
"I know. I don't know if I'll need to work at Stark Industries, but I'll be ready when the time comes.", I responded.
"Very well. We'll get out of your way then. And if you ever feel like hitting up a nightclub, I'm but a single call away.", Tony said with a smug look in his eyes.
"What will I ever do with you...", Pepper uttered, and sighed. "But Tony is right. We'll leave you to your own devices. I need to let everything settle with what I experienced.", Pepper said, regaining her composure. "Oh, and before I forget, Stark Industries is holding its annual Stark Expo in May. You'll likely receive an invitation. Most of them have been cancelled due to unexpected situations, but I think we can hold one this year."
"The next Stark Expo, huh? Got it. I'm not a tech wiz, but I don't mind going to such conventions. Besides, since I'm acquainted with Tony now, I may even get a front-row seat, haha!", I laughed with a smile.
"It'll cost you. But yeah, I plan to hold the Stark Expo this year. It's been cancelled a lot lately so I feel it is time to shed some light onto it again. It allows innovations and all that jazz. I'm not one to turn down bright minds who may end up working at Stark Industries later on.", Tony said.
"Wow, you actually said something tame for once, Mr. Stark. We'll need to run this with the rest of the board, but they should be fine with it. Plus the people will enjoy seeing your face again. You love that attention.", Happy said.
"You know me so well, Happy. That's why you're my you're my bodyguard.", Tony said, letting that smug look remain in his eyes. By now, we wandered away from the walk-in closest back down to the lobby where the gold-clad elevator was.
Ding.
The elevator ding, and it's doors opened. Tony, Pepper, and Happy walked inside. Any residue from the Zombies were long gone by now. They didn't have to worry about the stench of the dead being carried with them. Cleanse and cleaning up afterward in the showers sure did wonders. I must say, I look quite spiffy myself now that I'm in a blue polo shirt with some jeans. I'm not exactly a jeans guy, but I need to learn to fit in with the crowd. The less attention I draw, the better.
Before I knew it, I was left alone. I didn't have to go anywhere unlike them. For the time being, Azure Point is my home!
It was then I heard a familiar noise. Growwwl!
My stomach made a loud noise, causing me to laugh again. While time might have been mostly stopped during that Instance Dungeon apart from fighting the Undead King, we exerted a lot of energy during the waves of the Zombies. I wouldn't be surprised if Tony and Pepper took the rest of the day off.
While we may recover physical damage from leveling up, that doesn't make the mental exhaustion go away, just like that. It would be here that I wish I came with Gamer's Mind, cause I could use that to endlessly grind away. But at the same time, that is equivalent to that of being a robot, and I don't really want that to happen to me. I enjoy the feeling of being tired, feeling excited, feeling happy, and so on. As weird as that sounds.
Seeing that I was hungry, I spoke out. This is Azure Point, and Jarvis is still around, at least for the next week. Perhaps the next three months, or until I meet Tony's requirement for the remaining five grand. Right now, because Tony took two grand from me, I have fifty-three grand total. I may head out to do some variety shopping, but I want to eat an early lunch first.
Glancing at the time, it was approaching noon now. They were over for over an hour before they made their way out of Azure Point.
"Say Jarvis, can you fire up another filet mignon steak, medium rare? Sliced sweet potatoes, diced carrots and onions, and to top it off, a teriyaki-based gravy? I'm also wanting something sweet so add in a couple slices of cheesecake.", I requested.
"It would be my pleasure, Alex. Your meal will be ready in thirty minutes. I have prepared some herbal tea to ease the exhaustion you likely accumulated. As Mr. Hogan has stated, I do not know what this "dungeon" business is, but it sounds like you exerted a moderate amount of energy when you vanished. I would advise against physical activity for the remainder of the day.", Jarvis recommended.
"I'll take that into consideration. I am pretty beat, so having some tea would perk me right up. Thank you, Jarvis.", I said with a smile. And get this. You know that huge one-hundred inch flat-screen television that was the iconic mark of the penthouse lobby? It can be voice-activated. I don't even need a remote!
Let's see if there's anything interesting on the news while Jarvis gets me that tea. I'll do as Jarvis recommended, and relax for the rest of the day while reviewing my gains. I've earned it!
Let's see what that Beginner Pack - Level 5 is all about too!