"Is your old man doing okay?"
The Ancient One chatted a lot with Artoria. Although Artoria felt the Ancient One was acting a bit abnormal, she still listened. This relieved the Ancient One, who then left temporarily. After spending a quiet day, Artoria received a call from Hope. Dr. Pym had been found and had already entered the hospital for treatment. There should be no major life-threatening danger, which made Artoria breathe a sigh of relief. If this elder had something happen to him, she really wouldn't know how to face Hope in the future. So, Artoria took some snacks and went to the hospital where Dr. Pym was staying to visit. Seeing Hope quietly guarding Dr. Pym's side, Artoria stepped forward to ask.
"There is no longer a danger to his life. Fortunately, no vital organs were hit and the blood loss wasn't large, but he's been unconscious for at least two days. His body won't recover in a short while; he needs a period of quiet recuperation before he can use the recovery Special Agent made from 'Extremis'."
Hope was very happy about Artoria's arrival. She hadn't been alone with Artoria like this for a long time. Usually, she was busy continuing to upgrade the Wasp Suit and hadn't been together like this for ages. So many years had passed; the little sister who was once smaller than her had now grown up and become the person she liked. Time really flies.
"By the way, how did he faint at home? I only received a distress signal."
For some reason, although the two hadn't become estranged, the atmosphere felt a bit awkward. Artoria didn't quite know what to say and quickly changed the subject, while also finding a reason to cover up how she knew Dr. Pym was in trouble. At least there was no issue with her, and Hope could easily accept such a reason.
"It might have been a robot going haywire. Bloodstains could be seen on the mechanical arm of the robot he made, so it's very likely a certain program of the robot went wrong."
Recalling carefully, Hope remembered the situation she saw when she found her Father and fabricated a relatively plausible conclusion. After all, she could only think this way. She could never have imagined just how powerful her Father was, creating such a formidable artificial intelligence life form. This was a field that ordinary modern scientists couldn't even touch, yet Dr. Pym just tinkered around and it appeared—and it was even a thinking arch-villain. One can see just how strong the 'green-skinned' scientists in Marvel really are.
"Truly a terrifying old man."
After chatting with Hope for a while, Artoria quickly left on the pretext of being busy with the company. Before leaving, Artoria silently glanced at Dr. Pym lying on the bed. This old gentleman was truly powerful; she should have him help out more some other day! But his mind didn't seem to be on other things; he only wanted to find his wife. It seemed she needed to think of a way; she remembered that Hope's mom should still be alive, right?
"Sorcerer Supreme, I remember our deal should have already been completed!"
In the void, Odin sat quietly in this expanse of nothingness. A world tree seed, looking like a walnut, floated quietly in front of Odin. At this moment, the seed no longer felt as ordinary as before. Now, Odin had done something to it; the entire seed was emitting golden light, and the sound of heartbeats came from within. Each heartbeat seemed to vibrate the surrounding space. Such a sight made Odin unable to help but nod, even narrowing his one eye; this was a good omen.
But soon, a look of doubt appeared on Odin's face. He didn't know why the Ancient One's mental power could actually lock onto his position. He hadn't told anyone about coming to this place, and he had even used divine arts to hide the surroundings. How on Earth did she find him? This made Odin very puzzled. At such a time, it was most unsuitable to be disturbed, but he still decided to give the Ancient One some face and connected with her mental power.
"Odin, I want to send a child to Asgard for some training and bring the Space Stone back to Earth."
At this point, the Ancient One stopped. Both were smart people and understood the implications. Hearing the Ancient One's request, Odin began to carefully weigh the pros and cons. Odin thought for a moment but couldn't understand why the Ancient One would send a Little guy to Asgard at this time. Was there some kind of conspiracy? But after thinking for a long while, Odin smiled silently. It seemed he was overthinking things; what kind of waves could a child possibly cause? He didn't even care for the Space Stone himself, so giving it to the Ancient One as a favor was quite good. Especially since he was at a critical juncture, it would be beneficial to have the Ancient One help Asgard, primarily to protect his children, Thor and Loki. Thinking of this, Odin felt this plan was highly viable, and letting the Ancient One owe him a favor was also good. Thus, he readily agreed to the Ancient One's request.
"In that case, then it's settled."
Odin didn't know he was being played. The Ancient One knew she might not live much longer. Once she died, all social favors would vanish. No matter how many favors she owed Odin, once she was gone, Odin wouldn't be able to collect from anyone. Thus, the Ancient One had exploited Odin's psychology. This time, the Ancient One had won a round, and Odin was going to lose miserably. Especially since he ignored the 'Little guy'—he had no idea he was courting death, particularly by offending a certain petty king right from the start. In the days to come, Asgard was essentially finished.
"I'm just saying, didn't I just go see Hope's Father? Why is everyone acting like they've seen a ghost?"
Being stared at by pairs of watery big eyes made anyone feel like a toad was stuck in their chest. Artoria originally wanted to enjoy some delicious food, but she didn't expect some big mouth to spread the news that she had brought gifts to see Hope's Father today. As a result, this group of women exploded like a pot of boiling water. Leading the charge were Maya and Gwen, the look of expectation in their eyes making one feel like they were on fire. More calm were Raven and Helen Cho. Raven's parents were long gone, so she had no expectation of meeting parents. Helen Cho's home was too far away, and she had no intention of asking Artoria to visit, as she didn't want to cause trouble, though there was a tiny sliver of expectation in her heart.
"Miss Artoria, would you like to come to my house tonight? My mother is making Lemon Sea Bass."
"Better to come to my house! I'm quite good at boiling water."
As soon as these words came out, everyone fell silent. Artoria looked in surprise at Maya, who had just spoken. She hadn't expected this fair-faced girl to be unable to cook. How did you usually eat? How did she survive before meeting Artoria? Given her tendency to stay cooped up in the lab, one really couldn't imagine her going out to find a sugar daddy.
"What are you looking at? Actually, I'm pretty good at making instant noodles."
Though she was somewhat thick-skinned, being stared at by so many eyes made Maya very embarrassed. Her first sentence was spoken forcefully to those around her, while the last was said a bit shyly to Artoria, mentioning that her instant noodles were okay. Hearing this, Artoria actually looked at her with a bit more respect. Ever since instant noodles were introduced from Taiwanese, they had been a godsend for researchers and shut-ins. Even someone who couldn't cook at all could solve a meal with just some boiling water. It seemed Maya quite identified with that lifestyle. Speaking of which, Artoria hadn't eaten instant noodles in a long time. While they weren't exactly a delicacy, one couldn't deny how fragrant they were! Sometimes, it felt like they could be addictive.
"This time was just an accident. Hope's Father was injured, and since he's an elder, it was only right for me to visit. Besides, her Father is a friend who had connections with my parents. Everyone, stop making a fuss."
Finally, Artoria spoke up. Although she didn't know what the Lemon Sea Bass tasted like, she still preferred food from Taiwanese. Even with the temptation of instant noodles, Artoria wouldn't give up her hotpot tonight. That was just how it was.
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