"I'm back!"
After waking up early in the morning, Artoria was attacked by a ball of energy. Because the other party was too familiar, Artoria didn't take out excalibur to give the other party a piece of her mind. She reached out her hands and hugged the other party's soft and plump body. The other party gave Artoria a big smile, looking so cute, with a bit of a naive and sweet feeling. This person was none other than Galacta, who had gone back with her father. Artoria thought she wouldn't be back for at least ten days or half a month, but she didn't expect that after only two days, she had actually returned. And feeling from such a close distance, Artoria always felt that Galacta seemed to have changed, but she didn't know where the change was. This made Artoria a bit depressed. What on Earth did Galactus give Galacta! To make Galacta have such a change, she really couldn't understand.
"Welcome back."
However, since she was back, Artoria also wanted to show her kindness to Galacta and welcomed Galacta back. The two intimately touched their white foreheads together, like intimate sisters, without a trace of ambiguity. But this was only their own feeling. If an outsider saw it, they would definitely have a nosebleed and say, "Yuri is infinitely good, it's a pity they can't have children; even if they can't have children, Yuri is still good." After putting Galacta down, Artoria asked what Galactus had actually done in these two days! If it were someone else, Galacta would definitely not say it, but since Artoria asked, Galacta did not hesitate at all. Seeing this, Artoria even felt sorry for Galactus; the daughter he raised didn't side with him but turned her elbow outward. Poor Galactus.
"So that's how it is, core energy, huh!"
Hearing Galacta's account, Artoria understood the changes in Galacta. It turned out that Galactus had collected thousands of dead stars, then extracted their cores and refined them into energy using instruments. She didn't know what method he used to make them into cubes, and then he gave them all to Galacta and made her swallow them all. According to Galacta's description, after this thing entered her stomach, her hunger disappeared, and instead, she felt warm in her stomach.
"One-time energy supply, storing it up. The black technology Galactus possesses is not simple. The most important thing is the core energy; this is not some docile thing."
Galacta's narration made Artoria fall into deep thought. Not to mention anything else, just in terms of the application of core energy, it seems that the technology Galactus possesses has already exceeded her understanding. It's not that Artoria hasn't seen this kind of energy; the core is the heart of a Planet. Gaea once took her to experience the heat of the Earth's core. At that time, the impression the core gave Artoria was that of a violent, irrational beast. She didn't expect that the Planet Devourer could actually utilize this energy, and quite easily at that. This couldn't help but make Artoria sigh.
"If this power could be collected and put onto the Hyperion, then would the Hyperion never lack energy to use again?"
Thinking about the Hyperion currently undergoing modifications, she couldn't help but want to find some good things to install on it. Whether it could be used or not—even if it couldn't—it was fine to just think about it, right? Imagination isn't against the law, is it! Thinking is fine, but the reality Artoria had to face was that the materials of the Hyperion couldn't withstand the violent energy of the Earth's core. This was a fact that had to be admitted; even if Artoria performed a second or third modification on the Hyperion, it wouldn't change that. Unless she used new materials and replaced all the parts of the Hyperion entirely, but that would be no different from building a new warship from scratch.
"Artoria, Artoria, I want to eat the new McDonald's."
Before Artoria could continue thinking, Galacta suddenly saw a new burger on TV. Her eyes lit up, and she began shaking Artoria's shoulder, acting spoiled. This pulled Artoria out of her thoughts. Looking at the little clown who was so happy, although Artoria didn't really like eating it, she still agreed to Galacta and prepared to take her out for a meal. Artoria hadn't eaten such fast food in a long time. Usually, her five-star chefs cooked, and the taste was impeccable, but they were easy to scare off. Occasionally eating some fast food, which parents often labeled as junk food, wasn't bad.
"Alright, let's find a time and go eat tonight!"
Feeling somewhat helpless from being shaken by Galacta, and since Artoria also wanted to eat, she spoke to Galacta. Upon hearing Artoria's reply, Galacta happily clutched a bag of potato chips and ran off to play games, not bothering Artoria anymore. It was like using a tool and then tossing it aside. Artoria could only inwardly exclaim, 'Heh! Women.' Since she had promised Galacta, Artoria had no intention of breaking her word.
"Artoria, is Galacta back?"
Seemingly sensing Galacta's presence, Gaea pushed open Artoria's door and asked Artoria. Seeing Gaea, Artoria pursed her lips toward Galacta on the side, signaling Gaea to look over. Gaea immediately saw Galacta, who was eating potato chips and completely unaffected by Gaea's presence. The moment she saw her, Gaea's face darkened. She had thought this person wouldn't return after leaving, but to think she came back after just two days—it was a total waste of her emotions. She had originally planned to ask Artoria to go on a trip together, to take Artoria on a sweet honeymoon or something. Now that this person was back, she would definitely follow along, so how could she spend time in their own private world?
"The frame has been installed, sir."
While Artoria's side was filled with chirping birds and fragrant flowers, Tony was so busy he couldn't even find north. There was the construction of the space fortress, the new armor, and the matter of Pepper's pregnancy. Based on the urgency, Tony decided to handle the fortress and the new armor first; these were the most critical areas. Pepper's matter was left for last because he believed Pepper would definitely forgive him, just like before. Tony certainly wouldn't have guessed that he had been set up by his sister. Now, he wasn't just facing the space fortress, the armor, and Pepper's situation, but also the issue of whether he would be turned into a woman.
"Continue to the next step, Jarvis."
Tony looked at the new armor projected in front of him and gave orders to Jarvis without lifting his head. According to Artoria's suggestion, he had a higher level of understanding of this organism. So, he would follow his sister's instructions to erase its consciousness and replace it with an AI assistant. However, he seemed to be caught in a dilemma: how to destroy the Symbiote's consciousness without damaging the material. He hadn't thought of a solution yet; after all, he had been looking for so long, and he still hadn't found the part that was the Symbiote's head.
"Very well, sir, but I suggest you take a break, perhaps take a shower and shave, because Ms. Pepper has returned."
Jarvis's words made Tony's tired eyes suddenly light up. Had Pepper forgiven him? As expected, his charm was high, or perhaps Pepper had come to her senses. After all, their relationship had been very difficult, sharing hardships together; how could their feelings be destroyed by such a trivial matter? Thinking of this, Tony revealed a smile he thought was very handsome. He first had Jarvis save his thoughts, then followed Jarvis's advice, took a shower, shaved, sprayed on some cologne in a flashy way, and changed into a clean set of clothes. Tony walked from the lab to the second floor and happened to see Pepper, with her big belly, lying on the sofa watching TV. This scene made Tony's gaze even softer. Yes, he was also going to be a father.
"Darling, welcome back. Would you like to eat something?"
Adjusting his collar again, Tony quietly walked to Pepper's side, extended his hands to gently embrace her, and spoke softly to her. But the next moment, he flew out. Pepper looked at her clothes with some embarrassment. She had consumed the Enhancer provided by Maya; her strength was no longer that of the weak girl she once was. Throwing the hundred-plus-pound Tony away was like child's play. In her rage, Tony suffered. Fortunately, Tony was thrown directly onto the sofa; the soft sofa didn't injure him, but the fall left him a bit dazed. Pepper looked at Tony, then at the blue potion in her hand, and poured the potion directly into an opened bottle of wine. Based on her long experience with Tony, he would definitely drink wine every time he ran out of the lab, and this bottle was likely what he planned to drink today.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.