The deafening music seemed to shatter the glass of Stark Tower, and the lights illuminated everyone's faces, shifting between green and red.
The sudden change was too drastic, making the people on the balcony a bit unaccustomed.
Tony rolled his eyes.
He felt Leon's taste was too poor; the party atmosphere had been trampled into the standard of a third-rate nightclub.
Angry? Of course.
Humiliated? Already numb.
How to put it, he was already used to it.
At this moment, the instigator, Leon, leaned against the bar, elegantly swirling his wine glass, a faint smile on his face.
This bastard... he wasn't just a madman, he was a madman with questionable taste!
Thor continued to drink boredly; what else could he say?
Leon was right, he was just a child wielding a hammer.
He looked at Jane, the helpless expression on her face stung his heart.
If he couldn't even protect the woman he loved, what was the point of guarding the Nine Realms?
At this moment, Thor began to doubt the meaning of his existence.
Leon had already poured himself another drink, watching everyone with a smile on his lips; he had decided that tonight was the final revelry.
Starting tomorrow, it was time to do something else, such as finding another powerful general.
He knew the future trajectories of these protagonists.
Tony's anxiety, Thor's recklessness—these were the growing pains they had to experience on their path to growth.
And he was just increasing the dosage of these pains by a tiny bit in advance.
He wanted to use a simple and crude method to shatter their ingrained perceptions and make them understand the cruel truth of this Universe.
Nick Fury's death was just the opening ceremony.
He wanted to personally cultivate a team that could truly conquer the Universe, not just the Avengers who only messed around on Earth.
And these people in front of him were the first team he had chosen.
Seeing everyone's stiff expressions, he felt the timing was about right.
He decided to repeat his spiel one last time; otherwise, what was the point if these people were shocked for half an hour every time?
Leon put down his wine glass and slowly walked to the center of the balcony.
He gently raised his hand, and the deafening rock music instantly stopped, the dazzling colored lights also returning to soft, warm light.
The balcony returned to its previous tranquility, as if the earlier commotion had merely been an illusion.
"It seems everyone isn't quite accustomed to my party style," Leon's voice was gentle, devoid of any emotion.
"It's okay, we can try a different way of communicating."
His gaze fell on Tony.
"Mr. Stark, you seemed very interested in my abilities just now."
Tony's heart suddenly skipped a beat; he looked up at Leon: "What do you want to say?"
"I want to show you something," Leon smiled and snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
This time, there was no Earth-shattering miracle, just a blue holographic image appearing on the coffee table in front of Tony.
The image was a model of an energy core, exquisitely structured, far surpassing the Arc Reactor in Tony's chest.
Energy circulated stably within it, and the power output values made Tony's eyes widen instantly.
"This is..." Tony looked bewildered; he instinctively walked to the projection, his hands gesturing in the air, manipulating the model's data.
"This energy confinement method... it uses spatial folding technology to stabilize fusion? Fuck! This is perfect clean energy!"
He quickly immersed himself, the previous humiliation gone from his eyes, replaced only by the fanaticism of seeing the truth.
Leon watched his reaction, the smile on his lips deepening.
He knew that for someone like Tony Stark, no amount of humiliation or suppression was as effective as a technological problem he couldn't understand.
Then, he turned his gaze to Thor.
"Thor."
Thor looked at Leon, gripping mjolnir tightly in his hand.
Leon said nothing, then gently beckoned towards Thor.
Hum!
Mjolnir let out a soft hum, feeling the summons, instantly leaving Thor's hand and transforming into a silver stream of light, landing steadily in Leon's hand.
Thor was not surprised by this, although he didn't know why Leon had the qualification to lift Mjolnir.
But he didn't want to focus on that, instead wondering what Leon intended to do with the hammer now? Was he going to continue to humiliate him?
Leon weighed the divine artifact in one hand, an amused expression on his face.
"A good toy, Thor. Sturdy, durable, and capable of guiding lightning. For a child who hasn't learned how to control his power yet, it's indeed a good auxiliary tool."
Child?
Auxiliary tool?
"I am not a child!" Thor couldn't help but retort.
"Very good." Leon seemed pleased with his reaction; he raised mjolnir, looking directly at Thor.
"Then tell me, are you the God of Thunder, or the God of Hammers?"
Thor was stunned; the question was too sudden, and too familiar.
He remembered his father, Odin, had asked him the same thing many years ago.
"Does your power truly come from this hunk of iron?" Leon's voice became serious.
"Do you think you can't summon lightning without it? Do you think your Odinson bloodline is that cheap?"
He held mjolnir in front of Thor, the hammer's surface reflecting Thor's bewildered face.
"Thor, I've said it more than once, your power has never been in the hammer," Leon's voice was like thunder, exploding in Thor's mind.
"It's in your blood, in your fury, in the will behind every punch you throw!"
"Lightning is not your weapon, it is a part of you! You should master it, command it, make it an extension of your will, instead of relying on a tool to guide it like this! You are not the controller of lightning, you are being controlled by lightning!"
Boom!
As if to confirm Leon's words, a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the New York night sky, followed by a dull rumble of thunder.
Everyone on the balcony looked up, their faces filled with astonishment.
Leon ignored the change in weather; he casually tossed mjolnir back to Thor.
The hammer arced through the air, returning to Thor's hand.
"When you can throw away this crutch and truly learn to summon lightning with your body," Leon's voice returned to calm.
"Then, you can talk to me about the word 'full power'."
Thor stared blankly at the hammer, then looked up at Leon's expression of disappointment.
He suddenly felt a pang of guilt; he had always known that Leon was good to him, always hoping for him to grow.
Finally, Leon's gaze fell on Dr. Foster.
"Dr. Foster."
Jane's body stiffened; she quickly stood up.
"Do you want to know more about the Bifrost Bridge?" Leon asked.
"What? Uh, I mean, of course I do," Jane stammered in reply.
"Very good," Leon interrupted her.
"After the party, Thor will take you all to Asgard. I'll give you a week, and the Bifrost Bridge control room will be open to you. How much you can research depends on your own abilities."
"What?!"
Jane, Darcy, and Erik all exclaimed at once, their faces filled with incredulous ecstasy.
What had they heard?
Go to Asgard? Study the real Bifrost Bridge?
This was more exciting than winning a Nobel Prize!
Having done all this, Leon walked back to the bar and poured himself a glass of Water.
He quietly watched the people, each with different expressions.
Give Tony an irresistible bait, making him willingly upgrade his equipment and develop technology for him.
Give Thor an unattainable goal, making him furiously train and tap into his potential.
Give Dr. Foster a chance to realize her dream, and incidentally, let Asgard's divine realm technology collide with Earth's physics.
He enjoyed this feeling; he had always been a person with strong control desires.
This was much more interesting than simple destruction or conquest.
"Alright, everyone," Leon raised his Water glass, breaking the silence.
"Now, does anyone still find the party boring?"
No one answered.
Tony was studying the holographic projection with shining eyes, muttering to himself.
Thor, on the other hand, had his eyes closed, gripping mjolnir, seemingly sensing something.
The trio of Jane, Darcy, and Erik gathered together, excitedly discussing their research plans for Asgard.
Seeing this scene, Leon's smile deepened.
Look, what a harmonious picture.
Everyone had found their place, and everyone was contributing to his plan.
As for the erased Nick Fury?
Who remembered him?
He was like discarded trash, utterly insignificant.
Leon took a sip of Water, his gaze piercing through the glass, looking out at the New York night sky.
The show had just begun.
.....
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