Chương 105: Chapter 105: The Harmonious Trio 

Because he was wearing full Asgardian royal formal attire, absolutely everywhere Luke went, he was treated with terrifying levels of profound reverence. Even when he just wanted to buy a quick snack from a street vendor, the poor merchants would practically prostrate themselves, serving him with such excruciating care that Luke genuinely felt uncomfortable. 

He couldn't enjoy the lively, chaotic festival atmosphere at all. 

Out of sheer exasperation, Luke retreated to his guest suite to ditch the overly ornate robes and change back into his regular, comfortable Earth clothes. At Tony's strong, highly insistent recommendation, Luke also put on a pair of plain, non-prescription glasses. 

"Are you absolutely certain people won't recognize me just because I'm wearing fake glasses?" Luke asked, awkwardly adjusting the frames on his nose, looking skeptically at Tony. 

"Uh... it should be enough to fool the casual observer. But to be absolutely safe, you should also apply this," Tony said, barely suppressing a laugh as he handed Luke a strange, incredibly thin, completely transparent film. 

"What the hell is this?" Luke held the transparent film up to the light. "How is a completely clear piece of plastic supposed to hide my face?" 

"Can you please stop acting like an idiot? Even Rhodey has more technological awareness than you," Tony snatched the film back and unceremoniously slapped it directly onto Luke's face. 

"Hey! Can you at least leave me a breathing hole?!" Luke swatted Tony's hands away and peeled the film off his face. Looking closely, he realized it was actually a highly sophisticated, ultra-thin mask with microscopic pores. 

"Wait... is this one of those photostatic facial disguise masks?" Luke realized, remembering a similar, albeit bulkier, piece of technology from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

Luke carefully aligned the mask with his features and pressed it onto his face. He stared into the mirror. He still looked exactly like himself. 

"So... how exactly do I change my appearance?" Luke asked Tony. 

"This is exactly why I despise people who skip the tutorial," Tony grumbled, pulling a small, sleek remote control device from his pocket and tossing it to Luke. 

"You didn't give me an instruction manual!" Luke caught the device. Looking at the small holographic screen, he saw dozens of different, pre-programmed faces. He casually selected one that looked relatively normal. 

With a simple click, the transparent film on his face rapidly shifted color and texture, perfectly mimicking the selected face. It even microscopically adjusted its contours to seamlessly blend with Luke's underlying bone structure. 

Luke turned his head side to side, thoroughly inspecting his reflection. The disguise was flawless; he couldn't spot a single seam or imperfection. 

"Incredible invention," Luke offered a genuine thumbs-up. 

"Obviously. I am Tony Stark," Tony tilted his chin up slightly, flashing his signature, arrogant smirk. 

Luke rubbed his new face. "Alright, let's go. We shouldn't keep Pepper waiting." 

Luke started walking toward the door but suddenly paused and spun around. 

"Hey, Tony... you want to pull a prank on Pepper?" 

Pepper Potts was standing on the expansive balcony of their guest suite, completely mesmerized by the breathtaking Asgardian scenery. The stark, incredible contrast between the massive, highly advanced alien battleships hovering in the sky and the ancient, majestic, golden architecture of the city below was utterly captivating. 

"If you love the view so much, why don't you ask Luke to snap a few high-resolution photos for us to take back?" 

Tony's voice suddenly echoed from behind her, breaking her reverie. 

"That's a wonderful idea. So..." Pepper turned around with a bright smile, only to find Tony standing there alone. 

"Wait, where is Luke?" 

"Oh, him," Tony shrugged helplessly. "He suddenly remembered he forgot something important and frantically rushed back to Earth. You know how he is with those fancy glowing portals." 

Tony mimicked drawing a circle in the air, making Pepper chuckle. 

"Well, shall we go explore the festival then?" Pepper found Tony's behavior slightly uncharacteristic, but she simply assumed he was also caught up in the festive, relaxed Asgardian atmosphere, so she didn't overthink it. 

"Absolutely. I definitely didn't want to waste our precious romantic time waiting around for him anyway. Besides, it's significantly better when he isn't here third-wheeling," Tony offered his arm with a charming smile. 

Pepper smiled warmly and stepped forward to link her arm through his. 

However, the absolute microsecond her hand touched his bicep, she violently recoiled as if she had touched a red-hot stove! 

"YOU ARE NOT TONY! WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE ARE LUKE AND TONY?!" Pepper screamed at the top of her lungs, intentionally trying to attract the attention of the Asgardian guards patrolling outside. 

Instantly, a large squad of heavily armored Einherjar guards violently breached the suite, their razor-sharp spears glowing with lethal magical energy, all leveled directly at 'Tony.' 

"Okay, okay! I admit, this prank went a bit too far." 

'Tony' sighed helplessly. "I really should have warned you guys." 

'Tony' tapped a small device hidden in his palm. Instantly, his face shimmered and shifted, reverting back to Luke's original appearance. 

"I was just playing a harmless prank on my friend. You are all dismissed," Luke ordered the surrounding guards. 

The guards were momentarily stunned to see Prince Luke's face under the disguise. They exchanged uncertain glances but remained in a highly defensive posture, their spears still pointed at him. 

Luke sighed in deep exasperation. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a standard Shadow Ninja from the floor. "Is this sufficient proof of my identity?" 

Seeing the signature Shadowkhan construct, the Asgardian guards finally breathed a sigh of relief. They immediately retracted their weapons, bowed deeply in apology, and quickly returned to their posts. 

"Luke?! Honestly... I should have guessed it was you," Pepper calmed down, recognizing the photostatic mask Tony had proudly shown her earlier that day. She sighed heavily. 

"I really should have known." 

"I sincerely apologize. I just wanted to test exactly how well you knew Tony," Luke offered a genuine, slightly sheepish apology. 

"It's... fine. But please promise me you will absolutely never play a prank like this again," Pepper said, still feeling a lingering spike of adrenaline. 

"I promise. I am truly sorry," Luke apologized again. 

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom cracked open slightly. 

"Uh... could you please give me my clothes back now? I'm literally just wearing a bedsheet right now, and I am absolutely terrified that an Asgardian maid is going to walk in. If that happens, I am immediately fleeing back to Earth and establishing a permanent, off-world colony to hide from the shame." Tony poked his head out, looking incredibly pathetic. 

"Coming right now," Luke called back. He offered Pepper an apologetic smile before retreating into the bedroom. 

"So... I'm just supposed to wait for you guys again?" Pepper rolled her eyes as the door clicked shut. 

"Hey, I patiently wait for you to try on different outfits all the time! Just give us a minute, alright?!" Tony called out playfully from behind the door. 

"Well, you two better hurry it up!" Pepper turned back to the balcony, returning her attention to the magnificent view. 

A few minutes later, Luke and Tony emerged, both wearing their own, respective clothes. 

"Seriously, why didn't you just put on my clothes and walk out with me? She absolutely would have been completely fooled if you had!" Luke complained, clearly frustrated that his prank had failed so quickly. 

"Your clothes are way too tight across the chest and shoulders! I literally couldn't squeeze into them!" Tony retorted defensively. 

"Oh, right. I guess you really do need to hit the gym and lose some weight," Luke smirked, recalling how his tailored clothes had stretched awkwardly on Tony's frame. 

"I am not fat! I have perfectly sculpted abs! I'm just naturally more muscular and broader than your scrawny self!" Tony argued vehemently. 

Pepper watched the two grown men, who had just conspired to prank her, instantly devolve into a petty, childish argument. She couldn't help but laugh out loud. 

"Actually, he is definitely broader than you, Luke. His biceps are noticeably thicker," Pepper interjected, holding her fingers an inch apart to demonstrate the difference. 

"Wait... so the only reason you instantly realized it wasn't me was because you grabbed my arm and noticed the muscle mass was wrong?" Tony frowned slightly, analyzing the logic. 

"No!" Pepper laughed brightly. "It's because you are absolutely nowhere near as smooth a talker as Luke is!" 

? 

Tony shot a highly offended glare at Luke. Luke simply rolled his eyes helplessly. 

"Alright, the truth is, Luke's acting was terrible. You would never dismissively say that waiting for a friend was a 'waste of our precious time,'" Pepper elaborated affectionately. "And furthermore... Luke is incredibly, notoriously lazy. If he forgot something, he would absolutely just send one of his Shadow Ninjas to retrieve it. He would never sprint all the way back to Earth himself." 

"Aha! Point for me! It seems you still don't fully appreciate my profound loyalty to my friends! I'm deeply hurt," Tony declared, adopting a highly exaggerated, wounded expression toward Luke. 

Luke raised an eyebrow. "But my initial flaw was being significantly more charming and romantic than you, wasn't it? You lost that round completely. So we're tied 1-1." 

"But you lost points for being incredibly lazy! Therefore, I win!" Tony threw his hands up in a victory pose. 

"Alright, alright, boys. That's enough bickering. Can we please just go enjoy the festival now?" Pepper stepped forward, gently touching Tony's arm and playfully pushing him toward the door. 

If she let these two idiots keep arguing, they would literally stand in the hallway bickering until sunset. 

Luke chuckled and followed the affectionately bickering couple out into the bustling Asgardian streets. They spent the entire afternoon exploring the magnificent city, soaking in the vibrant festival atmosphere. 

Throughout the day, Luke frequently deployed his Shadow Ninjas to act as personal photographers, capturing candid, highly dynamic 'spy-cam' style photos of the trio. After all, the Shadowkhan had practically become his universal calling card; anyone who saw a ninja immediately knew he was nearby. 

As evening approached, the trio found a quiet, comfortable spot on a grassy knoll overlooking the Bifrost—the absolute best vantage point in the city—to watch the sunset and review the photos they had taken. 

"I have to admit, this candid, 'stalker-cam' perspective actually produces some incredibly artistic, high-quality photos," Tony remarked, scrolling through a beautiful picture of him and Pepper sharing a laugh, with Luke's lonely, solitary silhouette visible in the background, staring out at the cosmos. 

"You think so? Maybe I should permanently assign a Shadow Ninja to follow you around 24/7 to document your glorious, everyday life?" Luke offered sarcastically. 

"I'll pass. But I will concede that your shadowy minions are significantly better photographers than you are," Tony fired back. 

Luke rolled his eyes and simply laid back on the soft grass, gazing up at the increasingly visible Asgardian starlight. 

Currently, the vast majority of the massive alien battleships had already departed. Their primary objective had simply been to gather intelligence on Asgard's new political hierarchy and establish initial trade relations. With their diplomatic missions concluded, they had efficiently packed up and left. 

Now, the celebrations in Asgard were primarily focused on the citizens of the Nine Realms. 

Tony and Pepper chatted quietly for a while. Seeing Luke lying silently on the grass, they eventually joined him, lying back and admiring the breathtaking, unobstructed view of the cosmos. 

"I really hope the next two days are just as lively and exciting as today," Pepper murmured softly. 

"Don't worry," Luke smiled, keeping his eyes on the stars. "The grand banquet technically lasts for three days. But the first day is heavily focused on formal diplomacy and entertaining the major cosmic empires. Once the external politicians leave, that's when the real Asgardian party begins." 

"Tomorrow, there won't be any boring, elegant classical music or stiff formal wear. It's going to be massive feasts, endless barrels of mead, and traditional Asgardian combat tournaments. For the locals, that is the actual festival." 

"That sounds absolutely incredible. I can't wait," Pepper replied enthusiastically. 

"Speaking of which... do you maybe want to invite someone to join us tomorrow?" Tony suddenly spoke up, his tone surprisingly serious. "Because, honestly... Pepper and I feel a bit restricted with you constantly hovering around as the ultimate third wheel." 

? 

Wow, you picked up that internet slang incredibly fast. 

"Are you actively discriminating against single people?!" Luke abruptly sat up, playfully tackling Tony and throwing him into a loose headlock. 

"No, seriously. I think you're genuinely lonely," Tony continued, completely unfazed by the lack of pressure in Luke's headlock. 

"You don't seem to have any actual attachments or significant connections in this world. Aside from occasionally hanging out with Pepper and me, you spend 99% of your time locked in your apartment playing video games. You were just starting to build a genuine friendship with Steve and the others, but then the whole 'Hydra infiltration' mess happened, and now you're basically completely isolated again." 1

Luke sighed helplessly and released his grip on Tony's neck. "The fundamental problem is... I literally don't know anyone else. And you know how terrible I am with faces..." 

"That is a pathetic excuse! How are you ever going to meet anyone if you literally never leave your apartment?!" Tony retorted sharply. 

"He's right! How about Tony hosts a massive, highly exclusive party? We could invite some intelligent, capable, genuinely wonderful women for you to meet!" Pepper sat up, fully endorsing the idea. "Of course, I will personally vet the guest list to ensure absolutely zero vapid supermodels or shallow celebrities are invited." 

Tony chuckled awkwardly, coughing into his hand. Vapid supermodels and shallow celebrities were basically his entire social circle before he became Iron Man. 

Luke laughed genuinely. "Alright, fine. I'll leave my social life entirely in your highly capable hands. I successfully played matchmaker for you two; it's only fair you guys try to set me up with someone decent!" 

"Wait... 'played matchmaker'? What does that mean?" Pepper asked, tilting her head in confusion. 

"Oh! I actually know this one! Let me explain it to you!" Tony suddenly sprang up, looking incredibly excited to share his newly acquired knowledge of Chinese cultural idioms. 

Luke watched in absolute bewilderment as Tony enthusiastically began explaining the concept of the 'Red Thread of Fate.' 

How the hell do you know more about my own culture's mythology than I do?! 

Amidst Tony's highly enthusiastic, slightly inaccurate explanations and Luke's constant corrections, the peaceful, incredibly warm Asgardian night slowly deepened. 

The Harmonious Trio's grand cosmic vacation had only just begun... 

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