Chương 125: Chapter 125: The Ancient One Secures a Free Meal 

Luke wasn't in an immediate rush to head to Kamar-Taj. Before leaving, he specifically called Megatron over. 

As the massive Decepticon stepped through the portal onto the apartment roof, they heard a loud, metallic clanking noise. A few moments later, Galacta practically skipped out of her cloaked ship and bounced over to them. 

"Galacta, transfer all of your finalized interior design blueprints and landscaping schematics directly to Megatron," Luke instructed. "Megatron, your task is to immediately coordinate with human contractors to procure and transport all the necessary construction materials, furnishings, and decor to the island base. We need to begin the interior renovations tomorrow morning." 

It's crucial to permanently stabilize my planetary headquarters as quickly as possible. Once the base is fully operational, I won't have to manually micromanage global politics, which will free me up perfectly for when Odin finally invites me on his cosmic crusade to hunt down Thanos. Plus, with tens of thousands of Shadow Ninjas acting as free labor, the renovations will likely be finished in a single day. 

After transferring the massive data files, Luke utilized the System to compress Megatron back to his compact, human-sized drone form. He then drew a portal and stepped through to Kamar-Taj, with Galacta following closely behind. 

"Hey, Luke! Over here!" 

The moment they stepped out of the portal, Luke was hit by a wall of chaotic noise, savory aromas, and vibrant energy. The usually serene, austere courtyard of Kamar-Taj was completely unrecognizable. 

Because Tony Stark had arrogantly declared he was personally covering the expenses for the entire street, nearly every single sorcerer in the sanctuary had abandoned their quiet meditation chambers and flocked to the food stalls. The atmosphere was incredibly festive; ascetic monks were currently happily stuffing their faces with fried noodles, roasted skewers, and various decadent treats they usually couldn't afford. 

"Go grab whatever you want to eat. I'm going to head over to Tony," Luke said to Galacta. 

He didn't even finish his sentence before Galacta's eyes practically turned into literal stars. She instantly vanished, leaving only a small dust cloud in her wake. 

Luke watched her materialize directly in front of the largest barbecue stall, her eyes completely locked onto the sizzling meat. He chuckled softly and navigated through the bustling crowd toward Tony. 

"Who's the girl?" Tony asked, his eyes following Galacta as she practically vibrated with excitement, rapidly moving between various food stalls. He offered Luke a highly suggestive, highly gossipy look. 

"Please stop acting like a creepy uncle," Luke rolled his eyes, sitting down at Tony's table. "Her name is Galacta. She's an extraterrestrial entity. She formally requested a temporary resident permit for Earth recently. Because I was severely understaffed, and she possesses an incredibly specific, highly useful skill set, I hired her as my first official employee." 

"Extraterrestrial? She looks remarkably human," Tony noted, casually observing Galacta. 

Suddenly, Galacta—despite being surrounded by loud noise and sizzling food—somehow detected his scrutiny. She sharply turned her head, fixing Tony with a highly intense, slightly annoyed glare. 

"I'd strongly suggest you stop staring at her," Luke warned dryly. "If you actually manage to annoy her, she might casually punch you so hard you end up in the Mirror Dimension." 

Tony immediately withdrew his gaze, raising his hands in surrender. Because he was currently in a highly committed, loving relationship with Pepper, his observation had been entirely analytical and curious, devoid of any genuine sleaziness. If I had actually been leering at her, I probably would have already been vaporized by an alien death ray. 

Tony grabbed a massive skewer of roasted lamb, took a bite, and leaned conspiratorially close to Luke, lowering his voice as if discussing a major corporate secret. 

"Honestly though... is she legally an adult?" 

? 

Luke frowned deeply, staring at Tony in sheer bewilderment. Why in the world is he asking that? 

"Look, I acknowledge she's a highly dangerous alien, but she's undeniably gorgeous," Tony continued smoothly. "I completely understand the appeal. But my primary concern as your friend is making absolutely sure you aren't crossing any ethical or legal lines. She has to be an adult." 

Luke finally realized what Tony was insinuating. He forcefully shoved Tony away, his expression a mix of absolute exasperation and mild horror. 

Luke grabbed his own skewer of meat and took an aggressive bite before replying. "Firstly, yes, I admit she is objectively incredibly beautiful. But secondly, and most importantly, I possess absolutely zero romantic feelings toward her! Honestly? Right now, my primary psychological response toward her is highly similar to the feeling of adopting a highly energetic, incredibly expensive, extremely destructive pet hamster!" 

Luke stated his feelings completely bluntly, holding nothing back. 

Tony, however, simply rolled his eyes dismissively. 

"Alright, let's temporarily set aside your absolute denial regarding your own feelings. But you cannot deny that the two of you possess an incredibly natural, highly compatible dynamic," Tony said. Seeing Luke open his mouth to argue, Tony aggressively shoved an entire skewer of meat directly into Luke's mouth to silence him. 

"Just listen to me for a second. We've known each other for a decent amount of time now. I've observed exactly how you interact with women," Tony adopted a highly serious, older-brother tone. "You aren't exactly hostile toward them, but you are incredibly aloof and entirely apathetic. You actively maintain a highly defined, impenetrable emotional distance. But with this girl..." 

Tony pointed his skewer at Galacta. "I can clearly see it. You genuinely enjoy interacting with her." 

Tony recalled the soft, highly genuine smile Luke had offered when watching Galacta enthusiastically examine the food stalls. 

"Regardless of whether you currently mentally classify her as a 'pet,' an 'employee,' or something else... you absolutely cannot deny that you are significantly more invested in her well-being and happiness than literally anyone else you've met." 

Luke chewed the massive piece of meat, his initial instinct to aggressively argue slowly fading into thoughtful silence. 

He watched Galacta happily balancing five massive plates of food, a bright, radiant smile on her face. He reflected on the past two days they had spent together. Surprisingly, he realized he had incredibly quickly, seamlessly integrated her presence into his daily life without feeling any of his usual annoyance or desire for isolation. 1

"I don't entirely know how to accurately quantify the feeling," Luke finally admitted quietly, choosing to be completely honest with his best friend. "I genuinely don't know if it's actual romantic attraction, or if I just view her as a younger sister or family. But... yes. I do care about her." 

"I intend to take my time and carefully evaluate exactly what these feelings are before making any definitive decisions," Luke stated firmly. 1

Seeing Tony shoot him an incredibly exasperated, 'you-are-a-massive-idiot' glare, Luke rolled his eyes. 

"Could you please stop looking at me like I'm a pathetic commitment-phobe? I'm simply being rational and cautious!" Luke defended himself. 

He was naturally highly pragmatic regarding emotional attachments. He wasn't the type to recklessly dive headfirst into a relationship based on a minor spark of chemistry. What if he aggressively pursued her, only to eventually realize he truly only saw her as a platonic sister? The resulting emotional fallout would be incredibly messy and highly awkward. 

Furthermore, if he accidentally broke Galacta's heart, her father—the literal Devourer of Worlds—would absolutely instantly teleport across the galaxy and violently vaporize the entire Sol System in retaliation! 

Watching Luke actively overthink the situation, Tony shook his head helplessly. However, he understood Luke's personality. Luke naturally maintained incredibly strong emotional barriers. Even with Steve Rogers, whom Luke had genuinely respected and actively tried to befriend, a single massive conflict of interest (the Hydra infiltration) had instantly caused Luke to permanently sever the connection. 

However, Tony also knew that once Luke definitively made up his mind about something, absolutely nothing in the universe could stop him. 

"Being cautious is fine. But do not eternally procrastinate. Don't waste your life endlessly analyzing your feelings while the universe passes you by," Tony offered a rare piece of genuine wisdom. 

Luke simply shook his head. "You absolutely do not need to worry about time constraints. Galacta's lifespan is functionally infinite. Her father has literally existed since the absolute inception of the current universe. Given that context, Galacta is currently only a few thousand years old. And as for me..." 

Luke smiled internally. I literally possess the power to grant biological immortality. I can easily outlive the heat death of this universe and casually challenge the next iteration. 

Tony froze, his skewer pausing halfway to his mouth. He stared at Galacta, completely failing to reconcile the image of the incredibly youthful, highly energetic teenager happily stuffing her face with fried chicken with the concept of a multi-millennia-old cosmic entity. 

"Wait... if she's thousands of years old... does that mean she's technically not even a legal adult yet?!" Tony stared at Luke, absolutely horrified. 

? 

Luke stared back, completely bewildered by Tony's massive, highly inappropriate leap in logic. 

"What adult?" a cheerful voice suddenly asked from directly behind them. 

Galacta, balancing a precarious tower of to-go boxes, casually sat down across from them, staring curiously at the two frozen men. 

"Are you guys talking about me?" 

"The concept of 'adulthood' possesses highly variable, completely arbitrary biological definitions across the cosmos. Generally, it refers to the specific chronological point where an organism completely ceases biological growth and reaches physiological maturity," Galacta explained cheerfully, completely oblivious to the intense tension. 

"In my specific case... I haven't physically grown or altered my physiological structure in several centuries! Therefore, according to standard biological metrics, I am absolutely, definitively a fully mature adult!" 

Galacta smiled brightly. It appeared she had only overheard the very end of their conversation. 

Both Tony and Luke exhaled a massive, synchronized sigh of profound relief. 

Luke aggressively shot Tony a highly venomous glare: See what you almost did?! I almost lost my employee and my sister-figure because of your idiotic questions! 1

Tony shot an equally aggressive glare back: If you had simply possessed the emotional intelligence to process your own feelings efficiently, I wouldn't have been forced to intervene! 

While the two men aggressively communicated via highly intense, glaring eye contact, Galacta happily began devouring the massive mountain of street food she had brought over. Several Shadow Ninjas silently materialized to deposit even more food on the table before vanishing. 

After several minutes of intense, silent glaring, Galacta finally looked up from her practically empty plates. She stared at the two men, who were still fiercely glaring at each other. 

(Tony's eyes: You literally came crying to me for tactical assistance over a few pathetic vampires!) 

(Luke's eyes: I only did that to forcefully drag you out of your depressive slump! I could have casually vaporized those vampires and used their ashes for fertilizer in two seconds!) 

Deciding the silent tension was highly annoying, Galacta broke the silence. 

"You're Tony Stark, correct? I wanted to formally thank you for covering the expenses for my meal." 

Although the massive quantity of human food provided absolutely zero actual cosmic sustenance and didn't satiate her terrifying hunger in the slightest, she was still genuinely grateful for the incredibly delicious flavors. 

Tony immediately broke eye contact with Luke, instantly plastering his signature, highly charming, 'cool uncle' smile onto his face. "It's absolutely no problem at all! Please, eat as much as you want! Treat this entire street as your personal dining room!" 

Luke watched Tony aggressively adopt the 'generous elder' persona and instantly felt profoundly annoyed. 

"Oh, please. Your pathetic little bank account couldn't possibly afford to actually fill her up," Luke scoffed dismissively. 

He casually materialized several highly compressed Dark Energy Crystals from the Dark Dimension and handed them directly to Galacta, shooting Tony a highly arrogant, triumphant look. "Galacta requires massive, highly concentrated volumes of pure cosmic energy to actually satiate her hunger. This mundane, low-energy street food is literally nothing more than flavored air to her." 

Tony rolled his eyes at Luke's petty flex. Incredibly childish. 

Realizing he was acting exactly like a toddler showing off a shiny toy, Luke coughed awkwardly, attempting to salvage his dignity by swiftly changing the subject. 

"So, Tony. What specifically are you planning to study here? Have you formally met with the Ancient One yet?" 

Luke suddenly remembered the highly complex, meticulously translated English versions of the magical texts he had previously requested the Decepticons to compile. He smiled sadistically. Watching the arrogant billionaire confidently attempt to learn magic and getting completely humiliated is going to be incredibly entertaining. 

Tony, completely unaware of Luke's malicious anticipation, replied casually. "Yes, I had a brief meeting with her earlier. Initially, she was highly resistant to the idea of formally instructing an outsider. However, the moment I casually offered to completely subsidize the daily food and living expenses for every single sorcerer in Kamar-Taj indefinitely, she instantly, enthusiastically agreed." 

Tony smiled triumphantly. My absolute financial dominance effortlessly conquered their ancient, mystical traditions! 

Luke, however, was highly unimpressed. 

If the Ancient One genuinely didn't want you to learn magic, you absolutely never would have even seen her. You have absolutely no idea how relentlessly she psychologically tortured and manipulated Stephen Strange before finally accepting him. 

Luke scoffed internally... but then, a profound realization hit him. 

Wait a minute. 

I am currently fully subsidizing Galacta's massive cosmic food expenses. 

Tony is currently fully subsidizing the mundane food and living expenses for the entire Kamar-Taj population. 

Which means... the Ancient One successfully manipulated both of us into completely covering all of her sanctuary's operational costs! 

Damn it! We just got absolutely, masterfully scammed by a bald monk! 

Luke scowled deeply in profound annoyance. Tony, however, remained incredibly smug, completely convinced of his own tactical genius. 

Do you honestly think I'm an idiot? Tony thought smugly. I merely offered to cover their daily food expenses! It costs practically nothing compared to my net worth! But by casually throwing a massive feast, I instantly secure the goodwill and friendship of hundreds of highly skilled sorcerers! The return on investment is astronomical! 

Seeing Tony's highly irritating, triumphant expression, Luke aggressively grabbed several skewers of meat to console his bruised ego. 

Whatever. I can still aggressively monetize the Dark Dimension waste disposal program. 

After finishing several skewers, a familiar figure materialized beside their table. 

"Mordo! Excellent timing! Grab a seat and have some food!" Tony enthusiastically waved him over, fully embracing his role as the generous host. 

Luke looked up and noticed Mordo was carrying an armful of various weapons. 

"These are the initial prototypes produced by the newly established magical armory," Mordo explained, carefully placing the weapons on the table. "They feature several distinct structural designs and elemental enchantments. I brought them for your review." 

Mordo meticulously detailed the specific magical properties and runic structures of each weapon. Once the presentation was complete, he sat down and began eagerly devouring the provided food. 

Luke mentally commanded a few Shadow Ninjas to carefully store the enchanted weapons. He planned to aggressively field-test them on a nearby mountain tomorrow. He then turned to Mordo, slightly curious. 

"Aren't you essentially the Ancient One's primary administrative assistant and right hand? Why are you suddenly relaxing?" 

Mordo waved his hand dismissively, his mouth full. "Don't even ask. A few minutes ago, the Ancient One suddenly announced that the 'timing was optimal' and that she needed to personally attend to a highly critical external matter. She immediately drew a portal and vanished." 

Luke nodded slowly, his eyes gleaming with understanding. 

Kaecilius has officially secured Dormammu's blessing and is actively preparing his assault. The Ancient One is undoubtedly retrieving the destined 'Hero' (Stephen Strange) to confront the 'Boss' (Dormammu). 

If the Boss arrives and the Hero isn't present to execute the infinite time loop... the entire narrative collapses. 

Luke turned back to the table, only to find Tony deeply engrossed in examining a sleek, enchanted katana. 

Tony awkwardly swung the katana through the air. The blade glowed brightly, and a localized flurry of freezing, magical snowflakes cascaded from the steel. 

"This is genuinely fascinating technology," Tony murmured, intensely analyzing the blade. He turned to Mordo. "I notice this weapon doesn't appear to possess a localized power source, nor is it drawing ambient energy from the environment. How is it sustaining the elemental effect?" 

Because Tony was currently footing the bill for the feast, Mordo felt obligated to patiently explain the magical mechanics. 

"These mass-produced armaments are fundamentally different from the ancient relics secured within the Sanctums. They lack the localized sentience and complex runic structures required to actively siphon and replenish ambient dimensional energy," Mordo explained. "Therefore, we specifically engineered a highly concentrated, localized 'mana-reservoir' directly into the hilt. It functions identically to a battery. Once the stored magical energy is fully depleted, the weapon loses its elemental properties until it is manually recharged." 

Tony nodded thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on the slightly enlarged, highly ornate pommel of the katana. 

"So, theoretically... highly complex, devastating magical spells can be stored, channeled, and violently discharged through purely physical, mundane materials." 

"More accurately, the discharge absolutely requires a stable energy source and a precisely inscribed runic array to properly structure and direct the energy," Mordo corrected him, emphasizing the magical precision required. 

Tony nodded slowly, a brilliant, highly dangerous idea rapidly forming in his mind. 

If I can successfully integrate these 'magical batteries' and 'runic arrays' directly into my nanotech repulsor systems... I could theoretically unleash devastating, elementally charged repulsor blasts! 

Seeing the familiar, manic gleam of inspiration in Tony's eyes, Luke smiled. He casually popped another piece of meat into his mouth. 

"By the way, Tony... do you happen to know a brilliant neurosurgeon named Stephen Strange?" 

"The neurosurgeon?" Tony paused, slightly surprised by the sudden change in topic. "Yes, I know of him. He is widely considered the absolute pinnacle of his field. His surgical precision is legendary; he has successfully completed numerous highly complex procedures that other surgeons deemed completely impossible." 

Tony's expression darkened slightly. "Actually, a while ago, I formally requested a consultation with him to see if he could safely extract the remaining shrapnel near my heart. He arrogantly refused the case, stating he wasn't a cardiovascular specialist and that the procedure was 'beneath his talents.' However, I recently heard a highly unfortunate rumor that he was involved in a catastrophic car accident and completely shattered both of his hands. His surgical career is effectively over." 

Tony sighed, genuinely regretful. Strange was essentially the 'Tony Stark' of the medical field—arrogant, brilliant, and unparalleled. It was a massive loss to the scientific community. 

Luke listened to the tragic summary and offered a deeply mysterious, highly knowing smile. 

Don't worry, Tony. You're going to meet a very different, significantly more powerful version of Stephen Strange very soon. 

While Kamar-Taj was currently enveloped in a loud, joyous, chaotic feast, the night sky over New York City was completely silent. 

A lone figure hovered high above the sleeping city, calmly observing the sprawling metropolis. 

Having successfully pinpointed her target, the Ancient One initiated a rapid descent, smoothly landing outside a major metropolitan hospital. 

She calmly walked through the busy emergency room doors. The doctors, nurses, and patients completely ignored her, as she was currently utilizing a subtle perception filter. 

She navigated the sterile corridors, eventually locating the hospital's primary medical records archive. Entering the room, she quickly located the highly confidential medical file belonging to Jonathan Pangborn—the paraplegic man who had miraculously regained the ability to walk utilizing Kamar-Taj magic. 

With a subtle flick of her wrist, the Ancient One manifested several highly clear, undeniable photographs showing Pangborn actively, aggressively playing basketball. She seamlessly slipped the photographs directly into his medical file. 

A moment later, a tired-looking doctor entered the archive room. He completely failed to notice the Ancient One standing quietly in the corner. 

The Ancient One smiled faintly. She subtly manipulated localized gravity, causing Pangborn's file to 'accidentally' slip off the shelf and scatter across the floor directly in front of the doctor. 

The doctor sighed and knelt to pick up the scattered papers. Inexplicably curious, he briefly glanced at the file. Reading the extensive, highly detailed medical reports confirming severe, irreversible spinal cord trauma and permanent paraplegia, the doctor shook his head in sympathy. A completely hopeless case. 

However, as he gathered the final few pages, his eyes locked onto the photographs. 

His eyes widened in absolute, mind-boggling disbelief. He frantically compared the timestamps on the photographs showing Pangborn aggressively dunking a basketball to the dates on the irrefutable medical diagnosis of permanent paralysis. 

"This is physically impossible... this is a medical miracle!" the doctor muttered in profound shock. 

Suddenly, a realization struck him. He frantically gathered the file and sprinted out of the archive room, desperate to share this impossible discovery with his arrogant, currently deeply depressed former colleague. 

The Ancient One watched the doctor sprint away, a serene, highly satisfied smile on her face. 

She gracefully waved her hand, tearing open a glowing portal, and silently stepped through, vanishing into the night. 

(Author's Note: I finally finished a massive backlog of work today! Daily updates and bonus chapters will resume tomorrow!) 

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