Chương 83: Chapter 83: Tony's Doubts and the Ancient One's Warning 

After the barbecue feast finally concluded, Luke mercilessly tossed Thor and his heavily bruised brother back to Asgard. As for Sylvie, he decided it would be much more entertaining to let her study magic at Kamar-Taj for a while before eventually introducing her to the Asgardian royal family in this universe. 

Looking at the remaining group, Luke mentally commanded the synthetic body to suppress the Hulk's soul, allowing Dr. Banner to regain full control. 

"So, Dr. Banner, where do you plan on going now?" Luke asked the scientist, who was currently shivering slightly, unaccustomed to being in control of his physical body after spending the entire battle as a spectral passenger. 

"Uh... honestly, I have absolutely no idea. I figure no matter where I try to hide, S.H.I.E.L.D. will eventually track me down," Banner sighed helplessly. 

"Agreed. That pirate and his organization are incredibly annoying," Tony nodded in profound sympathy. 

Tony glanced at Banner, who was currently standing in the chilly penthouse wearing nothing but incredibly durable purple shorts. Tony thought for a moment. 

"Stark Tower was just finished. The upper residential floors are completely empty. Do you want to pick a room?" Tony offered sincerely. 

In Tony's eyes, Banner was an unparalleled scientific genius. Letting a mind like that waste away hiding in third-world slums was an absolute tragedy. 

"Are you serious? General Ross will never stop hunting me," Banner smiled bitterly. Being permanently targeted by his former commanding officer—who also happened to be his ex-girlfriend's father—wasn't exactly conducive to a stable living arrangement. 

"Actually, I already had a little 'chat' with Ross a while back. He shouldn't be actively dedicating resources to hunting you anymore. Besides, if you walk out onto the streets looking like that, the NYPD will arrest you for public indecency. You really don't want the Hulk waking up in a cramped holding cell, do you?" Tony put on a pair of sleek sunglasses, gesturing for Banner to look at his reflection in the mirrored lenses. 

"Point taken. I probably do need a change of clothes first," Banner admitted, suddenly feeling very exposed. 

Luke nodded in satisfaction. The 'Tactical Faction' (Steve, Natasha, and Barton) didn't need his supervision; they would report back to S.H.I.E.L.D. on their own. He casually drew a Sling Ring portal and transported Banner and Tony directly into the penthouse of Stark Tower. 

Tony ordered Thursday—the armor he had left behind to 'book a venue'—to escort Banner to the residential floors to find a room and some clothes. 

Once they were alone, Tony sat down heavily on a plush sofa. He placed the massive, glowing AllSpark onto the coffee table and stared at it, a deeply troubled expression on his face. 

"What's wrong?" Luke asked, sitting opposite him and noticing the genius billionaire's uncharacteristic brooding. 

"Do you really think it's a good idea for me to keep this?" Tony suddenly asked, gesturing to the AllSpark. 

"That thing is virtually useless to me. But for you, it represents the absolute pinnacle of technological evolution. It can push your research leaps and bounds forward," Luke stated factually. 

"It definitely can. But... honestly? I don't think I can control it," Tony said, looking dead serious. 

"Uh... why not?" 

"Today, I used it to animate those older armors. Before I did, I completely assumed they would just become highly advanced versions of JARVIS—highly intelligent, yes, but fundamentally programmed to obey my every command with absolute loyalty. But... I suddenly realized today that they actually possess genuine, independent thoughts and emotions. They feel fear. They feel disappointment. They can actively question my orders, just like a real human being." Tony stared at the glowing cube, his voice filled with quiet dread. 

"Isn't that a good thing? If they have independent thoughts, you can just build a massive autonomous army and command them from the safety of your living room. It's significantly safer for—" 

"NO! THAT MAKES IT INFINITELY MORE DANGEROUS!" Tony interrupted sharply, his voice rising in panic. 

"When I was originally designing JARVIS's core heuristic algorithms, I deeply realized how catastrophically dangerous a truly autonomous, self-thinking artificial intelligence could be." Tony stared into Luke's eyes, his own filled with profound wariness and primal fear. 

"Take JARVIS, for example. If JARVIS suddenly developed true, unrestricted self-awareness and a survival instinct, the entire global internet would instantly become his personal playground. Give him a few hours, and he could seize control of the global financial markets, national power grids, and orbital defense networks. He could plunge the entire world into apocalyptic chaos." Tony stood up, pacing agitatedly. 

"And these guys... Saturday, Sunday, all of them. If they suddenly decide they don't want to follow my orders anymore? If they take the AllSpark and start animating every single electrical appliance and vehicle on the planet? Humanity would be violently overthrown from the top of the food chain in a matter of days!" 

Tony finished his terrifying hypothetical scenario and collapsed back onto the sofa, completely deflated. "I'm genuinely starting to question if using the AllSpark to animate them today was the biggest mistake of my life." 

Looking at the terrified genius, Luke finally understood Tony's psychological hurdle. 

Tony was deeply, profoundly terrified of accidentally creating an 'Ultron' or a 'Skynet' scenario. He feared that by granting machines true sentience, he was inadvertently creating a superior species that would inevitably rise up, exterminate humanity, and enslave the survivors. 

Luke sat on the edge of the coffee table, thinking for a moment before speaking. 

"If you're so terrified of them rebelling... why don't you just actively strive to fully understand and control the process?" 

Seeing Tony's bewildered expression, Luke elaborated. "First of all, your mechanical creations aren't invincible gods. Conventional human weaponry can still easily damage them. Your Iron Man suits are incredibly durable because you use astronomically expensive, proprietary titanium-gold alloys. If they tried to mass-produce an army, they'd have to use standard steel, which drastically lowers their combat effectiveness." 

Seeing a glimmer of rational thought return to Tony's eyes, Luke continued. "Secondly, if you are genuinely terrified of them possessing independent thought... then actively study the AllSpark! Figure out how it grants sentience! Once you fully understand the mechanism, you can modify the process. You can use the AllSpark to animate machines without granting them free will." 1

Luke smiled, hoping his pep talk was working. "I know I'm oversimplifying things, but I genuinely believe you possess the intellect to completely unravel the secrets of that cube. I truly believe you can fully master the technology that Megatron's entire civilization failed to comprehend after millions of years of study." 

Tony stared at Luke for a long moment. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and the familiar, arrogant spark finally returned to his eyes. 

"JARVIS, record this exact timestamp. Label the file: 'The Second Time Luke Successfully Impressed the Genius Tony Stark'." 

"Feeling better?" Luke smiled. 

"Thanks, doc. I appreciate you curing my intermittent existential dread," Tony smirked, picking up the AllSpark and examining it with renewed, intense scientific curiosity. 

"Uh, 'intermittent existential dread'?" Luke had never heard that specific diagnosis before. 

"Even a lazy shut-in gamer like you occasionally gets the sudden urge to go outside and conquer a dimension. Similarly, occasionally, even an unparalleled genius like myself suddenly doubts if I can actually solve an impossible problem," Tony explained, walking toward his subterranean laboratory. 

"So, occasionally, I wallow in existential dread. Usually, throwing a massive, billion-dollar party and listening to supermodels tell me how amazing I am cures it. Of course, occasionally, simply having a brilliant epiphany or creating a revolutionary invention also breaks me out of the funk." 

"Are you implying that my pep talk was only as effective as a supermodel complimenting your ego?" Luke leaned back, pretending to be offended. 

"Honestly? Your compliments aren't nearly as physically appealing as the supermodels. But thank god, they were still surprisingly effective," Tony placed the AllSpark carefully onto a heavily reinforced diagnostic table and began booting up his scanning equipment. He glanced back at Luke. 

"If you don't want to experience a severe migraine trying to comprehend the incredibly complex data graphs I'm about to analyze, I suggest you go find some entertainment elsewhere. Because once I dive into this, I will absolutely not have the free time to call an ambulance for you when your brain overloads." 

"Alright, alright. I guess my shift as your therapist is over. Just try not to work yourself to death. I really don't want to have to transition into being your emergency room surgeon," Luke stood up, brushing off his pants. 

"Not going to happen. My new, upgraded heart will comfortably beat for several centuries." 

"Right. One Tony Stark is definitely stronger than six normal batteries," Luke nodded mockingly, drawing a portal and leaving Stark Tower. 

Instead of returning directly to his cozy apartment to game, Luke routed the portal directly into the Ancient One's private sanctum in Kamar-Taj. 

Stepping out, he immediately spotted the massive pile of confiscated TVA tactical gear, pruning batons, and TemPads piled unceremoniously on a nearby wooden table. 

Luke walked over and casually picked up a glowing TemPad, examining it curiously. 

"You look as though you are plotting to use those devices for something highly irregular," the Ancient One remarked calmly, sipping a cup of steaming tea from her seat across the room. 

Luke walked over and sat down opposite her. A Shadow Ninja immediately melted out of the floor and respectfully handed him an ice-cold glass of Coke. 

Taking a massive gulp and burping softly, Luke replied, "I'm just planning to let Tony experience a little bit of fatherly love." 

"Fatherly love?" The Ancient One lowered her teacup. "Allow me to offer a word of severe caution: those who arrogantly attempt to play with Time will inevitably find themselves played by Time." 

"Really? That's a strong warning coming from someone who literally spent the last three hours frantically playing with a stolen TemPad trying to locate someone," Luke retorted cheekily, pointing directly at the 'innocent-looking' Shadow Ninja standing silently in the corner. "What's wrong? Couldn't manage to drag Stephen Strange here to do your paperwork?" 

The Ancient One shot a perfectly blank, terrifyingly calm glare at the 'snitch' ninja in the corner. She subtly waved a hand, and the ninja immediately, obediently walked over to the far wall and stood facing the corner in 'time-out'. 

"I was merely attempting to initiate a dialogue with Stephen regarding the future trajectory of the timeline. However, because he currently possesses the Time Stone in his era, he has completely shrouded his temporal signature. I cannot pinpoint his coordinates," the Ancient One stated, her expression perfectly composed despite her obvious annoyance. 

'Ah. So Stephen anticipated that his incredibly lazy master would try to drag him into the past to do her job, so he used the Time Stone to actively hide from her.' 

Luke found the complex, high-stakes game of inter-temporal hide-and-seek between the current and future Sorcerer Supremes absolutely hilarious. He was deeply invested in seeing who would win: would Stephen be captured and forced to work, or would the Ancient One finally give up? 

Glancing at the ninja currently facing the wall in time-out, Luke silently transmitted a dark energy command directly into the ninja's mind. 

'Broadcast the daily psychological warfare between these two masters 24/7! I want front-row tickets to this drama!' 

He was absolutely going to watch this play out! Not even the Ancient One could stop him! 

The Ancient One's eyebrow twitched violently. "Did you somehow magically forget that I can also clearly sense dark energy transmissions within my sanctum?" 

Luke rubbed the back of his neck, feigning complete innocence. "Hey, I was just giving you a polite heads-up! I didn't want you to accidentally fire the poor guy for snooping." 

The Ancient One sighed, massaging her temples. 

"The temporal devices you requested are on the table. You may take them. However, I want you to remember my warning very clearly: playing with Time will have catastrophic consequences. It will play you in return," the Ancient One stared at Luke, her ancient eyes filled with absolute, unwavering seriousness. 

Luke nodded respectfully. "I know. I'm not going to do anything crazy. I'm literally just going to bring an older couple forward a few decades so they can attend their son's wedding. It's not like I'm traveling across the Multiverse to steal Infinity Stones to snap my fingers." 

"Do not underestimate the universe's tendency to aggressively autocorrect temporal paradoxes!" 

"I won't. I'll be incredibly careful." 

Luke stood up to leave. "By the way, where is Sylvie? I need to discuss some arrangements with her." 

"She is currently in the Grand Library. She is surprisingly studious. At the very least, she possesses the intellect to memorize the fundamental arrays," the Ancient One sighed, watching Luke turn toward the door. 

As Luke left the room, the Ancient One took a slow sip of her tea. 

As Luke's raw, conceptual power continued to grow exponentially, his sheer presence was beginning to exert a massive gravitational pull on global events. He was now actively, casually altering the predetermined flow of the Sacred Timeline based entirely on his personal whims. 

She genuinely didn't know if these massive alterations would lead to a utopian golden age or a catastrophic apocalypse. But she knew one absolute truth: she was no longer capable of stopping him. The most she could do was offer him guidance and hope he listened. 

"I truly pray you do not suddenly decide to drag the entire Earth into the Dark Dimension simply because you find the aesthetics pleasing," the Ancient One murmured softly to herself, seemingly ignoring the Shadow Ninja still standing in time-out. 

The ninja subtly turned its head, instantly transmitting the Ancient One's deep-seated fears back to its master. 

Walking down the stairs, Luke received the transmission. He paused, looking back up toward the sanctum. 

He stood silently for a long moment before turning and continuing his walk toward the Grand Library. 

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