Chapter 127: October

Sonia went straight for a shower, changed her clothes, and hurried to the temple.

Thus, Harvey’s daily life on Xandar gained a new pastime to accompany his usual routine of eating, drinking, and leisure. Whenever Sonia had some free time, the two of them would head to a private, uninhabited island to compete against one another.

***

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, over three months had passed; it was now October.

The gravity device Tony had built was successfully delivered, and once the client inspected and accepted it, the final payment was transferred. After taxes, he was left with 720 million.

Tony only kept 120 million of that, intending to use it later to purchase various models of cosmic starfighters for research, as well as to cover his own daily expenses for food and drink. The remaining 240 million he was entitled to was paid back to Harvey to clear his debts. He had been living on Harvey’s dime and staying in Harvey’s villa the entire time, so Tony was well aware of how much he owed and kept a close tally in his heart.

He had been in the cosmos for ten months now, with only two months left before his return home.

These short ten months had allowed Tony to master a vast amount of knowledge. He had delved deep into nanotechnology, though it was not yet ready to be integrated into his armor. He wasn't in a hurry, however; developing nano-armor was merely a matter of time.

He had four major takeaways from the past nine months.

The first was the profound friendships he had forged with many members of the Void Sect, particularly with Renoli, the Seer, Kael, and Lacy. If he were ever in trouble, he knew they would certainly come to his aid.

The second was his discovery that Void energy was indeed a mysterious substance capable of augmenting various materials. There was a downside, however: the durability of items imbued with Void energy would plummet, causing them to shatter after only ten minutes of combat. Even if left unused, the augmented material would automatically disintegrate after ten to fifteen days. Tony hadn't yet figured out if this was because the materials were too weak to withstand the Void energy or for some other reason. Still, he could temporarily boost the performance of his Iron Man suit by imbuing it with Void energy, a configuration he dubbed "Void Mode." Since his armor had already been upgraded to the Mark 45, its performance was sufficient to handle most enemies, so he didn't need to use Void Mode often, which spared him from burning through money.

The third takeaway was that he had begun his journey toward financial independence in the cosmos. In a year or two, he would certainly have the capital to transport the vast quantities of materials and elements that Earth lacked back home.

The fourth was that, thanks to the special training from Renoli and the others, he had gained much finer control over his own strength. Even without the armor, Tony’s combat prowess was formidable.

Overall, the plan was progressing smoothly, and he was moving toward the goals he had set before leaving for space. However, the thought of returning to Earth, where he would have to tighten his belt and wear his armor at all times to be seen, left him feeling somewhat depressed. If only he knew Harvey’s Void magic, he could change his appearance and operate with much more convenience. He had actually asked Harvey about it, but Harvey told him his manipulation of Void energy was too abysmal for him to be taught. Still, knowing that the need to hide his identity would only be temporary made Tony feel a little better.

"Mr. Tony, a new order has come in."

"This time, it totals 2.4 billion, and 1.2 billion has already been transferred as a deposit."

"I heard you are planning to return to Earth in two months. Will you be able to complete the final stages of production while you're away?"

That day, Sonia reached out to Tony. It had been a month since Tony delivered the previous order, and after thorough testing, the client had nothing but praise for the gravity device he had crafted. It could not only enable a medium-sized warship to maintain different gravity settings in different zones, but it could also automatically adjust to the environment. Most importantly, it could project a gravity field around the ship, assisting with precise acceleration and deceleration—it was truly a masterpiece of gravity technology. A device of this caliber would usually cost between eight and ten million, and one would have to grovel to the manufacturing companies just to get a chance to buy one. Yet, Tony Stark’s gravity device was fully functional, affordable, and—most crucially—he wasn't arrogant, the production time was short, and there were no quality issues. Unlike previous experiences where companies would drag their feet on delivery, provide defective products, and then refuse to be questioned, Tony was a breath of fresh air.

"Of course I can. I just need to build a specialized AI to handle the follow-up processes," Tony replied, looking up at Sonia with a nod. Since he was returning to Earth, he would naturally take Jarvis with him; he couldn't just leave him behind.

"How long do you plan to stay?"

"I’ll keep track of the time. If it’s going to be a while, I’ll prepare an itemized list for you to review. I’ll only ask for the payment once you’ve confirmed the accounts are correct," Sonia said.

"I’m not sure yet, but at least a few months, I suppose. As for the list, you don’t need to worry about that. You’re Kassadin’s steward; I trust you," Tony said with a smile. He would have to see what Pepper thought before deciding when he would return to the cosmos. After a year apart, Pepper would certainly want him to spend some time with her before letting him leave again.

"Even if you trust me, Mr. Tony, this is a matter of business. Since the amounts involved are significant, it is better to keep things clearly defined," Sonia said, shaking her head with a serious expression.

"Fine, I’ll take a look at the list before settling the accounts then." Tony saw her serious demeanor and glanced at Harvey, who remained impassive, so he could only nod in agreement.

"Kassadin, will you be visiting Earth when the time comes?" Tony asked, turning his attention to Harvey. He used the word "visit" rather than "return" because no one in the Void Sect knew where Kassadin actually originated from, and he certainly wouldn't make such a low-level mistake in their conversation.

"Hmm, I suppose I’ll go over for a visit then," Harvey replied with a nod. 2011 was the year Captain America would reawaken and the Avengers would assemble for the first time—he couldn't miss that.

Sonia, hearing that Mr. Kassadin was going to Earth and would be away for some time, felt a pang of reluctance, but she said nothing.