"Professor Banner, you want to go out and wander around?"
"Can't I leave?"
"No, that's not what I mean."
Although Bruce Banner had joined the Avengers, due to his past experiences, he always lacked trust in official institutions, always feeling like he was under house arrest.
Plus, there was genuinely nothing he was needed for recently, and because of past events, it wasn't convenient for him to wander around New York. He tried to avoid crowded places as much as possible.
So he thought about visiting other worlds to see what they were like. After all, as a scientist, few are uninterested in parallel universes.
Furthermore, traveling with Ethan, he didn't have to worry about the Hulk suddenly going mad and causing destruction, because Ethan had enough strength to suppress the Hulk. He learned this from Tony, who had personally seen how Ethan, using the Space Stone, had bullied Thor.
While the Hulk was powerful, he wasn't invincible. Even the current Tony, without the Hulkbuster armor, could already contend with the Hulk using his nanotech armor, not to mention the even more mysterious magical power.
For someone like Ethan who had gone far enough down the path of magic, the Hulk's most fatal flaw was his young age, resulting in extremely poor mental resistance, making him easily targeted by certain spells. If it were the various powerful Hulk variants from the comic world, it wouldn't be so easily resolved.
"It's good to go out and wander. Relaxing appropriately can also improve your mood, and you can even try to communicate properly with the one inside you. After all, you might be together for a long time."
"That's really... a good suggestion."
Bruce Banner thought Ethan was joking. He really didn't know how to communicate with that big guy who only knew how to cause crazy destruction, and he didn't think that guy could communicate normally. He only hoped that guy would never come out again and affect his already bad life.
Seeing that Banner didn't take his suggestion very seriously, Ethan didn't explain it in detail here. Since Banner was going to be his guest, there would be plenty of time to communicate slowly later, letting him understand that the Hulk wasn't his enemy but could be considered another self.
While the Hulk was still in a state of ignorance, like a blank slate, this was the best opportunity for the two to fully merge. If they waited until the Hulk developed his own consciousness and completely became an independent mental entity, then merging would face various dangers.
After another tour of the Avengers base, Steve really did take Tony to see the entire base.
"You really did show me every single place."
Looking at the empty warehouse, Steve was actually quite humorous.
"After all, you are nominally one of the members. You have to know the specifics of your own base, so you don't get lost in your own home. That would be too embarrassing and would damage your image."
Ethan looked at Steve with an expression that said what you said makes a lot of sense, I have nothing to say, and then continued the normal tour of the cafeteria, even eating a meal there. Although the taste was ordinary, the portions were large and filling, and the nutrition was sufficient, ensuring the Avengers members could maintain their combat effectiveness.
Somewhat surprised but not entirely unexpected, Ethan saw Sharon Carter here. It seemed this little fangirl of Captain America was determined to follow Steve. It was clear that Steve also had feelings for her. Perhaps these two would get together sometime.
After a long tour, seeing almost everyone who was available, Ethan arranged to meet Banner again in a few days so he could first arrange his own matters, and then he returned to the villa in Malibu with Tony.
When they returned, Pepper had already given Leah a new look. Now she looked like a genuine modern city girl, and one from a good background, as this outfit was not something an ordinary family could afford.
Pepper also specifically organized all the clothes Leah had changed out of and helped her put them away. These actions immediately won Leah's favor, and the two, one big and one small, were now getting along very well. Leah also used this time to learn as much as possible about this world.
With Jarvis's help, Pepper taught Leah some basic life knowledge. At least Leah had learned how to use most daily life equipment, which saved Ethan a lot of trouble.
"Ready to go back?"
"Yes, after a simple rest... I should also call everyone back."
Hearing they were leaving, Leah politely said goodbye to Pepper and Tony, then turned her head and stared blankly at the nearly floor-to-ceiling pile of packages.
"I'll give you a storage item when we get back. For now, put these things with me."
Watching Leah in a daze, wondering how she could possibly move this huge pile, Ethan found having a disciple quite interesting.
With a wave of his hand, he collected everything into his storage space, then casually opened a portal.
Leah knew Ethan had many magical abilities, but making so many things disappear instantly still felt incredibly magical to her. Thinking that she could also learn this ability, she finally began to have expectations for the future.
Watching Ethan and Leah disappear into the portal's light, and then the portal vanished, Tony suddenly looked at Pepper. "What do you think about me taking a disciple?"
"Huh?"
"Dad has taken over the company now, and my research work here is also finished for the time being. Ethan probably won't bring me anything new to tinker with for a while, so we'll be quite free during this period."
Tony spread his hands.
"I was thinking maybe having a child would be better, but you know the current situation."
Pepper wasn't against having a child, but when she gained a longer lifespan and youth, she knew it would probably be very difficult to get pregnant in the future.
Tony seemed to really want a child. Since he wasn't sure when he could have one, finding a child to be his student and passing on his knowledge seemed like a good option?
"That depends on what you want. If you want to take a student and happen to have a suitable candidate..."
"You hit the nail on the head, a candidate... they can't be worse than Leah, right?"
"Then you'll need to look carefully."
Taking Leah back to his mansion, Ethan found a room for her and told her to unpack her things and rest well.
Now the entire manor was managed by Jarvis. He didn't need to specifically notify the staff in the manor. Jarvis would directly inform them how to work, and he could just call Jarvis when he needed something.
Similarly, he also taught Leah how to talk to Jarvis. Although Leah didn't understand what artificial intelligence was, she understood that in this huge house, this voice was almost everywhere, and she could talk to it in any corner.
He then traveled to the Avatar world and caught back Laura and Auriel, who were having a blast.
Those two were having so much fun, they were almost becoming local deities in the Avatar world. Relying on their extraordinary power, Laura held a high status among the blue-skinned people. Of course, at first, her human appearance caused her a lot of trouble, and many tribes were severely dealt with by her.
After repeatedly witnessing Laura's magical power, these blue-skinned people, still in the era of primitive tribes, regarded Laura as a divine being. Then Laura led a group of blue monsters to trouble the humans.
Laura had no idea what the plot was. Her very existence had already ruined the plot anyway. She just did what she found interesting, while also severely dealing with the stupid humans who dared to try to capture or even dissect her.
As for the original plot protagonists, Laura had no idea who they were, and it was even less likely she would specifically look for them. So when Ethan went there, he found that the protagonist was also mixed in among Laura's subordinates, but he didn't bother with this person. He just conveniently packed up some technologies he found valuable and brought them back, and also collected some ores.
In addition, during her time on Pandora, Laura often conversed with the deity there. Deep communication with such an existence had significantly improved Laura's druidic power and brought about some unknown changes.
Laura herself couldn't explain the specifics, and it would probably take a lot of time to reach accurate conclusions. It could be said that this time she had completed her set training goals.
"Newcomer?"
Laura examined the short, cute-looking Leah in front of her, then introduced herself to her.
"I'm Laura, and this is Auriel."
Auriel, who had been slumped limply on Laura's shoulder, slightly raised a hand, which counted as a greeting.
"What's with that lifeless look?"
"Uh... I didn't bring enough magic stones..."
It turned out it was hungry. Ethan casually took out a bag and handed it to Auriel. The little thing immediately abandoned Laura and ran to Ethan's shoulder, rubbing its face against him to express loyalty.
Both Ethan and Laura were immune to its deliberate cuteness, only Leah found it very adorable.
"Where are the others? Did only I come back?"
"I'm about to go pick them up now."
That group of people was in the Starship Troopers world, but Ethan wasn't sure of their situation. Maybe they were scattered throughout the universe, and it would definitely take some time to find them all.
So he brought Laura back first, so she could at least keep Leah company and teach her some basic knowledge. Although Pepper had taught her some, there wasn't enough time to learn much, so Laura could take this time to give Leah good basic tutoring.
"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
After making arrangements, Ethan activated the magic circle and headed to the Starship Troopers world.
(To be continued.)