"Excuse me, is this the place that's hiring?"
A refined and graceful middle-aged woman stood at the entrance, holding a flyer in her hand. Smiling, she addressed Fenris, who had just come downstairs.
Jessica Jones and Popclaw had gone out to make copies and post the freshly written job notices. They hadn't returned yet, and an applicant had already shown up. This unexpected visit lifted Fenris's mood, especially after failing to communicate with Kimiko.
"Applying for the office assistant position?" Fenris walked over and examined her more closely, only to freeze for a second.
Aunt May?
With her elegant figure and composed demeanor, this was clearly May Parker, the future guardian of Spider-Man, Peter Parker.
She lived in Queens, didn't she? What was she doing in Manhattan looking for a job?
"My name is May Parker. I'm here to apply for the office position," she introduced herself gracefully, confidently expressing her qualifications and readiness to take on the role.
"That's enough. You're hired."
"Huh?"
"Working hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM, with one day off per week. Can you accept that?"
"Yes, I can!"
"When can you start?"
"I can start right now!"
"Great. Then consider yourself hired today."
Fenris nodded with satisfaction and pointed toward the open area nearby. "That will be your office. As you can see, the company is just starting out. There's a lot to be done. Your first task is to buy desks, chairs, and other office equipment."
With that, he handed her fifty thousand dollars in cash. "Buy whatever is needed. Get the best quality. If there's any money left over, return it. Try to get it done before nightfall. Any questions?"
"No... no questions."
"Then off you go."
…
Still holding the money, May Parker walked out of the building in a daze. Wait... was I just hired?
Was it really that easy?
No interview to check my skills? No background check to verify my résumé?
This young boss moved fast. Almost too fast.
And he trusted her enough to hand her that much money on the first day? Wasn't he afraid she might run off with it or fake the receipts?
She had never met a boss this sincere before. To be honest, she was already starting to worry about the company's future. What if someone took advantage of this kindness?
She had only just been hired and didn't even know the boss's name, yet she was already worrying for him and his business.
When Jessica Jones and Popclaw returned, Fenris told them about May Parker joining and her errand to buy office equipment. He also told them that if more applicants came, they would handle the interviews.
"You're handing things over to us. What about you? What are you going to do now? Don't tell me you're leaving again! You just got back last night!" Jessica Jones grew suspicious and instinctively grabbed his arm.
Fenris laughed softly. "Your instincts are sharp. I'm just heading out to get some startup capital. I'll be back in two or three hours."
"Really?"
"Really."
With his promise, Jessica let him go.
He went upstairs, put on his scavenger backpack, and with great anticipation, Fenris once again teleported to the Void after being away for several days.
…
The sky was dark, heavy clouds looming as if they could fall at any moment.
Thunder boomed and flashes of light tore across the sky, filling the air with dread.
In the distance, shattered ruins of buildings stretched endlessly, like a post-apocalyptic world.
This was the Void, the end of time's timeline, the dumping ground for all that time had abandoned.
But for Fenris, it was a treasure trove and adventure zone. Every trip here for scavenging was full of anticipation and surprises.
He had been here several times and discovered a lot.
The ruins of New York's Sanctum Sanctorum, which should have been guarded by the Sorcerer Supreme or Doctor Strange.
The collapsing remains of Stark Tower.
An Egyptian Sphinx and a Greek temple standing eerily in the open wasteland.
But even these structures were not the most impressive.
There were massive heads, possibly skulls or statues, of the Living Tribunal.
The wreckage of a helicopter bearing Thanos's name.
Thanos's Sanctuary II spaceship.
A S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier.
A Kree warship once commanded by Ronan the Accuser.
The wreckage of a Project Insight helicarrier, marked with the HYDRA emblem.
A giant Yellowjacket helmet.
These relics, plucked from countless timelines and universes, were treasures. Sadly, most of them had been destroyed by the Void's guardian: Alioth.
As Fenris was reminiscing, a terrifying rumble echoed in the distance.
A massive black cloud, like a tidal wave, rolled toward him from the horizon.
Dark and vast, with flickers of purple lightning deep within it, it loomed like an unstoppable beast that weighed heavily on the soul.
This was Alioth, the "Cleaner" and watchdog of the one who dwelled at the end of time.
Up ahead, an old man wearing a horned helmet, a golden cape, and a green-gold bodysuit was sprinting for his life.
A flash of green magic burst from his hand. An identical clone of him appeared instantly and charged at Alioth.
Meanwhile, the real version waved his cloak, summoning a swirling green portal ahead of him.
He dove into the portal just as the illusion was obliterated by Alioth.
Deprived of its prey, Alioth crackled with fury and roared as it turned to seek its next target.
"Thud!"
The old man tumbled out of the green portal and crashed to the ground with a grunt.
As he pushed himself up, he suddenly saw a pair of feet standing before him.
Looking up, he found Fenris smiling down at him.
"Hello there, Loki."