Tony, what exactly happened to you?"
"You're researching genetics?"
Pepper rubbed her eyes, disbelievingly walking a few steps closer, then carefully examined Tony's current appearance. Her heart was filled with surprise and doubt, but her words held a hint of excitement.
Because the genetics Tony was researching might be related to longevity.
As long as there weren't too many side effects, this would become a treasure countless women would eagerly pursue.
"Shut up!"
Tony saw Pepper's slightly excited expression and immediately snapped.
"…"
Pepper trembled slightly upon hearing his words, startled.
Because it was the first time Tony had seemed angry and told her to shut up.
"Pepper, you must have a lot of questions for me."
"I'll tell you everything, but from now on, your habit of talking to yourself is fine in front of me, whatever you want to do."
"However, when you encounter more people outside in the future, you must restrain yourself."
Tony walked towards Pepper with his hands behind his back, his expression serious and solemn.
Pepper's self-absorbed attitude was fine in front of him, but if she acted that way in front of Harvey Anberaka, it might leave a bad impression.
"Is this an order?"
Pepper heard Tony's words and wanted to retort as usual, but seeing Tony radiating confidence and authority, she could only ask in a low voice.
"This isn't an order, it's a reminder."
"Because what I'm about to tell you will open up a new World for you."
"If you continue to stay by my side in the future, you will certainly accompany me to some special occasions and meet some rather special people or things."
"Those people and things will be more special than anything you've seen or heard before."
"Sometimes, certain self-absorbed behaviors of yours outside might bring us disaster that even I cannot resist."
"So, you must remember this point."
Tony walked step by step towards Pepper, speaking as he went.
"Is this a proposal?"
Pepper's face showed an incredulous expression when she heard "accompany me in the future."
She clearly knew that her relationship with Tony was more than friends but less than lovers.
It was just that Tony was a super-rich playboy, and although he was approaching forty, Tony wasn't in a hurry.
So she had been waiting for Tony to truly settle down, but she hadn't expected Tony to suddenly say something like this.
"You can think of it that way."
Tony didn't deny it when he heard that.
Pepper had originally thought Tony would find an excuse to defer or deny it, as he had in the past, but she hadn't expected Tony to be so direct this time.
"Okay, you continue, I'm listening."
This made Pepper's mood quite joyful and she said so.
"You asked me before why I suddenly became younger; at that time, I didn't answer you."
"That's because at the time, I hadn't clearly decided whether to accept it."
"But now I can tell you the secret of why I became like this, including the World that ordinary people cannot access."
Tony sat down in a chair and began to speak.
Pepper felt a little strange hearing Tony's words, but she just nodded, indicating that she was listening.
"The reason I became younger is because someone introduced me to a new World."
"He allowed me to gain a long lifespan and increasingly powerful strength."
"I also understood the essence of life, the other side of the World, the vastness of the Universe, and the truth about gods."
"And the person who led me into that new World was none other than Harvey Anberaka."
Tony saw Pepper listening so attentively and continued to speak.
"Tony, have you been scammed?"
Pepper heard these unusual terms, paused for a moment, and then spoke.
Tony was not surprised by Pepper's reaction, knowing that actions spoke louder than words, so he didn't argue.
Instead, he directly lifted his foot and stomped it on the ground.
With a "bang!" the floor was directly shattered by Tony's stomp.
"How did you do that?"
Pepper's beautiful eyes widened when she saw the power of Tony's stomp.
Tony wasn't exactly weak before, as he often worked on inventions, so his strength was still stronger than an ordinary person's.
But Pepper knew that Tony's body was only so-so; stronger than an ordinary person, but not by much.
However, now Tony had directly shattered the floor with one stomp, which was clearly not a strength Tony could possess.
"This is power from the Void. Don't worry, I'll tell you little by little."
Tony casually crossed his legs, gently shaking them to relieve the pain in his foot, and said.
According to his estimate, it wouldn't be difficult to crack the floor, but he didn't expect to use too much force and directly shatter it, causing his foot to hurt.
However, Tony quickly felt the pain from the sole of his foot rapidly disappearing.
This discovery surprised Tony himself, but now was clearly not the time for surprise.
The important thing was how he would persuade Pepper to believe in the Void and join the Void with him.
"Sir's physical quality is at least several times stronger than before, far exceeding that of ordinary humans."
Jarvis also explained at this time, following Tony's prior instructions.
"…"
Pepper heard Jarvis's words, looking at the handsome Tony, who had returned to his youth.
She didn't understand what the Void was, but she knew what she should do now.
So Pepper obediently found a chair and sat down.
"Before peeking into the Void, I believe you will have doubts about it."
"Because I was the same before; without confronting the Void directly, I couldn't understand what the Void meant."
"But now I understand. The Void is about Evolution, adaptation, and survival."
"Saying all this now, you probably still can't understand."
Tony Stark looked at Pepper's obedient appearance and began to explain the situation.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Tony saw Pepper's puzzled expression, thought for a moment, and switched to a more understandable explanation.
"To put it simply, it can grant you some kind of superpower, and most importantly, it can grant you a lifespan of at least hundreds, thousands, or even longer years."
"As you can see, I have already joined the Void, so I gained power and became younger."
"Pepper, you are a female, and I know you may not yearn for power as much."
"But I ask you, do you want to stay forever young?"
Tony said this, throwing the question to Pepper.
"I want to stay forever young; no woman doesn't."
"But I still want to ask clearly, what is the price?"
"If you want to gain superpowers or a longer lifespan, there must be a price, right?"
Pepper heard these easy-to-understand words, thought for a moment, calmed down, and asked.
"The price is that your appetite will become very large, and you will need to eat massive amounts of food every day."
Tony heard Pepper's words and answered with a serious expression.
"Like Mr. Harvey Anberaka?"
Pepper immediately thought of Harvey Anberaka when she heard that her appetite would become very large.
"Yes, but this can be called a price, or it can be said that joining is what Evolution requires."
"To evolve, you must eat; the more you eat, the more you evolve, the more power you gain, and the longer your lifespan."
"The real price is a test of the psyche; you need to resist the temptation of desire."
"Because with extraordinary power, one's mindset will change."
"Just like me now, in the past, I would not dare to tell you my true thoughts because of some trivial fears of making a fool of myself."
"But it's different now; I have a lifespan of at least a thousand years or even longer."
"And I requested Harvey Anberaka to secure an opportunity for you to join the Void with me."
"I now want you to join the Void with me and spend a long life together in the future."
"I hope you won't let my efforts go to waste, Pepper."
Tony looked directly at Pepper with an intense gaze, his words revealing immense sincerity.
He knew this was the only chance; if Pepper wasn't willing.
It would be hard to say if Harvey Anberaka would give another chance in the future.
And if Pepper refused no matter what, then he and Pepper were destined to become people from two different Worlds.
So he also took this opportunity to express his long-held feelings.
"I'm not as drawn to power, but women do have an instinctive pursuit of eternal youth."
"I also thank you for being willing to secure this opportunity for me."
"But I have a question for you."
Pepper felt Tony's fervent gaze, tried to meet his eyes for a few seconds, but ultimately looked away shyly and asked in a low voice.
"Ask away."
Tony's heart sank slightly when he heard Pepper's words, but he suppressed the tremor in his heart and asked.
"It's just, if I also eat as much as Mr. Harvey Anberaka every day, will I get fat?"
Pepper asked her question.
"…Is that all?"
Tony had originally thought Pepper had some other concerns, so he kept thinking about how to solve them, but he hadn't expected Pepper's concern to be about gaining weight.
"What do you mean, 'is that all'? With an appetite as big as Mr. Harvey Anberaka's."
"It's easy to think about getting fat, okay?"
Pepper felt Tony's speechless gaze and earnestly defended herself.
"I cannot give you a precise answer to that question, but judging by Harvey Anberaka's situation."
"These problems can be solved; at least his physique is maintained in a way that I envy."
"There are still many things I haven't told you, but now please tell me your answer."
"Are you willing to join the Void with me?"
"To have a longer lifespan and explore the other side of the World with me."
Tony Stark saw Pepper not showing a strange look but instead earnestly defending herself, a smile appeared on his face, and he extended a sincere invitation.
"Yes, I am willing, but what should I do?"
Pepper looked at Tony, who exuded confidence and was even more handsome, and asked in a low voice.
"I'll go ask…"
Tony was incredibly happy and wanted to say he would take Pepper to see Harvey Anberaka.
But before Tony could finish his sentence, he saw Pepper's eyes tightly closed, her body floating horizontally, and because she was wearing a skirt, he could even see some lace.
However, none of that mattered. What mattered was that Tony discovered that Pepper's body was beginning to be covered by purple energy.
"The Void is truly mysterious and great."
Tony said with some emotion when he saw this scene.
The person he cared about most was allowed to join the Void with him, to explore the other side of the World together. This tolerance and bestowal could only be described as great.
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