Twenty-four days passed by in the blink of an eye.
This morning, as Tony was having breakfast, he received a call from Harvey. The first thing he said when he answered was,
"Problem solved?"
"Yes, I wore Pepper down and finally promised her I'd definitely be back within a year, and she agreed."
"So, ready to leave now?"
"Let me finish breakfast first. After all, I'll be gone for a year, and I might not get to eat this kind of breakfast there."
"No, you can make it yourself, can't you?"
"Are you kidding? You think I can cook? My cooking skills are probably about the same as most ordinary people."
"I'm also having breakfast. See you in a bit; I still have some things to explain to you."
"About your identity in the Universe?"
"Yes, we'll talk later."
Harvey wasn't surprised to hear Tony talk about not being able to cook with such pride, as Tony was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Not being able to cook was indeed something that could make one proud, because Tony never had to do it himself.
After about ten minutes, Harvey finished his breakfast, turned off all the power in his house, and went directly to Tony's manor.
Pepper knew Tony was leaving today, so she didn't rush to work but waited.
"Mr. Harvey, good morning. I've heard some things."
"The Universe is not Blue Star, so I'll have to ask you to take good care of Tony."
Upon seeing Harvey, Pepper bowed slightly, greeted him politely, and sincerely entrusted Tony to him.
"Good morning, Miss Pepper. It's been months."
"As for taking care of him, that's not really necessary. Although the Universe is dangerous, with Tony's wisdom, talent, and strength, he's entirely capable of surviving in the Universe."
"It's just that Tony can't directly enter the Universe yet, limiting his scope of activity to Blue Star."
Upon seeing Pepper, Harvey also smiled and greeted her, saying.
"I also believe in Tony's talent and strength; it's just that the Universe is a place full of unknowns for both Tony and me."
"I hope Mr. Harvey can look after Tony. I'd be very grateful."
Pepper smiled upon hearing this, but there was still some worry in her eyes.
Tony had explained more things to her, so she understood why he wanted to go to the Universe now.
If she could, Pepper would have loved to go too, but Stark Industries on Blue Star needed her to manage it, and she couldn't leave just yet.
Neither she nor Tony had anyone capable enough to fully trust and delegate to.
So, it could only be done by her, but after this, she also planned to cultivate a confidant so that she wouldn't be unable to go to the Universe with Tony in the future.
"Pepper, don't worry so much."
"I've given you the Universe Communicator. I'll contact you as soon as I get there."
"You can also contact me directly whenever you miss me."
Tony saw Pepper constantly entrusting him to Harvey, and while feeling a bit helpless, he also felt some warmth inside as he spoke.
The fundamental reason Pepper agreed to let him go to the Universe was that once he was in the Universe, they could still communicate remotely, so they wouldn't be without news for a year.
Harvey didn't mind seeing the two of them so intimate; he just sat on the sofa and waited for them to exchange pleasantries.
Tony chatted with Pepper for a while, then came over to Harvey.
"Harvey, you've seen me at my worst."
Tony said, a little embarrassed.
"Didn't you say that if you live a long life without someone by your side, how lonely it would be?"
"So, it's a good thing that your relationship is strong."
Harvey said, not minding what he heard.
"Yes, fortunately, I have Pepper with me, so I don't have to wear my armor all the time."
Tony looked back at Pepper after hearing Harvey's words, his eyes filled with tenderness.
"By the way, if you have anything to tell me, just say it directly."
Then, the tenderness in Tony's eyes faded, and he looked at Harvey, asking curiously.
"It's not complicated to explain."
"You should know from my Universe signal that my alias in the Universe is Kassadin."
"That's an identity I use for the Void God Cult."
"They all call me Void God Kassadin, My Lord."
"As a member of the Void God Cult, when you communicate with other members in the open, you must address me as My Lord Kassadin."
"It's your own ability if you can befriend and win over members of the Void God Cult."
"But don't expect to use my identity and name to show off."
"That's how it should be in the open, but in private, you can call me Kassadin, but you cannot mention my name on Blue Star."
Harvey said upon hearing this.
"Void God Kassadin, that really suits your title."
"I've got it. I definitely won't cause you any trouble."
Tony's face showed some regret as he spoke.
Because he had originally intended to use Harvey's name to get closer to other members more easily.
After all, Harvey was the founder of the Void God Cult and the guide who led others to believe in the Void.
If he had a relationship as a close associate of Harvey, he would certainly gain the respect of other members.
However, Harvey had clearly seen through his intentions and directly blocked that path for him.
Tony didn't regret it for too long. After all, Harvey didn't mind him winning over other members of the Void God Cult, which was already a great thing.
"As long as you remember, I'm taking you to a Planet called Xandar."
"The Void God Cult's first base is also on a private island on that Planet."
Harvey was relieved to hear this and casually explained the situation.
"That's the Planet with the Universe-renowned Nova Corps, isn't it? You certainly pick your spots."
Tony had learned about some Universe civilizations from the books Harvey brought back earlier.
"Yes, the Kree Planet is also advanced, but their laws and rules are more troublesome."
"So I chose Xandar, which is also advanced."
"Is there anything you plan to bring?"
Harvey nodded upon hearing this.
"There's nothing much to bring, besides the Gravity Device you sent me, and Jarvis."
"Without Jarvis, the speed of my research and inventions would drop significantly."
Tony was excited to know he could go to Xandar, a famous great empire in the Universe, and spoke.
"No wonder I haven't heard Jarvis's voice. Did you dismantle him first?"
Harvey heard Tony say he was taking Jarvis and only then realized he had been there for a while but hadn't heard Jarvis greet him as usual.
"No, I didn't dismantle him. I just duplicated and created a backup AI called Jarvis Two."
Tony said upon hearing this.
No sooner had Tony finished speaking than a voice rang out: "Mr. Stark, how may I assist you?"
"It's nothing; you don't need to worry. You can just follow Pepper's instructions normally."
"Understood, Mr. Stark."
Upon receiving Tony's command, Jarvis Two's voice quickly fell silent.
"No wonder it took you so long to handle things. So, you spent the time creating a backup AI?"
Harvey said thoughtfully upon hearing this.
"Yes, wait for me a moment, and we can leave."
"Armor, engage!"
Tony nodded slightly upon hearing this, then stood up, went to an unobstructed area in the hall, spread his arms, and called out.
However, the armor that usually flew to him automatically with a casual call showed no reaction after several seconds, and the air fell into a brief stillness.
Tony had originally intended to show off in front of Harvey, but now he hadn't managed to show off and instead made Harvey look at him with a strange expression.
This made Tony wish he could dig a hole and crawl into it.
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