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Hearing Feny's words, Skye's eyes lit up, and she immediately asked with anticipation, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Feny turned to glance at her. Although Skye's current strength wasn't weak, it seemed she couldn't really assist with the tasks he had lined up.
Regarding Wakanda, while he hoped to acquire Vibranium, he didn't plan on starting a war just yet. Even if it came to a fight, he and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon would be more than enough to handle a mere Black Panther; Skye's help wouldn't be necessary.
As for other matters, she couldn't build spacecraft, she wasn't qualified to research the Mind Scepter, and going to Asgard to find star charts was out of the question. Upon reflection, aside from occasionally serving as an "experience baby" for training, she didn't seem to have much utility for his current objectives.
Thus, Feny ultimately declined Skye's request to help. He left the house under her somewhat dejected gaze.
Though the weather was turning colder, the approaching Christmas season filled the streets with a festive atmosphere. Feny wandered the streets for a while, picked up two small gifts on a whim, and opened a portal to Wanda and Pietro's villa.
For the past few months, the two had lived there undisturbed. HYDRA had never come looking for trouble, acting as if they didn't even know the siblings existed.
When Feny arrived, the two were already up and eating breakfast. Compared to when he first met them, they hadn't changed much physically.
"Morning!"
Feny greeted them, handed over the small gifts, and asked, "How have you been lately?"
Wanda first looked at the gift—a cute Santa Claus ornament—before replying, "Much better than being in a lab."
Feny rolled his eyes, momentarily speechless. He sat down on the sofa and looked at them. "So, how do you feel about Tony Stark now?"
The siblings fell silent. After a long pause, Wanda finally answered, "He is... somewhat different from what we imagined."
"So, do you still plan on seeking revenge?" Feny watched them with interest.
Faced with this question, their expressions grew complicated. After another long silence, Pietro said self-mockingly, "With you around, and given who we are... how could we possibly take revenge?"
"It's not a question of 'can,' it's a question of 'want,'" Feny said, looking at Pietro. "Isn't he trying to make up for his mistakes with these changes? Can't you give him a chance?"
Pietro didn't answer. Although Tony had been investigating Bucky and HYDRA, he hadn't forgotten his duties as Iron Man. They had seen Tony return in his armor, battered and bruised.
Then, Wanda suddenly looked at Feny and asked, "I remember you saying you could give us power."
"It's only a possibility."
During this time, Feny had contemplated the siblings' situation. He had Sitwell gather data on all the top scholars in the world. If he couldn't use S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA, why not look for ordinary experts? He wasn't entirely without a lead.
"If we want this power, what do we have to pay?" Wanda asked, staring straight at him.
"Let go of your hatred, and help me unconditionally when I need you. Of course, it shouldn't be too frequent," Feny replied, meeting her gaze.
"That's all?" Wanda was slightly stunned, seemingly not expecting Feny's request to be so simple.
"First, I can't guarantee I can help you obtain power," Feny reminded her. Since he didn't know HYDRA's exact methods, he wasn't absolutely certain he could turn them into Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Furthermore, Wanda's potential power ceiling was incredibly high; if he tried to treat them like puppets, it would likely backfire.
"Also, don't think helping me is a simple task. It could very well involve going into space to fight interstellar wars against aliens. One mistake and you're dead."
Since he would eventually have to face Thanos, Feny didn't want to be forced into a defensive battle. Once his strength was sufficient, he actually wanted to strike proactively.
At this, Wanda's expression turned serious. She turned to look at Pietro, and the two exchanged a silent look.
Finally, Wanda looked back at Feny. "We promise you. We won't seek revenge against Stark anymore. But you must help us gain power."
"Are you sure?" Feny looked at them. "Let me be clear: it's only a possibility. I can't guarantee there won't be danger or that it won't end in failure."
"Yes!" The two nodded firmly, their resolve unshaken.
"Alright. I'll make preparations and contact you when the time comes."
Feny had considered the possibility of them regreting the deal later, but looking into their eyes, he felt it was unlikely. Even if they did go back on their word, the worst-case scenario was that he'd created two enemies—which might just yield more experience.
Realizing he had yet another thing on his to-do list, Feny sighed internally. He once again hoped his eighth skill draw would grant him a clone or something similar.
After bidding them farewell, Feny headed over to Tony's place. It happened that Pepper was there as well.
"Hey, Feny!" Pepper walked over happily and gave him a hug. "Long time no see!"
"What are you doing here?" Tony muttered from the side, looking slightly annoyed by Pepper's enthusiasm.
"Long time no see!" Feny ignored Tony and chatted happily with Pepper for a bit.
Then, he suddenly remembered something he'd almost forgotten. In the original timeline, Aldrich Killian kidnapped Pepper to get revenge on Tony. Calculating the time, it seemed it was about time for that guy to come out and start looking for trouble.
Actually, back when he took down Strucker's base, Feny had briefly investigated A.I.M. based on the data. However, Killian was highly sensitive to danger; he seemed to have sensed something was off and immediately went into hiding. Feny hadn't been able to find him then, and later got so busy he almost forgot.
"By the way, Pepper, do you know a man named Aldrich Killian?" Feny asked. He had a good relationship with Pepper and didn't want her to be kidnapped and tortured, so he decided to warn her in advance.
"How do you know him?" Pepper was stunned. She looked at Feny with surprise and nodded. "Yes, I've worked with him before."
"A guy? Where did you work? Why didn't I know?" Tony interjected, his expression clearly piqued.
"He was just a former colleague. I haven't seen him in years!" Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony, took his hand, and coaxed him like a child before turning back to Feny. "Why are you asking about him?"
"He's an enemy of Tony's and he's very dangerous. If he tries to contact you, be careful."
"Wait!" Hearing this, Tony forgot his jealousy. "An enemy of mine? How come I don't know him?"
"Do you remember how many loaves of bread you've eaten?" Feny looked at Tony with disdain.
Tony understood Feny was mocking him for offending too many people, but he still retorted, "I don't eat bread. I like cheeseburgers!"
"Apparently, he wanted to collaborate with you years ago. You agreed, then stood him up. Now he's successful and full of resentment, looking for payback."
Feny gave a brief explanation. After all, the spacecraft wasn't built yet, he couldn't swallow the Infinity Stones, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon still relied on Tony's miniature arc reactors for "food."
"Just because of that?" Tony was dazed.
Pepper, on the other hand, could understand. Tony had done countless things far worse than that back in the day; she sometimes wondered how she had put up with him.
"I understand. I'll keep an eye out for him!" Pepper thanked Feny, while already thinking of how to dissolve Killian's hatred toward Tony.
Sensing Pepper might be underestimating the situation, Feny added, "It's not that simple. He's truly dangerous. He's conducting human experiments; if something goes wrong, they explode like bombs."
"Anyway, if he contacts you, you'd better let me know!"
Tony's expression shifted, thinking of Banner. He frowned and asked, "Human experiments? Military?"
"No, an organization he built himself." Feny shook his head. While not military, it wasn't much better than HYDRA.
Pepper finally realized the severity. She was worried not just for herself, but for Tony as well.
"Jarvis, find everything you can on this man."
"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied. Tony looked grim and glanced at the innocent-looking Feny. He had planned to take Pepper on a nice date today, but it seemed that opportunity was gone.
He didn't ask Feny where he got the information. It wasn't the first time; Feny always seemed to possess mysterious knowledge of very secretive affairs.
Then, Tony thought of Bucky. He hesitated, wondering if he should ask Feny for help. After all this time, he still hadn't found Bucky's trail. Since the man was frozen again and inactive, there was simply no information to find.
(End of Chapter)