A moment later, Yelena returned from outside, bringing a white man with her.
Karl glanced at the man briefly.
Then he silently activated his Mind Control ability.
Without the man noticing anything unusual, Karl's psychic power entered his mind and began scanning his memories.
Within seconds, Karl discovered the truth.
The man had obtained the Golden Grail purely by chance while exploring old ruins. He had heard rumors that Karl was exchanging ancient artifacts for lifespan essence and decided to try his luck.
After confirming there was nothing suspicious, Karl withdrew his mental power.
Whoosh!
Karl casually took out a silver box from his system space.
He opened it.
Inside were two tubes containing dragon bone essence, each representing a portion of lifespan energy.
"This contains the essence of two hundred years of lifespan," Karl said calmly.
"You may leave now."
Using telekinesis, he gently floated the box toward the man.
The man froze for a moment before realizing what had just happened.
"Th-Thank you, Mr. Karl!"
"Thank you!"
"I'll be leaving now!"
He grabbed the box excitedly and hurried out of the manor.
He had never expected that the strange cup he had discovered would be worth two hundred years of lifespan.
To him, it felt like winning the lottery.
Karl simply smiled faintly.
As for whether the man would actually manage to keep that lifespan essence—
That was not Karl's concern.
Tony and the others were still staring at Karl with puzzled expressions.
They had clearly noticed that Karl had done something to the man earlier.
Even Tony had sensed that something unusual had occurred.
Karl glanced at them and explained casually.
"This cup isn't an ordinary relic."
"It can grant eternal youth and immortality."
"Of course, there's a catch."
"You must continuously drink from it."
"If you ever stop, your body will rapidly age."
"And eventually your soul will be absorbed by the Grail itself."
He raised the golden chalice slightly.
"Also, the Grail is currently sealed."
"There's a hidden dimensional space inside."
"It seems to contain a treasure map."
"Let's take a look."
Karl retrieved the Mind Stone from his system space.
A beam of golden psychic energy flowed from the stone and wrapped around the chalice.
The seal began to dissolve.
Moments later, the Golden Grail returned to its original state.
The entire cup was made of radiant gold and embedded with numerous brilliant gemstones.
It looked extremely luxurious—almost like a royal treasure.
Karl returned the Mind Stone to his system space.
Then he held the Grail in one hand and released his spiritual power.
Using his psychic perception, he located the hidden dimensional pocket inside the artifact.
A portal opened.
Karl reached into the spatial chamber with telekinesis and pulled out a beautiful golden scroll.
Tony and the others gathered around immediately.
Karl had just mentioned a treasure map, so the scroll in his hand was clearly what they were looking for.
Karl opened it slowly.
Strange patterns and complex routes appeared on the parchment.
However, something was clearly unusual.
The map did not resemble Earth's geography at all.
Instead, the routes appeared to depict cosmic space.
After thinking for a moment, Karl quietly activated his system analysis.
[Golden Apple (Self-Stone) Roadmap]
The Self-Stone originated from the primordial cosmic being Nemesis.
Unable to endure her eternal loneliness, Nemesis fragmented herself.
One fragment became the Self-Stone.
The Self-Stone contains a portion of Nemesis's power.
If combined with the other six Infinity Stones, Nemesis can be resurrected.
The map marks the location of the Self-Stone within the boundary between reality and unreality in the universe.
Its location can be traced through the resonance of the Infinity Stones.
While Tony and the others were still trying to decipher the strange map, Karl had already learned its true meaning through the system.
His eyes flashed with surprise.
The artifact was connected to Nemesis.
The primordial entity who originally embodied the power of the Infinity Stones.
If all seven stones, including the Self-Stone, were reunited—
Nemesis herself could be reborn.
In Marvel cosmology, Nemesis represented the combined power of the Infinity Stones within a single universe.
If Karl could obtain even a fragment of that power—
His strength would increase dramatically.
He might even break through to the level of a Celestial-tier being.
And with the Sagittarius Gold Cloth and the Ruyi Jingu Bang, he could potentially fight evenly against peak cosmic entities within this universe.
Karl quickly rolled up the map and stored it away.
Then he spoke calmly to the others.
"This thing isn't located on Earth."
"It exists in the space between reality and illusion."
"So we can't retrieve it right now."
Tony immediately lost interest.
If the artifact wasn't on Earth, it was currently beyond their reach.
Whoosh!
Karl waved his hand.
All the remaining antiques were returned to the trucks through telekinesis.
Then he retrieved another silver box from his system space.
Inside was a large container of dragon bone extract, representing four hundred years of lifespan essence.
Karl handed the box to Tony.
Tony accepted it, nodded, and prepared to leave.
Karl then signaled to Yelena.
She began escorting the remaining adventurers outside.
Karl returned to the living room with Black Phoenix resting comfortably in his arms.
Just then, a data report arrived from Wakanda.
It was a health report for King T'Chaka.
Karl sat down on the sofa and examined the information.
Several days had passed since T'Chaka's resurrection.
His physical condition appeared perfectly normal.
There were no abnormalities whatsoever.
Karl smiled slightly.
That meant his True Rewrite ability could truly resurrect the dead—
And without any side effects.
However, Karl soon noticed something strange.
Yan had been staring at him the entire time.
Her expression clearly said:
I know exactly what you're hiding.
Karl sighed helplessly.
"Alright."
"What did you figure out this time?"
"Go ahead and ask."
"I'll tell you."
Even Black Phoenix turned toward Yan curiously.
Yan folded her arms and looked directly at Karl.
"You already know what that treasure map points to."
"My gene engine analyzed your micro-expressions earlier."
"Based on the data, there's a 69.54% probability that you already know exactly what it is."
Karl sighed again.
"Yes."
"I do know."
He leaned back slightly.
"That object is extremely dangerous."
"It's called the Self-Gem."
"It was created when a powerful cosmic entity ended her own existence."
"The gem contains a large portion of her power."
"If the Self-Gem is combined with the other six Infinity Stones, that cosmic being could be resurrected."
Karl's voice grew serious.
"That being would possess power on the level of an entire single universe."
"She would stand at the very top of this universe."
Karl continued explaining.
"In cosmic hierarchy terms, that level of power can easily destroy galaxies."
"With enough control, such beings can even create planets, ecosystems, and life itself."
"Of course…"
"That level is still far below the multiverse, the Omniverse, and other higher cosmic layers."
"But within a single universe…"
"It's already considered one of the highest tiers of existence."
Yan looked thoughtful.
"So…"
"Are you planning to search for that gem?"
"Or do you have some other plan?"
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