Since Helen Cho was the only one among them without superpowers, Karl had given her the Golden Rope after previously giving her the flying sword.
He then guided everyone's mental power, helping them imprint their consciousness onto the treasures so the artifacts would recognize their new masters.
Because these items had all been ownerless for thousands of years, none of them contained any remaining spiritual imprints.
As a result, everyone successfully bonded with their respective treasures.
However—
Black Phoenix looked at Karl with a slightly unhappy expression.
This time, she hadn't received anything.
Karl noticed her reaction and smiled.
Then he suddenly took out a ruby-encrusted ring.
He gently placed it on the middle finger of Black Phoenix's left hand.
May, Gwen, Raven, and Helen Cho immediately noticed the meaning behind that gesture.
Their expressions changed instantly.
Because the finger Karl had chosen symbolized engagement.
Even though they had been with Karl long before Black Phoenix, none of them had received a ring yet.
Black Phoenix stared quietly at the ring on her finger.
Inside the ruby, a tiny phoenix emblem seemed to glow faintly.
A soft smile slowly appeared on her face.
Yan, standing nearby, glanced briefly at the ring.
Then she casually looked away.
May, Raven, Gwen, and Helen Cho looked at Black Phoenix with obvious envy.
At the same time, each of them silently made a decision.
They would compete even harder.
Because after Black Phoenix—
They intended to be the next person Karl placed a special engagement ring on.
Nearby, Yelena looked at the ring in Black Phoenix's hand with clear envy.
Soon, the Olympic athlete parade began.
Karl and the others quietly watched the athletes entering the stadium.
After that, the competitions officially started.
However, Karl quickly lost interest.
Watching ordinary athletes compete held little attraction for him.
The same was true for May, Raven, Black Phoenix, and the others.
Any one of them could easily defeat those athletes.
Perhaps Peter was the only exception.
After all, his only ability was telekinesis.
Many wealthy businessmen and tycoons noticed that Karl left shortly after the games began.
They immediately followed his example.
Most of them were worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Watching athletes compete meant little to them.
If Karl hadn't appeared at the opening ceremony, many of them wouldn't have attended at all.
Still, they were glad they had come.
Karl had bestowed lifespan blessings upon the audience.
That alone made the trip worthwhile.
Meanwhile, news quickly spread across the world.
When people learned what had happened at the opening ceremony, countless individuals regretted not attending.
After all—
They could have gained several extra years of life.
After returning to the courtyard residence, Karl and the others stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
Karl soon decided that they would return to the United States the next day.
There were still many places in the East he hadn't visited.
But after Tony's encounter with the Extremis virus, the timeline suggested that the Reality Stone would soon appear.
Karl wanted to return before that happened.
He was certain that Thor would come looking for him once he noticed Jane Foster behaving strangely.
Karl also planned to visit Asgard.
After all, the Space Stone was currently there.
And technically speaking, Thor could be said to have borrowed it from Karl—even though it had originally been left on Earth by Odin.
May and the others had no objections.
Only Pietro and Peter looked depressed.
They had barely had time to enjoy the stinky tofu in Beijing.
…
The news that Karl would leave the next day quickly reached China's top leadership.
Although the decision was sudden, they did not attempt to stop him.
The elderly leader personally called Karl.
China would always welcome him back.
The following day, several members of the Politburo Standing Committee came to see Karl off at the airport.
After exchanging a few polite words, Karl boarded his private plane.
As the plane began moving—
It suddenly transformed into a fighter jet before their eyes and rapidly took off.
News quickly spread across China that Karl had returned to America.
Many people expressed regret.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark had spent the past few days establishing a charitable foundation.
Large amounts of money were being used to help those affected by disasters.
Perhaps this was his way of compensating for the consequences caused by his past actions.
When Karl's plane landed at New York Airport, several Rolls-Royces were already waiting nearby.
Interestingly—
None of them had drivers.
These vehicles had all been modified by Pietro (Quicksilver) over the past few days.
Even Juggernaut had taken a large piece of vibranium from Karl and asked Pietro to build him a vibranium battle suit.
They had been having a great time experimenting with new technology.
Karl immediately understood that Pietro must have arranged the vehicles.
Everyone entered the cars.
The convoy then drove toward the manor.
After returning home, Karl resumed a peaceful daily life.
Most days he simply relaxed in the manor, enjoying the sunlight and teasing the women around him.
Meanwhile, everyone gradually returned to their routines.
Gwen resumed her university studies.
Helen Cho continued researching the Life Cradle, now with unlimited funding.
Raven taught Peter, Pietro, and Wanda various subjects every day.
May began managing Karl's enormous financial assets.
Yan eventually left the manor again.
She returned to Karl's island base to continue constructing the celestial warship.
Although many vibranium robots were assisting with construction, the core systems still required Yan's expertise.
After all, the ship was designed to amplify her computing power and function as a true celestial-class warship.
Only she could complete the final integration.
Meanwhile, Black Phoenix had nothing particularly important to do.
She spent most of her time with Karl at the manor.
Sometimes she deliberately wore various elegant lace nightgowns while walking around in front of him.
Karl often couldn't resist her provocations.
Seeing this, May, Raven, Gwen, and Helen Cho began responding in their own ways.
They started wearing various styles of nightwear—some elegant, some innocent, some seductive.
The competition between them quietly intensified.
Each of them hoped that after Black Phoenix, Karl would choose them next to receive an engagement ring.
Soon afterward, a rare cosmic event began.
The alignment of the Nine Realms.
At the same time—
The Aether, sealed long ago by Odin's father, began to reappear.
The leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith, awakened from his long slumber.
He sensed the fluctuation of the sacred Aether.
Malekith immediately boarded an ancient warship.
He activated it and summoned the Cursed Warriors.
Then he awakened the rest of the Dark Elves.
At that same moment—
Karl suddenly sensed something.
One of the shadow ninjas he had placed in Jane Foster's shadow had begun to move.
Karl smiled slightly.
That meant only one thing.
Thor would soon return to Earth.
Karl gently pulled Black Phoenix into his arms and kissed her.
After spending so much time together, she had been completely conquered by him—both emotionally and physically.
Now, the Black Phoenix trusted him completely.
Whatever Karl asked—
She would do without hesitation.
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