The object in Karl's hand appeared utterly ordinary.
It was nothing more than a mud-covered stone.
If his mental power hadn't completely failed to penetrate its interior, Karl would have assumed he had found the wrong item.
Even with his current level of psychic power, he couldn't see inside the stone.
That alone was abnormal.
After thinking for a moment, Karl decided to consult the system.
[Cursed Arsenic Stone]
[Origin: Formed during the birth of a universe.]
[Description: During the cosmic creation process, the stone was contaminated by the blood, energy, and residual essence of countless powerful beings.]
[Current State: Contains a faint, ownerless Law Fragment.]
[Special Property: Internal structure cannot be detected by entities below the Multiversal level.]
[Formation Difficulty: Extremely rare.]
[Probability of occurrence: One specimen among countless universes.]
After reading the system's description, Karl's eyes widened slightly.
A Law Fragment.
An actual law.
Not an ability.
Not an energy source.
Not a treasure.
A law.
Even Karl couldn't remain calm.
True laws represented the fundamental principles governing reality itself.
Those who mastered a law could directly influence the corresponding aspect of the universe.
For example, Karl's freezing abilities had already approached the level of an Ice Law.
But approaching wasn't the same as mastering.
There were still countless ice-related beings throughout the universe.
Some of them were far stronger than Karl in that particular field.
To truly control a law required absolute authority.
Only the supreme existence governing that concept could become its master.
And now—
A completely ownerless Law Fragment had fallen into Karl's hands.
Most importantly, according to the system's description, beings below the Multiversal level couldn't even detect its existence properly.
That meant the law hidden inside had likely never been discovered before.
Karl's lips slowly curved upward.
For once, his luck seemed extraordinarily good.
He had nearly overlooked the stone entirely.
At present, Karl's true combat strength had reached the middle stages of the Single-Universe level while wearing the Golden Cloth embedded with all six Infinity Stones.
In reality, much of that strength came from the Infinity Stones themselves.
The Golden Cloth could no longer significantly amplify his power.
His own growth had already reached the point where the armor's enhancement was becoming negligible.
Before obtaining the Cursed Arsenic Stone, Karl hadn't been certain how to continue advancing toward the next realm.
Now, however—
A path had appeared before him.
Master a law.
Become the ruler of that universal principle.
If successful, his strength would undergo a qualitative transformation.
It might even allow him to surpass the limitations of the Single-Universe level entirely.
After considering everything, Karl carefully stored the Cursed Arsenic Stone inside his system space.
For now, there was no hurry.
Once he found a suitable method, he would extract and comprehend the law hidden within it.
Afterward, Karl returned to the central living room.
He leaned comfortably against the sofa.
Yan and Black Phoenix immediately settled into his arms.
The others continued doing their own things.
Meanwhile, Hela walked behind him and began massaging his shoulders.
"Haohan."
"Have you located the star system we were searching for?"
Karl asked casually.
[Yes, Sir.]
[Target system located.]
[Awaiting further instructions.]
"Good."
"Let's head there."
After receiving the order, Haohan immediately began preparing the journey.
Soon, a massive wormhole opened before the two Tianren-7 warships.
The vessels entered one after another.
Then the wormhole closed behind them.
Under Haohan's control, both warships traveled through the wormhole corridor toward a distant star system rich in stellar resources.
Meanwhile, Tony, Pepper, and several others arrived aboard Karl's warship through a spatial transfer gate.
The moment they entered the living room and saw Karl surrounded by beautiful women, their expressions twitched involuntarily.
May and Raven quickly pulled Pepper aside and started chatting.
Red Crystal, meanwhile, floated through the air and fixed her gaze on little Morgan.
Tony instantly understood what she wanted.
With a helpless sigh, he handed over his precious daughter.
Red Crystal happily accepted Morgan.
The little girl immediately laughed.
Then Red Crystal carried her around the room while floating through the air.
At that moment, Karl opened his eyes.
He gently patted Hela's hand.
Then he looked toward Yan and Black Phoenix.
The two women reluctantly left his embrace and sat beside him.
"So?"
Karl looked at Tony.
"Has our genius figured something out?"
Then he added:
"Haohan."
"Transfer the liquid nanotechnology database to Tony."
Karl smiled mischievously.
Tony immediately stared at him.
"Shit."
"I've already upgraded all my armors."
"Why didn't you give this to me earlier?"
"I could've carried it around everywhere."
Then his expression became more complicated.
"Still..."
"It's hard to believe."
"An entire civilization disappeared just like that."
Karl chuckled.
"I simply forgot."
"Besides, you'll get used to it."
He poured tea into several cups.
"Not every planet has superheroes."
"Not every civilization has powerful protectors."
"And not every world has something like Kamar-Taj."
Karl took a sip.
"Do you remember Thanos?"
"The one who exterminated half the population of every planet he visited?"
Tony nodded.
Karl continued.
"Many civilizations throughout the universe are invaded."
"Many are enslaved."
"Many disappear entirely."
"And this isn't something we can stop."
"Not even me."
Tony immediately shook his head.
"No, no."
"That's not what I meant."
"I'm not criticizing you."
"I was just..."
He paused briefly.
"Moved."
"Seeing a civilization vanish before my eyes."
"And realizing how vast the universe really is."
Karl nodded slightly.
"That's a normal reaction."
Then he casually added:
"Even now, I'm not considered particularly important within the greater universe."
"The Thanos I killed earlier was already on his way to Earth with an interstellar fleet."
Karl handed Tony a cup of tea.
"Anyway."
"You're probably here for the Kryptonian Gene Serum."
Tony accepted the tea.
Then he laughed bitterly.
"Shit."
"I've been far too narrow-minded."
"Yeah."
"Pepper and I came for the serum."
"And..."
He glanced toward Morgan.
"I was worried she'd be lonely over there."
"So I figured I'd bring her here."
"You know."
"Let everyone help watch her."
Karl laughed softly.
"That's fine."
"Morgan is my goddaughter."
"I'll take good care of her."
"Besides..."
Karl looked toward Red Crystal, who was happily flying around with Morgan in her arms.
"I don't think anyone here would object."
"Little Morgan is far too adorable."
...
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