Chapter 15: Ice Mirror Illusion
"General, please sit."
Lance Ryder showed no surprise at the arrival of General Thaddeus Ross. Instead, he greeted him warmly, gesturing toward a chair.
After pouring a cup of tea, Lance sat across from him.
"This is Longjing tea from China—specifically Mingqian Longjing," he said calmly. "It's extremely rare. At least in New York, it's very difficult to obtain."
"Oh?"
General Ross didn't rush into the real purpose of his visit.
Seeing Lance so relaxed—as if he had expected him to come—Ross behaved with the patience of an experienced politician.
He took a slow sip of the tea while glancing around the room.
"The decoration here seems a bit old."
Lance blinked in mild surprise.
"General, you're very direct."
Ross was clearly different from the usual politicians Lance had met.
Most people in politics would have praised the house as elegant or classical.
But Ross spoke bluntly.
Of course, Lance also knew the truth.
Those kinds of flattering words were usually reserved for people with far more power than he appeared to have.
"I only moved in three days ago," Lance explained with a smile.
"I haven't had time to hire anyone to renovate the place."
He glanced around the room himself.
"But I'll be living here for at least four years. If I pursue a master's or doctoral degree, maybe even longer."
"So eventually it will need proper renovation."
"You're really here just to study?"
Ross sounded skeptical.
The mage who had demonstrated such power on the Empire State University campus hardly seemed like an ordinary student.
"I know what you're thinking," Lance replied calmly.
"But the situation isn't what you imagine."
He lifted the teapot and refilled Ross's cup.
"You probably already know I understand a little magic."
"But I think you misunderstand what magicians really are."
Ross's expression grew serious.
The reason he had come here in person was because of the power Lance had shown.
Whether he planned to arrest Lance, recruit him, or pressure him into cooperation—
Everything depended on one question.
Could that power be replicated?
If magic could not be reproduced or taught to others, then Lance's value would drop significantly.
"Hundreds of years ago," Lance continued, "a powerful mage could decide the outcome of a war."
"But over the last century, the influence of magic has been declining."
"In the past few decades, new mages have become extremely rare."
"And the main reason is something called magical inertia."
Ross's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Magical inertia?"
"Yes," Lance explained.
"The magical elements on Earth have become increasingly inert."
"The stronger that inertia becomes, the harder it is to cast magic."
Ross listened carefully.
The idea that everything in the world was made of magical elements sounded like a philosophical worldview rather than a scientific claim.
But if magical inertia truly limited magic on Earth—
Then investing heavily in it might produce very little return.
"There are actually quite a few people like me," Lance continued.
"People who can barely be called junior mages."
"But advancing further is extremely difficult."
"Every spell requires extensive preparation."
"And there are many restrictions."
"That's why I became interested in modern science."
He paused for a moment.
"After all, if everything in the world is made of magical elements, then studying science is simply another way of understanding magic."
"Perhaps one day it might lead to new magical paths."
Ross absorbed the information silently.
Whether Lance's explanation was true would require verification later.
But if magic truly could not advance further on Earth—
Then Lance's strategic value would be limited.
Still, that didn't mean he was useless.
His abilities alone made him a powerful asset.
Especially in conflicts involving the Hulk.
Ross's mind drifted toward another idea.
The Thunderbolt Project.
Since Tony Stark publicly revealed himself as Iron Man, more and more super-powered individuals had begun appearing.
The U.S. military needed its own team of superhumans.
Blonsky's recent enhancement with the Super Soldier Serum had been one example of that effort.
Unfortunately, Blonsky's reckless behavior had disappointed Ross.
Even though he had survived the Hulk's kick, Ross was already losing interest in him.
Disobeying orders on the battlefield was unacceptable.
The Thunderbolt Project had another goal—
Recruiting powerful individuals when military experiments failed to produce results.
Lance Ryder might fit that role.
But judging from his current attitude, he seemed more interested in studying at university than joining a military program.
"So that's how it is."
Ross nodded slowly, wearing the polite smile of a seasoned politician.
He lifted his teacup.
"But you should be careful," he added casually.
"That monster you saw today may not leave you alone."
"You should prepare for that possibility."
The words sounded friendly.
But the warning carried an unmistakable hint of threat.
Lance simply smiled.
"It's actually easy to kill him," he said lightly.
"But it's not easy for him to find me."
"You see, General…"
Lance waved his hand.
Tiny blue sparks of magic scattered through the room.
In an instant—
Multiple copies of Lance Ryder appeared.
One stood in the kitchen.
Another on the second-floor bedroom balcony.
Another in the attic.
Several more appeared throughout the house.
General Ross stared in astonishment.
Dozens of Lance Ryders filled the space around him.
In truth, during the decades Lance had spent in Jotunheim, he had been unable to practice many types of magic.
Instead, he spent over seventy years repeatedly practicing ice magic, drawing power from the realm's endless frost.
Day after day.
Year after year.
Eventually, the passage of time itself seemed to blur.
But the result was mastery.
On Jotunheim, his ice magic could take countless forms and reach tremendous power.
He had even used ancient Frost Giant knowledge to break through into the realm of a legendary mage.
On Earth, however, magical inertia limited his abilities.
But simple illusions formed from ice magic were still easy.
The illusion he showed Ross now was something he had learned by observing Loki.
"This is only the simplest illusion," Lance said with a hint of pride.
"A clever person can see through it with careful observation."
"But that monster…"
He shrugged slightly.
"General, do you really think he has the intelligence to tell the difference?"
Ross felt a flash of irritation.
A clever person can see through it?
He had been staring at the room for several seconds and still couldn't tell which Lance Ryder was real.
Did that mean his intelligence was no better than the Hulk's?
But at the same time—
Ross completely abandoned the idea of confronting Lance directly.
Unlike the Hulk, who was powerful but simple-minded—
This man was far more dangerous.
Clever.
Cautious.
And unpredictable.
If Ross made even one mistake dealing with someone like Lance Ryder—
The consequences could become extremely troublesome.
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