Chapter 1854: The Journey of the Madman (Part 30)_1

Inside the Star Devouring Engine, Thor sipped his drink heartily and asked Stark, "Where are we heading? What's so special about that parallel universe?"

"How should I know? Nick figures out the route." Tony also gulped down his drink and said, "Believe it or not, I bet they've messed up, yet again. We're just working for free."

Thor burst into hearty laughter, "It's not the first or second time, we can't say no anyway, so just enjoy it."

"Actually I'm quite curious about other parallel universes. Sometimes I hear from the myriad Lokis hanging around Asgard about their universe. But, as you know, Loki is a trickster. It's hard to tell truth from lie with him. I quite fancy seeing it for myself."

Natasha, in her alluring posture, leaned against the bar, twirling her red hair with a finger, looked at Tony and said, "Someone's still sore about being left behind last time we went out. It's definitely not some world's richest man though, right?"

Stark slammed his drink on the table with a 'thud', turned around to glare at Natasha and said, "What's so fun about ice fishing in the freezing cold? I dream of how lucky I was for not going with you all."

"Oh, really? I wonder who had Pepper buy all that expensive fishing gear only to realize he couldn't even cast a line. And then had to discretely ask Doctor Otto for fishing advice."

"Can't you damned Agent leave me any privacy?" Stark glared at Natasha.

"Hasn't anyone told you that ice fishing doesn't require any fishing skills?" Captain America chimed in, "The fish come up for air through the holes in the ice. If you're brave enough, you can even catch them barehanded. You didn't avoid going with us because you can't fish, did you?"

"I can fish!" Tony raised his voice to emphasize, then continued, "The reason I didn't go is because Shiller never even asked me. He didn't want me to come!"

"Give it a rest, you're a grown man now." Shiller rolled his eyes and replied, "I knew what would happen if I told you. You'd reject it at first, then make excuses and eventually be forced to go grudgingly. Once there, you'd be picky and call your Mecha to buy fish from the market if you couldn't catch any. If you treat everything like a competition, who would want to invite you?"

Stark was left speechless as Steve placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "I have to admit, Shiller's account is dead-on. Just thinking about it gives me a headache. If that's what you're planning, we're not taking you next time."

"Alright, alright." Stark stood up from the bar stool, pointing to the sky with two fingers, "The great Stark is willing to compromise, just a little though. This time I will keep my mouth shut as much as possible, leaving my mind open to accommodate your foolish chatter."

T'Challa, standing behind the bar, smiled. He handed Stark another drink and said, "The purpose of playing is to have fun, Tony. It's not about gaining something or pleasing somebody. Loosen up a bit."

"I'm really worried that when we reach that universe, it's already destroyed." Stark dropped his arms, sighed, looked at Nick, Shiller and Loki, and said, "Given your previous performance, I feel it's entirely justified to prepare for the worst."

"Outdated, genius Stark." Nick snapped his fingers, "Check this out."

He pulled out something from his pocket and handed it to Stark. Stark took it and found out it was a timeline control device frequently used by the Time Management Bureau.

Nick held up a finger and said, "Many unexpected tragedies have taken place in many parallel universes. Even a small change can lead to a series of impacts."

"But since we've said it's a trip this time, we won't go with a heavy-hearted approach to reverse the tides. Instead, we will travel back to a time when tragedy hasn't struck yet and reverse it. It shouldn't be hard to install this feature in the vehicle, right?"

Stark kept retreating his chin until he squeezed out wrinkles under it. He fiddled with the gadget in his hand and then said, "I need some time to experiment. You two, come with me."

Stark gestured at Banner and Peter. The three of them walked together into the laboratory.

"At least give us a goal? What has happened in the parallel universe we're going to?" Thor asked curiously.

"A complete tragedy." Nick shrugged his shoulders and said, looking at Natasha, "You should still remember the time when I initially wanted to recruit superheroes to form The Avengers, right?"

Natasha took a sip of her drink, paused to recall, then nodded and said: "You did indeed propose the concept back then. I remember it was on the car ride back to S.H.I.E.L.D. You suggested we should organize the superheroes to form a stronger force to deal with possible catastrophic disasters."

Nick leaned against the edge of the bar, asked T'Challa for a drink, and nodded his head saying, "The first person I wanted to recruit was Iron Man. The public didn't know who Iron Man was back then, but I did. Tony's father Howard was an old friend of ours, so it makes sense for him to join the organization that S.H.I.E.L.D. set up."

Nick turned around, holding his drink with one arm out, saying, "In the parallel universe we're about to visit, Nick Fury had the same idea. Only, when he and Natasha went to see Tony, Natasha gave Tony an injection, and Tony died."