Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One stood in the courtyard of the training ground and suddenly let out a long sigh.
Wong, who happened to be beside her, tensed up instantly. "Sorcerer Supreme, has a new demonic entity appeared?"
At this point in time, Wong hadn't yet gained the fuller figure he would later sport.
The Ancient One shook her head. "No. A great hero is about to emerge in this World."
"A very…" Her tone was oddly conflicted, as if struggling for the right word, "a very peculiar hero."
Wong didn't understand, but the Ancient One simply walked away.
He turned to Master Hamir, who stood nearby.
"Father, I don't quite get it," Wong said, puzzlement written across his face. "Isn't a great hero a good thing? Why does the Sorcerer Supreme seem worried?"
Hamir shook his head as well, yet as a father he could always find something to say even when he was equally in the dark.
"Wong, don't try to fathom the Sorcerer Supreme's intentions."
"She is not only the Master of Kamar-Taj but also an elder; she even held you when you were a baby."
Wong promptly shut up, knowing that if he said another word his father's stories would wander into every corner of his childhood.
Meanwhile, among the pedestrians on the streets of New York, there was now one more handsome face.
"Hmph, the bland air here—one whiff and I can tell this place is starved of Superhero mayhem… er, salvation," Fang Yuan remarked.
Before the Avengers showed up, New York basically never faced World-ending crises; everyday crimes were limited to robberies, homicides, and the occasional do-gooder teaching kids about firearms. Quality-wise the crooks couldn't rival Gotham's, but quantity-wise? Gotham's a shrimp next to mighty New York.
With great interest Fang Yuan opened the [Superstar Halo]; he wanted to see if he had what it took to become a celebrity here.
[Arrived in new World; evaluating…]
[Evaluation result: Activation successful!]
Fang Yuan nodded, satisfied with the outcome.
He immediately produced a blank invitation and was about to write his own name.
At the crucial moment he froze, remembering something important.
"If I sign myself, what tier of superhuman would I count as?" he wondered silently.
In his own eyes he was clearly S-Rank, but the criteria weren't up to him.
Judging by the panel's usual practice, the range was huge: purely on stats he might be B-Rank, but factor in the various Character Templates and an A-Rank was guaranteed.
So he simply asked the system outright.
[Host rating is for reference only and does not affect reward content; rewards are based on your comprehensive actions in the current World.]
Reassured, Fang Yuan boldly signed his name.
[Vought Corporation cordially invites you to join.]
[Inviter: Fang Yuan]
[Signatory: Fang Yuan]
The next second a notification popped up.
[Congratulations! Host has signed a C+-Rank superhuman: Fang Yuan!]
!
!!
!!!
Fang Yuan's eyes bulged. He couldn't believe it. "System, you made a mistake, right?"
"C+?"
He had two A-Rank halos, an S-Rank skill, and a pile of character templates—yet his rating was only C+.
Salvador was at this level.
"What right does Big Sis have to share my rating?" he protested, demanding an explanation.
Unfortunately the panel only gave mechanical replies; otherwise he'd have taught it the art of conversation.
[Host rating differs from standard supes; it reflects your current usable power and excludes templates below 100% development.]
Fang Yuan understood: only templates developed to 100% counted, so his effective personal strength was rated C+ for now.
"So it's not that I'm weak—it's that Invisible Man, A-Train and Black Noir are just too weak. Makes sense," he said, accepting the verdict; the problem couldn't possibly be him.
Since the panel said rating didn't affect rewards, he moved on and checked his character card.
[Name: Fang Yuan]
[Rank: C+]
[Fame: 13 (Obscure)]
[Unlocked Reward: Starter Reward (Claimable)]
[Starter Reward: Inspired by you, Steve Rogers set foot on the path to become Captain America. You have gained the Superhero Creator Halo (C-Rank).]
[Superhero Creator Halo (C-Rank): Targets you guide toward superheroism will greatly increase their trust in you.]
"A halo as the starter reward?"
Fang Yuan's eyes widened again—this time in delight.
He instantly changed his tune. "Ahem, C+ is fine, I'm not petty. Keep it up, System."
Who cares about empty titles when there are real benefits?
He noticed this reward was basically a summary of his actions in the Marvel World—no wonder the panel said rewards were based on overall behavior.
"Guiding superheroes? I'm practically a pro at that." Fang Yuan arched a brow, brimming with confidence.
Not to mention his existing résumé—this time in The Boys World he'd even extracted the "super-hero scripture" from Vought.
"Seems like the Avengers of this World will just have to put up with me as their boss," he thought gleefully.
After all, he planned to become a superstar himself while launching a whole team of heroes—if he wasn't the boss, who would be?
"Your invitation card can now invite even you?"
At that moment a bald head popped up amid the crowd.
Fang Yuan took a closer look—who else could it be but the Ancient One?
"You came specially to pick me up?" he asked.
The Ancient One wore the same gentle smile, speaking softly, "You've been away for sixty-five years; I thought you might appreciate a guide."
With a flick of her fingers she opened the Mirror Dimension, wrapping the two of them inside so no one else could hear.
"Somehow I get the feeling you're here to keep an eye on me," Fang Yuan muttered. "We agreed that after this I'm free to do as I please."
"Of course," the Ancient One replied without argument.
"Would you like me to brief you on the current World?" she asked.
"No need." Fang Yuan waved her off, pulled out a black wristwatch and strapped it on. "I've got this."
He spoke to the watch: "Athena, scan Earth data—primary target: Tony Stark."
The Ancient One conveniently opened a small gap in the Mirror Dimension so the watch's signal could get through.
Remember when Fang Yuan once asked Bruce Wayne to design an AI for him?
This was Batman's finished product.
Before arriving in the Marvel World, he'd swung by the DC Universe and traded a three-day Thomas Wayne tour for the completed device.
Incidentally, Fang Yuan had tried activating the Superstar Halo in the DC World—sadly the check failed.
According to Bruce, this AI's tech level surpasses most Worlds and can assist Fang Yuan with R&D—essentially an upgraded Friday.
Because it runs on Kryptonian tech, it doesn't need vast server farms.
To keep it from evolving into another Brainiac, Batman locked away its self-awareness.
Still, for Fang Yuan's day-to-day needs—running his organizations while he's away or researching compound v, for instance—the AI is more than capable.
Built on Kryptonian tech, Bruce Wayne had originally named the AI "Krypto," but Fang Yuan didn't want to share a name with Superman's future dog, so he rechristened it Athena, goddess of wisdom.
A melodious female voice soon sounded from the watch: "Search complete."
"Tony Stark, born Anthony Edward Stark, age forty. Recent major event: developed the Iron Man Suit and defeated Iron Monger. Current status: inside the private floor of Stark Tower with Stark Industries CEO Pepper Potts…"
"Ahem, that's enough," Fang Yuan coughed, cutting Athena off.
Tony was, after all, his honorary nephew—some privacy was in order—and the eternally single Ancient One was standing right there.
Still, the stunt had proven Athena's prowess: it could hack Stark Tower despite Jarvis's presence—no surprise given Batman plus Kryptonian tech.
Fang Yuan now had his timeline anchor.
Tony Stark had already become Iron Man; because reports place Iron Man's debut anywhere from 2008 to 2010, Fang Yuan needed confirmation.
Apparently in this Universe Tony was captured in 2008, became Iron Man in 2009, and now in 2010 a big Russian bear is sailing over to punch him.
Of course, since Tony had already declared "I am Iron Man," Fang Yuan could no longer trigger the Super-Hero Creator Halo on him.
Apart from beautiful women and children, Tony keeps most strangers at arm's length.
He's a key target for Fang Yuan—Iron Man is the core of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all.
And Fang Yuan badly wants Tony's research skills, whether to unlock related rewards or to have Tony research for him.
Had Fang Yuan arrived before Tony became Iron Man, earning his trust would have been easy; now that Tony's already suited up, it's far harder.
Even Nick Fury, who solved Tony's palladium poisoning crisis, remains on Tony's watch list.
Fang Yuan, however, wasn't worried; though he'd been gone sixty-plus years, he hadn't come back empty-handed.
Approaching Iron Man directly would only raise alarms—so he'd simply switch lanes.
He'd christened his new plan: "Seize the Dad to Control the Son!"
Tested personally by Batman.
And it works.
Fang Yuan turned to the Ancient One and asked straight out, "Where's Howard?"
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