Those time travelers that year

"A little trick?" Tony rubbed his chin and said, "But this move of yours is enough to leave those pretentious doctors in the hospital miles behind... So, is this magic?!"

"One of them, and it's a ranged spell that I'm not good at, but it's enough to heal an ordinary person!"

"So what's your specialty?" Tony asked curiously.

"Flame, shadow, destruction, curse, soul..." Charles replied with ill intent, "Would you like to see? What I just mentioned is what I'm best at, and it's my job."

“Uh, I don’t want to!” Tony said. “...Alright! You are indeed a qualified wizard, at least in your job and expertise. You look like an evil wizard.”

"Thank you for the compliment!"

"You're welcome, but are you sure you won't get into trouble with the Vatican?!"

"Those 'mortals' who claim to be gods?" Charles laughed. "If they come before me and cause me trouble, I'll make sure they don't even have the chance to go to heaven or hell..."

——————————Divider Line——————————

For Xia Er, experiencing modern life again was undoubtedly a pleasure. Of course, what he enjoyed even more was the variety of games available in this world. For example, Ubisoft games, and so on. Especially after such a long time, finally having the chance to play Rampage again turned Xia Er into a complete shut-in…

The rest of the time, he would simply cast a healing spell on Tony Stark. Otherwise, he would rely on Apparition to wander around, as he essentially traveled by teleportation, much to the chagrin of those trying to track him. Because, if Ciel didn't want to be found, a simple Muggle Exorcism Charm could completely confuse those agents.

Of course, compared to teasing those agents and staying in Tony's villa playing various single-player or online games using Jarvis's high-speed processing system, the only other thing that interested Ciel was the Iron Man armor created by Tony Stark. Although the playboy wasn't initially keen on Ciel entering his workshop, he gave up trying to stop him once he discovered that even with the door locked, Ciel could teleport in anytime he wanted.

While Ciel couldn't offer any advice on Tony's Iron Man armor-making, he still found it fascinating to watch Tony repeatedly stumble and fall, observing his various spectacular wall-banging antics while laughing and casting healing spells on him. Naturally, Tony would occasionally become enraged, but in terms of sheer physical strength, Ciel could easily overpower him even without magic. This was evident after Ciel once crushed a steel ingot into a steel bar with his bare hands, after which Tony became less inclined to shake his hand.

Through Jarvis, Shire also collected some data on industrial development. These outdated technologies on Earth could be brought back to the main world and used. Since it was unknown whether there were any differences in the rules between the two worlds, Shire only needed the data on industrial development during World War II.

Besides his daily research on the Iron Man armor, Tony was also very interested in the magical knowledge Ciel had provided. Although Ciel had only given Tony some basic information about Ken's magical insignia, it still spurred Tony to tirelessly try to understand this knowledge, which might be completely different from what he already knew. Unfortunately, fate ultimately destined him to be only a scientist and a superhero, not a magician. After failing to meet the requirements for using magic despite his efforts, Tony temporarily abandoned his plans to learn magic and instead focused his energy on creating and perfecting the Iron Man armor.

Second update!

160. The Beginning of Iron Man!

Time slipped by silently, its passage like a curse, plunging the future into a frenzy. Tony Stark's Iron Man armor was being perfected step by step, and just as it was completed, a news report on television caught his attention.

In that news report, he saw that the place where he was being held was still embroiled in various wars, and coincidentally, he also saw the bald terrorist on the news. The terrorist who had imprisoned him, tortured him, and forced him to build the Jennic missile. For the first time, this wealthy playboy clearly realized what he should do, and this was also the first time Iron Man appeared before the world. At supersonic speed, the gold and red Iron Man flew from the Americas to the Middle East, and then, with overwhelming technological superiority, easily defeated the terrorists who possessed the weapons he had created, one by one, and destroyed all the weapons that had fallen into the hands of the terrorists.

After a thrilling return journey, Tony Stark arrived home in California, but his first appearance as a superhero, a heroic act, did little to alleviate his suspicions.

Especially when suspicions about someone grow stronger, even if you know that the other person is your nominal uncle, someone who is considered your elder...

As for the inner thoughts of a certain superhero, Ciel had no interest whatsoever. His only interests lay in playing various single-player and online games, while also indulging in the latest anime and manga. Aside from sleeping and eating, he spent his days as a complete shut-in. After all, compared to meddling in Tony Stark's petty affairs, he was more interested in figuring out how to achieve his goal in Assassin's Creed 3.

Of course, Ciel's ignoring it didn't mean trouble wouldn't come knocking, although for Ciel, the so-called trouble was actually not trouble at all.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" Just as Ciel was looking at the LCD screen in the villa and holding a game controller, Tony Stark came out of the studio downstairs and sat down on the sofa next to Ciel, asking him as he fiddled with the controller and controlled the game character.

"Your metal poisoning is nothing to worry about..." Ciel replied casually while fiddling with the controller. "I can keep helping you get rid of the metal toxicity in your body. Don't tell me that as a 'genius,' you really can't find a way to solve your problem."

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Tony said. “You’re a wizard, aren’t you!”

“Yes! To be precise, I am a sorcerer, but of course, it doesn’t matter if you think of me as a wizard.” Charles said without turning his head.

“…Then, I want to ask you to help me protect someone!” Tony said with a worried expression.

“I’m not a bodyguard. And why aren’t you going to see Mr. Harpy instead of a wizard like me, Tony? Are you drunk?” Shire turned his gaze to Tony Stark, who was sitting on the other sofa, and asked with a hint of curiosity, “Or...what happened?!”

“I need your help to protect Pepper right now!” Tony didn’t answer Charles’s question. Instead, he said with a serious expression, “She’s at the company right now. I asked her to help me investigate some things, but I’m worried she might run into some trouble.”

"...What do I get in return, Mr. Tony Stark?!" Ciel paused the game with the controller, tossed it onto the table, and turned to Tony, asking, "I'll help you resolve your poisoning problem in exchange for the conveniences I provided while living in Midgard... But I never said I'd be your personal doctor and also work as your bodyguard."

"If you ask me to protect someone for you, say your girlfriend, what would I get in return?"

"Tony Stark's friendship means that, as long as it doesn't go against my conscience, I will unconditionally help you with anything within my power!"

"Ha! Very well, a genius's promise is quite convincing!" Charles narrowed his dark golden eyes and continued, "How about this? In the future, if I come across something that catches my attention, I don't need you to get it for me. I just hope you can help me secure... some opportunities. How about that?"

Tony frowned and said, "Okay... sure."

"Then, the promise is valid!"

——————————Divider Line——————————

In the Marvel universe, where adventures abound, you can acquire many things if you want, the most eye-catching of which are the Infinity Stones! And the closest thing to the Ciel is the Tesseract... Unfortunately, the Tesseract is kept by S.H.I.E.L.D., which has even built an underground base specifically to study this artifact, which is known as the Dragon Jewel in Norse mythology.

However, even though he knew the Tesseract was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, Ciel might not be able to pinpoint its exact location! Similarly, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council, who treasured it so much, would never allow Ciel to access it. If it weren't for Loki's theft of the Tesseract in Avengers 1, which escalated the situation, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dark-skinned director wouldn't have so easily revealed the Tesseract's existence to Tony. Compared to Tony, who was practically one of their own, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be far more wary of Ciel, an outsider with no status in this world.

Ciel wouldn't take a group of ordinary agents seriously, but later superheroes like the Hulk and Thor were not to be underestimated. Especially with Thor soon to arrive on Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization that also engages in various illegal activities, likely has plenty of ways to influence Thor's lover Jane, indirectly affecting Thor himself. Presumably, if S.H.I.E.L.D. were truly interested in such a situation, they would have plenty of methods…

However, as long as the plot continues, the hot potato of cosmic magic will inevitably become unavoidable. Once the Battle of New York is complete, before Thor takes the Tesseract back to Asgard, Ciel can leverage Tony's influence within S.H.I.E.L.D. to study the Tesseract for a while. Especially the energy within the Tesseract; if he could extract some for experimentation, that would be ideal. Furthermore, even without much gain, as one of the Infinity Stones, the Space Stone's ability to influence and even manipulate space itself could give Ciel new insights into space.

Although he didn't know why, as long as he concentrated, he could perceive a different worldview. In that state, Charles felt that his eyes could directly see through to the essence of all things, just like when he was in the Middle East, using his special vision to discover two mages hidden in another mirror dimension. Therefore, using such unexpected windfalls to seek more benefits was not a bad tactic.

In particular, Ciel always had a feeling that if he could come into contact with the Tesseract or any of the Infinity Stones, he would receive unexpected benefits.

Three shifts

161. Iron Man Storyline (Part 1)

Unbeknownst to Tony, while he was sending Shire from the California villa to New York to protect his secretary, Obadiah also received news of Shire's departure. This outsider who had suddenly moved into Tony's villa—the mastermind behind the murders of the Stark father and son—was initially unaware of Shire's identity or intentions. Even his personal information and records were later obtained through Tony's private channels; prior to that, Shire's records were completely blank.

Out of caution, Obadiah had been keeping an eye on Charles's whereabouts. Previously, Charles rarely left his villa, mostly staying inside playing various games, and even when he did go out, he was always elusive. But today, this usually elusive guy had surprisingly left the villa and boarded Tony Stark's private jet for New York. Thinking about Pepper Potts, Tony's personal secretary, sneaking around as if investigating something, Obadiah's face darkened.

Without notifying anyone, Obadiah secretly traveled to California and, using his access privileges, had Jarvis open the door to Tony Stark's villa.

……

Meanwhile, at Stark Industries in New York, Pepper Potts secretly began hacking into the company's systems, particularly Obadiah's private system. Soon, after opening the hidden files, Tony's secretary and girlfriend was shocked to discover documents and videos detailing Obadiah's various behind-the-scenes deals, almost all of which were directly or indirectly linked to terrorist groups and foreign intelligence organizations.

Similarly, after clicking on a video, Pepper Potts discovered the entire process of Obadiah's conversation with terrorists plotting to assassinate Tony Stark, and later discovered that Obadiah obtained the original blueprints for Tony's Iron Man armor from those terrorists, as well as the prototype machine that he used to escape from the terrorists.

After acquiring those items, Obadiah secretly began developing and manufacturing new armor. The thrill of discovering this secret, coupled with the fear of Obadiah's malice, made Pepper Potts quicken her pace, wanting to escape the building. However, she was stopped by someone just as she reached the door.

“Hello! Miss Potts, I had an appointment with you today, do you remember me?” Agent Coulson, dressed in a neat and smart suit and with a reassuring expression, stopped Pepe’s hurried steps.

"You're from that Homeland Strategy and Logistics Support Bureau, I remember your name, Coulson, right?" Pepe, who had been stopped, was taken aback and then asked anxiously.

“Phil Coulson, of course, we’re now called S.H.I.E.L.D. Do you have a moment now, Miss Potts?” Coulson’s eyes lit up, seemingly sensing Pepe’s tension and anxiety. Although he didn’t know what had happened, it was undoubtedly a good thing—an opportunity for him and his organization to build a closer relationship with Tony Stark.

“Yes, right now, come with me!” Pepe said urgently.

"Now?" Pepe's attitude made Coulson feel that something was wrong.

"We're leaving right away!"

“Okay…” After a slight pause, Coulson quickly followed Pepe’s footsteps.

"Hello! Miss Potts!" Just as the two had walked a short distance, another voice rang out. Ciel, who had appeared out of nowhere, walked alongside them without a care in the world.

“Huh… Mr. Gret?” Pepe was startled.

"Who are you?" Coulson looked at Charles who had appeared in front of him, and for the first time, a serious expression appeared on his face.

“Cial Greta! Tony sent me…” Ciel glanced at the famous agent, then turned his gaze to Pepper Potts. “He said he wanted you to investigate something, and since he was worried something might happen to you, he sent me personally. But it seems, Miss Potts, you’ve already gotten what Tony needed…”

“Yes, but can I trust you?” Pepe asked warily. Similarly, Coulson, standing to the side, also looked wary, while several figures dressed in the same black clothes gradually surrounded them.

"Of course!"

“Alright! I believe you, then come with me…” After saying this, Pepe hurriedly walked out of the company. Charles and Coulson, who were a step behind, followed her.

“Mr. Charles Gretel? Looks like we’ll be working together for a while!” Coulson said as they walked. “You’re Tony Stark’s friend?”

"No! I'm just... a private doctor!"

“Well, perhaps we’ll have the same topic. Would you be interested in discussing it?” Coulson said. “After all, as an illegal immigrant, we need to know some details about you, such as where you came from.”

"Talk? With you Midgards? Can you invent steel armor?" Charles asked.

"No, but I think someone will..."

“Well then, let’s talk about it when I have time after this Joker show is over!” Charles said. “By the way, I’m not an unregistered resident; Tony helped me get registered.”

Fearing that Obadiah might have spies within the company, Pepper suggested going to Coulson's office to have him check some things. At this point, Pepper seemed to realize that Coulson belonged to an organization independent of the CIA and FBI, meaning he had sufficient authority to arrest Obadiah without a warrant. Even so, Pepper still asked Coulson with some lingering unease.

"Agent Coulson, could you call in more people to help?"

"Of course, ma'am, but I need to know what you want to do?"

Upon hearing this, Pepe seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and took out a black USB drive. "This contains evidence of Obadiah's conspiracy, his involvement in illegal transactions, and his contact with terrorists to assassinate Tony… Do you have the right to arrest Obadiah Stane directly?!"

“No problem, ma’am!” Coulson smiled and gave an affirmative answer. “As long as the evidence is sufficient…”

……

Is the evidence sufficient? Of course, Coulson felt it was far too much for Pepe to have obtained so much information that could have sent Obadiah to prison multiple times. And knowing that all of this was stored on a computer and never deleted, even as a seasoned agent, Coulson was speechless.

Why would someone be so clever as to openly leave evidence of a crime on their computer? Did they really think that a password would guarantee complete security? Hackers with powerful enough skills can easily bypass firewalls and infiltrate. Or was Obadiah overly confident in the company's internal security? This isn't the AI ​​Tony created. Meanwhile, Pepe, trying to contact Tony by phone, discovered he wasn't answering. It seemed something was wrong! And one of Coulson's men brought bad news: Obadiah had left the company earlier that day, flying to California on a private jet…

“Looks like I need to go back as a doctor!” Charles said to Pepe and Coulson.

"I'm afraid it's too late?" Coulson frowned and said seriously, "Miss Pepe, could you please inform Colonel Roddy? If I remember correctly, he's Tony's friend and he's at an air force base in California."

"OK……"

“No need!” Charles interrupted their conversation, saying to Pepe, “I can get back much faster, so please be careful while I’m gone, Miss Potts.” Without giving them a chance to reply, he turned around and disappeared into a cloud of black mist that appeared out of nowhere, leaving a bunch of bewildered people behind.

“Um, Miss Potts!” Coulson asked curiously, “Mr. Grett, are you a mutant?”

“No…” Pepe replied blankly, “I don’t know, Tony never told me.”

Fourth watch!

162. Iron Man Storyline (Part 2)

Knowing the plot, Ciel naturally understood that Tony had ultimately been careless, caught off guard and knocked down by Obadiah's infrasound. The extremely low-frequency infrasound froze Tony, his limbs seemingly frozen, rendering him completely unable to control his body. However, like every brainless villain, Ciel spouted endless nonsense and forgot to finish him off. After rambling on beside the collapsed Tony, he pulled out the newly constructed miniature arc reactor from Tony's chest, leaving Tony to slowly await his death.

Clearly, this playboy, after his transformation, was far more resolute than Obadiah had imagined. Most people in this situation would probably have closed their eyes in fear and awaited death. However, driven by hatred and anger, this Stark, who had been paralyzed by infrasound, managed to regain control of his body through sheer willpower. Although he moved with great difficulty, inch by inch, Tony still struggled towards the studio below, his increasingly uncomfortable body bearing the strain.

There wasn't enough time for him to rebuild a new Arc Reactor, but the first-generation small Arc Reactor, which Pepe had given him as a birthday present, was encased in a glass frame. This obsolete component, overlooked by everyone, had now become Tony's only chance of survival.

However, it's clear that willpower isn't always omnipotent. Just like now, even willpower can't withstand physical discomfort and the countdown to death. After struggling into the lab and managing to shatter the glass frame, Tony suddenly lost all his strength, his vision went black, and he collapsed completely to the ground.

“Pepe…”

Death was slowly creeping in, and no matter how unwilling he was, Tony couldn't control even a single finger. His increasingly dim eyes revealed deep worry and concern for someone, but what could he do? His only prayer was that the alien wizard could use his teleportation magic to take his secretary and girlfriend far away.

“If you’re so worried about your girlfriend, Mr. Stark, then show yourself what a man you are!” Just as death was about to claim Tony Stark’s life, a familiar voice rang out, followed by the warmth of golden light that dispelled the darkness. Back in the villa, Shire stood in the underground laboratory, right before Tony, having once again pulled him back from the brink of death. “I suppose you’d rather kill someone yourself!”

"Huff, huff, huff..." Tony, who had just returned from the brink of death, struggled to his feet, panting heavily, his face still showing fear. "Thanks, buddy, you saved me again..."

“I don’t want a long-term meal ticket to just disappear like this!” Having pulled Tony Stark back from the brink of death with a healing spell, Shire said, handing over the small, early-model arc reactor he had picked up. “Remember to pay, this is a paid service…”