Shane Freak
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Chapter 1045: Astonishing Mundanity (Twenty-Two)
🕑 Added 2024-03-05 00:26:40 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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Seeing his parents standing before him once again, Stark froze in place. His father, Howard, and mother, Maria, appeared unchanged since the last time he saw them.
Maria tossed the bag she was holding to Howard and rushed forward to embrace her son, tears streaming down her face.
Stark stood stiffly, unsure how to react, until Maria began recounting stories from his childhood. Only then did he realize that these were indeed his parents, not some illusion or doppelgänger.
Howard stood in place, holding Maria's bag, watching his son who now appeared to be about the same age as him, with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
The others exchanged knowing glances and slowly retreated, leaving the room. Strange grabbed Schiller and whispered, "What's going on? How did you bring back the Stark couple? They weren't faking their deaths, were they?"
Schiller shook his head and replied, "Of course not. They were truly deceased, but they've been resurrected. Besides, come with me; there's someone else you need to meet."
Schiller led Strange to an adjacent office. Strange seemed to anticipate something and shrugged off Schiller's hand, saying, "What are you up to? Holding a grand reopening? Didn't you say there were no more resurrection slots available this year?"
Ignoring him, Schiller pushed open the door, revealing none other than Strange's younger brother, Victor, and their father, Eugene. Eugene snorted in displeasure, while Victor quickly intervened.
Strange felt a pang of awkwardness as Eugene rose from his chair, his face flushed with anger, and boomed, "Stephen! You wastrel! What did I tell you before I lost consciousness?! Don't waste money on that ridiculously expensive machine!! What's the point? I still ended up dead, didn't I?!"
Wide-eyed, Strange hadn't expected his father's first words after resurrection to be this. He sighed in resignation and said, "The artificial lung was necessary for the treatment of pulmonary failure, and it wasn't that expensive..."
"Don't give me that! You promised me! Stephen, you're always like this! Utterly unreliable! Just like those cunning New Yorkers!"
"How can you say that? I did it to save you!"
As the argument echoed from the room, Schiller silently closed the door. Matt approached him with a worried expression, asking, "What's going on, Schiller?"
At that moment, Peter, who had been waiting at the door, and JARVIS, controlling the Stark Iron Armor, also approached, curious and puzzled about how Schiller had orchestrated everything.
Schiller glanced at JARVIS and said, "Remember what I told you? To turn nothing into something, to gamble with small stakes for huge returns."
"A long time ago, I discovered an unparalleled power within me, but those conservative fools left it to rot. How could that possibly outperform inflation?"
"Such immense power should be invested. Unfortunately, the custodian of this power is an old-fashioned relic who won't allow me access. He actually believes I'd swallow it whole?!"
Schiller walked to the other end of the corridor, wearing an absurd expression. "I am greedy, not foolish. Knowing I'd burst if I did something stupid, why would I?"
"This high-quality asset, which can be transformed into resources at any time, should be invested in excellent projects... that's you."
Schiller spread his arms, looking at the people before him. Under the cold hospital light, he seemed like a deity descending, declaring to them:
"You... my friends! Superheroes! The most vibrant, compassionate, and greatest group of people in this world!"
"Your joys and sorrows are the most precious wealth to me. I will forever love you! Forever—"
"For this, I'm willing to sacrifice a lot, including myself. When I decided to invest in you, it wasn't just to create a better future for you, but for myself as well."
"Facing shadows, shedding blood, and even death or eternal destruction mean nothing to me, as long as the wealth I possess ensures a bright future for all, where everyone can have a perfect ending. I'm willing to give everything!"
"I'm not the spokesperson for greed; I am... greed itself!"
With Schiller's smile, his gray eyes lit up with a golden glow, as if turning the golden sands of the cosmos into a gray dam, radiating golden light under the howling winds of the endless sea.
The patterns of his pupils gradually changed, becoming more regular, like the patterns carved on Romanesque columns.
In the temple of Eternity, Schiller sat opposite Eternity, watching the body of Eternity composed of starlight and spoke:
"...That's the situation. This power has the ability to partially alter reality. In other words, I can create a hole in the temple of Eternity, leading directly to your original workplace. This way, you can quickly move between two points without spending so much time commuting back and forth for meetings."
Although Eternity across from him had no face or expression, it was evident that he was contemplating.
Just now, Schiller found his temple and proposed a deal. Although Eternity initially wanted to leave, Schiller's conditions were quite tempting.
Schiller explained to Eternity that he possessed an energy not belonging to any known space. This energy was adept at constructing a fast-moving passage between two spaces, solving the issue of Eternity's lengthy commute.
Due to OAA pushing Schiller's space into the Marvel Universe and hanging it on the edge of the universe's barrier, every time Adam summoned all Eternity for a meeting at the Life Court, this world's Eternity had to trek across mountains and valleys to attend.
One could say that Eternity's daily commute was second only to every parent's description of how they got to school in their childhood.
Of course, Eternity had the ability to create a passage between his space and a location in the Marvel Universe. However, the problem was that he couldn't do it freely. Within the Marvel Universe, there were numerous higher-ups he had to answer to.
He couldn't just connect his office to the company's door because it was too far away. Adam Life Court wouldn't allow him to randomly dig holes.
But if Schiller did it, there wouldn't be a problem. After all, Schiller was already a notorious terrorist. Wanting to return to the Marvel Universe for some reason, he opted for the most straightforward method: creating a passage. It seemed quite reasonable, didn't it?
In that case, Eternity only needed to ensure that nobody filled up that hole. Then, he and the other concept gods in this space would have a high-speed route back home, simplifying everything they did.
However, the only thing that made Eternity hesitate was Schiller's condition. Schiller raised his cup, took a sip of water, and looked at Eternity, saying, "Under the Crown of Deathgoddess, it has always been desired that I could go and talk to her. Of course, I also understand her feelings. When the United Heaven was just established, some things were a bit rushed, and the clauses weren't very rigorous. We need to double-check..."
Eternity didn't need to hear more. Behind Schiller's official tone, he was essentially saying that he wanted to make some shady deals with Death and hoped that Eternity would turn a blind eye, which would benefit everyone.
Eternity hesitated because, previously, he had forced Death to restrain some irregular operations. Yet, in a blink, Schiller went to her for some irregular dealings, and Eternity turned a blind eye. Wasn't that a bit inappropriate?
But Schiller quickly said, "I am quite sincere, Under the Crown of Eternity. I can pay first to help you create the passage."
"You haven't been home for so long; you must miss your hometown. Take a vacation and help your brothers and sisters explore the situation. There shouldn't be any problem, right?"
Eternity coughed twice, not expressing his opinion. Schiller, holding that power, began to create a passage in his temple of Eternity. Then, he simply disappeared, pretending to know nothing.
Thus, the transaction was successfully completed, and shortly after, Schiller arrived at the Realm of Death.
When Death saw Schiller, her blood pressure soared. After the completion of the United Heaven, she reviewed the terms of the deal with Schiller and discovered various traps, making her even more furious than when dealing with Deadpool.
Seeing Schiller daring to come again, Death wanted to throw him out immediately. But the next moment, Schiller extended his hand and said, "I have brought a rare ingredient. May I have the honor of dining with the goddess?"
Initially inclined to refuse, Death then saw Schiller conjure a human arm out of thin air.
Though puzzled, Death soon realized that this arm was part of Schiller's soul.
Ten minutes later, Death and Schiller sat at opposite ends of the table. She spoke, "Over billions of years, I have housed countless human souls, seen countless lunatics and deviants as you say, but you are still exceptional, or should I say, unprecedented."
With a gaze fixed on the arm placed in the center of the table, she was certain it belonged to Schiller. As the recipient of Death, she couldn't mistake a human soul.
Schiller's invitation for dinner, along with his self-provided ingredient—his own arm—made Death feel a kind of concern she had never experienced before, akin to a human woman wondering if she had encountered a psychopath.
But soon, she understood Schiller's intent. Though the so-called arm was part of Schiller's soul, it contained a power not native to this space and bore the aura of Death from another world.
Death herself had no need for any energy; abstract entities were the root of space, and all energy was born within them. The aura of death from another world had a certain attraction to Death. She only craved more death, and the aura from another world, like a good book, provided spiritual satisfaction.
Schiller's condition was merely to resurrect several humans. So, Death felt somewhat conflicted.
If this space were still part of the original universe, Death couldn't have done it. If certain routes deviated, her superiors would surely not overlook it.
But now, since this space had been expelled, Death thought, what would happen if the route deviated? She had been fired anyway. Could her former boss bring her back to scold her?
With such thoughts in mind, Death agreed to Schiller's deal. First, the Starks, Howard and Maria Stark, were to be resurrected, followed by Strange's father, Eugene Strange...
As Schiller reached this point, he still recited a name, and Death resurrected a person. But then, Schiller directly took out a piece of paper and began to recite.
Peter Parker's biological parents, Matt's father, Steve's girlfriend Peggy Carter, Natasha's ex-husband, and so on—friends, acquaintances, and loved ones of Schiller's friends. It even included the goldfish in Ben's uncle's fish tank and the dog Bucky had as a child...
As Death kicked Schiller out of the Realm of Death, a furious roar echoed throughout the realm:
"Get out!!!!!!!!"
[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]
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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1046: Astonishing Mundane People (Twenty-Three)
