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*****
Phinney understood exactly what Tony meant by that remark. It was a clear indication that the man was guarding against him. Given the previous incident where Phinney had successfully taken control of Jarvis, he didn't believe for a second that Tony hadn't implemented some heavy-duty countermeasures.
However, Phinney didn't actually covet the Iron Man armor. Why would he, when he had 'Incursio' to rely on? Wasn't the Demon Armor much more satisfying to use?
"In that case, I'll just come back later tonight," Phinney remarked.
Since Tony was occupied, Phinney couldn't exactly force him to stay. But the grind for experience couldn't stop. With April approaching, his experience bar was only a tiny sliver away from being full. With just a little more effort, he would finally be able to perform another extraction.
"What have you two been up to lately?"
Pepper, who had been standing to the side, finally chimed in. Recently, because Tony had stepped back from the day-to-day operations, she had a mountain of company business to manage. Even so, as his girlfriend, she was well aware that the two of them seemed to be busy with something together.
"It's nothing major. I just had some issues with my cultivation, so I asked Mr. Stark to lend a hand," Phinney explained to Pepper.
Having served as Tony's assistant for years, Pepper was leagues ahead of Tony when it came to interpersonal skills and handling people. Consequently, Phinney and Pepper had hit it off quite well from the very beginning.
"What could he possibly help you with?"
Pepper couldn't help but look surprised. She was well aware that what Phinney was studying was magic.
"Hey, do you really have that little faith in your boss?"
Tony, standing nearby, immediately looked disgruntled. Was she really looking down on him that much?
"Former boss!" Pepper corrected him with a smile.
Seeing Tony's mock jealousy, Pepper laughed and didn't press the matter further. After giving Tony's outfit another once-over, she nodded in approval. "Alright, we're ready to go."
"Then I'll leave you two to your business. I'm heading back first!"
Phinney opened a portal. Because of the covert surveillance by S.H.I.E.L.D., he made it a point to travel via portals every time he came or went to avoid being detected. Even his phone communications were now handled through encrypted channels.
Upon returning home, Phinney found himself with nothing much to do. Since there were no classes at school today, he simply called up Skye—who was equally bored—and headed back to his small shop to sell Violet Fried Chicken Rolls.
According to Skye, every time she went back, she would encounter a large group of people asking when the shop would reopen. It had to be admitted that the system's descriptions were remarkably reliable; the product was a hit.
Phinney's return sent the long-awaiting fans of the 'Violet Fried Chicken Rolls' into a state of absolute frenzy. Seeing their overwhelming enthusiasm, Phinney actually felt a twinge of guilt. As a result, he spent the entire day focused solely on selling the rolls.
Whenever his ingredients ran low, he would surreptitiously use his skill to summon more. He kept going until everyone was stuffed to the brim, and only after they had packed away several extra portions for the road did they finally leave, satisfied.
By the end of it, Phinney himself was utterly exhausted. While he had made a significant amount of cash, he had grown too accustomed to the ease of summoning things via skills. Doing everything by hand was genuinely draining.
"I'll wait until I don't have so many secrets to hide before I start selling these regularly again!"
As the day of sales came to an end, Phinney made a silent vow. Once the day came where he could summon things with his skills without restriction, he would come back and properly satisfy these loyal customers.
The day's hard work hadn't just yielded money; it had also caused his experience bar to grow significantly. He was now one step closer to his fifth skill.
That evening, after finishing his training at Kamar-Taj, Phinney went to find Tony for another sparring session. While they were at it, he asked about the subpoena Tony had received earlier that day.
"They actually want to replicate my technology. My tech is at least twenty years ahead of the rest of the world," Tony answered with a smirk of pride, punctuated by a palm repulsor blast aimed at Phinney.
Side-stepping the white energy bolt, Phinney curled his lip inwardly. If it had been before, that statement might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but now that Tony had successfully synthesized the new element, he certainly had the right to be that confident.
Once the battle concluded, a bone-tired Phinney went straight home and collapsed into sleep.
This routine continued until the first of April. On April Fool's Day, Phinney finally managed to max out the experience bar for his fifth extraction. At the same time, Tony—who had been acting as a sparring partner almost every single day—finally voiced a protest.
"I'm going to be re-launching the 'Stark Expo' soon, so I'm likely going to be quite busy."
Hearing Tony's words, Phinney knew exactly what he was implying. Fortunately, the experience for his fifth draw was already full. "Then you go ahead and focus on that. I won't be coming over for a while. But why the sudden urge to host the Expo?"
"A lot of reasons, really," Tony said, his expression somewhat complex. He didn't offer a detailed explanation.
Phinney didn't pry. With his experience bar full, the 'Iron Man XP Farm' could be taken offline for the time being. As for the fifth extraction, Phinney ultimately wanted to verify one specific question.
Late that night, Phinney returned to Kamar-Taj. He found the Ancient One meditating alone in silence. After hesitating for a long moment, he finally took a deep breath and spoke:
"Master Ancient One, there's something I'd like your help with."
The Ancient One sat cross-legged with eyes closed. Upon hearing Phinney's voice, she didn't open them, merely asking calmly, "What is it?"
"I was wondering if you could help me look into the future—specifically, the changes that will happen to me in the next few minutes."
Phinney ultimately wanted to know if the Eye of Agamotto could actually predict the system's extractions. Logically, if the Ancient One could see his future, she should be able to foresee the results.
At those words, the Ancient One finally opened her eyes. Her deep, penetrating gaze fixed on Phinney as she spoke. "Phinney, do you know why I chose to meet you in the first place?"
Phinney blinked, momentarily stunned, and then shook his head. He had once thought about seeking her out, but he had never truly expected that she would be the one to find him.
"Because I felt that you could bring unpredictable changes to the future I knew!"
The Ancient One said softly, "I told you once before: your future is sometimes so vast it's beyond imagination, and sometimes, I can see absolutely nothing at all."
"I don't know exactly what you want me to look for, but from my perspective, your timeline seems to be composed of many distinct nodes. Until a node is completed, I cannot see your true future. Within a node, your future is in a constant state of flux; every second leads to a different outcome, and every time I look, the vision might change."
"And right now, you are standing between nodes. I cannot help you, Phinney."
After hearing this, Phinney's emotions were a bit of a whirlwind. The Ancient One's meaning was crystal clear: she couldn't predict the system's extractions. In fact, as long as he remained in a state where he hadn't performed the draw, she couldn't see his future at all.
He began to understand what she meant when she said his influence on the world was too great. If this logic held, as long as he was involved, the Ancient One might not even be able to use the Eye of Agamotto to observe the world's ultimate fate with any certainty.
After all, with his participation, the world could never remain on a fixed path.
If one were to use a train to describe Phinney's future, the process was like a series of carriages. Between each carriage, there was a closed room. The Ancient One could view the interior of a single, short carriage, but unless she passed through that room, she couldn't see the next one. And the door to that room could only be opened by Phinney himself.
"I understand. Thank you for the explanation."
Phinney remained silent for a moment before standing up and thanking her. The Ancient One didn't have to tell him any of this, but she chose to. Perhaps it was a sign that she had truly come to accept him during this time.
"It's no matter," the Ancient One smiled, a hint of contemplation in her eyes. "I only hope the decision I made back then proves to be the right one."
"It will be."
Offering that as a sort of promise, Phinney bid her farewell. The realization that his extractions couldn't be predicted didn't actually leave him feeling disappointed. If anything, it served as proof that the system's power likely resided on a level above the Infinity Stones.
Back at home, Phinney lay on his bed. The Time Stone had always been the biggest point of anxiety whenever he prepared for a draw, but now that he had confirmation, he felt much lighter.
Regardless, it was all down to luck. With a face as handsome as his, how could he possibly fail to pull a good skill?
Silently activating the luck boost from 'Ars Magna,' Phinney initiated his fifth extraction. The moment the skill appeared before his eyes, his gaze instantly flooded with excitement!
(End of Chapter)