Tony's Evangelism

"What on earth happened to you, Tony?"

"You've been researching genetics?"

Pepper rubbed her eyes and stepped closer in disbelief. After taking another careful look at Tony's current appearance, her heart filled with shock and suspicion, though there was a hint of excitement in her voice.

Because Tony's genetics research was very likely related to lifespan.

As long as there were no major side effects, it would become a treasure coveted by countless women.

"Shut up!"

Seeing Pepper's slightly excited expression, Tony snapped at her.

"..."

Pepper's whole body trembled. She had been startled as well.

Because this was the first time Tony seemed somewhat angry as he told her to shut up.

"Pepper, you should have a lot of questions for me."

"I'll tell you everything, but from now on, you can talk to yourself however you like when you're in front of me."

"But when you're out and dealing with more people, you need to rein yourself in."

Tony walked toward Pepper with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn and serious.

Pepper's habit of talking to herself was fine around him, but if she acted like that in front of Mr. Harvey Anberlaka, she might leave a bad impression.

"Is that a command?"

Pepper wanted to retort as usual after hearing those words, but seeing Tony radiating confidence and authority, she could only ask softly in the end.

"It's not a command. It's a reminder."

"Because what I'm about to tell you will open up a new world for you."

"If you continue to stay by my side in the future, you'll inevitably attend some special occasions with me and encounter some rather unusual people or things."

"Those people and things will be more extraordinary than anything you've seen or heard of before."

"Sometimes, your habit of acting on your own outside might bring disasters upon us that even I can't withstand."

"So you must remember this."

Tony spoke as he slowly approached Pepper.

"Is this a proposal?"

Hearing him mention staying by his side in the future, Pepper wore an incredulous expression.

She knew perfectly well that her relationship with Tony was more than friendship but less than love.

Tony was a filthy rich playboy. Though he was almost forty, there was no need for him to rush.

So she had always been waiting for the day Tony truly settled down, but she never expected him to suddenly say something like this.

"You can think of it that way."

Tony did not deny it.

Pepper had thought Tony would make some excuse to brush it off or deny it like before, but this time, he answered with such direct honesty.

"Okay. Keep talking. I'm listening."

This left Pepper's heart fluttering, and she replied with immense happiness.

"You asked me before why I suddenly became younger, but I didn't answer you then."

"That was because I hadn't figured out whether I wanted to accept it."

"But now, I can tell you the secret behind why I became like this, including the world that ordinary people cannot reach."

Tony sat down in a chair and began to speak.

Pepper found Tony's words a little strange, but she merely nodded to show that she was listening.

"The reason I became younger is because someone allowed me to come into contact with a new world."

"It gave me a long lifespan and ever-growing power."

"It also allowed me to understand the essence of life, the other side of the world, the vastness of the universe, and whether gods were real or false."

"And the person who led me into that new world was none other than Harvey Anberaka."

Seeing Pepper listening so obediently, Tony continued.

"Tony, did you get pulled into a pyramid scheme?"

After hearing those words he would never normally mention, Pepper fell silent for a moment before speaking.

Tony was not surprised by Pepper's reaction. He knew that actions spoke louder than words, so he did not argue.

Instead, he raised his foot and stomped down.

With a bang, Tony shattered the floor beneath his foot.

"How did you do that?"

Pepper's beautiful eyes widened at the power of Tony's kick.

Tony had never been frail. Since he often worked on inventions, he was stronger than the average person.

But Pepper knew Tony's body had only ever been that strong—healthier than an ordinary person, but not by much.

Yet Tony had just shattered the floor with one stomp. That was clearly not strength Tony should have possessed.

"This is power from the Void. Don't rush. I'll explain it to you bit by bit."

Tony crossed one leg over the other as if nothing had happened, lightly shaking it to ease the pain shooting through his foot as he spoke.

By his estimation, cracking the floor with a stomp should not have been difficult, but he had not expected to use too much force and shatter it outright, causing his foot to hurt as well.

However, Tony soon felt the pain in the sole of his foot rapidly fading.

That discovery surprised Tony himself, but this was clearly not the time to be surprised.

What mattered was how he would persuade Pepper to believe in the Void and join it with him.

"Sir's physical capabilities are now at least several times greater than before, far surpassing those of an ordinary human."

At Tony's prior instruction, Jarvis explained the situation.

"..."

Pepper listened to Jarvis and looked at Tony, who had regained his youth and looked exceptionally handsome.

She did not understand what the Void was, but she understood what she needed to do now.

So Pepper obediently found a chair and sat down.

"Before you glimpse the Void, I believe you'll have many doubts about it."

"Because I was the same. Before facing the Void directly, I could not understand what the Void was or what it meant."

"But now I understand. The Void is evolution, adaptation, and survival."

"You may not understand what I'm saying yet."

Tony Stark looked at Pepper's obedient expression and began explaining the situation.

But after finishing, Tony saw the confused look on Pepper's face. After thinking for a moment, he changed to a simpler explanation.

"To put it simply, it can grant you certain superpowers. Most importantly, it can give you a lifespan of at least several hundred or even several thousand years, perhaps even longer."

"As you can see, I've already joined the Void, so I gained power and became younger."

"Pepper, you're a woman. I know you may not desire power as much."

"But let me ask you this: do you want to stay young forever?"

Tony threw the question to Pepper.

"I want to stay young forever. No woman wouldn't."

"But I still want to ask clearly: what's the price?"

"If you want superpowers, or a longer lifespan, there must be a price, right?"

Hearing that straightforward explanation, Pepper thought for a moment, calmed down, and asked.

"The price is that your appetite will become enormous, and you'll need to eat massive amounts of food every day."

Tony answered Pepper's question with a serious expression.

"Like Mr. Harvey Anberlaka?"

The moment Pepper heard that her appetite would become enormous, she immediately thought of Mr. Harvey Anberlaka.

"Yes, but you could say that isn't a price so much as something required for evolution after joining."

"If you want to evolve, you have to eat. The more you eat, the more you evolve. The more power you gain, and the longer you live."

"The real price is the test of your mentality. You need to resist the temptation of desire."

"Because once you possess extraordinary power, your mindset will change."

"Just like me now. In the past, I would have been too afraid of embarrassing myself over trivial things to tell you how I truly felt."

"But now, it's different. I have a lifespan of at least a thousand years, perhaps even longer."

"And I asked Harvey Anberaka to secure you an opportunity to join the Void with me."

"I want you to join the Void with me now, so we can spend the long years ahead together."

"I hope you won't let my efforts go to waste, Pepper."

Tony stared directly into Pepper's eyes, his words filled with incomparable sincerity.

He knew he only had one chance. If Pepper was unwilling—

then it was hard to say whether Harvey Anberaka would grant another opportunity in the future.

And if Pepper refused no matter what, then she and Tony were destined to become people from two different worlds.

So he took this chance to confess the feelings he had always kept in his heart.

"I truly don't desire power that much, but staying young forever really is an instinctive pursuit for women."

"And I'm grateful that you were willing to secure this opportunity for me."

"But I have a question for you."

Feeling Tony's burning gaze, Pepper tried to meet his eyes for several seconds. In the end, she still shyly looked away and asked softly.

"Ask."

Hearing Pepper's words, Tony's heart sank slightly, but he still suppressed the agitation in his heart and spoke.

"If I eat as much as Mr. Harvey Anberlaka every day, will I gain weight?"

Pepper voiced her question.

"...That's it?"

Tony had thought Pepper had some other concern, so he had kept thinking about how to resolve it. He never expected that what Pepper was worried about was whether she would gain weight.

"What do you mean, 'that's it'? With an appetite as large as Mr. Harvey Anberlaka's—"

"Of course it's easy to think about gaining weight."

Feeling Tony's speechless gaze, Pepper seriously defended herself.

"I can't give you an exact answer to that, but judging from Harvey Anberaka's situation—"

"Those problems can be resolved. At the very least, he's maintained a figure that even I envy."

"There are still many things I haven't told you, but tell me your answer now."

"Will you join the Void with me?"

"Will you gain a longer lifespan and explore the other side of the world with me?"

Seeing that Pepper had not given him a strange look but was instead seriously defending herself, Tony Stark smiled and extended a sincere invitation.

"I'm willing, but what should I do?"

Seeing Tony radiate confidence and become even more handsome, Pepper asked softly.

"I'll go ask..."

Tony was overjoyed and was about to say that he would take Pepper to see Harvey Anberlaka.

But before Tony could finish speaking, he saw Pepper's eyes close. Her body lay flat in midair, and because she was wearing a skirt, a hint of lace trim could even be seen.

However, none of that was important. What mattered was that Tony saw purple energy beginning to cover Pepper's body.

"The Void truly is mysterious and great."

Tony said with a sigh as he watched the scene.

The person he cared about most had been allowed to join the Void with him and explore the other side of the world together. Such tolerance and bestowal could only be described as greatness.

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