He stretched his small body, slowly walked to the edge of the rooftop, and looked down at the entire New York City.
What met the eye was still the scene of utter devastation after the Battle of New York.
The Chitauri soldiers who once ravaged the streets and the giant alien kun that roamed the sky have long been completely wiped out.
There wasn't a trace of alien monster remains on the streets, nor any frightening Zerg fragments.
But the scars of a city cannot be hidden.
Large areas of high-rise buildings have mottled walls and broken glass; many street railings are broken and buildings have collapsed, with signs of damage everywhere.
Rimuru looked at the scene and silently complained to himself.
That makes perfect sense.
He's only been away from Earth for about half a month, which isn't long at all.
Given the consistently slow and inefficient work practices of the local authorities, the fact that they were able to clear out all the alien monsters in just over ten days is already an unprecedentedly fast pace.
To put it bluntly, the reason these people are so diligent isn't because they've had a change of heart; it's purely because they're after the benefits.
If it weren't for the massive amount of alien high-tech equipment and metal debris left behind by the Battle of New York, which are incredibly valuable, these people probably wouldn't have bothered to start cleaning it up even now.
After standing on the rooftop for a while in the breeze, Rimuru a sudden thought and softly summoned the Black Dragon Gillvalis, which had been dormant within him.
A dark shadow rippled slightly behind him, and the cold, majestic Black Dragon's consciousness slowly awakened, quietly awaiting instructions.
"During the ten-odd days I was away, did anything interesting happen on Earth? Or did anyone come looking for me?"
Rimuru asked casually, intending to quickly find out what had happened while he was away.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gillvalis's steady, mechanical voice slowly rose, providing a clear and organized report on the current situation.
"Master, during your absence, Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.. visited this area in person, wishing to speak with you."
"In addition, Miss Potts. Pepper Potts left several emails, repeatedly inviting you to a meeting at Stark Tower."
After hearing the report, Rimuru instantly understood and his little mind started racing with calculations.
Nick Fury, the Black Nick Fury, is looking for me; it's definitely not something good.
Rimuru could figure that out even with a fool's eyes.
If the approval for that exclusive plot of land that I had previously discussed with the other party is actually granted, given Fury's personality, he will be the first to come and share the good news and do me a favor.
He remained silent, only contacting people without reporting the results; nine times out of ten, the land deal hadn't been finalized yet.
More likely, they've run into some serious trouble and want me to clean up their mess.
This kind of troublesome unpaid work should be put off as long as possible; there's absolutely no need to rush it.
In contrast, Pepper's invitation was different.
It's been a long time since I've seen the gentle and reliable Pepper. Compared to dealing with the scheming Fury, it's definitely more comfortable to visit Stark Tower.
Once he made up his mind, Rimuru no longer hesitated.
With a thought, a golden portal slowly unfolded in front of him, leading to Stark Tower.
With a single step, his figure vanished from the rooftop in an instant, traversing space and arriving inside the Stark Tower, which was undergoing renovations.
As soon as you pass through the portal, a warm, well-regulated, and highly recognizable electronic voice sounds precisely on time.
"Mr. Rimuru, it's a pleasure to see you again."
JARVIS's voice remained gentle and dutiful, without the slightest sign of slackening.
"I have detected your arrival and immediately notified Mr. Stark, who is on his way. Please wait a moment."
Rimuru nodded gently and obediently responded, without saying anything more.
He looked up and surveyed the Stark Tower as it stood today, and couldn't help but admire Tony's extravagant ambition.
During the last Battle of New York, Loki opened a portal on the roof of this building, plunging the entire New York into war.
After the battle, Tony immediately launched a comprehensive renovation project.
The top floor of the building has now been almost completely stripped away, and most of the interior decoration and floor structure are being renovated, making it look no different from a bare-bones apartment.
The building was deserted, with construction equipment everywhere, a far cry from its former luxurious and high-end appearance.
It's perfectly normal for Tony not to stay in the building.
Rimuru stroked his chin, secretly speculating.
During the two weeks I was away, Tony probably buried himself in the lab again, working on research and development.
He's most likely still obsessed with his anti-gravity engine, spending all his time on data and experiments, too lazy to even care about the building renovation.
Just as Rimuru looking around and silently imagining Tony's busy appearance, a familiar, light and casual footstep sound came from the end of the corridor.
Footsteps approached from afar. Tony Stark was dressed in casual workwear, his jacket draped loosely over his shoulders.
As soon as he turned the corner of the corridor and saw that familiar little figure, he immediately let out a long sigh, his face full of relief.
"Great, Rimuru, you've finally decided to come back."
"In the past two weeks since you disappeared, Pepper has been nagging me so much I'm practically ascending to heaven."
"She's already on her way. You'll have to explain things to her properly later."
Rimuru his head slightly, his face full of bewilderment.
My mind immediately started racing with wild fantasies.
Something's not right.
Did Tony do something reckless again to anger Pepper?
Could it be that this guy got carried away with the renovations and completely emptied the top floor of Stark Tower, causing Pepper a huge headache?
That doesn't make sense either; Pepper didn't seem angry at the end of the movie in the original book.
Looking at Tony's bitter and resentful expression, Rimuru was filled with questions.
Just as he was lost in thought, Tony rolled his eyes dramatically.
With an extremely wronged expression, she pointed at Rimuru and began to complain and tattle.
"What else could it be? It's all because of you!"
"Your sister Pepper is worried sick, you know?"
"Back when the Battle of New York was raging and the city was engulfed in flames, you were busy fighting, and you didn't even leave a single phone call or message."
"The alien invasion finally ended and the storm subsided, and you, of all people, just followed Thor and ran back to Asgard, where you've been gone for almost half a month."
Tony shrugged, his face filled with utter despair and utter grievance.
" Pepper blamed everything on me, saying every day that I didn't keep an eye on you, letting you run off to get involved in such dangerous conflicts, and even going on adventures with Thor beyond the Nine Realms."
"I'm completely innocent!"
"We're just nominal temporary guardians anyway. With your incredible strength, who can possibly control you?"
"She knows perfectly well what's going on, but she keeps nagging me about it every day. I can't live like this anymore."
Tony launched into a frantic outburst, his tone brimming with grievance and helplessness, sounding exactly like a wronged traitor.
Upon hearing Rimuru instantly realized what was going on and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.
So that's what happened.
Upon careful reflection, I realized it was indeed my oversight.
The incident happened suddenly, and after the battle, I hurriedly followed Thor to Asgard.
He was so engrossed in watching the excitement, crashing the banquet, and collecting the benefits that he completely forgot to let Pepper know he was safe.
No wonder Pepper was worried and even angry, blaming Tony.
Rimuru silently planned to make sure he could appease Pepper later and explain things properly, so that Tony wouldn't have to continue taking the blame.
Just as he was pondering a way to appease him, Tony suddenly stopped complaining.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on Rimuru, his eyes full of inquiry.
From the moment he first saw Rimuru, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
The little guy in front of me seems to have changed a lot since I left.
He couldn't quite put his finger on whether it was his strength, aura, or temperament that had changed.
But that invisible sense of pressure and composure is absolutely undeniable.
" JARVIS, immediately perform a full-body scan of Rimuru, analyzing his body data and energy fluctuations."
Tony instinctively gave the order.
A gentle electronic voice immediately responded, offering a precise reply tinged with a hint of helplessness.
"I'm sorry, sir. All the detection, scanning, and monitoring devices on the top floor of the building have been removed. Currently, the system only retains voice interaction and biometric recognition functions; it cannot perform deep scanning."
"Oh well!"
Tony sighed and patted his forehead, completely at a loss.
Having no other choice, Tony stepped forward himself and reached out to get a closer look at Rimuru's condition.
However, just as his hand reached into the air, Rimuru gently raised his hand and slapped it back.
"Stop touching and sweeping around, there's no need to make a fuss."
Rimuru up, her small face no longer displaying its usual innocent playfulness, but instead carrying a hint of confidence and pride.
His tone was light, yet every word was startling, revealing a truly earth-shattering piece of news.
"My trip to the realm of gods this time yielded an incredible opportunity; I made a fortune."
"To be frank with you, I have now officially ascended to the rank of Demon Lord."