People who weren't familiar with Stark would easily believe the rumors about him.
Playboy. Arrogant. A spoiled rich second-generation heir.
But once you got to know him, you'd realize that Stark was actually quite childish at heart.
Even though he was in his thirties—an age where he should have matured—he was, in fact, even more naïve than Strange at times.
Of course, this childish side only showed when he was with people he was close to.
Like Happy, Pepper, and Luo Bai.
Thinking of Pepper, Luo Bai couldn't help but say, "Tony, you've been at Kamar-Taj long enough. I think it's time you went back to see her."
Stark, who already seemed to have a plan, nodded calmly. "You're right. I do need to go back. During this time, Pepper has sent me a lot of messages. We've stayed in touch, but I know she misses me."
"Oh, right. There's also some good news I want to tell you."
At the mention of "good news," Stark's face lit up with a huge smile, the corners of his mouth practically reaching his ears.
Seeing this, Luo Bai immediately guessed what it was.
"You're planning to propose to Pepper when you go back, aren't you?" Luo Bai asked.
"How did you know that's what I was going to say?" Stark asked in surprise. "Did you spy on my thoughts?"
Luo Bai shook his head and smirked. "Do I even need to? Just look at how ridiculously happy you're smiling right now."
Stark chuckled, a little embarrassed. "You don't understand. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I think it's time I made her a promise."
Luo Bai nodded in approval. "Indeed. Then, let me congratulate you in advance."
But before he could finish, Stark waved him off. "No need for formalities. I don't care for them. What's more important is that you come to my wedding. This wedding can't happen without you!"
"..."
Hearing this, Luo Bai fell silent.
Unable to hold back, he finally sighed and complained, "What do you mean it can't happen without me? I'm not the one getting married."
Stark grinned. "I mean, you're important. Don't play dumb."
Then, with a sudden shift in tone, he asked, "By the way, do you have any plans to get married?"
Marriage?
Luo Bai frowned slightly.
To be honest, that word felt distant to him.
Not only was he still young, but he also had too many responsibilities—
The Three Dark Gods in the Dark Dimension needed to be suppressed. Kamar-Taj and Earth had to be protected.
Marriage? That wasn't even on his radar.
"I've never considered marriage. It feels pretty far away from me," Luo Bai admitted.
Stark nodded knowingly. "I thought the same thing when I was your age."
Luo Bai didn't respond, only smiling as he asked, "By the way, when do you plan to get married?"
At the mention of this, Stark sighed helplessly. "Actually, I originally planned to marry Pepper next month. But since you just said that Thanos is coming to invade Earth… I'm afraid the wedding might have to be postponed."
For a superhero like Stark, Earth always came first—even before family.
No matter how much he loved Pepper, if the planet was in danger, he would choose to protect it.
Postponing the wedding seemed like the only logical choice.
However…
Did they really need to postpone it just for Thanos?
Luo Bai thought for a moment, then said, "Just go through with it as planned. Thanos isn't that big of a problem. There's no need to delay your wedding."
Stark's eyes lit up. "So… the 8th of next month?"
"Sounds good." Luo Bai nodded.
With their conversation finished, Stark was ready to return to New York.
Before leaving, he checked the cosmic monitoring system he had developed.
Now that Luo Bai had enhanced the system, Stark could see a full-scale blueprint of the entire universe.
Being the curious scientist that he was, he couldn't resist taking a closer look.
Seeing that he was focused, Luo Bai didn't disturb him. He simply opened a portal, preparing to leave.
But before he could step through, Stark suddenly frowned and muttered,
"What… is this?"
Although it seemed like he was talking to himself, his eyes were locked onto the cosmic monitor.
Hearing this, Luo Bai stopped and turned back to look.
That's when he realized something was wrong.
Through the cosmic monitor, he saw a silvery-white shadow rapidly approaching Earth—moving at faster-than-light speed.
The object was moving so fast that Stark couldn't make out its exact form.
Narrowing his eyes, he immediately commanded, "Jarvis, analyze and identify the target."
A moment later, Jarvis responded, "Unable to lock onto the target's exact form. However, the entity contains an extremely high energy signature. Based on its trajectory, it will land on Earth in approximately one hour."
Since the cosmic monitoring system had been upgraded by Luo Bai, there was a high probability that the data was accurate.
A mysterious object—carrying a massive amount of energy—was about to arrive on Earth within the hour.
Did this mean an extraterrestrial entity was planning an invasion?
Stark immediately turned to Luo Bai and said, "Luo Bai, I just detected an unknown entity approaching Earth. This could be an invader."
Luo Bai, however, remained calm. His eyes flickered with a hint of curiosity.
"I see it too."
According to everything he knew so far…
The only invader expected to arrive on Earth soon was Thanos.
So why was there suddenly another uninvited guest?
While thinking, Luo Bai activated his cosmic omniscience, scanning the universe for answers.
In an instant, he locked onto the target's identity.
"It's the Silver Surfer," Luo Bai muttered. "Why is he coming here?"
Although Luo Bai didn't speak loudly, his voice was clear enough for Stark to hear.
However, the name "Silver Surfer" was unfamiliar to him.
"Silver Surfer? What's that?" Stark immediately asked.
"The Silver Surfer—Galactus's herald. He's also known as the Silver Glider." Luo Bai explained briefly.
"Galactus? Silver Surfer??" Stark was even more confused. "Luo Bai, the more you talk, the less I understand."
Since Stark had learned magic, there were certain things he needed to know.
Thinking of this, Luo Bai decided to give a proper explanation.
"You've read a lot of books in the Kamar-Taj library, so you should have come across the term 'Ancient Gods.'"
"For Earth, Ancient Gods are the most powerful deities that humans can currently come into contact with."
"But in reality, there exist even more powerful gods across the multiverse."
"I usually refer to them as the Creator Gods. There are five of them: Galactus, Death, Eternity, Infinity, and Annihilation."
"As one of the Five Creator Gods, Galactus is unique. Unlike the others, he survives by devouring planets. He constantly searches for new worlds to consume."
"To assist him, Galactus has four heralds: Stardust, Firelord, Silver Surfer, and Tyrant."
"These heralds are responsible for scouting planets for Galactus to devour."
After this explanation, Stark finally started to grasp the situation.
"Alright… I think I get it now." He exhaled. "So, you're saying this 'Silver Surfer' guy has found Earth, and now Galactus is planning to consume it?!"
Luo Bai nodded. "If nothing unexpected happens, that's exactly what's going on. Galactus has set his sights on Earth."
Hearing this, Stark rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Oh, just great. We haven't even dealt with Thanos yet, and now there's a 'Silver Slippery' coming our way."
Luo Bai shrugged helplessly. "What can we do? Earth is basically a magnet for disasters."
Stark sighed, then asked, "So, between this Silver Surfer and Thanos… who's stronger?"
"Under normal circumstances?" Luo Bai smirked. "Silver Surfer could wipe the floor with ten Thanoses."
Stark felt a chill run down his spine.
"He'll be here in an hour… Can we even defeat him?"
Luo Bai remained calm. "If nothing unexpected happens, victory is guaranteed."
After all, he was just a herald.
If Galactus had the guts, he could come himself.
Then they'd see who had the bigger appetite—Galactus or those gluttonous beings from the Abyss!
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