Still, Tony’s words earned a small nod from Lorien—he was reasonably satisfied.
Tony had gotten about one-third of it right.
Another third was for Wanda’s sake.
The next was to let Gwen have so fun.
And the last? Well... that was just Lorien wanting to watch the show for himself.
Ahem. Either way, the outco was the sa. It was all close enough, and he was just going with the flow.
"I’m leaving."
He turned, ready to take the two girls with him—only for Gwen’s phone to ring.
She glanced at the caller ID, instantly tensing before answering. It was her dad.
"Gwen?"
"Uh... I’m here."
"Where are you?"
That one question told her she was in trouble. She couldn’t exactly tell him the truth.
"I’ll be right back!"
"You’ll be right back?! I called your phone internationally, Gwen!"
Beep—
Gwen hung up in a panic, then hurried to Lorien with a tearful expression.
"It’s over, Lorien! My dad realized it was an international call—he knows I’m overseas now! What do I do?!"
Seeing that pitiful face, Lorien chuckled and pinched her cheek.
"It’s fine. Just go back and drop my na. Tell him I took you to Germany for an international dical exchange, and that we toured the country’s precision craftsmanship—especially their advanced dical instrunts."
Gwen blinked, thought it over, then broke into a grin.
"Right! That’s what I’ll say!"
"But... what if my dad tries to hit ?"
She tightened her hold on Lorien’s arm.
"If he does, I’ll just run away. And you have to take in..."
At that, Wanda tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing.
Wanda: What are you even doing?
You sure this isn’t just a planned runaway?
"No problem."
Lorien patted Gwen’s head. "Relax. Just do as I told you."
"Okay~!"
Once both girls were settled, Lorien slipped an arm around each of them and gave the onlookers a polite nod.
"Let’s go."
Everyone turned toward him, nodding in acknowledgnt and watching as he left. That was about as formal a send-off as one could get.
With a flare of Phoenix Force, the Ferrari and its three passengers vanished... only to reappear in the underground garage of New York a heartbeat later. Thousands of kiloters covered in an instant—nothing to it.
"I’m heading ho! See you later, Lorien!"
The mont they were back, Gwen bounded away. Her father was no doubt waiting at ho, and being late could spell disaster.
"Bye. And be careful swinging up there," Lorien called after her.
"Got it~!"
In seconds, her slim figure disappeared from sight.
The instant Gwen was gone, Wanda slipped into Lorien’s arms. He felt her emotions and hugged her back without hesitation.
Tsk.
They pressed together, quickly falling into a "technical exchange." At first, Wanda held her own in the direct clash... but before long, Lorien had her retreating.
Eventually, he pulled the dazed Wanda back and asked slowly,
"So... do you want a slow roast all afternoon and evening before savoring the fruit... or a quick sear now and eat it right away?"
The aning was obvious.
Wanda considered for a mont before decisively choosing the first.
"I’ve waited this long—I don’t mind a few more hours. I’ll take the first option."
"Good. Get in the car."
With the thod decided, they both climbed in without hesitation. It was only the first day of their two-day break—they had plenty of ti to enjoy themselves.
Lorien hit the accelerator, the Ferrari purring before leaping from the underground garage into open streets.
First stop: the beach. They played in the waves, splashed each other, and laughed under the sun. Afterward, a quick detour down an alley left their clothes completely dry, and they moved on.
The Ferrari roared again, Phoenix Force flaring. In a flash, they were in Venice, wandering through Italy’s famous water city.
Another flare—Bali, under rainbow skies and over jewel-toned islands.
Another—Hawaii’s shores.
And just like that, from afternoon into night, they averaged a new country every two hours.
By the end of the day, Lorien and Wanda had played through five countries in total.
As for this style of travel? Lorien had an explanation...
"Let’s take a quick look around first.
If you like it, we’ll co back after you’ve learned the spell."
Wanda’s face lit up with joy.
"Perfect! Then we can visit every single corner of the Earth!"
Lorien nodded.
"Of course we can."
...
After circling the globe, the two finally drove back to New York. It was dinner ti, but instead of heading to a restaurant, Lorien turned into a shopping mall.
"Huh?" Wanda blinked, puzzled, holding his hand. "What are we buying? Let guess... clothes?"
"No."
He shook his head, led her out of the car, and into the mall.
"No?" Wanda tilted her head. "Then what?"
Lorien gave her a look, then steered her straight between the at and vegetable sections.
"Groceries, silly." He pinched her cheek lightly. "No restaurant dinner can beat one we cook ourselves."
He kept walking, but only a few steps later, he felt her emotions spike—confusion, warmth, sothing bittersweet. When he turned, Wanda’s eyes were brimming with tears.
Glancing around, he waved a hand, shrouding them from outside notice, then pulled her gently into his arms.
"What’s wrong, Wanda?"
She let out a muffled sob against his chest. But he didn’t sense grief from her—this was joy, the kind that made you cry without aning to.
"What’s this about?" he wondered, until she started to explain, her face still pressed to him.
"When I was little, I used to go grocery shopping with my parents. When we got ho and started cooking, the whole place slled like ho." Her voice wavered. "But after they died... that sll disappeared."
"Lorien... you made feel it again. I really... I..." The rest caught in her throat, too tangled with emotion to say aloud.
"It’s alright."
He stroked her hair, then patted her back. "Don’t worry. From now on, that sll will always be here. I promise."
She hugged him even tighter, as if she never wanted to let go. They stayed like that for a long while—half an hour at least—before Wanda finally stepped back.
Lorien brushed away her tears, and she smiled faintly through them.
"Co on, let’s go buy our vegetables and make dinner!"
"Yeah. Let’s cook ourselves."
...
The two went on a spirited spree through the market.
"Do you want this, Lorien?"
"Yes. And grab so potatoes too."
"Okay. What about this?"
"No, skip that. Get a fish instead."
"And this? And this? And this one too?"
"Wanda, there are only two of us. Four dishes are plenty—we won’t even finish five."
"That’s true... but we could save them for after we wake up."
"Fresh food’s better. Don’t you want sothing new when you wake?"
"Fine~."
Eventually, they left the mall with arms full of shopping bags. Wanda glanced around, then tapped Lorien on the shoulder.
"Hm?" He turned to her.
She pointed toward a... rather special kind of boutique. In the U.S., such a store could exist in a place like this without issue.
"You’re not thinking of buying sothing, are you?"
Lorien’s eyes lit up instantly.
Wanda just smiled, said nothing, and held out her hand.
"Here. A reward for you today."
"Here!" Lorien passed her his card without hesitation. "PIN’s two-zero-zero-zero..."
He watched her walk inside, anticipation building by the second. This—he was sure—was the most excited he’d ever been in his life.
Not long after, Wanda erged with a discreet, privacy-shielding bag in hand. Lorien’s eyes shone.
"Let see!"
"Shoo~" Wanda swatted Lorien lightly. "We’ll look at it when we get ho."
"Alright!"
Lorien wasted no ti heading ho with her. They’d already bought it—no point running. Whether they looked now or later, it was still going to get used.
Ahem... sa difference! As long as it was bought, that’s what mattered!
Before long, Lorien was practically flooring the gas pedal all the way back. If physics allowed, he’d have driven that pedal straight into the gas tank.
They pulled into the underground garage, parked, and the first thing Lorien grabbed was that special bag. Only then did he pick up the basket of vegetables. Together, they took the private elevator to the top floor.
The door opened. Shoes off.
Without a word, Lorien set down the vegetable basket and—
Riiip—!
He went straight for it. Things like this were always packaged well... which ant you had to tear them open.
"Ah!"
Wanda’s eyes went wide and she moved to stop him. Wasn’t it way too embarrassing to open sothing like that right in front of her?
Too late. Lorien had already pulled it apart and was now staring at the semi-transparent lingerie, the extra-short skirt, and the matching top inside.
He nodded in deep satisfaction, stuffed it back into the bag, grabbed the vegetables, and strode into the kitchen.
"I’m cooking!"
He had to move fast. Honestly, he was impatient—really impatient. If soone called him "King Excited" right now, he’d wear the crown without sha. Go ahead, call him—he wouldn’t care.
Wanda could only roll her eyes and follow him in.
...
Less than an hour later, Lorien was bringing out dish after dish until five were on the table—so Chinese, so Western. Braised beef with potatoes, a fresh salad platter... everything slled and looked amazing.
"Dinner is ready!" he called.
Wanda, after a mont’s thought at the wine rack, picked a bottle.
"This one should be good, right?"
Lorien glanced at the label and nodded.
"Not bad. Mild flavor. Perfect for slow sipping, especially for a first-tir."
"That’s good."
Normally, Wanda didn’t drink—juice was more her style. But tonight, she wanted a little courage, so she would.
The two sat down and began eating. Wanda tried a bite of beef and potato, then her eyes went wide.
"This is so good!"
Lorien grinned, pleased. This was one area he prided himself on.
"If you like it, have more."
"Mhm!"
She wasn’t just being polite—she really ant it—and soon she was eating with enthusiasm. Lorien had barely finished pouring the wine when Wanda tipped her glass back in one gulp. A blush spread across her cheeks almost instantly.
One look told him she couldn’t handle her liquor. Easy to get drunk. Sure enough, after just two glasses, her face was glowing red.
"Eat," she said, picking up a piece of at and holding it to his lips. "Ah~"
He opened his mouth and took it. Of course it was good—he’d cooked it himself.
"Not bad."
Wanda bead.
...
Dinner in that warm, intimate atmosphere soon left Wanda tipsy and giggling. She humd so unrecognizable tune, then pulled Lorien up to dance. The two swayed slowly to whatever was playing on the TV.
Gradually, she got more into it—
Clatter—!
Her foot hit sothing. She glanced down.
It was the special box Lorien had torn open earlier.
Her gaze snapped up to et his.
In the very next second, they closed the distance between them—like tossing a torch into a vat of oil, like lighting the fuse on a pile of explosives.
The sleepless night had only just begun, and the blaze wasn’t going to die out before dawn.
...
anwhile, Hela was getting beaten.
Yes—actually beaten.
A few hours earlier, the deep green glow of her aura had already begun to fade. She was locked in combat with a suit of armor—fighting from Leipzig-Halle Airport clear across the globe.
Eventually, she couldn’t hold out. She’d thought to find Lorien, but couldn’t locate him. That left her with one option—keep running.
The armor never stopped chasing.
Her original plan had been to build a good relationship with Lorien and his people. She hadn’t expected to be greeted at the airport by the Destroyer armor’s attack. That was the real reason she’d vanished.
At the ti, she’d just broken free of her seal and was already weakened. Worse, she realized her divine power was leaking away—and nothing she did could stop it.
After finally shaking the Destroyer, she looked down at her softer, smaller hands, panic striking her. She rushed to find a mirror.
The reflection staring back at her... was her younger self—her face and body reverted to how she’d been in her Asgard war days.
"No!"
Her voice was full of rejection. How could she turn into a young girl? Maturity was the true sign of power. The loss of divine energy was making her appear younger—proof it was truly gone.
And a god without divine power... she knew exactly what that ant.
"No! I have to find Lorien!"
She looked back at the Destroyer closing in again and bolted. If this kept up, she’d end up a loli. And while that was bad enough, the real horror was losing her godhood.
That was the power she’d spent thousands of years building—and she wasn’t about to let it vanish.
...
(80 Chapters Ahead)
/PinkSnake
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