"Wanda is truly my lucky star!"

Hode felt delighted as he heard the notification sound echoing in his mind. The witch really seemed to have a fortunate attribute; in just one day, she had brought him two surprises. Next time, he must reward her handsomely. His god-level magical talent, as the name suggests, would give him an incredible affinity for magic. From now on, learning magic would be a breeze for him.

Tap, tap, tap...

Hasty footsteps echoed down the corridor. "Hode!"

Tony Stark called out from outside with a hint of fatigue in his voice, "You've been in there for so long. Are you having a romantic rendezvous with a beauty?"

Having waited several minutes without seeing Hode come down, he decided to come up and hurry him along.

"Yes."

Hode casually opened the door, smiling as he took a deep breath. "This room still carries her lovely scent!"

"You really are living the easy life."

Tony Stark, once known as a playboy, couldn't help but exclaim when he saw Hode's relaxed demeanor. Although he was now a superhero, the burden on his shoulders was much heavier than before. And now that he was with Pepper, he had even less time to fool around.

"Alright, let's head downstairs and chat!"

Hode adjusted the belt of his bathrobe, gave Tony Stark a pat on the shoulder, and headed downstairs. As Hode moved, Tony's gaze briefly wandered to the open door. The messy room was empty, with only a shirt casually thrown on the bed. The nearby floor-to-ceiling window was open, and the curtains billowed gently in the breeze.

Tony Stark shrugged and chose not to dwell on it, following Hode toward the living room. An intricately woven classic-patterned carpet lay beneath a sofa edged with gold, and the aroma of incense filled the room.

"Mr. Stark, would you like to have some alcohol or something else?"

Settling into the soft, comfortable European-style sofa, Hode lazily asked as he spread his arms.

"Alcohol..."

Tony Stark hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll have a cup of tea!"

He needed to stay alert. Hode merely gave a glance to the maid, and soon two cups of Earl Grey tea were placed on the marble table before them.

"I didn't expect the famous superhero Tony Stark to skip his midday nap and come to see me."

Once the maid left, Hode looked Tony Stark up and down with a teasing expression. Recently, Tony's energy levels had dropped significantly; his eyes were filled with fatigue.

"Hode, stop joking."

Facing the teasing, a pained smile forced its way onto Tony's tired face. "I really don't have the mood to sleep, let alone sleep until noon."

Previously, he would sleep past noon without a care, but that was ages ago. Now, all that remained on his face were deep dark circles.

"I've actually heard about that incident in Germany; I was about to come find you."

Hode put his leg down, his previously casual demeanor turning serious as he directly brought up the matter.

"Yeah, you know Ross, that damn old coot from the military?"

At this point, Tony Stark grimaced as he lifted his tea cup and downed it. "That bastard is now the National Defense Secretary!"

"What does he want?"

Hode nodded, agreeing that he didn't have a good impression of the guy.

"If we can't solve this issue, the Avengers will be directly controlled by the government!"

Tony Stark put down the cup and rubbed his forehead, sighing repeatedly. He felt caught in the middle; whichever way he chose, it was difficult.

"Ha!"

Hode let out a dismissive laugh. "Do they really care about this issue? These heartless politicians are just looking for an excuse to control the Avengers!"

Every single one of them was acting out of self-interest. Moreover, he was well aware that in this incident, apart from Wanda being the main victim in the public eye, Tony Stark was undoubtedly under the most pressure since this mess had originated with him. He had to take responsibility for the entire Avengers and clean up the consequences of this situation.

Furthermore, Ross had long harbored the intention to have the Avengers controlled by the government. While Tony Stark didn't oppose this decision, Steve Rogers and the others were strongly against it. This left Tony Stark in an incredibly difficult position.