PFC Chapter 4745 X Royal Newcomer (24)
Chapter 4745 X Royal Newcomer (24)
Chapter 4745 X Royal Family: New Life (Twenty-Four)
In fact, it really worked. Natasha had slept enough, and as soon as she entered her hotel room, she immediately began soaking in the hot springs. Charles had clearly set up the water system for her; as soon as the water was turned on, the room filled with a strong sulfurous smell.
Natasha soaked in the water for about ten minutes, then moved to the balcony. The outdoor temperature was quite low, so she soaked for another twenty minutes, until she couldn't stand the heat anymore, before reluctantly getting out of the pool.
Then, like a cannonball, he rushed into the hotel's second-floor lounge to announce the good news: "It really works!!! I feel completely better now!!!"
"Congratulations!" Steve said sincerely. "It's great that this method can solve the problem."
“Madam, you really should consider what you’ve been doing to make the spa treatment so effective,” Strange couldn’t help but say. “If you had just been willing to wear an extra layer in winter, things probably wouldn’t have turned out this way.”
“That’s right,” Stark rarely agreed with Strange completely. “You’re a cyborg, so your physique should be better than others. How did it get this serious? It’s because you don’t take care of yourself.”
Before Natasha could say anything, Bucky interrupted, "Nick doesn't send you to the North and South Poles every day. Using work as an excuse doesn't work."
Natasha was finally speechless. She tightened the belt of her robe and collapsed onto the sofa: "You have to understand, my country considers overcoming the cold and snow an honor, and believes that a strong constitution against the cold needs to be developed from a young age. If you show fear of the cold, you'll easily be seen as a coward."
"Then why do you like drinking alcohol to warm up, and why did you develop hot soup?" Matt was clearly good at persuading people with logic. "This proves that you are not afraid of the cold, you just have to pretend. Food culture is much more honest."
Natasha was speechless again. She fanned herself with her hand and then said, "Actually, soaking in the hot springs feels pretty good. I really feel much more comfortable."
“But you smell like a big bar of sulfur soap right now,” Stark said.
“You’ll all turn into sulfur soap in a minute,” Natasha said irritably. “Don’t make fun of me.”
They chatted for a while and ate some fruit. Soon, the lounge was filled with people, including the Avengers from the local universe.
In fact, the Avengers from these three universes don't have a very good relationship. They also lack a mediator who can step forward to reconcile their differences and smooth things over, making their meetings somewhat awkward.
However, this situation was quickly alleviated because it became less awkward between the same-sex individuals. They eventually decided to separate into different same-sex groups for greetings, which made things much better.
However, this only applies to heroes like Captain America. As for Iron Man, he's basically always by someone else's side; everyone knows that putting them together rarely leads to anything good.
"Are you feeling better?" the Black Widow from the main universe asked Natasha. "Our universe's captain was a little worried about you."
“Not bad,” Natasha nodded. “The spa treatment is very effective. And they’ve also convinced me that I should drink less ice water.”
“Well, you’re quite the health enthusiast,” said the local Black Widow. “It seems that sometimes being too idle isn’t a good thing. If you had just dealt with that purple-headed guy who was eyeing Earth last week, and then found out that the human government wanted to take down the mutants, you probably wouldn’t have these worries.”
"You just finished dealing with Thanos?" Natasha asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yes, otherwise how could we not have noticed the Red Gate Orchid Factory? There's just too much work to handle; we need to prioritize, don't we?"
“This is indeed quite frightening,” Natasha exclaimed. “We haven’t had a cosmic-level crisis for several years now, and Earth is our safe home… Oh, not quite. We just left the beautiful solar system recently for a spin.”
Meanwhile, Steve was telling the other two Captain Americas about his experience as a navigator.
"We accidentally sailed into the Shattered Void. It was incredibly dangerous. We had just placed the gravity anchor when the first mate suddenly rushed in and said, 'The port side of the ship is experiencing gravity imbalance!' Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. Just then, the Protoss living in the Shattered Void discovered the ship and started sending signals to our frequency. We couldn't understand each other's language, so the signals looked like gibberish. We thought we had fallen into a trap, and even our communication channels were jammed. Fortunately, it turned out to be a misunderstanding, and they even helped us tow the ship out..."
“And the other one?” Strange asked the local Doctor Strange.
“They brought him back,” the local Doctor Strange said. “I heard that the ‘perfect’ support plan was their idea. Now that they’re gone, the Avengers can finally get some serious business done.”
“Don’t blame them. If you had just fixed up the magic defense network properly, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad,” Strange said, shaking his head. “If your Daedric Lords aren’t good at their job, they should go to my universe. They’re looking to expand their operations more broadly.”
"You can even borrow power from across universes?" Doctor Strange narrowed his eyes.
“Why not?” Strange pulled out a business card from somewhere, handed it to Doctor Strange, and said, “When you have time, go to the Sanctum Sanctorum. You should at least go to a big city and see how generous the real Lord of Hell and the source of darkness really are. Don’t always act like a country bumpkin.”
"I had no idea you became the devil's advocate."
“We are all spokespeople for the devil,” Strange said, taking a sip of his drink. “Always have we. It’s just that some people are too naive to have seen the world and want to sell themselves and the earth for a pittance. With me here, they won’t stand a chance.”
Matt and Schiller had no counterparts present, so they remained seated in the corner, eating fruit by themselves. But Charles certainly didn't disappoint his guests; soon, mutants brought them sashimi, clearly knowing their tastes well.
"Could this be something mutants just fished out of the sea?" Matt sniffed in shock. His senses were much more acute than those of ordinary people, and he could smell a distinct fishy smell, but not the kind that had been sitting for a long time and had gone bad. Instead, it smelled like the freshest seawater.
Schiller could see it clearly; he used his fork to lift the belly of the tuna—fresh belly was completely different from frozen. He examined it carefully and then said, "I suspect Namor caught it right away. How did Charles convince him?"
"He'll always find a way." Matt didn't care about that; he was only focused on eating. However, when eating sashimi, you shouldn't eat the belly first, as its oily flavor is too strong and will overwhelm the taste of the other fish. You should eat the milder-tasting white or silver-bodied fish first, and then eat the belly of the tuna and salmon last.
With delicious food to eat, the two paid no attention to anything else, completely ignoring a series of diplomatic events, including friendly exchanges between mutants and the local Avengers, between S.H.I.E.L.D. and mutants, and between the local Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. They didn't stop until it got dark and the entire hot spring resort lit up.
Looking out from the hotel's living room window on the cliff face, everything is brightly lit. Because of the extensive use of crystal, the lights shine through, like countless bright planets, creating a dazzling universe in the blues hour.
Everyone flocked to the balcony to watch this scene. As the bathtub began to fill with water, a thin mist rose up, making it even more mysterious and beautiful, as if one were in a fairy kingdom.
The banquet officially began with the warmth of the flowing water. Everyone donned bathrobes and headed to the hot spring pools that interested them. The various hot spring pools, besides differing in temperature, each had their own unique characteristics. Some were sulfur pools, with a strong sulfurous smell, believed to have antibacterial and disinfecting properties. Others were herbal pools, containing local Krakya herbs, including Krakya flowers, known for their health-enhancing effects.
However, the most popular spot is the flowing water pool surrounding the indoor hot spring pool. It's a small, flowing hot spring stream where the water gently caresses your body, like a massage. Most people don't want to leave after experiencing it.
In addition, mutants using telekinesis were constantly serving others chilled drinks and fruit. It was practically a floating banquet, with one person asking for alcohol and another for snacks, and plates of food were being sent over one after another, making the scene extremely lively.
Natasha had already soaked in the hot springs during the day, so she gathered at the bar next door with others who also didn't particularly enjoy hot springs for drinks. For the sake of health, she didn't even order ice this time. One sip of whiskey, and it tasted so bad she frowned.
“If you don’t want it to get worse, drink less, ma’am,” Schiller advised. “Alcohol increases blood flow, which might make you feel more pain.”
Natasha immediately spat out the half-eaten mouthful of wine she was still holding. It didn't taste good anyway, so she might as well just have a soft drink.
Matt didn't soak for long before he got too hot and ran out. He let out a long sigh and said while tying his bathrobe, "I shouldn't have soaked in such a hot pool right away. I should have taken it step by step. The steam just now made me a little dizzy."
“That’s normal,” Schiller said. “The steeping time shouldn’t exceed ten minutes. Would you like a glass of wine?”
“No, I’ve quit drinking since Jack was born,” Matt said. “I have to set a good example for my child.”
Natasha was about to tease him when she saw Matt's expression change. Schiller also asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell too?"
“Maybe,” Matt said. “Even though I practice martial arts and have internal energy, I might still be affected by Krakia Island. For some reason, I feel a bit nauseous, and also a bit…”
As soon as he finished speaking, Matt swayed on the spot, grabbed the bar counter for support, and said, "Maybe the hot spring temperature is too high, I feel a little dizzy, like I'm carsick."
Schiller quickly helped Matt up and said, "You've probably just been soaking in the water for too long and gotten heatstroke. Let me take you back to your room to rest."
He had only taken two steps when Matt suddenly reached out. After shaking off Schiller, he staggered, then said, "No, something's not right. Something's shaking… the ground is shaking!"
He struggled to steady himself and roared, "Earthquake! Earthquake!! Everyone, get out of here!!!"