Chapter Sixty: The Avengers Are Short on Funds

Arthur sped through the ocean, heading toward New York.

“What’s going on with your body? How can a human have such a powerful physique?” Venom clung to Arthur’s arm and questioned him.

“Why shouldn’t a human possess such strength? You haven’t seen anything yet,” Arthur replied.

“How are you controlling me? What do you want me to do?” Venom was still somewhat afraid of Arthur; it had never seen anyone capable of controlling it.

“Do you know what this is? As for what I’ll do with you, I haven’t decided yet,” Arthur said, waving the Mind Stone before Venom’s eyes.

“That’s an Infinity Stone! Who are you? How can you possess an Infinity Stone?” Venom exclaimed in shock.

“My name is Yon Arthur, also known as Aquaman. As for Infinity Stones, they’re quite common on Earth,” Arthur said.

“There are only six Infinity Stones in the entire universe. How could they be common on Earth? Do you take me for a fool?” Venom doubted his words.

Honestly, you don’t believe me now, but you’ll understand in time. Arthur thought it would be a waste to kill Venom; he might prove useful against Thanos one day.

“I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?” Venom asked.

Arthur beckoned, and a school of sardines swam to his side. “Eat!”

“Then I’ll stick with you from now on!” Venom said contentedly after eating his fill, though a brain or two would have made it perfect.

…

Arthur returned to the villa. Wanda and Pietro were overjoyed to see him back. Wanda had learned a few Chinese dishes, knowing Arthur liked Chinese food, and wanted to showcase her skills.

Seated at the table, Arthur looked at the blackened stir-fried eggplant and the charred tomato-and-egg, feeling reluctant. But when he saw Wanda’s large, expectant eyes fixed on him, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Arthur picked up a piece of half-burnt egg with his chopsticks; the danger was written all over it! But facing Wanda’s gaze, he could only bite down.

The first sensation was salty, the second overwhelmingly sweet. It was the first time Arthur had tasted something so extremely salty and sweet in one dish.

“How is it? Does it taste good?” Wanda asked hopefully.

“Did you try it yourself after cooking?” Arthur asked in return.

“Pietro tasted it for me. He said it was okay,” Wanda replied happily.

Arthur glanced at Pietro, who shook his head in pain. Clearly, Wanda had been experimenting on him these days; poor fellow!

“It’s not bad. Next time, you should taste it yourself to make even better dishes. I suggest you start with the simplest recipes,” Arthur lied with open eyes.

As for the eggplant, Arthur simply didn’t have the courage to try it. He was still young; he didn’t want to die so soon…

Arthur shifted the conversation, narrating his recent experience in San Francisco, vividly recounting his two-day battle with Riot.

Venom, hiding within Arthur, thought, If I didn’t know Riot and your tricks, I might have believed your nonsense. You old fox!

The dinner, aside from that little mishap at the start, was a joyful occasion for the three.

…

The next morning

Arthur, as usual, ate the breakfast Wanda prepared for him. Wanda’s toast was decent, though her fried eggs still needed work.

After eating, Arthur went out to the yard to help Wanda train in chaos magic and mind magic.

In the midst of training, Arthur unexpectedly received a call from Tony.

“Hello? Arthur, I heard from Hill you’re back from San Francisco?” Tony Stark asked.

“I just got back last night. Is something up?” Arthur replied.

“The Avengers base construction is underway. Shouldn’t you come over and offer some advice?” Tony said.

“You guys are the experts in base construction. What advice could I possibly offer?” Arthur responded.

“We’ve hit a snag. Come over and let’s brainstorm together!” Tony insisted.

“All right, send me the address. I’ll be there soon,” Arthur agreed.

“OK, see you soon!” Tony said.

“See you soon!” Arthur replied.

Tony sent Arthur the location of the Avengers base—on the west coast of Los Angeles.

By the seaside, just the place I like!

“You and Pietro are coming with me. We’re going to check out the new Avengers base. I’ll introduce you to your future teammates,” Arthur told Wanda.

“Sure!”

…

Arthur piloted the transport fighter, bringing Wanda and Pietro to the Los Angeles coast where the Avengers base was under construction—easy to find!

He landed the aircraft by the sea, and the three stepped out to find Tony Stark waiting for them.

“You’re finally here! Come on, let’s go to the temporary office. Everyone’s waiting for you,” Tony said, embracing Arthur.

Tony led Arthur and the siblings to a two-story building, serving as the makeshift office for the Avengers, overseeing the construction project.

Inside, Arthur saw Barton, Steve Rogers, and Natasha. What’s going on today? Did none of them have anything to do?

“Let me introduce you. This is Wanda, and this is Pietro. They’re siblings I brought back from Sokovia, and they’ve agreed to join our Avengers team,” Arthur said to everyone.

“We met last time. Welcome to the Avengers! Let’s work together for Earth’s peace,” Steve Rogers stood to greet Wanda and Pietro.

“We’ll do our best!” Wanda and Pietro nodded.

“All right, I called everyone together today to discuss the future development of the Avengers. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded, we’ve lost support from various nations. Now all Avengers funding comes from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s leftover finances and Stark Industries. Since I decided Stark Industries would stop selling weapons, our income isn’t what it used to be,” Tony Stark explained.

“You mean you’re out of money?” Arthur asked, skeptical. Stark was practically the richest man in America.

“Not out of money—just not making as much as before. Stark Industries is covering the base construction and equipment purchases. We can’t rely solely on it. We need a way for the Avengers to generate income!” Tony said.

“Does anyone have suggestions?” Steve Rogers asked the group.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one had any good ideas.

“What about the new energy vehicles I asked you to develop?” Arthur asked Tony.

“Still under research. Miniaturizing the arc reactor is very difficult, unless we find an alternative energy source,” Tony replied.

Too bad the Guardians of the Galaxy aren’t here; otherwise, we could be researching interstellar ships.

“What about the alien ships and weapons left behind by the Chitauri? Surely there’s new energy to be found there,” Arthur asked.

“Research is ongoing. We simply don’t have enough scientists—Banner is handling it,” Natasha answered.

What to do? Arthur was troubled. Make money? Of course! As a time traveler from the twenty-first century, he knew exactly which industries would be profitable. Suddenly, his memories from his previous life lit up.

“I’ve got it! We’ll make games!” Arthur declared.

“Games?” Everyone looked at Arthur as if he’d lost his mind. Could that make money?

“Yes, games! It’s the fastest way to earn profits right now,” Arthur said.

“You want me, who runs an arms company, to start making games? Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?” Tony asked.

“I’m not asking you to make them yourself. Go online and find an American company called Riot Games. They have a game called League of Legends! It launched in 2009. It’s not hugely popular yet, but mark my words, it’ll be a gold mine. I want you to acquire Riot outright!” Arthur explained to Tony.

“League of Legends? I like the name! All right, I’ll have Pepper start the acquisition process as soon as I get back,” Tony nodded.

“Act quickly! No matter the cost, secure it. And make sure the game’s distribution rights in every country are in our hands!” Arthur urged.

“Fine!” Tony agreed.

…

(P.S.: Thanks to Alex Icebound and Mo Xue Yiyun for their rewards, and to everyone for your monthly and recommendation votes. Thank you for reading Aquaman! If you think the author’s doing a good job, please add this book to your bookshelf to support the author! Thank you all!)