The changes grew increasingly intense.
In the blink of an eye, every muscle on Thor’s body swelled, making him look an entire size larger than before.
At the same time, a veil of lightning as thin as gauze wrapped itself around him.
“Thor!” Odin and Frigga shouted at the same time.
“Brother!”
The sudden transformation startled all three of them so badly that Loki actually flung his spoon away.
“Don’t worry. He’s fine.” Evan chose that moment to walk over carrying several plates of side dishes.
He calmly set them down one by one as he explained, “It’s just one of the tangyuan’s special effects. Nothing harmful, only benefits.”
Hearing that, Odin relaxed and gestured for Frigga and Loki to sit back down.
Their concern had gotten the better of them at first.
Now that Odin looked more carefully, Thor didn’t seem to be in any pain whatsoever despite the lightning surrounding him.
If anything, his rugged face looked downright comfortable.
That expression alone made it obvious this wasn’t anything bad.
Still, better to confirm.
“Evan, what exactly are the tangyuan’s special effects?”
“Sweet food makes people happy. Eat tangyuan, and it’ll naturally lift your mood.”
Evan continued arranging the dishes on the table while answering.
“It also fills the body with vitality and strengthens the physique. What’s happening to Thor right now is just his abilities growing stronger as a result of that physical enhancement.”
The last part was clearly meant to explain Thor’s current condition.
“I see.”
Odin swept Thor’s entire body with his divine senses.
Finding nothing wrong and hearing Evan’s explanation, he finally nodded.
Thor truly was fine.
In Odin’s perception, his son was undeniably becoming stronger.
Most likely, Thor’s accumulated growth had already brought him to the edge of a breakthrough.
The tangyuan Evan had made today simply supplied the final push he needed to cross that threshold and draw out more of the potential within him.
After all, much of an Asgardian god’s strength came with age.
The longer they lived, the stronger they became.
Seeing that Frigga was still somewhat worried, Odin took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
As for Loki, the moment he noticed his father’s expression relax, his own concern vanished.
Good at reading people as he was, he immediately bent down, retrieved the spoon he’d thrown into his bowl, and resumed eating.
He wanted to see if the tangyuan could make him stronger too.
The Ancient One, who had observed the entire process from beginning to end, was extremely pleased with what she’d seen.
Sorcerers dealt with forbidden knowledge and the temptations of demon gods and other entities from different dimensions on a daily basis.
The pressure was enormous.
A mind kept constantly under strain was extremely prone to problems.
Tangyuan could improve one’s mood and ease mental stress.
For sorcerers, that made it an exceptional support food, something that could significantly reduce the likelihood of a sorcerer succumbing to temptation and falling.
Then there was the physical enhancement.
The sorcerers trained in martial arts every day, so a stronger body was just as useful to them.
Most importantly—
It saved money.
Previously, achieving those two effects would have required paying for two different dishes.
Now they only needed one.
Frugality was a virtue. New chapters come out on g.com first.
And sorcerers weren’t exactly rolling in cash.
Therefore…
She should order one first and test the effects herself.
“Evan, one serving of tangyuan for each of us as well.”
“…Sure.”
A full thirty seconds passed before Evan answered the Ancient One.
At that moment, he had a strong feeling he wasn’t getting out of the kitchen today.
He’d only just finished preparing the sorcerers’ meals when Odin’s family arrived.
Then, as soon as he’d finished the tangyuan for Odin’s family, the sorcerers placed another order.
Dozens of sorcerers meant a lot of tangyuan.
He’d better get started.
“Enjoy. Call me if you need anything else.”
Evan gestured toward Odin’s family, then retreated into the kitchen and began rolling enough tangyuan for several dozen people.
If nothing else, today’s situation made his desire to find some staff even stronger.
Who knew how long it would take that guy Tony to finish the intelligent robots?
Unfortunately, finding the perfect waiter wasn’t easy.
Good character.
Good temperament.
Good ability.
People who checked all three boxes weren’t exactly growing on trees.
“Ding-a-ling—”
Speak of the devil.
Evan had barely thought of Tony when the man himself pushed open the door, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit.
“Well, look at this.” Tony raised an eyebrow with his usual flair as he took in the bustling restaurant.
“Busy day.”
He’d visited several times and barely seen anyone else.
He’d almost started thinking the restaurant only had a handful of customers.
Apparently not.
His timing had just been terrible.
Still…
What exactly were all these people supposed to be?
Actors?
Tony looked at the dozens of people wearing yellow robes, then at the other four dressed in a mixture of robes and armor.
He couldn’t quite figure it out.
The yellow robed group could wait.
Their clothes looked like ordinary fabric.
But the material worn by those other four definitely wasn’t ordinary.
And the people themselves probably weren’t either.
They certainly weren’t.
Only a few minutes before Tony walked in, one of them had been crackling with lightning.
If Evan had known what Tony was thinking, he would’ve rolled his eyes.
Still, whether they were ordinary or not had nothing to do with Tony.
Besides, did this restaurant even have ordinary people anymore?
That thought conveniently ignored the fact that Tony himself still qualified as one.
“Evan.” Tony sat down in the same place as before and watched Evan rolling tangyuan.
“One steak set. Whiskey on the rocks…”
He paused thoughtfully.
“Hmm. And whatever you’re making right now. One of those too. That’s enough for now.”
Considering his appetite, Tony didn’t dare order too much.
Ordering more than he could finish and then having to sit there smelling food that delicious would be torture.
“Wait.” Evan’s expression was utterly cold.
Why aren’t you at home working on my robots?
Why are you wandering around?
Just because I haven’t given you the GT Robot yet doesn’t mean you can’t start doing your own research.
Tony merely shrugged, completely unconcerned.
He picked up the pitcher on the table and poured himself a glass of water.
“You finish your business already? That’s why you’re back here?”
Rolling tangyuan nonstop was boring, so Evan decided to make conversation.
“Business?” Tony looked confused for a second.
Then understanding dawned.
“Oh, that.”
He waved dismissively.
“No rush. I’ll deal with him in a few days. Let him lower his guard first.”
“Besides, coming here for food doesn’t interfere with anything.”
Tony spread his hands.
“I still go out to eat every day. I still don’t bother with company business. I still act exactly the same around him as I always have.”
He tilted his head.
“You think his guard’s going to stay up forever?”
Obviously not.
Tony’s unchanged behavior suggested that he still trusted the man.
Even if Obadiah was naturally suspicious and remained cautious for a while, what about after enough time passed?
And more importantly—
Would he even wait that long?
No. Once Obadiah saw that Tony’s behavior and lifestyle hadn’t changed in the slightest, he would eventually seize whatever opportunity appeared.
For no reason other than ambition.
“So you’re fishing.” Evan narrowed his eyes and gave Tony a sidelong look.
“You’ve got more patience than I expected.”
He’d assumed Tony would cut straight through the mess as quickly as possible.
Instead, the man intended to sit there and slowly reel his target in.
Then again, scientists tended to have pretty good patience.
If this turned into a contest of endurance, Tony would probably be the one still standing at the end.
Tony rolled his eyes.
Easy for you to say.
If I could just cut the whole thing off cleanly right now, you think I wouldn’t?
If he was going to make his move, he intended to make it once.
And when he did, Obadiah Stane wasn’t getting a second chance.