“Like right now…” Tony’s fall abruptly stopped.
One instant he had been plummeting at terrifying speed.
The next, he hung perfectly still among the clouds.
Endless banks of misty white stretched across his entire field of vision.
The sheer vastness of the sky and earth left him speechless.
“The boundless sky.” Evan snapped his fingers.
The two of them began falling again, plunging through an open Dimensional Door and emerging above the ocean.
Salty, humid sea air swept across Tony’s face.
Playful dolphins leaped from the sparkling water below while Tony, thoroughly traumatized by this point, sucked in huge gulps of air.
“The deep blue sea.”
Splash!
Tony dropped straight into the water.
The very next second, he and Evan appeared above a magnificent city bathed in brilliant golden light.
Under that radiant glow, Evan stood tall with his chest out, looking perfectly at ease.
Tony clutched his chest.
“The Heavenly Palace of myth.”
The words had barely left Evan’s mouth when another Dimensional Door appeared beneath them.
Tony’s face twisted in horror.
“NOOOOOOO!”
The two of them fell through.
The Dimensional Door snapped shut.
A moment later, another wooden door opened within a realm of darkness.
They stepped through.
Darkness churned and writhed around them like something alive, while bizarre and unsettling sights filled Tony’s vision.
“The Dark Dimension.” Evan promptly slapped Tony back through the Dimensional Door.
The next moment, both of them were back inside the restaurant.
Evan stood about three feet in front of Tony, his expression calm and indifferent, as though absolutely nothing had happened.
In a mild, almost gentle voice, he asked,
“Awake now?”
Tony finally snapped out of his daze.
His mouth twitched when he saw Evan’s mild expression.
He had absolutely no doubt that if he answered no, this lunatic would take him on another little “tour” to help him wake up properly.
As both an excellent scientist and an excellent businessman, Tony knew exactly what the correct answer was.
“Wide awake.”
“Good.” Evan nodded in satisfaction.
Truthfully, he had wanted to try something like that for a while now.
Unfortunately, the first few customers who had entered the restaurant were all seasoned big shots who had seen far too much of the world.
He hadn’t gotten the chance.
“Now that you’re awake, think back. It should have already placed the relevant information directly into your memory.”
Tony frowned and began recalling everything that had happened since he entered the restaurant.
Almost immediately, a stream of information surfaced in his mind.
This was a restaurant connected to countless worlds.
Its customers came from different universes.
So did its food.
And that food was anything but ordinary.
Different dishes possessed all sorts of unusual effects.
Some could strengthen the body.
Some could heal injuries.
Some could even grant special abilities…
In short, the food here wasn’t merely delicious.
It could do all kinds of impossible things.
“Wow.” Tony drew the word out with exaggerated amazement.
After Evan’s rather hands-on “explanation,” however, he no longer believed that he was dreaming or hallucinating.
This time, the amazement was genuine.
“Snap!” Tony snapped his fingers.
His expression suddenly brightened as though he’d just solved the entire problem.
“Okay, then give the great Tony—” He paused.
“Mr. Stark a dish that’ll instantly turn him into a superhuman. Mr. Stark has some kidnapping bastards waiting back home who desperately need a lesson in basic manners.”
Then he burst into laughter.
“Ha! Hahahahaha!”
Smug.
Arrogant.
And already drunk on power he didn’t even have yet.
“Sorry. That dish doesn’t exist.”
Evan dumped an entire metaphorical bucket of cold water over Tony without the slightest hesitation, then threw in an eye roll for free.
Not much to look at, but he sure knows how to dream big.
It’s not like I’m selling Devil Fruits here.
You don’t take one bite and suddenly become superhuman.
“…Ha—” Tony’s triumphant laughter died in his throat.
His expression stiffened.
He coughed once, immediately rearranging his face into something considerably calmer.
“Fine. Cheeseburger. And something that heals injuries.”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.” Evan replied without expression, then turned and headed for the kitchen.
Tony rubbed his face, which had gone slightly stiff after everything he’d experienced, and took the nearest seat.
He had been subjected to far too many shocks in far too short a time, and his mouth felt dry.
Spotting a pitcher and glass already set on the table, he poured himself some water and drained it in one gulp.
Cold.
Crisp.
Refreshing enough to send a shiver straight through him.
The restless irritation burning inside Tony seemed to vanish instantly, as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over the flames in his head.
“What kind of water is this?” There was genuine surprise in Tony’s voice.
“Air Aqua. It’s spring water from Aqua Mountain, more than ten thousand meters above sea level. It goes down as lightly as air.”
Evan happened to emerge from the kitchen just in time to hear the question and answered casually.
He walked over and placed a cheeseburger and a bowl of vegetable congee on the table.
The rich aroma of the burger mixed with the fresh fragrance of the vegetables, carried upward by curling steam.
It swept gently across Tony’s face like an invisible hand, instantly awakening the hunger in his stomach.
“Grrrrrrr…” His stomach enthusiastically voiced its opinion.
How the hell does it smell this good?
Tony swallowed repeatedly, staring fixedly at the cheeseburger and congee in front of him.
He drained another glass of Air Aqua, then picked up the burger with both hands and raised it beneath his nose.
He inhaled deeply.
The rich aroma was intoxicating.
That was the end of Tony Stark’s self-control.
He took a huge bite.
The instant the burger entered his mouth, an explosion of flavor assaulted his taste buds.
The cheese melted almost instantly, filling his mouth with a mellow, savory richness.
The seared steak was wonderfully springy beneath his teeth.
With every bite, it seemed to bounce against his palate, releasing thick, fragrant juices that flooded his mouth.
Then came the vegetables.
The bread.
Layer upon layer of flavor battered Tony’s senses without mercy.
“Mmm… mm—ahhh…” Strange noises kept escaping his mouth.
Standing beside him, Evan felt the corner of his eye twitch as the increasingly suggestive sounds continued.
Can this guy not eat quietly for five seconds?
Evan rubbed between his eyebrows.
Once Tony had finished the burger, he finally spoke.
“About those kidnappers you wanted to teach a lesson, I have a suggestion.”
“What suggestion?” Tony took a sip of congee.
“Ahhhhh…”
His face melted into bliss.
“Oohhh… ohhhhhh…”
“…” A vein visibly throbbed on Evan’s forehead.
Tony froze.
He quickly finished the vegetable congee.
By then, every injury on his body except for the gaping wound in his chest had healed completely.
Seeing the angry vein practically bulging out of Evan’s forehead, Tony gave an awkward cough and immediately became much more subdued.
“Ahem. You were saying?”
He had no desire to recover from his old injuries only to acquire a collection of brand new ones.
“My suggestion is…”
BANG!
SLAM!
Evan’s expression darkened.
Before he could finish speaking, the restaurant was filled with the violent crash of someone hitting the door, followed by an even louder slam as it was thrown shut.
Hurried words followed immediately.
“Tony! So this is where you went! …Wait. Where are we? How does a cave even have a place like—”
The newcomer abruptly stopped halfway through his sentence.
Apparently, the restaurant’s information had just appeared in his mind.
A moment later, he exclaimed in wonder, “Oh. That’s incredible.”
“Yinsen?” Tony stared at him in confusion.
“How did you get here too?”
“Well, you suddenly vanished, and those terrorists completely lost their minds.” Yinsen sounded helpless.
“I figured I should take advantage of the chaos and escape. Then they spotted me. I ran, hit a door while trying to get away…”
He gestured around the restaurant.
“And then I came through it.”
What else was he supposed to do?
With Tony gone, those terrorists would obviously take their anger out on him.
Stay behind and wait to die?
Evan stared at the two of them.
…
I wasn’t finished talking!
Would you two stop having your own conversation?
At least include me!