Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

Ethan's improved mental power meant he could now better protect his secrets. Before, he'd worried about arriving too early in a world like the X-Men's. In such a case, standing before someone like Professor X, he likely wouldn't have been able to hide anything.

By comparison, Professor X was at least a decent person with a strong moral compass, someone who pursued justice. But if Ethan were to encounter someone less scrupulous, someone with mind control abilities but villainous intentions he could have faced far greater trouble.

Now, however, he no longer had to worry. While his mental power wasn't yet strong enough to counterattack, it was solid enough for defense. Breaking through his mental defenses wouldn't be easy. Besides, he had plenty of other methods at his disposal, even if they only served as early warning measures. That alone would be enough for him to prepare an appropriate response.

After all, anyone who tried to invade his mind without permission was essentially declaring war. And Ethan had every right to retaliate.

In short, he was very satisfied with the progress he had made over the past six months, not to mention the fact that his gains extended beyond just this.

"I'll be leaving this world soon. Have you made a decision, Your Majesty?"

Hippolyta's expression grew even more conflicted upon hearing this. Over the past six months, she had wrestled with this question almost daily, unable to reach a decision. When Ethan began extending his stay on Paradise Island by interacting with the Mother Box, it gave her a glimmer of hope. So, she had continued to delay, but now, there was no time left to stall.

"You still can't fully locate this world?"

"Compared to before, I have managed to establish a somewhat unstable channel," Ethan replied, "but it definitely doesn't meet your requirements."

Ethan's space-time pointer had indeed improved significantly. The anchor point was far more stable than before. While there was still a sense that it might disappear at any moment, it no longer flickered constantly or felt as though it might vanish in the next second.

The current space-time anchor was much more reliable, though it still couldn't achieve full stabilization or synchronize the flow of time. At the very least, however, it could lock onto a specific point in time, ensuring that Ethan wouldn't arrive too far from the moment he left.

"So, you're saying the next time you return might be years from now?"

"To be precise, anywhere from a few years to a few decades. But I can guarantee it won't exceed fifty years." Ethan's confidence came from the fact that the space-time pointer, while not perfect, never provided false information. If it indicated a timeframe, it would be accurate.

"That's sufficient."

For the Amazons, descendants of the gods, decades—or even a century—wasn't a particularly long time. If something happened, Diana could endure the initial immortality phase and stay in hiding until Ethan returned. It wouldn't be difficult for her.

This, of course, assumed the worst-case scenario: something going wrong immediately after Ethan left, with him only returning at the fifty-year maximum.

If luck were on their side, Ethan might reappear just as an incident occurred or even arrive ahead of time, sensing trouble before it fully unfolded.

"In that case, I will keep Diana on Paradise Island. She's still too young."

Diana was only in her early teens, a true child. She wasn't ready to leave her family yet. Hippolyta decided that Diana should remain on Paradise Island until she matured. By then, perhaps Ethan would return to this world assuming he wanted to.

"I hope you'll visit Paradise Island as a guest in the future," Hippolyta said.

Ethan thought about it. Returning to Paradise Island wouldn't be easy for him. Every dimensional jump required space-time energy, and collecting it wasn't a simple task. He had to gather it himself from the Sea of Calm, which was time-consuming and challenging.

He couldn't justify spending all that energy just to return to Paradise Island every time he collected enough. While it was a peaceful and secluded place, perfect for retreat and cultivation, it didn't offer any unique resources to accelerate his progress.

Most importantly, until he reached a certain level of training, he had to consider the limits of his human lifespan. Staying on Paradise Island didn't offer any way to extend it.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Ethan knew he would explore other worlds instead. Only when he had gathered a large amount of resources and needed time to digest them would he consider returning to a tranquil place like Paradise Island.

"I'll do my best."

Ethan gave a noncommittal answer. He wasn't the type to make promises lightly. Once he made a promise, he would feel compelled to follow through, so he preferred to make his stance clear from the beginning.

"There are a lot of times I can't come as I wish. All I can do is try to visit when I can."

Hippolyta understood his meaning. She had lived long enough to recognize the weight behind Ethan's words.

The fact that he was even willing to promise to return was enough to satisfy her. There wasn't any deep friendship between the two parties, and the only connection they had was Ethan borrowing the Mother Box stored on Paradise Island. And even then, he hadn't taken it away; he had only interacted with it under Hippolyta's supervision.

From Paradise Island's perspective, they had lost nothing and given away nothing substantial.

Of course, Ethan had benefited greatly from the Mother Box, and he acknowledged the value of what he had gained. That was why he had promised Hippolyta that if Diana ever needed refuge in the future, he would help.

In his heart, Ethan had already decided that if the opportunity presented itself in the future, he would go further and try to resolve the troubles facing Paradise Island completely. His creed had always been simple: if you take something, you repay it.

Back at the seaside hut, Ethan took a moment to admire it. Originally meant as a temporary resting spot, the hut had undergone continuous construction and renovation over the past six months, transforming into a fully functional home.

It now had three separate bedrooms, a dedicated kitchen and dining room, and even a toilet and bathroom built not far from the main structure.

This was the first time since he set out to sea that Ethan had stayed in one place for such a long time, and he had personally built his own home with his own hands. Despite himself, he felt a small sense of attachment to it.

"I'll have someone maintain your house regularly," Hippolyta said, a gesture of goodwill. This statement was an acknowledgment that Ethan would be free to enter and leave Paradise Island in the future, without being treated as an unwelcome outsider.

In fact, two months earlier, Hippolyta had invited Ethan and Arthur to move into Paradise Island itself. However, both men had declined.

For Ethan, he valued the absolute quiet of the seaside hut for his cultivation. Additionally, he had grown attached to the house he had built with his own efforts and wasn't willing to abandon it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ethan said politely.

Arthur and Diana, who had been training nearby, noticed the two of them approaching. Arthur, already aware that Ethan and he would soon leave the island, had even told Diana earlier that this would be their last training session.

Diana didn't seem particularly upset, though. Instead, she repeatedly told Arthur, "When I see you next, I'll definitely be stronger than you!"

When Hippolyta took Diana back to the main part of the island, the sun was setting over the horizon. The world was bathed in dim light, and Ethan, watching the sunset, turned to Arthur. "You and that little girl got along pretty well over the past six months."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at the comment, and Ethan couldn't help but feel the strangeness of the situation. King Arthur and Wonder Woman? The thought was oddly surreal.

As for Steve Trevor? That guy was likely out of the running. The only reason he had stood out in the original timeline was because he was the first man Diana had ever met. But now, Arthur and Ethan had taken the lead, and Trevor's one unique advantage no longer existed.

In terms of excellence, how could a spy compare to the future King of Britain? In appearance, temperament, physique, and strength, Arthur crushed him in every way.

To be blunt, even Ethan, with his mysterious identity as a magician, was a more compelling figure in Diana's eyes. Ethan found this realization amusing and a bit odd.

"Speaking of which, she doesn't seem to think too highly of me," Ethan noted.

"That's because you've been busy with your training. She doesn't want to bother you for fear of annoying you. Really, she just wants someone around her age to keep her company."

Ethan considered this. There wasn't anyone Diana's age on Paradise Island, she seemed to be the only child there. Her curiosity about outsiders and men wasn't just because they were novel; it was also because of her loneliness.

"Hmm…" Ethan muttered. Diana's childhood, in hindsight, seemed rather sad. "Why not take her with you, then?"

After all, Hippolyta had already expressed a desire to find a safe place for Diana. Arthur's world seemed like a good choice, especially with the powerful archmage Merlin overseeing things.

Ethan couldn't help but wonder: if Darkseid and Merlin ever clashed, who would come out on top?

From what Ethan had gathered over the past six months, Arthur's world seemed closer to traditional legends. Its power ceiling was undoubtedly high, Merlin's existence alone made that clear. However, apart from a few exceptional individuals, most people in Arthur's world were still ordinary, including Arthur's father and Arthur himself, who had no special bloodline.

But if Arthur and Wonder Woman ended up together… their child would be a demigod. Adding Diana's strength into the mix would completely rewrite the history of Arthur's world.

Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully before abruptly stopping. A strange thought had popped into his head.

"Wait, does this count as me playing matchmaker? In my previous life, if I read something like this in a novel, I'd probably be yelling at it!"

After a moment, he realized how pointless the thought was and quickly dismissed it, moving on to the next topic.

"Merlin told you to travel with me for two years, right? How is that time supposed to be calculated? Once we're back in the Sea of Calm, won't only a little time have passed there?"

Arthur hesitated, clearly unsure. "Uh… maybe it's based on the time in the Sea of Calm?"

Ethan nodded thoughtfully and gave Arthur a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I just hope Merlin doesn't get too shocked when he sees you in your thirties."

As Ethan's abilities improved, he couldn't predict how many worlds he would travel to, or how many years he would spend in them, during what Merlin had designated as two years in the Sea of Calm.

***

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