Even though Karl still possessed the Resurrection Cross, he had already experienced death once.
That experience made one thing painfully clear to him:
Everything ultimately depended on strength.
Without sufficient power, nothing could be protected.
Because of this realization, Karl had begun focusing heavily on increasing his own strength and influence.
That was also the reason he had asked global financial tycoons to search for ancient artifacts in exchange for lifespan-extending resources. Even if the United States government or other nations knew about this arrangement, they had little choice but to cooperate.
Using force against Karl was no longer a realistic option.
If anyone in government even suggested such an idea, they would likely be harshly rebuked by members of Congress or the President himself. After witnessing Karl's strength—and now the existence of Black Phoenix beside him—no one dared to provoke him recklessly.
Karl's goal was simple.
He wanted to see whether he could discover ancient artifacts similar to the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
During the ancient battles between the Celestials and other cosmic forces, countless powerful beings had perished on Earth. Naturally, many of their weapons and artifacts would have been lost or destroyed.
However, Karl believed that at least some items might still exist—artifacts capable of sealing themselves, just like the Ruyi Jingu Bang had done.
After returning to the manor, Karl received several island photographs from May.
These were potential islands she had shortlisted.
After briefly reviewing them, Karl chose one that was relatively large and geographically isolated.
He immediately asked May to proceed with the purchase.
At the same time, he contacted Wakanda, requesting that they accelerate the mining of vibranium.
He would need a massive amount of it.
With that done, Karl decided to summon someone he had been planning to call.
Right there inside the manor—
He summoned Angel Yan.
A golden portal appeared.
From within it stepped a tall, beautiful woman with golden hair, white wings, and elegant armor.
She looked around the unfamiliar environment for a moment before fixing her gaze directly on Karl.
"Kid, are you the master I'll be serving from now on?"
Her lips curled into a teasing smile.
She walked up to him, placing one hand casually on his shoulder.
In the next instant, her armor disappeared, replaced by a more relaxed outfit.
She leaned closer and whispered provocatively.
"Do you enjoy this kind of arrangement, Master~?"
Karl cleared his throat awkwardly and took half a step backward.
"Ahem… Yan."
"Do you have the manufacturing data for the Skyblade VII in your database?"
Karl tried to maintain a calm expression, but internally he was already panicking.
He had expected that an angel summoned through the system would act formally or respectfully.
Instead, Yan immediately began teasing him.
It was completely different from what he imagined.
Just one look from her almost made him lose his composure.
After all—
This angel had lived for more than seven thousand years.
"Oh?"
"You want me to build the Skyblade VII for you?"
Yan immediately understood Karl's intention.
She leaned closer again, looking at him with exaggerated innocence.
"What's in it for me?"
"You wouldn't expect a beautiful angel to spend all her time building warships for free, would you?"
"Constructing a celestial warship is exhausting work."
Karl's expression remained calm.
"What do you want?"
"You can ask for anything I have."
He had already noticed that Black Phoenix, standing nearby, was beginning to lose patience.
If he let Yan continue pushing boundaries, the situation might escalate quickly.
Yan suddenly slipped into Karl's arms while he wasn't paying attention.
She pointed toward Black Phoenix.
"Look."
"That woman looks like she wants to attack me."
"You'll protect me, right?"
Then she asked another question.
"What materials are you planning to use to build the Skyblade VII?"
"Ordinary metals won't be enough."
Karl quickly stopped Black Phoenix, who looked ready to unleash her temper.
"Phoenix, calm down."
Then he took out two metal samples.
"Here."
"Adamantium and vibranium."
"Run simulations and see if they're suitable."
Yan's eyes suddenly turned completely white.
Her internal systems began rapidly scanning and analyzing the materials.
Three seconds later, her eyes returned to normal.
"This adamantium alloy is nearly as hard as Dark Silver."
"This vibranium is interesting. It absorbs kinetic energy and can release it later."
"Both materials are suitable for constructing the warship."
"But you'll need a large quantity."
Karl nodded.
"Good."
"Then we'll use these two."
He handed Yan the Adamantium formula he had obtained from William Stryker.
"Vibranium mining is already underway."
Yan's eyes turned white again as she scanned the planet's data networks.
She spoke slowly.
"Hmm…"
"You want me to start building immediately?"
"You should at least let me rest for a few days."
Then her tone changed slightly.
"This planet is surprisingly similar to Earth in the Chiwu Star System."
"Even the name is the same."
Her eyes flickered again as she continued analyzing.
"Asgard… Heaven… Kunlun… Kamar-Taj… Greek mythology… Egyptian mythology… Atlantis… God… Hell…"
"This Earth is far more complex than the one in my universe."
"And yet the civilization level here is still only pre-nuclear."
After a moment, Yan looked back at Karl again.
"Gold Saint?"
"So you're the one they've been talking about."
"I didn't expect you to be both the strongest person on Earth and its most popular superhero."
She smirked.
"Wow."
"There are a lot of women online who want to sleep with you, kid."
Karl rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"Alright, that's enough."
"Come inside. I'll arrange a room for you."
Then he glanced at her seriously.
"And if you keep teasing me like that…"
"I might take you up on it right here."
He pulled Black Phoenix along and entered the manor.
When May and Raven saw Yan walking in with white wings behind her back, both of them froze.
Angels were often described as the most beautiful beings in the universe.
That description was not an exaggeration.
Even women could not help being captivated by their beauty.
"An… angel?"
"My God… Karl, where did you find an angel?"
May spoke in disbelief.
"She's so beautiful!"
Even Raven looked stunned.
She could sense clearly that Yan was not a mutant.
She was truly something else entirely.
"Hello."
"My name is Yan."
She smiled politely at May and Raven.
"I'm this kid's subordinate."
"Although…"
She glanced playfully at Karl.
"If he wants to add me to his harem, I'll need to think about it first."
Karl looked at her helplessly.
Yan maintained her teasing smile.
"Just ignore her."
"She's an old monster who's lived for seven thousand years."
Karl rolled his eyes.
"She doesn't even need food or water to survive."
May and Raven both gasped in shock.
A seven-thousand-year-old angel?
"Oh?"
Yan raised an eyebrow.
"So that's how you see it?"
She looked at Karl mischievously.
"Kid, you clearly prefer older women."
"Out of your five lovers, all of them except Spider-Woman are older than you."
"I'm seven thousand years old."
"Shouldn't that make me your favorite?"
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