Chapter 4756

Steve sat at the bar in the restaurant, taking a drink from Polaris's hand. After a sip, he smiled and said, "Not bad, ma'am. You seem to be in decent spirits."

"That's really something. I should be the one asking you that." Polaris wiped her hands with a towel, then said, "I heard your friend is sick. Seems he's not adapting to Clark's environment. Is he doing okay?"

"Thanks for the kind words. He's doing fine, just a minor cold. And we've already found a treatment."

"I know what you're worried about," Polaris said bluntly, "Clark just declared independence not long ago and is already facing sanctions from so many nations. You're worried we'll become the next Cuba. But honestly, our situation before was much worse than this. What's there to worry about now?"

"I forgot about that, thanks for reminding me." Steve took another sip of his drink.

"You don't seem like the type to come here and get drunk at a time like this." Polaris shook her head. "Looks like you're still worried about him."

"A bit," Steve admitted without hesitation, "Tony is a very strong person. Even when he gets sick, he receives meticulous care, so we don't see it. This is the first time I've seen him run a high fever—it's quite frightening."

Polaris hesitated, then said, "You might not believe this, but mutants like us also get sick. Especially when we lose our mutant abilities—I've seen plenty of that.... Never mind, why am I telling you this?"

"If you want to vent, I'm happy to listen. But I imagine those things are already in the past. As you said, Clark is a fresh start, already better than before."

"Even so, I'm not entirely happy about just that." Polaris's tone brightened again, "I've arranged some time off with them. I'll be resting for the next two days—more accurately, two and a half days. I'm thinking about where to go for fun."

After a pause, she added to herself, "You know if there are hot springs at the northern volcanic crater?"

"Oh?" Steve showed some interest.

"The whole Clark Island is higher in the north and lower in the south. That's because there's a volcano in the north. I'm not entirely sure what kind of volcano it is. But there are indeed underground hot springs there—I've seen them before. The temperature seems very high, possibly too hot to soak in directly, so you'd need to add some cold water to adjust it. But we happen to have Iceman. I was thinking of persuading him to take two days off so we can go together."

"May I ask, is he your boyfriend?"

"No," Polaris said, "I know in many universes I'm entangled with Shockwave and Iceman, but in this universe, I'm single—I'm not dating anyone, nor have I dated them."

Steve was about to ask why, but Polaris answered before he could, saying, "The news of Moira's nine-life reincarnation was known to the Professor as early as ten years ago, and he began preparing then. At that time I was still very young, always running around with Magneto, preparing for the mutant nation-building plan—when would I have time to date? The X-Men were the same."

"Besides, after hearing about the love lives of my other isotopes, I think being single isn't so bad. Maybe once things stabilize completely, I'll consider it, but for now, it's best to leave it."

"I meant going to the hot springs as a group," Polaris said while wiping a glass, "Everyone's been worn out lately—it's time to really relax. That new professor seems easy to talk to, and I'm considering whether to bring it up with him."

"You might be misunderstanding Charles," Steve said. But he paused, then corrected himself, "Though it's hard to say—he's always been gentle with mutants. You're also such a hardworking and sensible bunch of good kids—maybe he really would give you a hot spring vacation."

"What do you mean? He's not gentle with others?"

"Not exactly easy to talk to," Steve said, shaking his head, "You believe it or not, in a little while he'll be calling me to work..."

He hadn't finished speaking when Charles's voice rang out: "All right, Captain. I know you're worried about Tony. But since he hasn't returned to his post yet, you need to help out and keep an eye on things. That's for his own good, isn't it? Finish your drink and come to the dock..."

Steve shrugged at Polaris, downed his drink in one gulp, set the glass down, and walked toward the dock. Polaris hurriedly called after him, then said, "So I can't just ask him directly. You go feel him out—ask if he's interested in the hot springs. Who knows, maybe we can all go together."

Steve waved at her, indicating she should relax, and soon arrived near the dock on a stone platform. The construction here had already been fully laid out and was even larger than before planned—clearly, the mutant leaders of the central universe have greater ambitions for this.

"Are you planning to build a dual-use military and trade port?" Steve asked.

"Yes. But it was only just decided," Charles said, "The more they sanction us, the more we need to show a hardline attitude. Originally we thought, with insufficient resources and manpower, launching a large project like this wasn't wise. Now it seems we were too polite."

"And I'm also preparing to directly recall personnel from across the universe. The excuse will be that the dock is too big and we don't have enough hands—we can only look after ourselves for now. Though the Shi'ar Empire is already just a remnant of defeated troops, it's not without danger. Give them a chance to regroup, and Earth is still dangerous."

Steve looked at Charles. He just knew that the Professor of their universe had plenty of strength and means—dealing with Earth's political struggles was child's play.

The Shi'ar army, though no longer a formidable force, is that way only to mutants. Magneto or Apocalypse charging in could wipe them out in a few moves. But the already spent Avengers might not manage it, and ordinary people stand no chance.

If mutants back down now, this could become a serious problem. Anyone with sense can see it's because the Earth government announced sanctions. Whether they'll lift the sanctions because of this or not, at least they'll apply pressure and make the other side understand: when mutants have the ability to protect Earth, opposing Clark is unwise.

"That might not work," Steve pointed out a flaw, "Clark is on Earth. If armies come marching, they won't gain anything either. Maybe other governments will gamble, thinking you wouldn't dare let go completely."

"That's my next step," Charles said, "Mutants always have to leave Earth. After bullying us this long, taking some local specialties isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Steve widened his eyes slightly and said, "You're not thinking of moving the whole island, are you?"

"What's wrong with that?" Charles asked him, "Anyway, ordinary people can't stay on this island. It's completely useless to them—giving it to us would be a win-win."

"This isn't giving—it's outright seizure," Steve said, shaking his head, though he didn't express opposition. Mutants' control over Clark is too deep. If they don't take the island but leave some people behind, it could spark bigger disputes.

"Tony thinks the same way," Charles said, "Otherwise, why do you think he's been researching the dock's location all along? If we want to lift the whole island, balance is crucial, and engine placement must be meticulous. Right now, the dock's location might be key, so he wants to move it."

"Then why are you still building here?" Steve said, surprised, "What if it conflicts with the engines later?"

"Tony isn't sick, is he?" Charles said helplessly, "We're not so inhumane as to make a sick person do this work. Since he's ill, we can only abandon technological means entirely."

"Are you planning to use mutant abilities then?" Steve thought, then said, "Magneto should be able to do it—after all, he can directly move planets."

"Not a chance," Charles said, "Haven't you noticed? This island also suppresses mutant abilities. Some weak mutants lose them entirely, and even we powerful Omegas and Alphas get weakened significantly."

"Really?" Steve said, genuinely surprised, "Then why would mutants choose this island in the first place?"

"Because it's related to the totem," Charles said, "And while weakening mutant abilities is bad for powerful mutants, it's practically a blessing for many defective ones. They finally don't have to be troubled by those defective abilities and can live as happy ordinary people."

"Put that way, the two leaders of this universe are indeed idealists," Steve sighed, "Willing to sacrifice so much for the weak mutants."

"Though part of that may be the reason, more importantly, powerful mutants can just leave the island easily. Being restricted on the island isn't a big deal—at most it just makes building houses a bit troublesome. Otherwise, why would this dock have taken so long to finish?"

Steve nodded. He had thought before that just this one dock didn't need so many mutants—Polaris came and took over everything. He hadn't expected it to be because mutant abilities are suppressed.

"How much longer until the dock is finished?" Steve asked.

"Not sure. I see the kids are worn out, and I was thinking of giving them a break. Sharpening the knife doesn't delay the woodcutting." Charles smiled and said.

"Polaris was just about to tell you... oh, I forgot—you must have heard. What do you think?"

"They'll definitely go for the hot springs, but the process can't be that easy. Otherwise, they'd sneak off every few days. Not to mention delaying progress, the volcano is also quite dangerous."

"Then what are you planning to do?" Steve asked curiously.

"Tonight, Apocalypse and them will withdraw. In this universe, Magneto told me Apocalypse wants to see what the new generation of mutants can do. So we plan to set up a ring on the island—winner gets hot spring tickets, loser has to work."

"Isn't that too harsh?" Steve said, "Everyone else goes to the hot springs, and just one person stays behind—that's not good for their socializing."

"I didn't say the loser stays to build the dock—hot springs need building too," Charles shrugged, "The winner just enjoys, the loser works with us to build the hot springs. But in the end, they can still go soak."

"That's better," Steve said, "All right, I'll go over there and watch. I see someone jumping around by the crane, eager to try—and not even wearing a safety helmet."

"Professor." Charles heard someone calling him, his tone rather weary. He replied, "What's up, Shiler?"

"Tony had another nightmare—trouble coming over to help him sort out his mind. I really don't want to go back into his realm to face Jurassic dinosaurs and Darth Vader's lightsaber again."