Chapter 4806: Little Devil in Charge (Part IV)

The Avengers' base was still dimly lit as ever. The living area's tables were somewhat cluttered, with snack bags from various supermarkets piled together. Captain America's shield and the Winter Soldier's replacement arm were placed at one end, while a large pile of Iron Man's mecha parts and energy cores lay at the other. Around them were scattered Captain America action figures and flashcards that Coulson hadn't had time to tidy up, along with a few trays of second-hand game discs Spider-Man was preparing to sell.

All members were seated on the nearby sofa, each with a soda can in front of them. Steve rested his arm on the sofa's backrest: "Are you sure you didn't misread him?"

"He told me himself." Stark said, "He wants to buy a house—I mean a residence, with no work-related purpose, purely for living."

"Oh my God." Natasha muttered, seemingly thinking of something, "Oh my God."

"I mean, are you sure he genuinely wants to buy, rather than just using this as an excuse to stir up something?" Steve pressed on.

"That can't be guaranteed." Strange let out a light scoff, "In fact, it's more likely he genuinely wants to buy and also genuinely wants to cause trouble."

"If he truly wants to buy, that'd be great." Peter stretched, then said, "Though the previous clinic was decent, it was indeed too small. Later, the sanatorium was spacious enough, but too crowded. The farm was large and quiet, though it's on the West Coast and usually inaccessible. A doctor really ought to buy his own place."

"What surprises me is, did he never have one before?" Dr. Banner said. He was among these people the one who interacted least with Shiler. Since teaming up with mutants to develop a method for Hulk to release pressure in space, his mental state had improved greatly, and he mostly worked at the research institute, no longer needing to see a psychiatrist.

Several people shook their heads. Stark counted on his fingers: "That first clinic doesn't even count—though the second floor could be lived in, it was hardly a proper residence. The sanatorium in the suburbs earlier could only be called a financial institution. After moving to downtown, it became a professional psychiatric hospital. Every time I went to see him, I could only enter through the window; otherwise, I'd be blocked by those psychiatric patients."

"That farm with stone houses he bought on the West Coast is somewhat close to a manor, but it's also a vacation manor—staying a few months a year is fine, but utterly unsuitable for permanent residence. Besides, it's too far from New York; even using a teleportation gate is somewhat troublesome."

"Looking at it this way, the only residence he truly owned was either that apartment when he first came to New York." Strange said, "Though that place was actually just average—good foundation, but a bit small; we couldn't even sit comfortably when we gathered."

"Then he really needs to buy a house." Eddie said, "So we're gathered here today to help him pick a house?"

"If you put it that way, you're not wrong." Natasha spoke, "But it can also be understood as us needing to confirm whether he's genuinely just trying to buy a house. After all, before..."

Natasha didn't need to say more—everyone understood. Previously, every time Shiler said he wanted to do something, no matter how small or insignificant it sounded, it would inevitably snowball into something huge, eventually becoming a world-shaking event.

"I don't quite get why you think this time isn't." Thor spoke up.

"Because he really has changed a lot." Stark said, "I know him best among you all. If I weren't confident this time is different, I wouldn't have summoned you all here. After all, if it were still the same old story, we wouldn't need to do anything—we could just wait to be dragged in."

Others nodded in agreement. Strange frowned slightly and said, "If this time is truly different, then we have a lot to do. New York housing isn't easy to come by."

A silence fell in the room. Though this matter sounds complex when explained, the core issue is that New York housing is so expensive and hard to buy precisely because Shiler brought it upon himself.

Aside from the development of transport like flying shuttles, the main reason is actually the shift in the galaxy's status.

Previously, the Milky Way lay beyond the twelfth ring compared to the truly bustling cosmic center. But now the Interstellar Council has moved to the Milky Way, even to a location not far from the Solar System in the Southern Cross, making the Solar System's position equivalent to the second ring.

It's not just the Solar System—land prices across all star systems bordering the Southern Cross are rising. After all, this is the future capital, destined to become like the Stellar Ring region, an interstellar political hub. Throughout history, such places have always commanded high land values.

Worse still, the Solar System's natural environment is excellent—akin to a national park beside a capital, with Earth being the most scenic patch of land in that park. Land prices here being low would be unnatural.

Earth doesn't restrict alien travel, thanks to the magical defense network, so there's no need to worry about these people causing trouble. Meanwhile, most individuals in the Interstellar Council lack strong personal power—even the strongest can't match some humans on Earth. And Earth, as the nearest thriving civilization to the Interstellar Council's headquarters, cannot stop council officials from coming here to relax on their days off.

Business has always followed politics' lead. When officials need leisure, someone must provide services—naturally requiring manors and luxury hotels. And building those requires land.

At this juncture, whoever secures scenic land can make a fortune in interstellar currency. Both aliens and humans want to profit, so land prices naturally get driven up. Not to mention the specialized property speculation groups hoarding rare assets, waiting for appreciation.

New York's scenery isn't impressive—certainly inferior to the Great Lakes region or some natural landscapes in the central states. But as humanity's political and economic hub, especially housing S. H. I. E. L. D. and the Sanctum Sanctorum headquarters, many aliens have work-related needs here.

For example, the Interstellar Council liaising with S. H. I. E. L. D. requires personnel stationed in New York. This isn't some harsh overseas posting; it's more like working in the EU—enjoying scenic vacation areas with heavy subsidies while slacking off guilt-free. Those assigned here are never short of funds.

Such people buying homes won't be stingy—they'll inevitably buy mansions. Even those slightly less affluent will aim for wealthy neighborhoods, where luxury cars and mansions are standard. This has sparked another boom in New York's high-end real estate. The scarcity of good housing has made these property consultants and agents even more arrogant and unwilling to release their prime resources.

Conversely, due to improved human physique and declining birth rates, population pressure has relatively lessened. Rents and prices in mid-to-low income and ordinary civilian communities have dropped. Since investing in mid-to-low income housing yields no profit, these consultants are even more desperate to push upward.

Because good housing is scarce, managers eager to advance will spawn many illegal acts—like renovating old shacks to fool amateurs; hiding major defects to scam one person after another; or outright using their resources for money laundering and other illegal activities. Hence the current housing market is in utter chaos.

Moreover, the federal government never gives up—or rather, since they can't handle big issues now, they're even more eager to exploit this. The president's strongest rival is currently a real estate mogul who, in New York's property industry, is calling the wind and summoning rain, truly a major troublemaker. Through his real estate resources, he's contacted many Interstellar Council officials, helping them exert influence in politics.

If Shiler buys a house now, he'll definitely draw attention. Besides those wanting to swindle him, more will seek to achieve their political goals through him, making all approval procedures extremely difficult.

But speaking again, greed has looked normal lately—first using hard-earned money for proper purposes—accurately speaking, where an ordinary person should spend money after earning it: buying a car, a house, or things they like—can his friends really still say no?

So even with a thousand difficulties, this must be done. This is the true primary purpose of the Avengers gathering here today.

Accordingly, S. H. I. E. L. D., the federal government, the Interstellar Council, and other organizations have assembled to discuss this. Besides researching what else Shiler might have in mind, they also want to study what they must sacrifice and what they might gain in the process of Shiler buying a house.

Still, after the Solar System's great development washed away the weak, the organizations that remain today still have many smart people—even the federal government and military.

Though one doesn't necessarily gain wisdom from a single loss, Shiler has caused so many major incidents, and they've suffered so many losses from them, that they should have learned something by now. So now that Shiler shows a slight sign, they react immediately. And facts prove that every seemingly over-the-top reaction is actually necessary—this time is no exception.

"What do you think?" Natasha first looked to Stark, "You should have quite a few good houses in your possession."

"Yes." Stark nodded, "My investment advisor had already warned me years ago that allocating a larger share of assets to real estate would benefit Stark Group's future development. Though I didn't fully follow his advice, I have indeed purchased some properties as a precaution."

"Which one do you think is most suitable? Bring it out so we can all review it together." Steve said.

"To be honest, there isn't really a suitable one." Stark sighed lightly, "My purpose in buying these properties isn't for living—you should know that."

Others exchanged glances. Though long accustomed to Stark's identity as a mega-rich tycoon, they still felt speechless at times like this. If another wealthy person said that, they'd surely be called out for being rich but unkind—after all, buying a house and not living in it isn't that just hogging others' housing resources?

But Stark is indeed different. Because the properties he bought, if he didn't purchase them, generally no one else would live there. Since he bought them mainly to use as safe houses and labs, their conditions and locations can be imagined—basically the same standard the U. S. military uses when selecting experimental bases.

"The best one is on Long Island." Stark said, "Though that house is somewhat old—the previous owner renovated it into a huge basement, which is exactly why I bought it. Now it holds about several hundred mechs."

"Does it have reconstruction permission?" Dr. Banner asked.

Stark shook his head. Everyone began to feel a headache coming on. U. S. real estate laws are extremely complex—possibly even adjacent properties follow different legal standards. Looking at it now, this matter truly isn't easy to handle.