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*****
Banner's heart tightened as he heard those words. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
"I thought you weren't going to wake up!"
Feny looked at Banner without much complaint; after all, letting Hulk out had been his own request. "What did it feel like when Hulk was out?" Feny asked. He already knew how Hulk felt when Banner was in control, and he was curious if the experience was reciprocal.
"It felt like sleeping in a small, dark room..." Banner hesitated before adding, "Actually, it wasn't exactly sleeping. It was a very strange state—half-awake, half-asleep!"
Although Banner's description was more detailed than Hulk's, it didn't offer Feny much more clarity. It only served to further confirm the distinct independence between the two personalities.
"How long has it been?" Banner asked, noticing Feny's pensive look. Waking up in a bedroom felt unusual to him.
"It's already the third day!" Feny replied casually, his mind still revolving around the dynamics between Banner and Hulk.
"The third day!?" Banner looked aghast. "It's been that long!?"
Seeing Banner's shock, Feny was also somewhat surprised by the duration. "Has this never happened before?"
Banner gave a bitter smile. "Based on my calculations, he usually stays out for about six hours at most. Sometimes it's only a few minutes." The shortest time he remembered was when he tried to put a bullet in his mouth and the "other guy" spat it out.
"Then what caused it this time?" Feny asked. After all, the body originally belonged to Banner; in terms of dominance, he should be the primary owner.
"I thought you might need his cooperation, so I tried my best to think about letting him stay out longer," Banner said with a frown. His idea of "longer" was clearly measured in hours—he hadn't expected it to stretch into days.
"So, you've mastered the ability to control how long Hulk stays out!?" Feny was slightly impressed.
Banner shook his head. "I can only try to delay his return; I can't control it freely."
Even so, Feny was surprised. It seemed Banner's immense intellect gave him a natural advantage in the struggle for bodily control.
Over the past few days, Feny had been pondering the best way to introduce Hulk to the public. He had even thought of Gamora—or rather, her race. They were both green, weren't they? If Gamora ever came to Earth and stood next to Hulk, people might actually believe they were siblings, or even suspect she was a She-Hulk.
In truth, making Hulk a superhero or getting the public to accept him wasn't the hard part. The real difficulty was what came after. This world was never short of people with ill intentions. Take HYDRA, for instance; if they learned of Hulk's existence, they would either try to recruit him or destroy him. Given Hulk's intelligence level and HYDRA's talent for manipulation, they might actually succeed in swaying him.
Feny had come up with a few solutions over the last few days, mostly involving finding a "nanny" to watch over him. He already had a perfect candidate in mind. Of course, all of that was secondary to the main goal: separating Hulk from Banner so he could exist independently.
For now, Feny's priority was to keep Banner steady and ensure Hulk would continue to manifest in the future.
While he had spent three days acting as a "nanny," Feny's harvest had been bountiful. Even though he hadn't "won" a fight yet, the experience gained was immense—nearly equivalent to three weeks of training at Kamar-Taj.
"Actually, I've been with Hulk for these past three days," Feny said, looking at Banner as he recalled the excuse he had prepared. "Dr. Banner, have you ever considered the possibility that Hulk has always existed? Perhaps he just accidentally entered your body."
"Impossible. He was born from the mutation of my blood by gamma radiation. It was an accident that created him." Banner had studied Hulk for so long that he naturally had his own firm conclusions. He rejected Feny's theory immediately.
But who was Feny? He was the disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme.
You want to talk science with me? I'll give you magic instead!
"That's just your perception!" Feny adopted a mocking expression. He picked up an empty cup from the table and asked Banner, "What do you see right now?"
Banner was confused by the gesture but answered anyway. "A cup?"
"A cup without water!" Feny clarified. He then focused his mind, using 'Ars Magna' to condense the moisture in the air into the cup.
Under Banner's astonished gaze, the supposedly empty cup suddenly filled with clean water.
"What your eyes see isn't always the truth," Feny said, holding the cup. "Just like this water; it existed all around us the whole time. You just couldn't see it before."
"Similarly, your current situation is like this cup. Hulk is the water inside, and the gamma radiation was simply the catalyst—like me—that forced the gathering!"
People always harbor a certain awe for the unknown. Banner might have seven PhDs, but none of them were in Magic. Feny's explanation made him fall into deep thought. While it lacked any scientific basis, it felt strangely plausible in an intuitive way.
Seeing Banner's reaction, Feny worked hard to keep his face neutral. This was all utter nonsense, of course—he had no idea what the true nature of their connection was—but that didn't stop him from using it to keep Banner on the hook.
"What impact does this have on our separation?" Banner asked, coming out of his trance.
"A huge one!" Feny's spirits rose; Banner was starting to buy it. He gestured with the cup. "Like this water, it's trapped in the cup, and the cup doesn't want the water. But since I, the one who put them together, don't want to interfere further, what should be done?"
Banner shook his head, lost.
"If you are the cup, you should find a way to let the water return to its original place," Feny continued. "By maintaining the frequency of Hulk's appearances, you let him find his 'original place'—just like the water in this cup."
"What if your theory is wrong?" Banner frowned. He hadn't dismissed Feny's words, but believing them outright was a bridge too far.
Feny expected this. "Even if it's wrong, doing this won't have a negative impact on you. In fact, it will help you master Hulk's power. And if my hypothesis is correct, it will make separating you much easier in the end!"
Banner fell into contemplation again. After the incident at the university, a small part of him had begun to desire control over the power that was Hulk. Feny's presence made the prospect of "practicing" far less dangerous. After a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "So, what do I need to do?"
The corner of Feny's mouth twitched into a subtle, hidden smile. His ultimate "experience farm" was officially secured!
(End of Chapter)