"Didn't expect the two of us to become this popular."
Logan raised the stack of intel he'd just gotten, a helpless smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Having lived this long, he naturally had his own information network.
Sure enough, not long after info about him and Adrian went public, Logan found detailed files on them in an underground intelligence exchange.
Clearly priced, available to anyone.
It was the first time he'd been put on display so openly, and the feeling was both weird and new. Sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves, dappling his slightly weathered face, flickering on and off.
"Don't worry about it."
"This is actually good for us."
Adrian's tone was calm, like he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
"Good?"
"Now everyone wants to find us and turn us in for a bounty."
Logan raised an eyebrow, casually stuffing the intel into his jacket pocket, his tone carrying a hint of confusion.
"They're promoting us for free, boosting our reputation."
Adrian smiled slightly, slowly stepping out of the shadow.
"Plus, destroy what you can't have... that's one of humanity's most common flaws."
He wasn't stressed. The other side making info about him and Logan public actually saved him the trouble of self-promotion.
There's a saying that's true: become famous early. Look at Magneto Erik, then look at Professor X Charles—both got famous early on before they could rally the Brotherhood of Mutants and the X-Men.
Almost all the well-known Mutants in the world had already been recruited by these two groups.
Even Logan was a lucky find for Adrian.
So Adrian wasn't worried. As long as his body fully recovered and his Cosmo cultivation was complete, all these troubles in front of him would be nothing but passing clouds.
"How much further to the Vatican?" Adrian changed the subject, his voice steady.
Logan unfolded the crumpled map, his finger tracing it as he roughly guessed: "About six hundred miles more."
The Vatican's located inland in Europe, and they still had to find a way to cross the ocean. He folded the map, put it back into his backpack, his movements quick with a hint of impatience.
"You really confident you can become the Pope?" Logan couldn't help but double-check.
Even though he'd seen Adrian's crazy abilities, this goal still sounded way too distant, almost unbelievable.
"Don't worry, no problem." Adrian's tone stayed calm, but carried this undeniable certainty.
"The emergence of Mutants isn't a crisis for the Catholic Church—it's an unprecedented opportunity."
He paused, looking at the distant rolling mountains, his eyes seeming to glow: "Ever since atheism spread everywhere, the Catholic Church's status and influence in different countries have been steadily declining. And my appearance..."
His tone got stronger. "Will be their only shot to get back to the center of the world."
His words were calm but carried this indescribable weight, like the position of Pope was already in his hands.
In the Marvel Universe, gods aren't myths—they're beings who mess with reality in all kinds of ways.
Baldr, the God of Light in Norse mythology, had already fallen, his death kicking off Ragnarok. Apollo, the God of Light in Greek mythology, barely had any presence. Even God himself—his existence got repeatedly downgraded and reinterpreted to the point where he eventually became untraceable.
Among the four ancient gods from Earth's creation, Haps, representing the side of Light, got devoured by the God of the Underworld Chthon and the Serpent God Set, bringing the concept of "death" to gods for the first time, directly triggering a chaotic war among ancient deities that nearly destroyed the Multiverse.
The only truly powerful Light entity might be the Primal Light from the Universe's beginning... which was also the opposite of Knull, the God of Symbiotes, possessing Venom to make him the God of Light and defeat Knull.
Considering all this, the Catholic Church's situation in the Marvel world was nowhere near as transcendent as in the real world.
Without actual divine miracles, relying only on doctrine and faith, it couldn't compete with religions that actually had gods backing them up.
That's exactly why Adrian set his sights here. Sure, the Vatican's a tiny place, but it's got hundreds of millions of followers worldwide and this irreplaceable spiritual status.
As long as he could become the Son of God, the successor to the Pope, his position would be high enough to oversee the entire world's chess game...
The black market bounty didn't really mess with their journey. Surveillance equipment wasn't that advanced yet back then, and the transportation network was nowhere near as dense as it'd be later. Precisely tracking two people's whereabouts was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Even if this world would end up producing countless crazy technologies in the future, that was a problem for later.
Pulling his thoughts back, the two continued their silent journey. The wind blew across the wilderness, kicking up fine dust, and their footsteps sounded especially clear in the silence.
After this period of recovery, Adrian's body had basically gotten back to normal human level, and his Elemental Control ability was gradually returning.
Right now, using a single element was basically no problem, but working with composite elements still drained him pretty hard.
He figured that at least until his Cosmo cultivation reached the Sixth Sense, Elemental Control could truly show its real power. To reach its peak, he'd need to break through to the Seventh Sense.
The potential of this ability went way beyond the surface, and Adrian even had this vague feeling that ascending to godhood with it might not be impossible.
"Logan, when we reach the Vatican, we can split up temporarily." Adrian suddenly spoke, breaking the long silence.
"Okay." Logan answered surprisingly fast. He wasn't suited for a solemn, heavy place like the Vatican anyway, and Adrian's suggestion actually made him feel relieved.
He was way more used to acting freely instead of being stuck dealing with all the formalities of a religious center.
"I'll prepare some things for you then." Adrian continued, his tone serious.
"Before I fully recover my strength, you've only got one thing to do: temper your body."
"Huh?" Logan was a little surprised, turning to look at Adrian.
"My body's not strong enough now?"
He'd always been confident in his physical fitness—way beyond normal people—and with his nearly immortal healing factor, he'd never doubted his physical condition.
"Not even close." Adrian shook his head, his gaze sharp.
"You rely too much on your healing ability and haven't pushed your body's potential to its limit. Without worrying about hidden injuries and diseases, you should be able to break through human physical limits way easier—that's the direction you should go next."
Logan was quiet for a moment, then finally nodded seriously: "Got it."
He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power inside him, and started seriously thinking about Adrian's words. Maybe he really could get stronger...
Time kept moving, and a week later, after several transfers, the two finally set foot on Italian soil. The exotic customs and scenery gradually unfolded in front of them: ancient buildings, fluttering flags, a strange but pleasant language—everything showed they were close to their destination.
The Vatican was now within reach.
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