To be honest.
At first, Mayday had wondered what the Spider-Alliance's base might be like. A hidden basement? A deserted shack? Maybe a remote little house? Or even an abandoned shipyard, or a locked-off rooftop?
She'd imagined all those possibilities.
But the moment she saw Gwen and Cindy flying straight into a skyscraper, she knew something was off! The base was in a skyscraper? That bold? The Spider-Alliance… operating in plain sight?
Reality then hit Mayday with an uppercut. This wasn't just inside a skyscraper— They'd turned the entire skyscraper into their base?!
Mayday looked at Gwen, hesitating before asking,
"This building…"
"That's right." Gwen lifted her chin. "Our base! And our home!"
"Whoa~~~"
Mayday gasped sharply.
"Buying a skyscraper near Central Park in Manhattan!?"
"Gwen, you're way too rich!"
Mayday was old enough to know one thing— Even without knowing the exact price, a skyscraper in a place like Manhattan, New York had to cost an astronomical sum. Even if she earned bonuses from crime-fighting her whole life, she'd never be able to afford one.
"It's not me who's rich, Mayday."
Gwen shook her head.
"My parents are middle class at best. They couldn't afford something like this."
"This skyscraper was bought by Lorien. The top floor is his home, the floor below it is his office, and the next three—floors 3, 4, and 5—are our base.
If we need more space later, we can expand."
Mayday's eyes widened at Gwen's words. She recalled how the building had looked when she first saw it. And in her heart, she added another title to Lorien: wealthy.
So now Lorien carried how many titles in her mind? Mysterious, powerful, hidden among mortals, wealthy!
Seeing Mayday frozen in thought, Gwen and Cindy both chuckled. Then Gwen invited her,
"Don't just stand there, Mayday. Come see for yourself. I'll show you around, then introduce you to Lorien and Wanda."
"Okay~!"
...
Meanwhile.
Back at home, Lorien had just received a report from the Ballerina Twins.
"Godzilla misses me?"
At Lorien's puzzled question, the twins nodded.
"Alright."
He was holding Wanda, who was nearly asleep in his arms. Lorien knew he hadn't checked on Godzilla in a long time. Back on Earth, he used to visit occasionally. But ever since coming to the universe, he had barely gone at all.
So Lorien gently patted Wanda's shoulder.
"I'm going to see Godzilla. Want to come, Wanda?"
Wanda, eyes closed, gave the faintest nod.
"Yes~"
The way she said it, with that soft roll in her voice—it was beautiful. Lorien smiled and lifted her into his arms.
No need for a snap. With just a thought, he was on Cybertron.
And waiting there was Godzilla, who let out a thrilled roar the moment he saw Lorien.
"Roar~~~"
Wanda slipped down from Lorien's arms. As soon as Godzilla spotted his master, he quickly controlled himself and flew closer.
"Long time no see, little guy."
"Roar roar~~"
Hearing Lorien call him by his nickname, Godzilla was ecstatic. His two claws waved wildly in the air, practically bouncing with joy.
Wanda, looking up at his size, exclaimed,
"Little guy, you've grown so fast!"
Lorien sized him up. Back when Godzilla had first arrived, he was 520 meters tall. Now he was nearly a full kilometer!
Though it had been longer between visits, this growth was still remarkable.
"Not bad."
Lorien nodded in satisfaction.
"Looks like you're doing well here. The Transformers are giving you plenty of energy, huh?"
Godzilla nodded eagerly. He even patted his own belly, clearly saying he'd had more than enough—he was stuffed.
"That's good."
By now, Lorien had already noticed the necklace around Godzilla's neck. Wanda saw it too.
She tilted her head, staring at the massive gem encased beneath the metal collar, its shell at least ten meters in diameter.
"That shape… isn't that the Power Stone?"
Wanda had seen the Power Stone before. Back when Lorien had taken both the Power Stone and the Mind Stone from the bathroom, she'd seen them with her own eyes. She remembered clearly—because Gwen had been fitted with the Power Stone.
But the problem was… Wasn't the Power Stone with Gwen? Why was there one hanging around Godzilla's neck now?
"The one around the little guy's neck—is it real?"
Lorien nodded.
"It's real. The Transformers installed it."
"Then what about Gwen's?" Wanda frowned. "Aren't there only one set of Infinity Stones in each universe?"
"That's right." Lorien nodded. "But the ones you two have? I got them from other universes. Got lucky, pulled them from blind boxes."
"...."
Oh no. My husband is a thief. He robs Infinity Stones from other universes! So bad! I love it!
Wanda gave Lorien a playful pat.
"You really spoil the people around you. You hand out Infinity Stones like nothing—and now even your pet has one."
Godzilla was Lorien's pet. And now even his pet had an Infinity Stone.
Just imagine the reaction from the ones still hunting the Stones—they'd probably lose their minds.
"Roar, roar, roar~~~"
Godzilla proudly lifted its head.
Next, Lorien brought Wanda along and started chatting with it. Godzilla explained that the Transformers were about to fight a major battle, and it planned to do its utmost to hold the front lines, blasting away as many enemies as possible.
The reason it suddenly missed Lorien so much was precisely because the big battle was approaching. It wanted Lorien's attention and anticipation, so that when the fight was over, it could return home and be praised by him.
Just the thought of that made Godzilla even more fired up for the coming war.
Lorien understood completely. With the Phoenix Force, he could sense exactly what Godzilla was thinking and hoping for deep inside.
And besides, Godzilla was only about a year old. It was still just a child. Wasn't it perfectly natural for a child to crave Lorien's attention and approval? Every kid was like that at some point.
So Lorien stepped forward, stroked Godzilla's face, and said,
"Go for it, little guy. I expect you to shine on the battlefield and tear through your enemies."
"Roar~!"
Godzilla gave a low roar, promising it would!
This was what it meant to be fired up. Smash those stinking bugs to pieces!
...
After chatting with Godzilla for a while, Lorien and Wanda agreed to return after the first wave of battles between the Machines and the Insectoid Swarm.
Only then did the two leave Cybertron and return to the Northern Tower.
Back home, Wanda thought about Godzilla and sighed.
"Such a huge pet, yet so gentle and well-behaved. Truly remarkable."
Honestly, who wouldn't want a Godzilla like Lorien's—if it could actually be tamed?
But that was impossible. Godzilla only recognized Lorien. Without his permission, not even Wanda or Gwen could command him. He was like a loyal dog that acknowledged only one master.
After returning, Wanda stretched lazily. She wasn't sleepy anymore, but as she rubbed her stomach, an idea popped into her mind.
"Should we have Nora make a fruit snack?"
"Sure," Lorien suggested. "Have Nora slice some tomatoes and sprinkle a little sugar on them."
"Got it."
Wanda headed to the kitchen to ask Nora to prepare the treat.
Just then—
"Click~"
The front door opened.
Gwen walked in with Cindy and Mayday, already having changed their shoes.
The moment she saw Lorien, she held out both hands, presenting Mayday.
"Ta-da~ The Spider-Alliance has a new member!"
"Mayday, come introduce yourself. This is Lorien Su, our boss~!"
Mayday hadn't been too nervous before. She had Spider-Man's natural free-spiritedness—scatterbrained at times, but meticulous when it mattered.
But the instant she saw Lorien, she suddenly tensed up. She gasped softly, then hurriedly said,
"Hello, I'm Mayday Parker. I come from another world, and now I'm a member of the Spider-Alliance."
"Hmm, hello. You can just call me like Gwen does."
Lorien nodded with a smile.
Wanda stepped out from the kitchen doorway, surprised.
"Gwen, congratulations on your new friend."
Seeing her, Gwen quickly introduced,
"This is Wanda, one of the members of the Goddess Alliance. That alliance was set up earlier, so right now it's just me and Wanda."
Wanda greeted Mayday as well.
After everyone had been introduced, Wanda stepped back into the kitchen.
"Then let's add some more fruit snacks. Everyone can have a bit of fruit while we chat."
"Thanks, Wanda."
Gwen happily led them all to the sofa area.
When Mayday noticed the green-haired Hela, her reaction mirrored Cindy's from earlier.
At the same time, Gwen added,
"Oh, right. This is Hela. We're from the same universe, but she's from Asgard—the realm of the gods."
Hearing the introduction, Hela didn't even turn her head. She just gave a lazy wave.
"Hello."
Then she went right back to what she was doing.
Gwen spread her hands helplessly.
"She's just that cool."
Mayday and Cindy both laughed. It was amusing to see a little girl act like that.
Next, everyone sat down and started chatting. Gwen gave Lorien a brief rundown of what had happened with the three of them—from the moment Mayday downloaded TikTok and searched for her, up to their visit to the Spider-Alliance base.
When she finished, Mayday asked eagerly,
"Will I be able to register my own superhero account? I want to share my personal life online too!"
The urge to share is universal. Put bluntly, it's showing off. Put nicely, it's just everyday life. And when it's about skills, it's simply showcasing what you can do.
In short, sharing wasn't only about bragging or vanity. Seeking recognition, wanting your actions to feel meaningful—all of it fell under the desire to share.
So when Gwen looked at Lorien, he nodded in agreement.
Gwen immediately agreed as well.
"Sure, but it'd be best to wait until you've done more in this city before activating your account. That way the results will be much better."
"No problem!" Mayday was overjoyed.
The original Spider-Man had the original Spider-Man's personality. Lorien had already noticed this. Mayday's personality was very similar to Spider-Man—or rather, Peter Parker. Which made things quite interesting.
At the same time, Lorien also picked up on something in her demeanor. She definitely carried the aura of the Parker family.
"It's more than that, Lorien. Let me tell you."
Gwen spoke with curiosity.
"Mayday didn't become Spider-Woman from a spider bite. She was born a Spider-Woman. She only discovered her powers when she turned fifteen."
"Amazing, right? I've never met a natural-born Spider before."
Wait. A natural-born Spider?
Don't say it's just your first time—this was Lorien's first time too. Spider-Man's origin stories all involved spiders in some way. How could Mayday have nothing to do with them?
Hold on.
Thinking of "born that way," Lorien suddenly realized the truth.
Inheritance.
"Mayday, was your father also Spider-Man?" Lorien asked.
"Yes." Mayday nodded.
"What are your parents' names?"
"Peter Parker, and Mary Jane."
"...."
As expected. It was hereditary!
And her father was none other than Peter Parker!
Which meant that in her universe, Peter Parker had already gotten married—and even had a daughter!
That daughter was Mayday Parker.
My god. A next-generation Spider-Man actually exists!
At that moment, Gwen also noticed the spark of astonishment in Lorien's expression. Just as she was about to ask—
"The fruit snacks are ready."
Wanda and the Ballerina Twins came in carrying several trays. After setting the food down, Wanda picked up the sugared tomatoes Lorien had requested and handed them to him. Then she grabbed a banana for Gwen. Finally, she said to everyone,
"Eat up. Let's chat while we eat."
After saying this, Wanda also sensed Gwen's lingering confusion.
"What's wrong?"
Gwen looked at Lorien.
Lorien first took a bite of tomato, then spoke calmly.
"Remember when I mentioned the mainstream Spider-Man of the Multiverse?"
Among those present, everyone nodded except for Mayday.
"Huh?" Mayday looked a bit lost.
Lorien glanced at the suit she was wearing.
"The red-and-blue Spider suit on you is the one worn most often among Spider-Men across the Multiverse."
"Really?" Mayday looked surprised.
"Not just that." Lorien took another bite of tomato. "Even the surname Parker is the most common among Spider-Men."
Mayday was beginning to understand. But Lorien's next words left her stunned again.
"But do you know who has the most versions, the largest number of incarnations, among all Spider-Men?"
Everyone froze.
"No idea," Cindy and Mayday admitted right away.
"Who?" Gwen asked curiously.
Lorien looked around at them all.
"Peter Parker."
Mayday: !!!
"My father?!"
"Yes."
Everyone was stunned. No one had expected that the Spider-Man with the most iterations would turn out to be the father of the new girl who had just joined them. How incredible was that?
"Across the entire Spider-Verse, Peter Parker appears the most. There are countless versions of Peter Parker, all with different appearances, but their abilities are almost identical."
Hearing "different appearances," Mayday instantly sighed in relief. If they all looked the same, how would she ever find her father later?
"In fact, male Spider-Men are far more common. Female ones are rarer, which makes them even more exceptional."
"So you should realize just how rare it is for the three of you to be together like this."
At that, Gwen, Cindy, and Mayday exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
"Yeah!"
But now that there was precedent, Gwen grew curious.
"Then is it possible that there are more Spider-Women in this universe—not just the three of us? Maybe even a fourth or fifth, who just hasn't revealed herself yet, and we haven't discovered her?"
Lorien nodded.
"It's entirely possible."
"Wow~!"
This time, Cindy and Mayday were completely thrilled.