During the two weeks that Ronan was away, quite a few major events took place.
For instance, the front page of the Daily Bugle featured a "criminal" wearing a red-and-blue suit, with a red mask, and a black spider logo on his chest.
Yes, the Daily Bugle claimed that Spider-Man was a criminal.
Even though he mostly fought against evil and was considered by many young people as a kind of vigilante, the official stance towards him remained critical.
"Who is this outsider taking down so many criminals? What are the police supposed to do now?"
"Should the public accuse us of wasting taxpayer money?"
"Or say that we just slack off while doing nothing?"
"This kid has no sense of the bigger picture. He's clearly not a good person!"
Thus, whether Spider-Man was a criminal or a superhero remained a hot topic of debate.
However, since the memories of other superheroes saving New York and even the world from alien threats were still fresh, many people held positive views toward such heroes.
At the very least, the authorities weren't ready to declare him a criminal yet.
They were simply waiting for him to slip up, ready to crack down on him when he did.
In addition, many newspapers reported on Tony Stark transforming into Iron Man in public and flying off in front of countless onlookers.
His high-profile behavior naturally drew criticism from some.
Some voices even called for tighter control over these superheroes.
It wasn't hard to guess that these critics were probably just government mouthpieces, expressing the government's opinions.
Ever since Tony Stark became Iron Man, the government had been eager to gain control over "super soldiers."
In the end, after much back-and-forth, Tony Stark made a compromise.
He allowed his close friend to have a suit, which led to the creation of the Iron Patriot.
But the government still had its eyes on the powers of other heroes.
Rumor had it that the military was pushing to restart the super-soldier serum program.
Besides these stories, one particular issue dominated the headlines:
The matter of the "Mandarin."
Recently, the so-called Mandarin had carried out multiple terrorist attacks against the U.S.
There were even several explosions on American soil.
Strangely, none of these blast sites had any trace of explosives.
All the American media could do was condemn, condemn, and condemn again!
Because they had no way to find the Mandarin's whereabouts or understand the methods behind the explosions.
Of course, none of this really concerned Ronan.
With Christmas approaching, most of Kamar-Taj had emptied out.
Many of the sorcerers had families to visit, and those who didn't had friends.
Kamar-Taj was not a place of forced asceticism. People came and went freely, as long as they didn't reveal the mystic arts or use them in front of others. Kamar-Taj wouldn't interfere.
Even Kaecilius was absent from Kamar-Taj during this time.
So, of the few who remained, Ronan was one.
Naturally, Ronan also left Kamar-Taj.
...
New York, Christmas Eve.
After two weeks of intense training, Ronan finally found some time to rest.
Because Kamar-Taj was so boring, he returned to his residence in New York.
A villa in the wealthy part of town.
Unsurprisingly, this villa was one of the Ancient One's properties.
While the Ancient One was somewhat restrictive about money, she provided Ronan with the best of everything else, including a place to live.
Usually, Ronan stayed in a decent apartment, but when he needed to unwind, he would come here.
"Ronan, the Ancient One is looking for you."
As Ronan lounged at home playing video games, a portal suddenly appeared in the living room.
It had to be Wong!
Ronan put down his controller and rolled his eyes.
"Wong, can't you knock first?"
"What if I had someone else over?"
Ronan wasn't just being petty. If there were a guest in his home, revealing their mystical nature could expose their identities.
That would be a serious problem!
"Hmm?"
"Why would there be anyone here?"
"A guy who's spent the last fifteen Christmases alone wouldn't suddenly have a female visitor on his sixteenth Christmas Eve, would he?"
"And speaking of 'female friends'..."
Wong trailed off on his last sentence, giving Ronan a look.
That look was like a silent, mocking jab!
Damn!
Ronan couldn't help but curse internally.
"You're single too, Wong! How dare you mock me?"
"I'm younger than you; I'll definitely find someone amazing in the future!"
"You're already past your prime!"
"You're one to talk! Aren't you spending Christmas Eve alone too?"
"And Christmas Day! New Year's Eve! Even New Year's!"
"You're spending all those holidays alone!"
Ronan shot back without hesitation.
Two single guys bantering isn't much of a spectacle.
They'd make these jabs at each other every year, and it had become a tradition by now.
But this time, Ronan was caught completely off guard.
Wong had pulled a dirty trick!
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I have a date tomorrow night."
"After I give you the message, I'm heading out to book a restaurant."
Wong brushed off his clothes, and Ronan finally noticed that Wong wasn't wearing his usual Kamar-Taj attire.
Instead, he was dressed in a suit.
He looked just like one of those Korean drama stars Ronan remembered from his past life.
"How does this suit look?"
"I just picked it up from the tailor on my way here."
Wong now had a sly glint in his eyes, so different from his usual good-natured demeanor.
If it weren't for Ronan's certainty that, with the Ancient One around, no Skrulls would dare impersonate a Kamar-Taj sorcerer, he would've thought that this Wong was an imposter!
Who was it?
Who turned the once-innocent Wong into this?
"So, you're playing dirty, huh?"
Ronan widened his eyes in disbelief.
In all these years, Wong might have gone on dates, but this was Christmas Eve!
The significance of that evening didn't need explaining!
On such a special night, Wong had a date!
"You're the one who asked, not me," Wong shrugged.
"By the way, I'm taking the car from the garage for my date tomorrow."
"Remember to head back to Kamar-Taj soon. The Ancient One is waiting for you."
With that, Wong opened another portal and disappeared.
On the other side of the portal was the garage.
Soon, the sound of an engine revving echoed as a blue sports car shot out of the garage.
That blue car also belonged to the Ancient One.
Ronan could never have guessed that the Ancient One had a thing for fast cars.
The idea of the Ancient One plus a supercar—Ronan just couldn't wrap his head around it!
But what he found even more unbelievable was that Wong had a date!
Back when they made a bet, Ronan had claimed that even if he got married, Wong would still be single.
But now, it seemed Ronan was the last single guy standing.
What? The Ancient One?
Ha...
Ronan wouldn't dare tease the Ancient One as single.
He feared the consequences!