After several days of inquiry and investigation, though there was still no hard evidence, as there were no witnesses at the time, Josh concluded that Captain America had most likely been transported away by the Tesseract.
While the original storyline showed Red Skull being sent to Vormir to act as the guide for another Infinity Stone—the Soul Stone—Josh reasoned that it was unlikely for the stone to require two guides.
Even if both were transported at the same time, the chances of both appearing on Vormir were slim.
Josh's personal take on Captain America's disappearance was one of mixed emotions, regret tinged with relief.
The regret arose from the fact that while they were not close friends, they were at least acquaintances.
The relief was more straightforward—although Josh had yet to receive official recognition from the Council of Nine, he had effectively become the leader of a Hydra faction, making him an indirect enemy of Captain America.
While he had no fear of the man, the transition from acquaintance to enemy was undeniably awkward.
After thinking about it for a moment, Josh stopped thinking about it.
As for the Tesseract itself... once he consolidated control over the Council of Nine, it would no longer be a problem.
The next day, a luxurious motorcade slowly entered a small town called Obsteig, located in a valley west of Innsbruck, Austria.
The townspeople watched the vehicles with curiosity.
Obsteig, being remote, had largely escaped the ravages of war, and visits by military personnel or important figures were rare. Naturally, the sudden appearance of a large parade of cars aroused curiosity.
Despite its small size, Austria's status as the core of the once world-renowned Austro-Hungarian Empire ensured that even remote areas like Obsteig had well-maintained roads. The motorcade moved through the town with ease.
After several turns, the vehicles finally stopped in front of a small house with a yard on the northern edge of town.
The arrival of the motorcade attracted the attention of a large dog in the yard, which immediately barked twice in warning.
As the vehicles came to a stop, Josh stepped out, dressed in a coat. He was followed by Ophelia, elegantly dressed in a classic outfit.
The moment Josh stepped out, his eyes lit up as they landed on the large dog in the yard. It was a sturdy specimen of the Alpine St. Bernard breed, a Swiss national dog famous for helping travelers cross the Alpine passes.
This dog, known for its docile nature, barked only a few warning growls and kept a wary eye on the uninvited guests, showing no signs of aggression.
"So this is your childhood home? It seems to have a new owner now," Ophelia remarked casually, unfazed by the dog's growl, as she surveyed the house.
"That's normal. My father sold it when we left, though I'm not sure who bought it," Josh replied.
Indeed, this small town and this house were the birthplace of Josh's current body.
About 20 kilometers north of this town is the Bavarian village of Schwangau.
There, two castles stand across the mountains from each other-the world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle, once the home of Ludwig II of Bavaria.
This explains Josh's sudden longing for Neuschwanstein before arriving in Europe.
As a child, Josh often accompanied his father on horseback hunts in the woods near the border, where they admired the breathtaking castles.
Now Josh had come to claim those castles.
Originally owned by the Bavarian government, these castles fell into Austrian hands after Bavaria was annexed by Hydra during the war and subsequently occupied by Austria.
Through a series of manipulations during his time in Austria, Josh acquired ownership of these castles at little financial cost.
However, this was not the windfall it might seem.
While Hohenschwangau Castle was a completed structure that needed only minor renovations to be habitable, Neuschwanstein was an unfinished project.
Ludwig II had spent a staggering 6.2 million marks on its construction in the late 19th century, a fortune that dwarfed the cost of China's Summer Palace, built around the same time for over a million taels of silver.
This extravagance eventually led to Ludwig's deposition under the pretense of mental illness, followed by his mysterious death days later.
At the time of his death, Neuschwanstein remained incomplete, with only 14 of its 360 rooms completed.
It wasn't until the 1990s in the original timeline that the Bavarian government began restoring and completing the castle, turning it into a major tourist attraction that brings in millions annually.
Completing Neuschwanstein now would cost Josh more than several million dollars.
Fortunately, he recently received several thousand free laborers from General McGinnis. Among these war prisoners, many had technical expertise and could at least serve as manual laborers.
For now, though, Josh decided to visit Obsteig first to reminisce.
As Josh and Ophelia chatted, the current owner of the house, alerted by the barking and commotion, came from inside to investigate.
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