Chapter 37

The Stark Industry Expo is the largest industrial technology expo in the country. Since Tony admitted he was Iron Man, he has become a much more famous figure than Hollywood stars, praised and loved by countless people. Naturally, this time the expo attracted a massive crowd.

There are no tickets for the Stark Industry Expo for the general audience, but tickets are required for VIP seats.

Abel wore a baseball cap and a sweater to blend in with the crowd. He mixed with government and business leaders entering through the VIP passage, took out his ticket, and followed them inside. According to the number on the ticket, he found his way to a conspicuous second-floor VIP seat, drawing a lot of attention.

He even overheard two people whispering behind him, speculating whether he was Tony's illegitimate child.

Abel could only roll his eyes. He had to admit that if he were in their shoes, he might think the same.

Amid the noisy discussions filling the venue, the large screen in the center suddenly lit up, lights shot out, and fireworks exploded in the air. Within a minute, a golden-red figure fell from the sky, accompanied by fire. Tony Stark, Iron Man, had arrived.

Boom!

Cheers erupted throughout the venue.

When the stage beneath Tony slowly opened and a mechanical arm quickly detached the armor, revealing Tony in a suit and leather shoes, the cheers reached an even more intense level.

Next was Tony's personal stage show. Some people are born to be in the spotlight, and Tony was clearly one of them. He exhibited no stage fright; every move and smile captivated the audience, transforming it into his personal show.

Even Abel had to admire this. If it weren't for creatures like Veela not existing in this world, he would highly suspect that Tony had Veela blood.

Tony's solo performance was anything but boring; it was quite entertaining. If Tony were a talk show host, many would love to watch him.

Tony's opening show ended soon. Although the Stark Industry Expo would continue for another year, Tony's work was done, and he walked off the stage to prepare for his exit.

At that moment, Tony's bodyguard and friend, Happy, approached Abel and invited him to leave with him to meet Tony.

As Abel followed Happy out, he once again heard comments from those around him, the theory that he was Tony's illegitimate son now seemingly solidified.

He shook his head helplessly as he followed Happy, quickly bypassing the back passage of the venue before finally joining Tony.

Just before they left, Tony and Abel encountered a beautiful police officer who handed Tony a subpoena from the Senate Armed Services Committee to attend a meeting at nine o'clock the next morning.

Tony said nothing about it. After receiving the subpoena, Happy got into the car with Tony and Abel, and they drove away quickly.

In the car, Abel glanced at Tony flipping through the summons in his hand and asked, "Is anyone in the military looking at your armor?"

"Abel, to be honest, you don't seem like an ordinary teenager. If I weren't convinced that the information was correct, I'd still think you were thirty or forty years old."

"Inner maturity has nothing to do with appearance."

"That's true," Tony shrugged. "I really don't want to go to any meetings, but it appears that I have to go this time. Anyway, I don't plan to give them anything, and this won't take too much time."

After saying this, Tony put down the letter in his hand and was about to speak to Abel when he saw Abel suddenly stretch out his hand to open his shirt. Tony instinctively reached out to stop him.

"Oh, Abel, although you are really handsome and look good, I still love women, so…"

Looking at Tony helplessly, Abel said, "Tony, stop playing; let me see."

"But…"

Tony glanced forward, motioning to Happy, who was watching through the rearview mirror.

Abel immediately understood Tony's meaning. He wanted to keep their discussion about his near death private. After thinking it over, Abel pulled out his wand, held it in front of him and Tony, and a white light spread out, enveloping the space around them.

To Happy's eyes, Abel and Tony became indistinct, surrounded by a white mist.

"Okay, now the conversation between us won't be heard by anyone else, and Happy can't see our situation. Now you can show me the extent of your poisoning."

Hearing Abel's words, Tony extended his hand and opened his shirt.

Finally, Abel saw the arc reactor on Tony's chest, with gray palladium metal wires spreading out from the reactor and along his blood vessels.

"It's almost reached your neck. If it invades your brain, it will be awful."

"I know that, so I'm looking for all possible ways to help. The best option is to find new elements that can replace palladium. However, I've tried all elements and haven't found one that can substitute for it, so I can only resort to the second method: finding a way to slow down or cure my symptoms. Your potion is one of them and seems to be the most promising option right now."

Abel observed Tony's palladium poisoning symptoms and slowly nodded. "This is indeed very troublesome. My potion isn't finished yet, and I have no magic to deal with this symptom, but I think I can at least delay the spread and reduce your discomfort and pain."

Upon hearing this, Tony's eyes lit up with hope. He started to straighten up to say something, but Abel gently pushed him back down with his wand.

"Don't move; just look at me."

"Abel, this is my first time. I think you can be a little gentler and not so rough."

The corners of Abel's mouth twitched slightly, and he glared at Tony. Ignoring his words, he silently recited a spell. The wand in his hand burst into white light, which enveloped Tony's body, rippling and spreading like waves across his entire being.