Chapter 171

"Hmm!"

Jester of Fate.

The name engraved on the tombstone was meant to commemorate the real Jester of Fate who had truly died.

After all, his own jester clone had merely dissipated temporarily, while the one who dared to strike at the Scales of Fate had perished for real.

That guy had at least helped him pre-digest the Jester potion in advance and even left him with a unique portion of fate power.

Erecting a tombstone in remembrance of him seemed appropriate.

Eren felt that engraving "Jester of Fate" on the tombstone was quite reasonable. However, Tony Stark, standing nearby, looked at Eren as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Jester of Fate? What kind of creepy title is that? You really want to put that on a tombstone? Also, weren't you his friend? How do you not even know his name?"

"Is it weird not to know his name? In our circle, we usually communicate with codenames or titles. No one uses their real names. Besides, he never once mentioned his real name…"

Hearing this, Tony couldn't help but grumble, "Only using codenames to communicate? Are you sure your so-called circle isn't some kind of assassin organization?"

Eren rolled his eyes deliberately and then said in a deep voice, "Of course not. We use codenames to avoid unnecessary trouble. Names hold special meanings; they can reveal personal information. And if someone with ill intent gets hold of your real name, it could become the perfect medium for a curse… Even in myths, demons and angels have appeared—don't tell me you think curses are just a fairy tale…"

"Curses? That stuff actually exists?"

Hearing this, Tony shivered involuntarily.

For Tony, he would rather face a doomsday-level nuclear strike than deal with these mysterious and supernatural curses.

At least if it were a nuclear bomb, he could try to outrun it.

But when it came to these eerie, unpredictable curses, he wouldn't even know where to run.

At that moment, Pepper seemed to recall something and spoke up.

"Speaking of curses, last night in Harlem, a lot of people inexplicably started bleeding from their orifices and went insane. Some of them were later healed and regained their sanity thanks to the feathers shed by that six-winged angel. But some remain completely deranged to this day. Were those people… cursed?"

"No."

Eren shook his head. "They weren't cursed at all. They were merely irreversibly corrupted in both mind and soul after directly gazing at the shadow of that eldritch god hovering over New York."

"The feathers shed by that six-winged angel could purify part of the corruption, but only a portion of it."

Pepper was momentarily stunned by Eren's response.

"They weren't cursed? They went insane just from looking at that shadow over New York? That's impossible!"

"There's nothing impossible about it." A sneer appeared on Eren's face. "There's a passage in the Bible: Image of the Invisible God!"

"In other words, it means that God is not meant to be seen!"

"Even the merciful God does not permit mortals to look upon Him directly, let alone eldritch gods!"

"From a mysticism perspective, it's not because God or these entities care about their dignity and refuse to be gazed upon. Rather… their very existence is too powerful. Their level of life is too high."

"For an ordinary person to look at such beings is like staring directly at the sun through a telescope—only a thousand times worse…"

"There are many ancient legends where people saw demons or other supernatural beings and suddenly underwent drastic personality changes, becoming insane and violent. These aren't just made-up stories; their minds were actually corrupted by a higher existence…"

Upon hearing Eren's explanation, Pepper's expression changed.

She quickly recalled a passage from the Bible.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark swiftly pulled out his phone and searched for the phrase Eren had just quoted.

Image of the Invisible God!

Sure enough, that phrase actually existed.

While Tony and Pepper were still processing their shock, Eren turned and went upstairs.

Less than a minute later, he came back down.

This time, however, he was holding a file folder.

Returning to the first floor, Eren didn't offer any further explanations to Tony and Pepper.

Too much information at once was counterproductive.

They needed time to digest everything.

Instead, he grabbed a cup, poured some warm water for Pepper, and handed it to her as a small gesture of comfort. At the same time, he also handed over the file folder in his other hand.

"What's this…?"

Pepper's eyes flashed with a trace of confusion as she looked at the folder Eren had handed her.

"This is a Stock Proxy Authorization Letter for Stark Industries. While Stark Industries' stocks were plummeting, I shorted them at a high price and then bought back a batch of stocks when they hit rock bottom."

"I heard that you've been planning to hold a shareholders' meeting to reorganize Stark Industries' internal affairs. So, I had a lawyer prepare a proxy authorization letter, giving you full authority to exercise my voting rights in Stark Industries."

"I don't own many shares, but it should at least provide you with some support in consolidating Stark Industries."

With that, Eren smiled and added, "By the way, Pepper, I haven't even congratulated you yet on becoming the new CEO of Stark Industries. Consider this proxy authorization letter my gift to you."

Perhaps it was Eren's influence.

Or maybe it was because Tony had been rescued from the terrorists earlier than in the original timeline and had also developed the Mark armor series ahead of schedule.

In this timeline—

Tony had given up his responsibilities as a corporate executive much sooner.

And Pepper had become the CEO of Stark Industries much earlier.

Of course—

It had only been a few days since Pepper officially took over as CEO.

And thanks to her low-profile approach, the matter had not been widely publicized.

If Eren hadn't been paying close attention to Pepper, he might not have known about it at all.

Once he was aware of it, he had specifically sought out a lawyer to draft this proxy authorization letter.

With Eren's authorization and Stark's backing—

This time around—

Pepper's path to securing her position as CEO of Stark Industries would be much smoother than in the original timeline.

Seeing that the folder in her hands contained a Stock Proxy Authorization Letter for Stark Industries—

Pepper's eyes flashed with a mix of surprise and gratitude.

"…Thank you!"

Pepper did not reject the stock proxy authorization.

Regardless of the actual amount of stock, this was Eren's heartfelt gesture.

What moved her even more was not the stock itself, but Eren's sincerity.

Meanwhile, Tony, upon hearing how Eren had shorted Stark Industries at its lowest, only to buy back shares when the stock hit rock bottom, couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

"Wow, you're a business genius. I'm pretty sure that was the smartest investment move you've ever made in your life."

With a sarcastic yet exaggerated tone, Tony then shifted his gaze toward the stock authorization document in Eren's hand.

"Speaking of which, I'm curious—how much did you make from that financial gamble? A hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? Or maybe a million? Two million?"

"If it's not a substantial amount, this stock won't be much help to Pepper. After all, only major shareholders get a say at the board meetings…"

"Tony!!!"

Before Tony could finish, Pepper frowned and interrupted him sternly.

Almost at the same time, Tony's phone suddenly chimed, and J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice came through.

"Sir, according to my latest data, Mr. Eren currently holds 11.35% of Stark Industries' shares, making him the third-largest shareholder after you and the covertly invested S.H.I.E.L.D. He even holds a larger stake than the Stane family (which Obadiah Stane belongs to)."

"With 11.35% of the company's shares, combined with your full support, Ms. Pepper will control 51.35% of the voting rights, giving her immense leverage in solidifying her position as CEO of Stark Industries."

What?!

11.35% of Stark Industries' shares?!

The moment J.A.R.V.I.S. reported that number, both Pepper and Tony were utterly stunned.

What?!

Holding 11.35% of Stark Industries was no small feat. Even if Eren had bought a massive amount of shares when the stock was at its lowest, the sheer amount of capital required was astronomical.

Even Tony himself couldn't just pull that kind of money out of thin air.

Let alone a "kid" like Eren.

Pepper, realizing the implications, turned pale.

Her expression grew serious as she locked eyes with Eren and asked in a firm tone, "Eren, tell me—where did you get that much money? Did you…?"

Seeing the deep concern in Pepper's gaze, Eren sighed in mild exasperation.

"Pepper, what are you thinking? I didn't do anything illegal."

"Also, you're underestimating a diviner who can foresee the future…"

To avoid further questioning, Eren decided to lay out his financial maneuvering.

He explained how he had cured Norman Osborn's terminal illness with a supernatural potion, in exchange for 5% of Oscorp's shares. Then, he used those shares as collateral at the bank to secure a billion-dollar loan, which he then leveraged to short Stark Industries' stock when it plummeted. Once the stock hit rock bottom, he bought back a substantial amount.

As for why he dared to make such a massive financial gamble—and how he knew exactly when to buy and sell—he simply attributed it all to his mystical divination abilities.

Eren's entire explanation left both Pepper and Tony completely dumbfounded.

"…What the hell? A diviner can make money this easily? That's not fair!"

Tony grumbled before suddenly recalling something Eren had mentioned.

The potion that cured Norman Osborn's terminal illness… Could it also cure my palladium poisoning?

At that moment, a flicker of emotion flashed through Tony's eyes.

Pepper, still reeling from the shock, didn't notice Tony's reaction.

But Eren, who possessed supernatural perception of emotions, keenly picked up on the change in Tony's expression when he heard about Norman Osborn's miraculous recovery.

With a subtle shift in thought, Eren quickly connected the dots.

So Tony has already handed over control of Stark Industries to Pepper… meaning he's aware of his palladium poisoning, huh?

With that realization, Eren's eyes glimmered mischievously, and he turned to Pepper with a grin.

"Oh, by the way, Pepper, where did you buy that cemetery plot? If the scenery is nice, you might as well reserve a spot for Mr. Stark too."

"…Eren…"

Pepper, who had just been touched by Eren's generosity, immediately shot him a glare.

She assumed he was just getting back at Tony for his earlier remarks.

"Pepper, why are you glaring at me? I'm not joking."

Eren then glanced at Tony and said matter-of-factly, "If I'm not mistaken, the palladium poisoning around Mr. Stark's heart has already started spreading throughout his body. If this continues, it won't be long before we'll actually have to attend his funeral. So… I think reserving a beautiful burial site in advance is a very practical idea."

The moment Eren said this—

Pepper, who had been glaring at him a second ago, and Tony Stark both froze.

Tony's expression instantly turned as if he had seen a ghost.

Having worked alongside Tony for nearly a decade, Pepper knew him too well.

The instant she saw Tony's reaction, her heart skipped a beat.

She instinctively covered her mouth in disbelief and whispered, "Oh my God… Tony, are you actually dying?!"

(End of Chapter)

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