Chapter 18: Tony's Approval

"Hey, Rowan, since you provided me with that Kroluminum alloy, let me give you a tour of my latest suit!"

In his private coastal villa, Tony led Rowan excitedly down to his underground workshop.

Rowan raised an eyebrow.

In the movies, only Rhodes and Pepper Potts ever got into Tony's workshop. Even Obadiah had to stop at the door.

He didn't expect Tony would let someone he had only met for the second time enter.

"Aren't you worried I might steal your designs?"

Tony glanced sideways at him.

"You have access to Kroluminum. Do you really need to steal my designs?"

In Tony's eyes, Rowan was already a billionaire. It was only a matter of time before he established a tech empire rivaling Stark Industries or built a materials empire of his own.

"Fair enough. I have no interest in wrapping myself in a metal shell."

Rowan shrugged casually.

Even a Warrior-level martial artist could rip through an Iron Man suit, let alone a War God-level. And War God was just the entry-level Apprentice Rank.

"Tch."

Tony couldn't be bothered to argue. He pressed his palm to the console and entered the basement code.

Beep.

The glass doors slid open. Tony led the way down.

"Ta-da!"

He strode over to a large object draped in black fabric and spread his arms wide.

"You should feel honored. You're the first person to lay eyes on it!"

With a flourish, Tony yanked off the cover.

The golden-red armor gleamed in the lights.

Rowan had to admit it looked pretty cool.

He noticed that, in addition to the red and gold, some sections of the armor had subtle blue-black highlights.

With his sharp eyes, Rowan realized those weren't paint accents they were raw Kroluminum alloy.

Wanting to show off, Tony gave the suit a dramatic pat.

"JARVIS, suit me up."

"Yes, sir," came the polite male voice from the room.

At once, the suit opened from the back. Tony stepped in, and the armor began assembling around him.

Meanwhile, Rowan watched the holographic blue interface in mid-air with interest.

Artificial intelligence really was something else.

To Rowan, JARVIS was even more attractive than the suit itself.

Iron Man's armor was mostly useless for martial artists.

The only real advantage was its flight capability.

But JARVIS? That held real value.

Although still a low-level AI and far from the level of intelligent beings like Babata, it was already extraordinary.

Back on Earth in the Swallowed Star world, nothing like JARVIS had been invented.

Smart aircraft existed, yes, but they were just systems, not entities capable of human-like logic.

The AI aboard Hong's interstellar ship? That wasn't even Earth-made.

So even a low-level artificial intelligence like JARVIS was a technological goldmine.

"If I could learn how JARVIS was built and sell that tech to the Limit Martial Hall..."

Rowan stroked his chin, eyes glowing as he stared at the screen.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

Tony, fully suited up, walked over, each step accompanied by the sound of machinery.

The helmet folded back, revealing his smug expression.

"Well? Pretty cool, right?"

Tony struck a pose, flashing a grin.

"Sure, sure. But I'm not a magazine cover model. Quit trying to impress me, alright?"

Rowan looked slightly exasperated. This Tony hadn't yet undergone any real growth and was as flamboyant as a peacock.

"Ugh. You're no fun," Tony grumbled, taking a gulp from a nearby glass. "You're not even going to ask how fast it can fly or how much impact it can take? I'm basically the global ambassador for Kroluminum now."

"I did come to talk about Kroluminum," Rowan replied. "But that's not the only reason."

He glanced at the glowing reactor on Tony's chest.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Tony asked, confused.

"I'm working on a new project. But the power consumption is massive. I need a portable, high-output power source. Your Arc Reactor is just right."

Rowan opened his hands.

"You're not trying to copy my suit, are you?" Tony said suspiciously.

"Relax. It's not for armor. And it's not for any kind of weapon, either."

Rowan gave his word.

He didn't bother to explain further.

If Tony was willing to help, great. If not, Rowan could always track down Ivan Vanko in Moscow.

Tony studied Rowan's calm demeanor and decided he was overthinking it.

This guy already had access to Kroluminum and was on his way to becoming a billionaire. There was no reason for him to waste time building a suit.

"Alright. I'll give you an Arc Reactor," Tony agreed easily.

"But I want something in return," he added with a sly grin.

Most of his armor's outer shell now used Kroluminum. Its defensive performance had skyrocketed.

If Rowan really had a higher-grade version of the alloy, Tony wanted in.

"I'll give you fifty kilograms of Grade 3 Kroluminum now, and ten kilograms of Grade 4 in a few days. How's that?"

Since Tony had agreed without fuss, Rowan didn't hold back.

The Arc Reactor would solve his energy problem. Upgrading Tony's suit was a fair trade.

"You really do have higher-grade Kroluminum?"

Tony looked genuinely stunned, a mix of excitement and envy in his eyes.

"Of course. I don't lie," Rowan replied with a smile.

After their business was settled, Rowan didn't leave immediately. He wandered around Tony's workshop, chatting as they went.

"I'm planning to register a company in the next few days," Rowan said. "I need to hire a few key people and set up the basic framework. Once that's done, I'll need to expand sales. Tony Stark, shouldn't you fulfill your role as global ambassador for Kroluminum?"

"..."

Tony was speechless.

When did I ever agree to be a global ambassador?

This guy had no shame.

Tony instinctively wanted to fire back, but then remembered the promised shipment of Kroluminum. He swallowed his words.

Seeing Tony stay silent, Rowan continued without a hint of embarrassment.

"Aren't you always going to parties? Now that your armor's defense is beefed up, showing off in front of me is pointless. You should flaunt it at your parties. Maybe pull a stunt like tanking a shell blast with your chest."

Tony's eyes lit up.

Yeah! Wearing the Iron Man suit to a party? That would be legendary!

And taking a direct hit in front of an audience?

Imagine the look on their faces.

The idea had Tony grinning like a kid with a new toy.

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