Special Energy Source

By the time Rorschach appeared before Howard Stark's mansion, nearly two hours had passed.

He was a full hour late for their appointment.

"Howard Stark has probably never been stood up like this before, right?"

Rorschach could not help indulging in that malicious little thought.

But the situation had come up suddenly. Who could have expected Stryker to send people to attack Rorschach at a time like this? It really was not Rorschach's fault.

Ding-dong!

After composing himself, Rorschach reached out and pressed the doorbell by the front gate.

Before long, Jarvis appeared.

"Mr. Rorschach? You're finally here. Mr. Stark has been waiting for you."

Jarvis hurriedly opened the gate for Rorschach, looking immensely relieved.

"I'm terribly sorry, Jarvis. Some trivial matters held me up. Is Mr. Stark all right?"

Rorschach casually asked as he followed Jarvis forward.

"He hasn't smashed anything, and he hasn't started swearing. Considering that, I'd say he's doing quite well."

Jarvis thought about it, then answered Rorschach with a perfectly serious expression.

Rorschach: "..."

"Jarvis, I've suddenly decided I don't want to keep this appointment. Is it too late to back out?"

"Mr. Rorschach, Mr. Stark won't eat you."

As they spoke, Jarvis led Rorschach into Howard Stark's mansion.

The playboy stood up and launched into a stream of complaints. "Rorschach, I've met with government officials and senators, military bigwigs, and business tycoons. But you're the first person who's ever made me wait this long."

"I'm truly flattered... Sorry, I had to deal with an unexpected situation and arrived late."

"It's fine. I've already waited, after all. Besides, you did save me."

Howard Stark personally ushered Rorschach inside, then instructed Jarvis, "Jarvis, have the kitchen start preparing the meal."

In fact, Howard Stark's banquet had been ready long ago. But after waiting and waiting with no sign of Rorschach, he had no choice but to have it cleared away for the time being.

It had to be prepared all over again once Rorschach arrived.

All one could say was that rich people really did things in grand style.

"Mr. Stark, saving you was a huge favor. One meal isn't nearly enough to repay it."

As Rorschach followed Howard Stark farther inside, he spoke half-jokingly and half-seriously.

What a joke. Getting Howard Stark to owe him a favor was no easy matter. Of course he had to make it official.

"Haha, of course. This meal is only to express my gratitude, nothing more."

Howard Stark laughed. "Come on, I'll show you around my home first."

"I'd love that!"

Rorschach said with great interest.

Whether in his previous life or this one, Rorschach had never visited the mansion of a tycoon on Howard Stark's level. This was the perfect chance to broaden his horizons.

"Let's start with my storage room. I've got quite a few good things collected in there."

With a faintly boastful air, Howard Stark led Rorschach into an exceptionally luxurious room.

Extravagant!

Extravagant beyond all reason!

That was Rorschach's first reaction upon entering the storage room. This was practically a miniature museum.

Famous paintings, antiques, fine wines, and luxury watches were piled in every corner as if they were mere odds and ends.

With astonishing casualness.

"Giotto's The Kiss of Judas mainly captures the moment of psychological confrontation between Jesus Christ and Judas. To be honest, I don't really like this painting. It's too heavy."

"But you know how it is. Some gifts can't be refused even if you don't like them. You even have to pretend you do."

"Oh, a Scottish greatsword. A man's favorite. As expected, you like it too, Rorschach. What man doesn't like a sharp weapon?"

"That's right, that's right. This old relic is the world's first bicycle. It may look crude now, but back then, it was the crystallization of human wisdom."

Wherever Rorschach's gaze landed, Howard Stark introduced the item beside him.

Just as Rorschach had expected, every item inside was an extraordinary and priceless treasure, leaving him amazed.

"Come on, I'll take you to see my garage next!"

After showing off his various collections, the playboy eagerly led Rorschach to his luxurious garage.

Luxury cars of every color and style stood in two long rows stretching into the distance, making one wonder whether this was a car dealership.

"What do you think, Rorschach? These are all the treasures I've collected over the past fifteen years. They're all here!"

Howard Stark's eyes shone as he began enthusiastically introducing his dazzling collection of luxury cars to Rorschach.

"Cadillac V-16. Production stopped in 1940. This was the world's first mass-produced model with a sixteen-cylinder engine. It took quite some effort for me to get my hands on one."

Standing before a red convertible, Howard Stark once again began chattering away as he showed it off to Rorschach.

But Rorschach was not particularly impressed.

Limited by the era, the cars of this time honestly looked unbelievably outdated to Rorschach. The kind of outdated that was downright tacky.

Special Energy Source detected!

Rorschach froze at the sudden system prompt in his mind.

At the same time, under the system's influence, his field of vision changed into something resembling a computer scan.

Within that view, the Cadillac Howard Stark was enthusiastically introducing was marked out in a digital projection.

A red dot above it flashed incessantly.

Clearly, the Special Energy Source mentioned by the system was inside that Cadillac.

"Special Energy Source? What does that mean?"

Rorschach asked in confusion, but unfortunately, the system gave no response, as usual.

Analyzing Energy Source...

Energy Value: 37 Origin Points. Status: Cannot be extracted.

This string of prompts confused Rorschach once again.

The Energy Value was actually measured in Origin Points, and it even said it could not be extracted. Didn't that mean there were states in which it could be extracted?

If it were extracted, could it directly replenish Origin Points?

"It has to be!"

Rorschach's eyes lit up. The logic behind it was quite simple and not difficult to understand.

The only thing Rorschach could not understand for the moment was why this Energy Source was in a state where it could not be extracted.

And why was some kind of Energy Source hidden inside a car?

Although Rorschach still did not know what exactly the system considered an Energy Source, he was certain it was not the car's fuel. Otherwise, that would be far too lame.

Besides, fuel-based energy was everywhere and hardly special.