A Pleasant Partnership

"What kind of machine is this? Its craftsmanship looks exceptionally refined."

As one of the most outstanding experts among scientists, Howard immediately sensed that this item was anything but ordinary when he saw the iPhone's exquisite metal casing.

He picked up the phone, weighed it in his hand, and began fiddling with it from side to side.

"I call it a 'mobile phone.'"

Kyle smiled faintly and began explaining like a salesman. "Don't be fooled by its small size. It is essentially an instrument that combines hundreds of functions. It comes with fingerprint unlocking, facial recognition, basic voice control, photo and video recording, storage and decompression, information transmission, clocks and alarms, calculation and recording, games and music, calling services, search engines, and much more."

"A machine this small actually has such advanced practical functions?" Howard was stunned and hurriedly examined it with great care.

Kyle secretly found it amusing. Seeing the smartest and most brilliant manufacturing genius on Earth marveling over a mobile phone, he nearly laughed aloud.

This phone was merely a green-quality Item Card, one of the common items he had drawn through Sacrifice Draw before.

Kyle had originally thought that, since this was World War II and neither telephone signal towers nor the internet had been widely established, drawing a phone was practically useless.

It was not until he met Howard on the plane last time that an idea suddenly occurred to him.

The phone was indeed useless to him now, but to Howard, an unparalleled genius in scientific manufacturing, it was an entirely different matter.

No matter what, phones might have become commonplace in the twenty-first century, but in 1943, this was an advanced technological product that had leaped across more than half a century!

Howard began operating the phone. As he watched the screen light up, his eyes grew brighter, and his fingers rapidly carried out one command after another.

Kyle was astonished by this. He had not even explained the phone's basic functions, yet Howard had quickly begun mastering its operation on his very first try through his keen instinct for technological products.

No wonder he was the father of the man who would create Artificial Intelligence and Iron Man Armor in the future. He possessed the passive card, Tech Adaptation.

Kyle let Howard try out the phone freely. Most of its apps had already been deleted, and its time records had been altered. Even if Howard discovered some secret within it, Kyle did not mind.

The trial lasted a full ten minutes.

Kyle had refilled his fourth drink before Howard finally pressed the phone screen dark.

Howard fell into thought and stroked his chin. Then he looked at Kyle with a serious expression. "A color high-resolution screen, precise touch controls, and all kinds of practical software functions that cannot be achieved at present. This machine called a mobile phone came from a planet with technological standards far beyond ours. Or perhaps... the future."

"Please forgive me, but I cannot reveal much about its origin. However, I can guarantee a few things."

Facing Howard's doubts, Kyle smiled and raised three fingers.

"First, its origin is absolutely safe.

Second, there is no second mobile phone in this world right now.

Third, it will bring you nothing but benefits, with no drawbacks. As long as you thoroughly grasp the advanced technology and techniques within this machine, Stark Industries will have enough foundation and capital to enter the top tier of technological manufacturing much earlier after World War II ends."

"I understand." Howard sank into thought once more.

Kyle was not in a hurry. Watching the gentlemen and ladies dance freely before him, he continued savoring the uniquely flavored liquor of an earlier era in his glass.

"Sir, may I have the honor of a dance with you?"

During that time, quite a few young women and ladies took the initiative to strike up conversations with Kyle. He looked young and handsome, and his perfect, muscular figure beneath his formal shirt made him extremely charming.

"My apologies, but my friend and I have business to discuss."

Kyle's gentle, gentlemanly refusal sent many young women away in disappointment, though some still gathered their courage and left behind their contact cards.

After a long while, Howard asked tentatively, "How much of Stark Industries do you want in exchange for investing this mobile phone?"

Those words meant that the negotiations could continue.

Kyle secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, he was not as calm as he appeared.

Although he had considerable confidence in the phone, this was the Marvel world. There were already New Energy Weapons, Anti-gravity Devices, Laser Tanks, self-piloting fighter planes, and countless other examples of Black Technology. He had not been certain whether he could move Howard.

"I want forty percent," Kyle said.

"Forty percent?" Howard had just been about to finish his first drink when he choked on it. He coughed repeatedly and said, "Y-you're asking an outrageous price!"

"Since this is a partnership, of course I am not investing only this mobile phone." Kyle remained calm as he revealed the second trump card he had been holding. "The phone I brought today is merely a bargaining chip for our initial discussion. I have something else that is no worse than this."

"Can you roughly explain what that item does?" Howard's interest was piqued again. Kyle had already given him enough surprises tonight.

"I can only say that it is an introduction to the field of Artificial Intelligence." The moment Kyle finished speaking, Howard's entire body trembled. He could not hold his glass steady and knocked it over on the bar, spilling liquor across the table.

In an era when even computers were still under development and operating systems existed only in their infancy, what did Artificial Intelligence represent?

It represented the future!

"If everything you said is true, then what you are investing in really is the future." Howard trembled with excitement.

Kyle smiled and asked, "Under those conditions, do you still think forty percent of Stark Industries is too high a price?"

"Not high. Absolutely not high! Even if you wanted fifty percent, I would give it to you!" Howard's earlier hesitation vanished completely. He had no reason to refuse.

Howard liked money, fame, power, and beautiful women, but compared to invention, they were not worth mentioning!

"Forty percent is enough for me. It is better for you to remain both the founder and the largest shareholder." Kyle smiled. Only with Stark Industries entirely under Howard's control would it rapidly develop into a top industrial giant according to the timeline.

His investment was a guaranteed windfall, like raising a hen that would continuously lay golden eggs. He would never need to worry about money again.

"Then it is settled. You will invest the mobile phone and the other item in exchange for forty percent of Stark Industries." Howard laughed heartily, ordered another drink from the bartender, and raised his glass high. "To a pleasant partnership."

"To a pleasant partnership." Kyle raised his own glass in response.

The two clinked glasses again, then tipped their heads back and drained them in one gulp.

No one knew that the largest stock transaction in the history of Stark Industries, a future top-tier corporation, had reached an agreement right there at the bar of this underground ball.