Searching online for all kinds of strange models, hand-building Iron Suits at night while honing his abilities, and wandering all over the city during the day in search of the New York Sanctum...
The peaceful days passed quickly. On the third day after eating Hot Pot, Mark left without saying goodbye. When Yuri called out to him to come have another meal, he was told Mark was already on some battlefield, playing a real-life game of chicken dinner.
Today was July 28, 2010.
The day Mr. Yuri Ambrosius's "Ancestor's Handicraft Shop" officially opened.
He'd originally named the shop "Ancient Handicraft Shop." Maybe he hadn't made himself clear, or maybe there was something wrong with the other guy's head. The day before the opening, the sign was delivered for Yuri to inspect, and they both froze.
At the urging of old Rogers, who loved watching the chaos, Yuri got a small compensation payment from the manufacturer, then brazenly hung the "Ancestor's Handicraft Shop" sign above the entrance.
"Crackle, pop...!"
"Crackle, pop...!"
At ten in the morning, the streets were full of people out enjoying their free time and spending money. A whole row of luxury cars was parked beside the shop, whose name was especially imposing. They carried the opening gifts sent by his father, who talked tough but had a heart of gold.
Yinsen and old Rogers stood not far away, supporting each other as they watched nearly everyone drawn by the firecrackers point and whisper at Yuri's little shop.
"What the hell kind of name is that? Does the owner not want any business?"
"Darling, I bet someone will knock that sign down before long."
"I swear on my ancestors, I wouldn't buy anything in there even if you killed me!"
"Click."
The door unlocked, and Yuri stepped out of the shop.
A few burly bodyguards in black greeted him, then carefully carried the "gifts" from the luxury cars into the shop, one by one. The one leading them walked over to Yuri and said, "Young master, when the boss heard you'd opened a shop, he made a point of acquiring these treasures for you at auction: Van Gogh's Oil Painting, Chinese Porcelain, Japanese Ukiyo-e..."
"Enough."
Yuri waved for him to stop, then beckoned to Yinsen, who was chatting with old Rogers, signaling him to come over. He patted the bodyguard on the shoulder and ushered Yinsen in front of him. "Talk to him about anything you need. And pass along my thanks."
The head bodyguard shrugged at Yinsen, who smiled faintly. "He's the boss, isn't he?"
Yuri hurried back to the third floor. He had something more important to do than open the shop: after using his ability constantly for several days, the power he'd gained from Phastos was nearing its next stage. The Mysterious Rune, whose effects were still unknown, shimmered in his mind, and all kinds of wild yet practical technological inspirations appeared and vanished in quick succession.
Parts, gears, bearings, steam, magic...
A metal figurine barely an inch tall took shape from nothing, assembled piece by piece. Under its creator's control, it nimbly walked, ran, jumped, and rolled across the desktop. Wisps of white steam as fine as hairs occasionally hissed out of its joints. Mysterious Runes flickered on and off, using magic to draw moisture from the air and replenish the figurine's supply.
"Cyberpunk."
Yuri patted his head as it gradually returned to normal. A strange light shone in his golden eyes as he stared at the metal figurine. If he wanted to join the sweeping upheavals of the Marvel Universe to come, he needed a certain level of combat strength. He already had extraordinary abilities, but compared to three or four years from now, this wasn't the best time to reveal himself.
So perhaps he could use this metal figurine to build himself a reputation as a genius inventor, like Tony...
"Crack."
Tony raised an eyebrow as he watched Yuri quickly pull his hands back from under the desk. He teased, "It wasn't very polite of me to come in without permission, but... you weren't browsing any adult websites, were you?"
Yuri was about to lose his temper, but then realized that if he wanted to present himself as a genius inventor, he'd need to cooperate a little with the playboy in front of him.
"You know," Tony said naturally, picking up where he'd left off when Yuri only stared at him. "I know plenty of beautiful girls. If you really need someone, I'm sure they wouldn't mind..."
"Shut up!"
Yuri grabbed a sheet of A4 paper from the desk, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at Tony. Once Tony had settled onto the sofa, Yuri pointed at his glowing blue chest. "How's your Iron Suit coming along?"
"What?"
Tony, who'd been pouring himself a drink, immediately lost his composure. He pretended to carry on pouring as if nothing were wrong, though he was actually nervous. "What Iron Suit? I don't know what you're talking about."
Yuri shrugged. "I'm saying that if you haven't succeeded, you might want to come see mine here tonight."
Tony had just put the drink to his lips and nearly spat it out. He set the glass on the table and clasped his hands together, putting on a very serious expression. "That's plagiarism. That's theft. I could have my lawyers sue you, Yuri."
"Heh."
Yuri was noncommittal. "There are plenty of cars in this world: Mercedes, BMW, Ford... Your blueprints only gave me a little inspiration. If that counts as plagiarism, that's ridiculous."
"Besides, that's not what I want to talk to you about."
As Tony watched him speak at length, he weighed the likelihood that Yuri could build a suit of armor. At the last sentence, he twitched his mustache and asked, trying to keep his temper in check, "So what is it you really want to talk about? Just so you know, I'm not interested in men."
It was hard to say who kept staring at Spider-Man every day, or who always let his gaze linger on Captain America's perky ass.
Yuri grumbled to himself, then tapped the table to bring the conversation back on track. "Tony, you're not a naive idiot. You don't actually think that just because you created something, it automatically belongs to you, do you?"
Tony immediately understood what Yuri meant. His expression turned grave, but he still stubbornly played dumb. "What, Yuri? What did I create?"
Yuri chuckled. "Satellites in the sky will spot you. Radar on the ground will track you. Congressmen will interrogate you. Military brass will threaten you, because they're not idiots either. They understand exactly how valuable a combat unit that's impervious to bullets and can fly anywhere is. With your Iron Suit, anyone could be Captain America!"
Tony picked up his glass again and sank heavily into the soft sofa. In silence, he took a long drink. He knew everything Yuri had described would happen. He even knew those people could do far worse... He quickly drained the glass, then turned the empty glass in his hand, studying its uneven surface as it reflected brilliant colors. Casually, he asked, "So, what do you suggest?"
Was my book so dull that it left you speechless?
Before you continue