Opening, A Talk with Tony

He searched online for all kinds of strange models, spent his nights handcrafting metal while training his abilities, and roamed the streets during the day looking for the New York Sanctum...

The peaceful days passed quickly. Mark left without saying goodbye three days after eating hot pot. When Yuri called him to have another meal, he was told that the man was already playing real-life battle royale on some battlefield.

Today is July 28, 2010.

The official opening day of Mr. Yuri Ambrosius's "Ancestor's Handicraft Shop."

The name he originally chose for the shop was "Ancient Handicraft Shop." Maybe his meaning wasn't clear, or maybe the other party had a problem with their brain. When the sign was delivered the day before opening for Yuri to approve, both of them were stunned.

Encouraged by the old man Rogers, who loves nothing more than watching the world burn, Yuri received a small compensation from the manufacturer and then brazenly hung the "Anscestor's Handicraft Shop" sign above the door.

"Crackle...!"

"Crackle...!"

At ten in the morning, the streets were filled with people out shopping in their free time. A full line of luxury cars was parked beside this small shop with its exceptionally domineering name, carrying the opening gifts sent by his father, who complained but still cared.

Yinsen and Old Man Rogers stood not far away, supporting each other, watching as almost everyone attracted by the firecracker noise pointed and gossiped about Yuri's shop.

"What the hell kind of name is that? Does the owner not want to do business?"

"Honey, I bet this shop will have its sign knocked down soon."

"I swear on my ancestors, I'd rather die than buy anything in there!"

"Click."

The door lock opened, and Yuri walked out of the small shop.

A few burly bodyguards in black greeted him and carefully carried the "gifts" from the luxury cars into the shop one by one. One of the leaders walked up to Yuri and introduced, "Young master, after the boss heard about the small shop you opened, he specially acquired these treasures for you from an auction: Van Gogh's oil painting, Chinese porcelain, Japanese Ukiyo-e..."

"Enough."

Yuri waved his hand to shut him up, then gestured for Yinsen, who was chatting with Old Man Rogers, to come over. He patted the bodyguard's shoulder and pushed Yinsen in front of him: "Talk to him about anything. Also, convey my thanks."

The bodyguard leader shrugged at Yinsen, who smiled slightly: "He's the boss, isn't he?"

Yuri quickly returned to the third floor. He had something more important to do than the shop's opening: after several days of continuous use, the ability he gained from Phastos was approaching its next stage. Mysterious runes with unknown effects flickered in his mind, and countless wild but feasible technological inspirations appeared and disappeared rapidly.

Parts, gears, bearings, steam, magic...

A metal figurine the size of a finger was assembled from nothing. Under the creator's mental control, it nimbly performed a series of actions on the table—walking, running, jumping, rolling—with white steam as thin as a hair occasionally spraying from its joints. Mysterious runes flickered on and off, using magic to draw moisture from the air to replenish the metal figurine's consumption.

"Cyberpunk."

Yuri patted his gradually calming head and stared at the strange light flickering in the metal figurine's brilliant golden pupils: if he wanted to join the magnificent future of the Marvel world, a certain level of combat power was necessary. Although he himself possessed extraordinary abilities, compared to three or four years from now, this current stage was not the best time to expose himself.

So, perhaps he could use this metal figurine to create an image of himself as a scientific genius like Tony...

"Click."

Tony raised an eyebrow as he watched Yuri quickly pull his hands back under the table. He teased, "Although coming in without permission isn't very polite... you weren't browsing some adult websites, were you?"

Yuri was about to get angry, but realized that if he wanted to position himself as a scientific genius, he would need a little cooperation from the playboy in front of him.

"You know," Tony said naturally, continuing the topic when he saw Yuri just staring at him, "I know a lot of beautiful girls. If you really have needs, I don't think they'd mind..."

"Shut up!"

Yuri grabbed an A4 paper from the table, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at Tony. After the other man sat down on the sofa, Yuri pointed at Tony's chest, glowing blue, and asked, "How's your Iron Suit coming along?"

"What?"

Tony Stark, who was pouring himself a drink, suddenly lost his composure. He pretended to be nonchalant and continued pouring, but inside he was very tense: "What Iron Suit? I don't know what you're talking about."

Yuri shrugged: "I'm just saying, if you haven't succeeded, why not come here tonight and take a look at mine."

Tony, who had just put the drink in his mouth, nearly spat it out. He set the glass on the table, crossed his hands, and put on a serious expression: "This is plagiarism, theft. I can have my lawyers sue you, Yuri."

"Heh."

Yuri was noncommittal: "There are many cars in the world—Mercedes, BMW, Ford... Your blueprints just gave me a little inspiration. If that counts as plagiarism, that's just ridiculous."

"Besides, that's not what I want to discuss with you."

Tony watched him speak confidently, analyzing the possibility of Yuri actually building a suit of armor. When he heard the last sentence, he twirled his mustache and suppressed his impatience: "So, what do you really want to talk about? Let me warn you in advance, I'm not interested in men."

I wonder who's always staring at Spider-Man. I wonder who keeps letting his gaze linger on Captain America's firm ass.

Yuri silently complained, tapped the table to bring the conversation back on track: "Tony, you're not a naive fool. You don't actually think that just because you created something, it belongs to you, do you?"

Tony immediately understood what Yuri meant. His expression turned serious, but he still stubbornly denied it: "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 fools either. They know very well how valuable a combat unit that's impervious to weapons yet can fly to the heavens and dive into the earth is. With your Iron Suit, anyone could be Captain America!"

Tony picked up his glass again and slumped heavily into the soft sofa. He drank a large gulp of wine in silence: he understood that everything Yuri described would happen. He even knew those people could do far more than that... He finished the glass quickly, pinched the empty glass, and stared at its uneven, beautifully reflective outer wall as he asked casually, "So, do you have a way?"