Guan Heng tossed the ring in his hand. "The ring's out of energy now. I know it's controlled with mental power, but I don't know how to recharge it. It's useless to me even if I keep it." He turned to Tony. "Do you want it?"
"I use high-tech armor. I'm not familiar with this kind of magic stuff." Tony shook his head. "Besides, taking it would mean drawing Old Man Man's hatred onto myself. He has the Ten Rings, and until I'm absolutely sure I can beat him, I won't confront him on my own initiative. You should keep it."
"Hmph. The famous Iron Man isn't all that brave after all." Guan Heng slipped the ring into his pocket.
This is A Man's Magic Ring. It may be useless now, but if I find a way to recharge it someday, it'll still be a good thing to have. Guan Heng didn't think the ring was a burden.
Tony was a world-famous tycoon, and even he was nearly dazzled by the enormous treasure in the box. As for Ai Wei and Lily, the two girls were murmuring to themselves, completely entranced, as though they'd fallen under a spell.
Guan Heng watched them with quiet amusement, then clapped his hands. "All right, girls, don't just stand there staring. I'm a man of my word. Take whatever you like. Grab two handfuls each."
"Really? Thank you, Mr. Guan!" The two girls could hardly contain their delight. They chattered about how to take the treasures from the box, then finally decided to close their eyes, reach in with both hands, and take one handful in each. Whatever they grabbed, they'd keep.
"Wait!" Guan Heng suddenly remembered something and stopped them. "Hold off on grabbing anything."
"Mr. Guan, why are you going back on your word?" Tears welled in the girls' eyes, and they looked ready to cry.
Guan Heng and Tony both looked a little unhappy. "If you're reluctant to give them anything, you shouldn't have promised them," Tony said. "Their excitement has turned to disappointment. Are you happy now that you've toyed with them?"
"Don't get me wrong. I'm definitely giving them the treasure. I just thought letting them take it like that wasn't generous enough." Guan Heng smiled. "Silly, I want you to grab it for them. Of the four of us, your hands are the biggest. You can take more for them. Come on, get started."
"Only you, Guan Heng," Tony said with a laugh. "I doubt anyone else could think things through so carefully in front of a fortune like this."
The girls' tears turned to smiles. Tony grabbed a large pile of treasure for them and told them to put it away carefully. Ai Wei and Lily happily carried the jewels back to their room to sleep, though their eyes were still full of little stars. Whether they'd be able to sleep soundly was another question.
"As for the rest of the treasure..." Guan Heng thought for a moment. "Tony, you can take it for now."
"What?" Tony was taken aback, then grinned. "I didn't realize you were so fond of me. Such a generous gift—do you have some ulterior motive?"
"Get out of here! How many times have I told you I'm straight?" Guan Heng glared at him. "I'm asking you to take it to a jewelry shop to have it appraised. Besides, Stark Enterprises has better security than my home, so it'll be safer with you. But if you see anything you like, pick out thirty or fifty pieces to play with. I don't mind."
"Heh, I knew you weren't that fond of me. There's no way you'd give it all to me." Tony spread his hands.
"You're one of the richest men in the world. Stop eyeing my treasure," Guan Heng said jokingly. "Remember, once everything's been appraised, sell it all off. Don't keep a single thing."
Tony looked surprised. "This treasure must be worth a lot. Selling it off in a hurry will lower its value. Won't you regret it?"
"Treasure is just stuff. Leave it lying around for a hundred years, and it won't magically multiply," Guan Heng said. "Besides, it came out of nowhere, so who cares if we lose a little here and there? Since I've already asked you to handle this, use all the cash from the sale to buy shares in Stark Enterprises."
"Wow, you trust my company that much?" Tony laughed. "If my business goes under one day, your money will go down the drain too. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"If that happens, I'll come back here and look around," Guan Heng said. "Maybe I'll find another treasure. Worst comes to worst, we can beg together. I'll teach you the Beggar Sect's rules. I'm the sect leader, and you're, uh, the Nine-bag Elder. I'll make sure you never go hungry."
"Ha ha ha!" Tony burst out laughing. "Thanks for trusting me. Don't worry, I'll work hard to make money for your investment."
The next morning, the yacht finally surged through the reef field in one go and rode the wind and waves back to the New York City harbor.
Tony had to be given credit: he was very efficient. Stark Enterprises had hundreds of jewelry shops, and it took only a few hours to appraise the treasure.
"All right, the treasure will be sold off gradually through auctions. We don't need to worry about that anymore." Tony patted the documents on the table. "Based on a rough estimate, it's worth about 11% of Stark Enterprises. Congratulations, Guan Heng. You're now a major shareholder in my company. We're not just superhero partners anymore—we're business partners too."
"Heh, that's not my problem anymore." Guan Heng shrugged. "You can handle all the business stuff. Whenever I want to spend money, I'll just ask you for some."
"You've certainly got it all figured out. Now I have to worry about everything for you?" Tony said helplessly. "I've become your butler."
"Those who can do more should do more. From now on, your nickname is Human Jarvis," Guan Heng said. "I'll let you take a commission, if that makes you feel better. That's settled. I'm off." He waved goodbye and left Tony's office.
"That kid..." Tony couldn't help shaking his head. "He's already a billionaire, but he still acts like that. Some things never change."
"Guan Heng! Thank goodness you're back!"
Guan Heng was about to open his apartment door when Peter came hurrying over.
"Where have you been all day and night?" Peter said, sounding a little annoyed. "I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find you."
Guan Heng smiled. "You had a date with Mary Jane at home. Why were you looking for me? Did you want me to be a third wheel? If you two were going to do something in your room, did you need me to stand guard outside? That would've been torture, you know?"
Peter's face turned bright red. "Keep your voice down! Uncle Ben and Aunt Mei still don't know about Mary Jane and me. We're keeping it a secret for now."
Guan Heng said, "All right, I won't tease you anymore. What did you want to tell me?"
Peter sighed. "Your door was locked, so I spent all day looking for you. I have something really important to tell you. It's about the Green Goblin."
Looking at Peter Parker's uneasy face, Guan Heng knew that something inevitable was finally about to happen.
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