Oaks's Acorns

Honestly, a forest-themed bar was no big deal.

Forget the whole country—even New York had several of them.

But the forest-themed bar at the Benevolence Society headquarters, the Oak Bar, was completely different.

First of all, everyone had long since gotten used to the naturally grown Treehouses, since the Benevolence Society's offices were like that.

But when they saw Oaks place one oversized Acorn after another before them, their expressions became rather strange.

"Chairman, I know your name is Oaks, but that doesn't seem like a reason to hand out acorns to everyone, even if I've never seen acorns this big."

No one in the Benevolence Society would raise any objections. If the Benevolence Society had been a religion, Oaks's position would not merely have been that of a pope—he would have been a divine envoy. They simply would not question him.

But they all pricked up their ears at Melinda's question.

The acorns in their hands were as large as coconuts, while ordinary ones were at most as tall as a thumb.

"Esteemed colleagues of the Benevolence Society, what you hold in your hands is my latest invention, and one of the Benevolence Society's future signature products—Drink Acorns!"

Oaks made the announcement solemnly, leaving everyone dumbfounded—

Acorns could be drinks?

Melinda picked up an acorn and shook it, baring her teeth.

"There really is liquid inside? Isn't this just a coconut with a different shell?"

"No, no, no, completely different... Please pull up the acorn stems... Yes, like this."

Oaks picked up a large Acorn and pulled its stem, revealing a straw-like tube inside.

"Entirely natural, zero processing, and available in a variety of flavors... Everyone, give them a try."

Melinda opened her mouth and took an experimental sip—

"Wow! This is... watermelon juice?! But isn't this an acorn?"

"Hey! Mine is mango-flavored!"

"Mine is apple juice!"

"This is grape juice!"

"Of course there's orange juice!"

"Hehe, dragon fruit juice!"

"Hiss! Th-this is lemon juice! Ugh..."

"Cough, cough... bitter, bitter melon juice..."

It seemed that some strange things had gotten mixed in.

But Melinda completely understood what these so-called Drink Acorns were.

These were practically genetically modified plants, growing fruit juice directly as fruit—even the damn straws grew naturally!

"This alone would bring in obscene profits..."

Melinda fully understood what this meant.

In this world, there were no concerns like panic over genetically modified food—weren't there plenty of people who had mutated after eating ordinary food?

No wonder Oaks had confidently said he had a way to make money. Once something like this hit the market, it would directly set it ablaze.

And Melinda had already witnessed the absurd fruit-bearing capabilities of those bizarre fruit trees in the Little Rainforest.

Costs? Even concentrated fruit juice cost more than this!

"Wow, looks like I missed something?"

A voice feigning surprise rang out from the doorway. Oaks's lips twitched.

"Hi, Tony. You didn't say you were coming."

"New York was too lively today. I couldn't focus on appreciating beautiful women—so why not take a forest vacation in the city?"

Tony Stark removed his sunglasses and spread his arms dramatically.

"Oh, buddy, I have to say, this place is truly a vacation paradise. If you built a sanatorium here, even the president would probably be interested!"

"Uh, I'm not interested in the president. Keep it low-key, low-key."

Oaks nodded at Pepper, who was smiling behind Tony.

"Welcome to the Benevolence Society, Ms. Pepper. Your help with Zhang was a huge help to us."

"Tony is a shareholder in the Benevolence Society. As his assistant, it was my duty. Besides, today is China's Spring Festival. Happy holidays, Oaks—that was what Tony had intended to say."

Pepper looked somewhat embarrassed as Tony's attention had already been drawn to the Big Acorns everyone was holding, her expression apologetic.

"Thank you. He's still the same as ever."

Oaks gestured for Pepper to come to the bar. Melinda, meanwhile, silently observed them with great interest.

"Hey, buddy, this is just too cool!"

Tony had already picked one from the row of Big Acorns on the bar and begun examining it.

"Oh, let's see what this says... Passion fruit? Hmm... As flavors go, top-tier. Too bad it isn't whiskey. Coffee would work too."

"Being entirely natural means I can only grow Drink Acorns corresponding to fruits that exist in nature, but it seems you're not very interested in fruit juice?"

Seeing that Pepper had happily selected an Acorn under Melinda's introduction, Oaks spread his hands at the somewhat uninterested Tony.

"I'm also trying to develop Plant-Based Beef. In the future, you might be able to eat hamburgers that grow on trees."

"Uh... it always feels kind of strange. Maybe I'll give it a try, but I still prefer cheeseburgers."

Tony bared his teeth, but the strange feeling did not stop him from understanding what a tremendous invention this was.

"By the way, since you're here, I have something for you."

Oaks signaled for Melinda to help entertain Pepper and led Tony to a corner of the bar.

"What is it?"

As Tony came over, he did not forget to glance at Pepper... and Melinda beside her.

"Mm, maturity has its own charm."

"May can give you a concussion with one punch, and she's Ms. Carter's disciple."

"Who?!"

Tony shuddered and stared incredulously at Melinda, who seemed to have glanced in their direction.

"Don't tell me it's that Ms. Carter?"

"Yeah, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders, Ms. Peggy Carter—I only happened to find out after becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant."

Tony bared his teeth, still shaken—

He had previously decided to stay farther away from the Carter women.

"Uh, what was it you said you wanted to give me?" Assuming Oaks did not know about his relationship with Peggy Carter, he promptly changed the subject.

"Here, this is for you. Proof that you're a Benevolence Society shareholder."

Tony's lips twitched as he watched Oaks take out an Acorn Bracelet and place it on the bar.

"Uh, I'm used to wearing a watch."

The Acorn Bracelet was made of twelve beautiful little acorns, and it looked rather plain and unassuming.

"You can wear both. They don't conflict. It has a special effect."

"A special effect? It wouldn't make me more charming, would it?"

With a skeptical expression, Tony took the Acorn Bracelet and put it on his left wrist, then suddenly froze.

"This..."

The instant he put on the bracelet, Tony felt refreshed. The faint lingering effects of yesterday's hangover vanished completely, and his mind was clearer than ever before!

"Well?"

"...Thank you."

After holding it in for a long while, Tony finally forced out those two words.

For a genius of his caliber, Oaks's gift meant far more than it would to an ordinary person.

"It will regulate your physical condition, eliminate fatigue, and accelerate wound healing until the acorns turn black. And at critical moments, you can smash it and eat the flesh directly. The effect is..."

Oaks paused, then said seriously and meaningfully.

"One acorn is worth one bottle of Recovery Serum. At certain times, that is a life."

"Next month, I'm leaving for half a year. Take care of yourself—and it's best not to take it off."