Aside from the new-energy deal involving the Arc Reactor, Stark got the answers he wanted, and Salomon got the technical support he desired. Neither side lost out. Stark's question had actually been simple: "What kind of weapon could erase a mountain?" Then he received the answer he had longed for and dreaded.
At first, when he learned that the mountain had been brought down by magic, he had been somewhat pleased, because that meant Salomon did not possess any highly destructive weapons. But he soon became worried by Salomon's growing power. To get that answer, he had also had to agree to attend an academic seminar and take on some project optimization work.
After leaving the bar, Salomon immediately returned to the City of Immortals. He summoned Stephanie and held a teleconference with Gideon Malick to roughly discuss how to seize resources from the current tycoons.
Because of the Malik family's past superstitious practices, it had few descendants. It could only be considered an influential old family, still far removed from being a true financial conglomerate. Previously, part of the Malik family's funding had come from the Military-Industrial Complex, but that was not truly theirs. It was bribery disguised as political donations, an under-the-table deal achieved through political means, a lifeline held in someone else's hands.
Now, the Malik family itself would become part of the Military-Industrial Complex. Gideon Malick had already begun thanking Salomon for storming into Malick Estate and forcing the Malik family to join through violence. As the meeting was about to end, Gideon Malick quietly hinted that Stephanie should hurry up and bear an heir, completely disregarding Salomon's presence beside her and making Stephanie flush bright red. After all, even a financial conglomerate needed direct descendants to carry on its legacy. Gideon Malick believed that all