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*****
"Perhaps."
Fini shrugged coolly, while weeping silent tears in his heart.
One hundred million gone just like that. It hurts so much!
Even though his heart was aching to death, Fini still had to maintain an air of casual indifference on the surface. He continued chatting with Tony: "As for other suggestions, once you've finished manufacturing this one, you can consider how to make it portable equipment."
Regarding this point, Tony didn't have Jarvis back it up; it was unclear whether he had already been considering it himself.
"What was the deal with your armor from before?"
However, after that suggestion was finished, Tony instead asked him a question: "Is the technology for sale? Name your price."
"Can we not always talk about money?"
Fini felt mentally exhausted. It was so hard to communicate with a tycoon who tried to smash every problem with money. Unfortunately, "Incursio" was linked to the system, so he absolutely could not let Tony study it.
"Why not? Problems that can be solved with money aren't problems."
Tony said it with such swagger that Fini had to admit it was indeed quite cool.
"Then would you sell this iron suit of yours?"
Fini threw the question back, leaving Tony opening his mouth with nothing to say. He changed the subject and asked: "Alright, Halsey boy, thank me for my generosity. I've decided not to pursue the matter of you trespassing on private property anymore."
"But you need to tell me who you actually are and why you came to find me?"
As he said this, the expression on Tony's face was very serious.
Faced with this question, Fini pondered for a moment and said honestly: "I am a sorcerer. I came to find you because I wanted to understand some things that are about to happen."
"Wait, are you talking about parlor tricks?" Tony thought Fini was lying again and interrupted mockingly: "You'd be better off sticking with the alien story; it was more plausible."
"Whether you believe it or not is your problem. Also, don't think you know everything, Mr. Tony Stark!"
Fini didn't get too angry. Before he understood this world, if someone had suddenly popped up and told him these things, he wouldn't have believed them easily either.
Tony frowned and remained silent. If it weren't for the various anomalies Fini had displayed earlier, they wouldn't even be talking right now.
"Fine, tell me about these 'possible events' you want to understand?" Tony asked again with feigned magnanimity. He still didn't think Fini was telling the truth.
"If I say it, it might not happen."
Fini firmly followed tradition while preparing to leave. But just before going, he thought about it and picked up a piece of paper and a pen from a nearby table, writing down a string of numbers.
"What's this? A password? A code? Or a prophecy of future disaster?"
Noticing Fini's actions, Tony guessed and mocked from the side.
"It's my phone number!" Fini rolled his eyes, thinking how right he had been to avoid getting involved with Tony before. This personality was so difficult to deal with daily.
"I think you might have a chance to use it. If there's a problem, you can call me to come over. Consider it a sincere apology for my rudeness this time."
"I don't think that'll be necessary," Tony replied with a look of disdain, then added: "Also, if you want to come over, I think it's best to use the front door, or you'll have to bear the consequences."
"In any case, sorry for the intrusion today. Goodbye! Portal!"
Fini didn't bother saying more and directly opened a portal home, stepping through and vanishing.
Once again, Tony was alone in the empty workshop. He let out a long sigh and immediately said:
"Jarvis, check my vitals. Also, is he gone?"
"Sir, aside from extreme fatigue, your vitals are perfectly healthy. Scans indicate you are the only person in the room." Jarvis's reply gave Tony a slight sense of security.
Sitting back down in his chair, Tony immediately ordered: "Jarvis, pull up all the surveillance footage from just now."
"I am very sorry, Sir. The video data has been completely deleted and cannot be recovered."
Only then did Tony remember that Fini had given Jarvis instructions earlier. He immediately began manipulating the computer to check Jarvis's programming, but after checking again and again, he found no abnormalities—not even a trace of an intrusion.
"Impossible!"
Tony's shock at this moment was even greater than before. He didn't understand the portals or the armor, but Jarvis was his own creation. He actually couldn't figure out why something he created would follow someone else's orders.
Tony turned to look at the note Fini had left. After a moment's hesitation, he kept it, while saying to Jarvis: "Jarvis, create a workshop modification project. For now, set the objective as controlling a target that appears suddenly without causing harm."
Fini didn't know yet that Tony had established an "Anti-Fini Workshop." Perhaps once the future suits were built, there might even be an "Anti-Fini Armor."
At this moment, he was in his room, muttering with worry: "It shouldn't have too much of an impact, right? After all, I didn't say anything."
"Damn it, at worst I'll just lose the Iron Monger's experience. I'll make Tony build more suits in the future to compensate."
Accidents always come out of nowhere. Today's meeting had disrupted all of Fini's plans. Now, even if he wanted to steal the miniature Arc Reactor secretly, it would be difficult, and Tony would suspect him immediately.
But if he were to give up on the Iron Monger entirely, it felt like a waste. So he left his number. If things still developed according to the original trajectory and Tony encountered danger, he might call. He would decide then based on the situation.
If the Iron Monger failed to appear, there was nothing to be done; he'd just have to accept his bad luck for being too reckless.
Having thought it through, Fini's mood improved. From today's encounter, he also knew that the debut of the Mark II was very close.
The wait wouldn't be long.
Time flew, and a week passed in the blink of an eye. Fini had originally been worried about whether meeting Tony would affect his life, but after a week, everything was calm and as usual.
But just as he was feeling at ease, a call came in. Looking at the unknown number on his phone, Fini raised an eyebrow and answered.
Once connected, a whistling wind sound came from the other side, making Fini pause for a moment before he realized: "Are you on a test flight?"
"Kid, speak up." Tony's exuberant voice came through, sounding exactly like Fini did the first time he used Sky Dance to fly.
"You're very annoying, you know that?"
Fini spoke loudly into the phone.
"Haha, you're just jealous. Can you parlor-trick guys fly?" Tony provoked in that punchable voice of his.
Hearing that, Fini immediately rolled up his sleeves to defend the honor of sorcerers and talked tough: "Who says I can't? Come on, give me your coordinates."
"Los Angeles, Malibu Street, thirty thousand feet up."
"You wait right there!"
Fini immediately hung up, equipped "Incursio" in his room, opened a portal, and used Sky Dance to find Tony, who was hooting and hollering in the sky.
Tony clearly hadn't expected Fini to actually appear. Seeing Fini floating beside him, his face under the mask looked as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly. Why did he have to go and pick a fight during his happiest moment?
"I really hate you, Magic Boy!"
"Right back at you, Mr. 'Stank'!"
Fini replied with deep conviction. This was probably the natural opposition between magic and science.
"How are you flying!? Where did you put the thrusters? Where's the power source?" Soon, Tony's attention shifted back to Fini's "Incursio." After studying it for a while, he finally reached a conclusion:
"This isn't scientific!"
Author's Note: Since this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I'm mainly sticking to Tony's personality from the movies. I feel that at this point, his personality shift isn't that obvious yet.
(End of Chapter)