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*****
"I told you before, I'm a sorcerer. Stop trying to use your science to explain me," Fini corrected him with dissatisfaction.
Tony remained silent in mid-air. During this time, he certainly hadn't been idle, but no matter how he investigated, he couldn't find anything wrong with Fini.
He had even hacked into the hospital systems to check Fini's birth certificate, which proved he was a pure-blooded human born on Earth. This suggested that what Fini said might actually be true.
However, the whole concept of "sorcerers" gave someone who had spent years studying science a sense of inexplicable absurdity.
He thought he was ready to make amends for his past mistakes, but Fini's appearance clearly indicated that the world was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
Fini looked at the current suit—which had skipped the original Mark II design and took the form of the original Mark III—and asked: "So, did you call just to let me know you can fly?"
Tony didn't want to talk. While he did have that thought in mind, he obviously couldn't admit it now. Another reason was that he felt successful with the armor, his confidence had grown, and he wanted to test Fini's depths again, hence the call.
But the current result was clearly a backfire, much like Fini's previous visit.
Stupid, wasn't it? The other guy can fly too!
"Want to race for speed?" Tony tried to change the subject, looking at Fini provocatively.
"We sorcerers use portals. We don't chase after speed!"
Fini tilted his head up, using a disdainful tone to hide his insecurity. Inwardly, he silently reinforced his resolve to practice flying, setting a small goal: surpass the Mark II first.
But given Tony's personality, even if he didn't pick up on Fini's insecurity, he would still fire back.
"Magic boy, it's clear you don't understand the thrill of flight. You need speed for excitement, get it?"
With that, Tony boosted his power, and with a whoosh, he accelerated past Fini, his figure vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.
A few seconds later, he returned, trailing a long streak of flame, and said boastfully: "Now that is called speed!"
"That's it!?"
Though Fini was dying of envy inside, he couldn't lose face. He said in a flat tone, "Not that fast. Just a bit faster than a fighter jet, I guess."
Hearing this, the initially excited Tony felt a bit deflated. He glanced at Fini and said, "Want to go down and chat?"
Fini, who was about to say goodbye, paused for a moment and then nodded without much thought. He also wanted to see if his involvement had brought any changes to Tony.
The two began their descent together. The competitive Tony clearly had no intention of waiting; he dived down with his thrusters firing full blast. Fini almost cheated by opening a portal.
But considering that would be an unfair win and Tony wouldn't be convinced anyway, he ended up flying down slowly.
By then, Tony was already sitting in the villa's courtyard, legs crossed, holding a glass of wine with his faceplate open, looking every bit like a big boss.
"I almost thought you got lost. I was considering whether I should go look for you."
Tony continued his routine verbal "attack" on Fini while pointing to a wine cabinet not far away. "Help yourself to whatever you want to drink. I don't have the habit of pouring for others."
Fini didn't mind and walked toward the cooler. After several encounters, he was actually starting to get used to Tony's personality.
With a thought, he deactivated *Incursio*, returning to his normal state. He looked at the cooler; it was likely filled with expensive brand-name wines, though he didn't recognize most of them.
He picked a bottle with low alcohol content at random, took a glass, sat down next to Tony, poured a drink, and toasted him: "Here, a toast to the 'Stank' Armor!?"
"On second thought, you look like an underage kid. Better not drink. I'll stock some milk next time. Also, how exactly does your armor deactivate and where is it stored?"
"..."
Fini ignored him and took a sip. The mellow yet spicy flavor filled his mouth, making him slightly uncomfortable. He set the glass down and replied: "It's magic. You wouldn't understand. Idealistic power, mental strength—it's very hard to explain to someone at your level."
"Lend me the armor for a few days, and I guarantee I'll explain it clearly to you," Tony said, refusing to back down and using a provocation.
"In your dreams!"
For Fini to lend *Incursio* out for research would be harder than dragging him out for research.
"Stingy boy. I bet you're not popular with the girls," Tony grumbled, sipping his wine. However, being equipped in the armor made him feel a bit restricted.
"I'm the school heartthrob. You think nobody likes me!?"
"I slept with twelve cover girls last year, including a pair of twins! How about you?"
Now it was Fini's turn to be annoyed. He opened his mouth but found himself speechless. He could only resentfully pick up his glass and take a large gulp.
As the saying goes, true happiness is often built upon the pain of others. Seeing Fini's frustrated look, Tony laughed loudly and took a celebratory sip.
The two actually began to chat like this. Tony talked about his experiences changing girlfriends, and Fini offered a comment every now and then.
In fact, Fini didn't know that Tony was very lonely right now. A few months ago, he had lost a friend who saved his life. After his difficult return, his first major decision was met with criticism and suspicion from everyone.
Even when he wanted to invite his best friend to join him in making the armor, the other party declined. Aside from Pepper Potts, he had almost no one he could trust.
Yet Pepper Potts couldn't fully understand his behavior either; she simply tried to understand him out of her care for him.
Ever since Yinsen died, Tony believed the meaning of his life was to do something for the world, and the iron suit gave him a goal and hope.
But just as he was preparing to go all out, Fini suddenly appeared.
A mysterious origin, incomprehensible abilities—though he seemed to have ill intentions at first, after his disguise was seen through, he was quite frank about apologizing and showing goodwill.
Combined with his relatively young age, carefree personality, and his inexplicable knowledge of Tony, it was impossible for Tony to ignore his existence.
That was why, after successfully building the armor and having no outlet for his joy, he made that call. Perhaps he hadn't even thought about what to say, he just wanted someone to know that he had succeeded.
Tony didn't know if he was doing the right thing, but following his family tradition: act first, worry later. If he was wrong, he believed he had the ability to fix it.
"Can you tell me about your... um... 'parlor trick' troupe!?"
After chatting for a while, Tony still couldn't fully relax. He looked at Fini with his glass in hand.
"We are Mystic Arts sorcerers. We are an organization. And watch your mouth—our boss is very powerful." Seeing Tony's lack of respect for the profession of sorcerers, Fini decided to intimidate him slightly:
"My teacher is known as the Sorcerer Supreme. She masters the secret arts of time and can predict the future."
"So you can do it too!?" Tony obviously wouldn't believe it so easily, especially something like the future, which contradicts science. He raised an eyebrow and said: "Then predict this: what kind of wine do I want to drink next?"
"I can't do that yet, but my words are very prophetic."
Fini took a sip of wine, thinking about how to prank Tony.
(End of Chapter)