Especially since, in their memories, their father had never spoken to them like this, at least not while he was alive. All he remembered were arguments, arguments, and more arguments.
"One day, you will understand that this represents more than just a human invention; it is also the achievement of my life!"
As Howard Stark spoke, the camera panned to a model of the Expo.
"This is the key to the future. I am limited by the technology of this era, but one day you will understand all of this, and then, you will change the world!" Howard Stark stood before the camera, his face filled with tenderness and happiness. "My greatest creation will always be you!"
In an instant, Tony Stark was stunned, as if he had been shot, pierced by those words.
This video allowed him to understand his father anew, a father he had never known!
For the first time in many years, he was certain that his father truly loved him.
Through this conversation, he reconciled with his father and with himself.
He no longer had to wallow in self-pity, feeling like an unwanted, unloved child. He had parents who loved him very much.
Even though he only reconciled with his father many years after his death.
But now, his heart was filled with only boundless comfort.
The scene shifted, and while everyone was still immersed in Howard Stark's fatherly love for Tony Stark, they suddenly saw a scene that left a deep impression on them.
Tony Stark used a Rolex watch, worth at least hundreds of thousands of dollars, to buy a box of strawberries on the side of the road.
This scene made everyone's eyelids twitch.
What does it mean to be obscenely wealthy? This is what it means to be obscenely wealthy.
How much was their monthly salary?
Did they even make tens of thousands of dollars?
That is to say, even though everyone present was a high-income elite, they would have to work hard for at least a year, without eating or drinking, just to exchange for a box of strawberries.
Are these strawberries made of gold?
This is what it means to be rich, goddamn rich, truly evil capitalists.
"Tony, you're usually this rich?" Hawkeye Barton said softly.
He thought of how he had to work hard to support his family, working diligently every month, not daring to be absent, but these damn capitalists could simply trade a watch for strawberries, it was ridiculous.
"Otherwise, I'll bring you a box of strawberries every day, as long as you give me a watch like that!" Hawkeye Barton continued.
Tony Stark smiled slightly and said, "That's not impossible!"
With his wealth, he could have earned back the value of that gold watch in the time it took him to get out of the car and buy strawberries.
"Money? It's just numbers. I have no interest in money. I've never even touched it!"
The happiest time for me was when my parents were still around, even though we didn't have much money then.
When Tony Stark arrived at the company, Pepper Potts was dealing with the fallout of him giving the Mark II to Rhodes. She was, to put it mildly, frazzled.
Tony Stark tried to butter up Pepper Potts with strawberries, but it backfired spectacularly. Pepper Potts happened to be allergic to strawberries. Consequently, the usually eloquent Tony Stark couldn't even string together a coherent sentence and was promptly kicked out.
This scene made everyone watching stifle a laugh. Although Tony Stark was in a terrible state at the moment, poisoned by palladium and on the verge of death, they couldn't help but chuckle. Perhaps it was because Tony Stark seemed to have found a solution.
Tony Stark, watching from outside the screen, was also a bit embarrassed. He hadn't known Pepper was allergic to strawberries. He actually liked them quite a bit. Thinking about it, he realized he didn't know much about Pepper.
Or rather, as his assistant, Pepper Potts knew everything about him, while he knew almost nothing about her.
Before everyone could finish laughing, Tony Stark had already brought the model of the old Stark Expo back home.
"Jarvis, create a digital model. I need a projected image I can interact with!" Tony Stark said. Immediately, a brand new projected image appeared before him.
"1974 Stark Expo, model scan complete, sir!" Jarvis immediately finished the scanning.
Tony Stark picked up the projection of the entire digital model and asked, "How many buildings in total?"
"Including the Belgian waffle stand?" Jarvis asked.
"Uh, I was just asking. Show me!" Iron Man placed the digital model in front of him and sat down on a chair. "What does this look like?"
"A bit like an atom!"
"A bit like an atom!"
Tony Stark, both inside and outside the screen, spoke almost simultaneously, clearly, the Tony Stark outside the screen had made the same judgment as Iron Man.
They were essentially the same person, with similar ages and experiences, and they almost immediately thought of the same thing.
"The nucleus should be here!" Iron Man tapped the center of the digital model. "Highlight the large sphere!"
"Get rid of the walkways, get rid of everything!" Iron Man waved his hand, dismissing it all.
"What are you trying to achieve?" Jarvis asked.
"I want to discover, or rather, rediscover a new element!" Tony Stark said, stroking his chin.
"Remove the landscaping, the bushes, the trees, the parking lot exits, the entrances!"
"Use the gazebo as a framework, construct protons and neutrons..."
Soon, Jarvis's powerful calculating ability was demonstrated. The results appeared, and a projection of a brand-new element appeared before Tony Stark.
A brand-new element, one that had never been discovered before, was now displayed before Tony Stark.
Everyone present looked at Tony Stark, because they couldn't understand any of this. Only Tony Stark, who had seen his actions from another timeline, understood what was happening.
Tony Stark in the image stared at everything in front of him in silence, then said, "You've been dead for twenty years, and you're still lecturing me!"
The Tony Stark outside the image felt much the same. Twenty years, a full twenty years. He'd thought he had completely surpassed his father. He'd invented the Arc Reactor, something his father couldn't. He'd led Stark Industries to its peak, reaching a summit his father never had. He'd thought he'd surpassed his father, but now he realized he never had.
At most, he was just standing on his father's shoulders, able to see further.
His father was only limited by the technological level of the time. Otherwise, as Lin Feng said, he might not have been any worse.
Now, he also understood what his father meant by the key to a new era. This new element could solve humanity's energy problems, enough to start a new energy revolution and lay a solid foundation for humanity to enter the next era.
In the image, Tony Stark was laughing heartily like a child in his thirties. He clapped his hands, and a projection of the new element appeared in his palm.
"Sir, the new element you've discovered should replace the palladium you're using!" Jarvis reminded him.
"Thank you, Dad!"
Iron Man looked at the projection of the glowing new element in his hand and said sincerely.
This was probably the only time in his life he was genuinely grateful to his father.
His father, who had been dead for twenty years, had saved his life at a critical moment.
The video ended there. Everyone was still immersed in the scene. From Tony Stark's initial madness when he thought he was going to die, to finally finding the new element and saving his life, they had witnessed the whole sequence of events.
Now they finally understood what Lin Feng meant by the difference between Tony Stark and his counterpart from another timeline. What he lacked were these experiences.
A person's character and awareness are shaped by their experiences.
"Do you science types always make things so brain-twisting? I feel like a total slacker. I had my eyes wide open, not daring to miss a single step, but the moment I bent down to pick up a pen, what was on the blackboard had already gone from one plus one equals two to calculus. In that instant, I completely lost track." Hawkeye Barton complained.
"You know, this wasn't something ordinary people could understand anyway," Tony Stark said proudly. "Jarvis, use the new element for deduction. Compared to palladium, how much can the energy output increase?"
"Calculations complete, sir. This new element, compared to palladium, can instantly increase energy output by a factor of two, making it even better than palladium," Jarvis reported.
"Excellent. We'll switch to this new element later," Tony Stark decided, clapping his hands.
The attack power of his Mark Armor was largely limited by its power output.
At the same time, Tony Stark felt a pang of emotion. He imagined that the version of himself in another timeline probably felt this even more deeply. That version was truly saved by his father, who had crossed twenty years to do so.
Lacking these insights and life experiences, could he truly achieve the enlightenment Lin Feng spoke of, and, as a mere mortal, stand shoulder to shoulder with a god?
[To stand shoulder to shoulder with a god, the battle of the Avengers was truly Tony Stark's apotheosis. It was also the moment when his identity as Iron Man, the superhero, completely surpassed his identities as a super-rich man, playboy, super genius, and physicist.
Even after he stripped away the Iron Man armor, he still had so many identities, but his most dazzling identity in his life was and only ever would be Iron Man, Tony Stark.]
Tony Stark looked at Lin Feng's description of himself in the diary, he almost couldn't believe it. Was that Lin Feng's assessment?
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(End of Chapter)