Hoo—
Pepper breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing her slightly stiff face as she walked towards the lab.
Inside the lab, the Human-Machine Doll Type I was methodically assembling the Human-Machine Doll Type II. Tony Stark stood before the holographic projection device, deep in thought as he gazed at the projected Kamen Rider armor.
"Tony, the orders." Pepper handed Tony Stark a sheet of paper filled with writing.
Tony Stark took the paper, glanced at it briefly, and placed it on the edge of the projection device, continuing to stare at the floating projection. He occasionally spoke, trying to modify the Rider armor.
Pepper glanced at the projection a few times and then turned her attention elsewhere, saying, "Tony, what about my face… what should I do?"
Pepper touched her own youthful, beautiful eighteen-year-old face, feeling somewhat irritated.
To become over a dozen years younger overnight… even plastic surgery wouldn't be believable. And her job required her to meet people every day. If she were to tell everyone she was Pepper in her current state, probably not even one in ten would believe her.
Tony Stark stared intently at the projection, his tone even as he spoke. "Don't worry, I'll build two Human-Machine Dolls that look like you and me. They'll handle the work and company matters. Pepper, you'll be in charge of the group members' orders from now on."
"...Okay!" Pepper paused for a moment, then smiled softly. Now that the work issue was resolved, her worries vanished. She turned and went back to the living room to try out the products she had bought earlier.
Of the products Pepper had purchased, only a small portion were for beauty and skincare. The rest included breast enhancement, detoxification, waist slimming, and body shaping...
Watching Pepper change every minute, Ethan and the other two, who had just woken up from their afternoon nap and entered the living room, twitched their eyes.
"Do you think... Tony will recognize Pepper when he comes up later?" Bucky stroked his chin, asking curiously. If he hadn't watched Pepper change bit by bit with his own eyes, he definitely wouldn't have recognized her.
"I think he... probably won't recognize her, but... maybe he'll guess," Steve speculated, after all, there was only one woman in the villa.
"That's true," Ethan agreed with Steve's words.
The three of them chatted and then walked back to the balcony, gazing at the sea. Compared to Tony Stark, the three of them were very relaxed.
Time is like a flowing stream; it always moves forward, regardless of what you do.
The setting sun dipped behind the mountains, casting its light over the landscape. The water of the White River shimmered with a golden-red hue, and the clouds in the sky were fiery red. The layers of mountains turned into a purplish-brown streak, painted across the horizon.
After a busy day, the residents of Amegakure returned home one after another, and smoke from their cooking fires drifted into the wind and rain.
Seeing this, Mu Yang knew it was time for dinner.
To be honest, Mu Yang found himself rather bored, yet he could still find enjoyment in watching others build houses.
He pressed his left hand against his right shoulder, moving his right arm, and then turned his gaze forward to see Kayaba Akihiko, who was still in a daze.
"Ah! Amazing, still hesitating!" Mu Yang snapped his fingers, and the sound, like ripples on a lake, spread outwards. The faint sound, however, was like a deafening bell in Kayaba Akihiko's ears.
Startled awake, Kayaba Akihiko stumbled back two steps, looking left and right. Then, he fixed his gaze on Mu Yang, strode to the counter, placed his palm on the table, and leaned forward.
"Boss Mu, how can I achieve my dream?"
"I suggest you first reincarnate as a long-lived species, then slowly save money. With time, you'll eventually realize your wish."
Although Kayaba Akihiko didn't explicitly state his wish, Mu Yang still knew what he was talking about and sincerely advised.
"How long will it take?" Kayaba Akihiko pressed.
"That depends on your earning speed and the scale of the Floating Castle you want to build," Mu Yang replied.
Kayaba Akihiko fell silent, sitting in a chair and pondering how to make money. He thought about making a copy of his knowledge and selling it for starting capital, mainly how to use the starting capital.
Kayaba Akihiko browsed the shop, deep in thought.
Mu Yang didn't interrupt Kayaba Akihiko's contemplation. Instead, he went into the shop and bought a bowl of noodles. Mu Yang loved all kinds of noodle dishes, like Dumplings, wontons, noodles with soybean paste, and ramen…
Holding the bowl, Mu Yang ate slowly, savoring each bite. He didn't ask Kayaba Akihiko how a data construct could eat.
"Mr. Mu, do you offer loans here?"
Kayaba Akihiko's sudden question startled Mu Yang. His hand shook, and he almost stuffed a noodle up his nose.
"Wait, what did you just say?" Mu Yang placed the noodle bowl on the table and pointed his chopsticks at Kayaba Akihiko.
"Mr. Mu, do you offer loans here?" Kayaba Akihiko asked again, his expression unchanged.
"Young man, you've got some ideas!" Mu Yang said with a laugh, looking at Kayaba Akihiko. It was the first time someone had mentioned a loan to achieve their dreams in front of him.
"Taking out a loan to achieve your dreams... sounds incredibly messed up!"
It just makes you want to rant!
Facing Mu Yang's teasing, Kayaba Akihiko didn't change his expression at all. He maintained his unusually serious face, quietly waiting for Mu Yang's response.
Suppressing his smile, Mu Yang asked, "What do you want to do with the loan? Build the Floating Castle?"
As he said this, Mu Yang suddenly paused...
Wait, Kayaba Akihiko's actions seemed familiar, like he'd seen them somewhere before.
After thinking carefully, he suddenly understood.
Damn! Isn't this just like taking out a mortgage to buy a house?
First, use someone else's money to buy a house and move in, then slowly pay back the money to that someone else.
The wording used earlier seemed a bit strange.
"No, the Floating Castle is my dream. I want to build it bit by bit." Kayaba Akihiko shook his head. "The reason I want a loan is because I lack the initial funds."
"I'm currently a mass of data. When I leave this shop, I'll dissipate. To make money, I need to restore my physical body and also enhance my strength." Kayaba Akihiko explained seriously. "But I don't have enough starting capital to restore my body."
"Haven't you considered a robot?" Mu Yang asked.
"A robot…" Kayaba Akihiko's expression remained neutral. "Too expensive."
Kayaba Akihiko refused to be a money-guzzling warrior.
"If you borrow from me, it's nine out, thirteen back. How much do you want to borrow?" Mu Yang thought for a moment. He wasn't worried about the borrower not repaying.
"I want a physical body and to retain the strength of my data form. What's the minimum amount I need?" Kayaba Akihiko asked.
Mu Yang stared at Kayaba Akihiko, seeing through his internal structure: a mass of data enveloping a broken soul.
Extract soul information, perform human transmutation, complete the soul, and insert it into the body.
Then, according to the data, Mu Yang would grant Kayaba Akihiko skills one by one.
Several minutes later, Mu Yang looked at the naked Kayaba Akihiko and said, "Let's call it seven hundred thousand."
"Sign here!"
Mu Yang placed a Devil's Contract in front of Kayaba Akihiko.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)