Tony looked at Shuri and T'Challa. He had already witnessed Wakanda's nanotech vibranium firsthand, but he wasn't certain whether Uru metal could also be nanofied. After all, that material wasn't just a physical metal—it carried inherent magical properties.
"Based on the data and characteristics of Uru metal you've shared," Shuri said thoughtfully, "I think it's possible. Vibranium and Uru actually share certain similarities in some aspects."
She no longer paid attention to T'Challa and returned to the worktable, continuing her research with Tony on the Iron Man armor.
Yes—Tony planned to upgrade his armor into a nanotech suit. That way, he wouldn't have to lug around a massive suitcase everywhere or rely on near-orbital armor deployment. It would drastically shorten response time. Moreover, nanotech armor had self-repair capabilities, greatly reducing concerns about damage.
That said, Tony hadn't abandoned the concept of support armor. Satellite-deployed backup suits were still essential. After all, even nanotech armor wasn't invincible—once the nanites were depleted, repairs would stop.
"Tony, do you still have any Uru metal?" Shuri asked eagerly.
"I want to examine a physical sample and run some tests."
"Yes," Tony replied after glancing at the time.
"About two hours."
"JARVIS," he said, tapping the bracelet on his wrist,
"Activate the Destroyer armor at home and have it come to me."
Unlike Wakandan beads, Tony's wristband was relatively simple—used mainly to contact JARVIS and assist with armor positioning, without many extra functions.
"That thing is seriously outdated," Shuri said bluntly, tossing him a bead bracelet identical to the one she wore.
"This can replace your communicator, locator, scanner—pretty much anything you can think of. Just throw that junky wristband away already."
Tony examined the bracelet. Typical Wakanda— even their accessories were made of vibranium. Outrageously extravagant.
He had JARVIS scan it, then transferred all his data into the bracelet. He wasn't worried about tampering—if anything were off, JARVIS would detect it. While Wakanda surpassed him in raw technology, Tony had absolute confidence in his artificial intelligence.
And indeed, despite Wakanda's astonishing technological level, their AI development lagged behind. Most systems still relied heavily on manual operation, as if AI had been largely overlooked.
After switching to the bracelet and completing the data transfer, JARVIS informed Tony that the Destroyer armor was already en route.
The Destroyer armor was Tony's secret weapon—a suit forged from a vibranium–Uru alloy. He had designed it specifically to counter Lucas. Though it hadn't been tested yet, Tony was confident it could stand toe-to-toe with him.
"Are you two done yet?" T'Challa finally spoke up.
"Isn't it my turn now? Where's my Black Panther suit?"
He had been standing there waiting for over ten minutes.
"Oh, right—your suit's over here," Shuri said casually.
She and Tony led T'Challa to the Black Panther armor.
"By the way," Shuri added, suddenly remembering,
"I've already arranged for a car to be shipped to Korea ahead of time. Who are you going with? Do you want me to send another one?"
"Korea?" Tony asked, intrigued.
"Wakanda does business with Korea now?"
He'd never heard of that. Given Korea's level of technology, it wasn't exactly something Tony—or Wakanda—would normally take seriously.
"There's news about Ulysses Klaue," T'Challa explained.
"He plans to trade vibranium there."
"Oh?" Tony's interest immediately spiked.
"Do we know who he's dealing with? I could intercept the deal midway. I happen to be short on vibranium."
T'Challa's expression darkened instantly.
"Hey, hey," Tony said, spreading his hands.
"You said Wakandan vibranium doesn't leave Wakanda. But this would be his vibranium. I'd be buying it fair and square. That doesn't violate your rules, does it?"
T'Challa looked thoroughly displeased.
"Tony, don't get involved," Shuri interjected quickly, smoothing things over.
"My brother has a personal vendetta against that man. I'll make the call—how about I give you some vibranium later instead?"
She really didn't want these two arguing. One was her brother, the other her idol. If they actually came to blows, what was she supposed to do—just watch?
"Shuri, you—" T'Challa started, but she cut him off.
They both understood the reality. While vibranium was officially forbidden from leaving Wakanda, gifting it as finished crafts was allowed. No other nation possessed the technology to re-smelt vibranium anyway, so there was little risk—it would just be a decorative item.
But Tony Stark was no ordinary man. He was a genius—one cursed by knowledge. Secondary smelting of vibranium might be impossible now, but who could say about the future?
In a sense, Shuri was quietly helping Tony.
In truth, Wakanda's isolationist policy wasn't universally supported within the council. Shuri herself opposed it, as did several tribes who favored opening up to the world. A closed Wakanda, in their view, was far inferior to one that embraced trade and shared technological progress.
However, King T'Chaka had vetoed those proposals outright. Protecting vibranium—and by extension, Wakanda—had been tradition for generations.
Ironically, Wakanda's military and technology already surpassed the rest of the world. Even the five major powers couldn't truly challenge it.
T'Chaka's thinking was simply too conservative. As a result, those who favored reform had placed their hopes on T'Challa—a king who wasn't bound by rigid tradition.
Shuri's collaboration with Tony highlighted this perfectly. While Wakanda's technology was unparalleled, its ideas lagged behind in areas such as artificial intelligence and energy innovation.
"Do as you like," T'Challa said at last, dropping the subject.
"The ones going with me this time are Okoye and Nakia."
"You sure bringing your ex-girlfriend on a mission is a good idea?" Shuri teased.
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