For some reason, Black Panther T'Challa succeeded to the throne in Wakanda ahead of time. No matter what the reason was, the previous Black Panther had passed away ahead of time. After the email was played, the laboratory fell into silence.
Tony listened quietly; his face was calm at the moment, so calm that it was a little abnormal.
He did not feel complacent about the other party's compromise, nor did he get angry because of the provocation in the other party's words.
He looked quietly at the letter from the distant African continent on the screen.
"Princess?"
After a long time, he spoke slowly, his tone still arrogant.
"Jarvis, are you sure you read it right? They sent a princess to discuss business with me? Do they think that Tony Stark is a Playboy who only cares about women?"
Tony also saw the genius sister's speech. Maybe that woman was a genius, but he thought it was too ridiculous. Sending a princess to negotiate with him?
"Sir, the content of the email is accurate," Jarvis replied meticulously.
"Also, based on their analysis, this Princess Shuri might not be the pretty face you imagine... well, someone who only attends court balls. She probably holds the dual titles of scientist and technological genius in Wakanda, and perhaps the actual controller of all of Wakanda's cutting-edge technology. In a sense, sir, she's Wakanda's Tony Stark."
"Oh? Really?"
Tony raised an eyebrow when he heard this. He already knew what was going on, but Jarvis' words made him feel better, and a hint of interest finally appeared on his face.
"A female version of me? That's quite interesting. I want to see how capable this so-called genius princess is." As he spoke, he stood up from the sofa and stretched, and his bones made a series of crisp crackling sounds.
After a whole night of hard work, he felt that his genius brain was almost drained by those nanoparticle models. He walked to the console, and before turning off the holographic screen, he seemed to suddenly remember something.
"By the way, Jarvis," he asked.
"That bastard Henry promised to build a new home for Dr. Banner and his team. How's the situation with the land I asked you to see?"
"Sir, the land in upstate New York was acquired last week," Jarvis responded immediately.
"According to your proposal, initial infrastructure construction has already begun, and the main structure is expected to be completed within two months."
"Very good." Tony nodded with satisfaction.
Although he always complained about Henry picking up pets and bringing them home without permission, he never acted negligently.
This is the awkward tenderness of his brother.
"Well, since the other party has already extended an invitation, we can't be too rude." He walked towards the door while giving new instructions.
"Jarvis, help me prepare. Polish our latest Mark Armor suitcase for me, and by the way, drive the limited-edition Bugatti Veyron that I have never driven out of the garage for me. Since we are going to meet the princess, the ceremony cannot be too shabby."
"Also," he paused and continued with confidence.
"Please pack up all the non-core technical data about the previous generation of Ark reactors. I want to let that genius princess know what the true future is."
After he finished speaking, he strode out of the laboratory.
He was going to take a shower, change his clothes, and then face this meeting full of unknowns and challenges in the best possible posture.
The next day, New York, Manhattan.
Wakanda International Expansion Centre, a futuristic building.
Top floor, reception room.
A black girl wearing a purple royal robe and dreadlocks, who looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, was sitting in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window, swinging her legs boredly.
She is Shuri, the princess of Wakanda.
At this moment, she was holding a translucent tablet, watching all the public information and gossip about Iron Man Tony Stark with great interest.
"Okoye, tsk tsk, look at this guy. As she looked, she complained to the bald woman next to her, who was wearing a red Royal Guard uniform and had a serious expression.
"My personal life is a mess. I change girlfriends faster than I change lab coats. And, this aesthetic, gold and red? Come on, what era is this? Still using such tacky colours? It's like a nouveau riche who just won the lottery."
"Your Highness." Upon hearing this, the bald female general simply reminded her expressionlessly.
" It is this upstart you are about to meet."
"I'm just doing some necessary background research. Only by understanding your opponent can you defeat him."
"I know, I know." Shuri waved her hand.
At this moment, the door of the reception room slid open silently to both sides.
A Wakandan diplomat in a smart suit walked in respectfully.
"Your Highness, General Okoye." He bowed.
"Mr. Tony Stark, here we are."
"Oh? So punctual?" Shuri raised her eyebrows, a smile of anticipation appearing on her face.
"Let him in. I want to see what kind of man this Iron Man is."
A few minutes later, Tony, wearing a tailored suit and sunglasses, walked in with a group of security guards. He took off his sunglasses as soon as he entered the door, and then quickly scanned the entire reception room with a scrutinizing look.
When his eyes fell on the black girl who was sitting by the window and looking at him curiously, he was stunned.
"Let me guess:"
He spoke, his voice still holding the arrogant tone.
"You must be the legendary genius princess, Miss Shuri? I have to say, you are much younger than I thought. Seriously, is there no one left in Wakanda? You actually sent a little girl who is not even of legal drinking age to talk to me about business regarding the future of the world?" His words were full of undisguised arrogance and provocation.
Shuri was not angry when she heard this, but laughed instead.
She jumped down from the windowsill and walked over to Tony, looking him up and down as he did.
"Isn't it the same for you, Mr. Stark?" she said, her voice carrying a confidence and sharpness that was inconsistent with her age.
"You also look... a little shorter than you do on the covers of those financial magazines. And that shiny little thing on your chest in the news looks like a cheap LED. Seriou sly, is your aesthetic at Stark Industries still stuck in the 1980s?"
Tony: He felt as if his brain was choked by something.
He discovered that the seemingly harmless little girl in front of him had a mouth that was even more poisonous than his!
He is now over 185cm tall. Is this still considered short?
So what is high?
"Okay." He curled his lips and forced himself to save a little dignity.
"It seems we're both much more interesting than the other person thought."
"Well, that's interesting, Mr. Stark." The smile on Shuri's face gradually disappeared.
The atmosphere began to become serious.
"Can we get down to business? My time is valuable."
"Certainly."
Tony also put away his cynical expression, walked to the table in the middle of the reception room, and placed a silver suitcase on it. With a snap, the suitcase opened.
A miniature model of the Ark reactor, emitting a soft blue light, and a thick stack of technical data appeared before Shuri and Okoye.
"This is my sincerity," Tony said in a calm and confident tone.
"An energy technology that could change the world. It can allow your country to have a never-ending supply of clean energy without relying on vibranium."
"And what I need is very simple."
He looked at Shuri with a firm gaze.
"Vibranium."
"I need you to open up the purchasing rights for vibranium to me."
×××××××××××××××
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
p-atreon.com/Heroicverse