After he finished speaking, he leisurely pulled over a chair and sat down without any hesitation.
With his arms folded across his chest, he looked as if he wasn't asking for cooperation, but rather making a sure-win business acquisition. A brief silence fell in the reception room.
Okoye's eyes darted back and forth over Tony's body.
As the general of Wakanda's Royal Guard, her duty is to protect the king and everything in this country.
In her eyes, this man from the outside world and the shiny toys he brought with him were filled with unknown threats. Her hand subconsciously grasped the vibranium weapon at her waist.
But Shuri was a completely different picture.
From the very beginning, her curious eyes were fixed on the miniature Ark reactor emitting a faint blue light.
She didn't focus on Tony Stark the way Okoye did.
She walked to the table and picked up the technical information about clean energy. Her nimble fingers moved rapidly on a personal terminal made of Kimiyobeads.
In her eyes, there is only science.
Lines of complex data and formulas began to be absorbed and analysed by her brain at an extremely fast speed.
Time passes by every second.
Tony raised his eyebrows, knowing that this thing seemed to be no simple matter.
But he didn't urge her. He just looked at her quietly, with a confident smile on his lip
He knew that for a true genius, no matter how flowery his words were, they were not as convincing as a set of cold data. After an unknown amount of time, Shuri finally put down the information in his hand.
She looked up at Tony and nodded slightly.
This reactor is indeed novel, but for Wakanda, It is just a toy.
But this doesn't mean that she doesn't agree with it.
"I have to admit, Mr. Stark," she said slowly, her tone agreeing.
"This little gadget you brought is quite interesting. Cold nuclear fusion? Such a retro concept. But you actually made it happen, and made it so small. It's really impressive.
Although her tone still carried the criticism of a genius, she could not conceal the admiration that came from her heart.
"Interesting?" Tony raised his eyebrows, his damn arrogance emerging uncontrollably once again.
"Oh, please, Your Highness. You call this invention, which could change the world's energy landscape and even revolutionize the world, interesting? Seriously, are your adjectives as poor as that expensive-looking outfit of yours?"
"Well, great, Mr. Stark," Shuri responded without showing any weakness. She walked to the Ark reactor model and tapped it lightly with her finger.
A light blue holographic image instantly unfolded in mid-air, revealing the complex and sophisticated structure inside the reactor.
"Your great invention doesn't seem very stable." She pointed to the core position in the image, the energy core made of palladium.
"Palladium? Mr. Stark, are you kidding me? You're using a... highly toxic radioactive element as the core of this clean energy? Are you sure you're creating the future, not manufacturing..."
Her question was to the point, pointing directly to the most fatal flaw of the Ark reactor.
Okoye's eyes turned cold in an instant.
The smile on Tony's face froze for a moment.
He didn't expect that this little girl who looked only in her teens, could see through the secret of the reactor in just a few minutes.
Although this is a previous-generation reactor.
But he is Tony Stark after all.
It only took him a second to adjust his mood.
"Oh, that." He shrugged with an indifferent expression.
"It's just... well, a minor technical flaw. You know, any great invention always has some imperfections in its early stages. But don't worry, I've found the perfect solution."
He said, snapping his fingers.
"Jarvis."
The next second, another, more complex and perfect reactor model made up of completely new elements appeared on the holographic screen.
"Look at this, Your Highness," he said, his tone boasting.
"An upgraded version that is non-toxic and harmless, and has an energy output efficiency at least as higher than the previous one. How about it, is this sincerity enough?" Shuri looked at the brand-new model, his eyes flashing with an increasingly hot light
Like Columbus discovering the New World, she wanted to rush over and tear the model apart from the inside out to examine it thoroughly.
"Okay." After a long moment, she reluctantly turned her eyes away from the perfect model.
"I admit, you do have something. But..."
She changed the subject, and a sly smile returned to her face.
"You still haven't answered my original question. Why should we in Wakanda cooperate with you? We have vibranium, the most stable energy source on the planet. We have no shortage of energy, no shortage of technology. We lack nothing."
"So, Mr. Future Creator." She looked at Tony and asked word by word.
"What else can you bring to us besides these shiny toys?"
This is an issue that cannot be avoided.
The negotiations have reached a deadlock.
Tony was silent.
The girl in front of him, though young and very intelligent, began to feel the situation was difficult.
He found that his previous methods, that had always been successful, were no longer effective in this isolated place.
He took a deep breath and then slowly stood up from the chair.
He no longer spoke in the arrogant tone he had before.
He looked at Shuri with a firm gaze.
The cynicism on his face was gradually replaced by a serious and sincere expression.
"You are right, Your Highness." He spoke slowly, his voice strong.
"You lack nothing. You possess the world's most valuable resources and the most advanced technology. You are like a sleeping giant, quietly overlooking us mortals fighting for survival and profit out there."
"But you also lost something."
"You've lost your true connection to the world."
As he spoke, he walked to the huge French window.
Outside the window is the bustling steel jungle of New York.
"Take a look outside, Your Highness," he said with emotion.
"The world is changing at an unprecedented pace. New technologies, new ideas, and new threats are emerging every day."
"You can continue to choose to hide yourselves behind that dense jungle and enjoy your isolated and peaceful life. But one day, when the storm outside is strong enough to destroy your solid wall, you will find that you have long been forgotten by this world." He turned around and looked at Shuri again, his eyes becoming sincere.
"I need more than just vibranium. I need an ally. An ally who can face the future with us."
"My father, Howard Stark, once asked your father for help. He wanted to build a shield to protect his family. And now, his son, Tony Stark, is asking you for help too."
"But this time, I don't want to build a shield that can only passively defend."
"I want to work with you to build a spear that can take the initiative and protect the entire earth."
His words were powerful and echoed in the silent reception room.
That's right, Tony now has the same idea as Henry; he plans to do what he wants on his own.
Shuri listened quietly and looked at the man in front of her, who was completely different from the man in the information.
She nodded slightly and glanced at the female general beside he,r who had remained silent from beginning to end.
Okoye also looked at her, and a hint of emotion appeared on his expressionless face.
Finally, Shuri nodded slowly.
"I have to admit, Mr. Stark," she said, her confident smile returning to her face.
"You really are a good storyteller."
"But I like this story very much."
×××××××××××××××
2 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 14 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
All interested readers can read advanced chapters on:
[email protected]/Heroicverse