"Stark Industries, how about I give you some advice? Are you ready? Are you ready?"
"Sell all your stocks—sell them all! Abandon ship and run for your lives!"
On TV, a bald, unattractive host swung a baseball bat and smashed a water cup to pieces in one blow.
At the press conference, Tony resolutely announced the closure of the weapons division, causing an uproar throughout society.
Online media were flooded with this shocking news, and Stark Industries' stock plummeted. Shareholders lost so much money they probably wanted to line up and jump off a building.
Even within Stark Industries, it caused a massive internal earthquake; Stark had long dominated the arms market, standing at the absolute pinnacle of weapons dealers.
Was an arms company going to switch to selling baby bottle nipples instead?
The entire company, from executives to ordinary workers, was dumbfounded. Morale was unstable, and chaos spread everywhere.
If you're not in the Marvel Universe, you'll never understand the weight carried by the name "Stark."
It had to be said—ordinary people could never understand the thought process of a genius.
Tony's decision left countless people tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Inside Tony Stark's private villa, Rimuru turned off the TV, his mind full of thoughts.
Knowing the plot, he knew that even after shutting down the weapons division, Stark Industries wouldn't collapse; instead, it would rise even higher.
This was arguably the best time to buy Stark Industries stock.
As long as he could become a major shareholder, his future life in the Marvel Universe would be smooth and prosperous.
But the problem was—he didn't have any money!
However, Rimuru himself was a treasure trove. Even his Recovery Potion, diluted countless times, would cause a worldwide sensation if even a little were introduced.
If managed correctly, the Recovery Potion could even be sold as cosmetics, and calling it "daylight robbery" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
But the premise of all this required revealing himself to Tony.
As a newcomer, Rimuru had no foundation in this world—not even a legal identity.
Although he didn't like being called a little girl, his current appearance as an elementary schooler was an undeniable fact.
If he tried to move independently, countless hungry wolves would pounce on him instantly.
Unless he flipped the table completely and fought everyone!
That might work in an ordinary world, but this was the Marvel Universe—a place where gods and demons rampaged freely.
The more you jumped around, the earlier you died.
Didn't you see Thanos, the head of the Universal Family Planning Office? After retirement, he was dragged out by his daughter and a group of angry superpowered folks.
He was beheaded, then turned to ash—utterly miserable.
In the Marvel Universe, without money, you couldn't play; without backing, you'd eventually die.
Those who thrived either had backing and official support, like Black Widow and Hawkeye—
Or had both power and backing, like Thor.
If you had power but no backing, life would be tragic.
Hulk was a perfect example. His strength was basically "the strongest under the stars," but since he had no backing, he was chased by his father-in-law like a stray dog.
But… should he reveal himself to Tony? Rimuru hesitated.
Tony was a staunch supporter of the Sokovia Accords and advocated for real-name registration, but Rimuru had absolutely no intention of registering anything.
He didn't even have the awareness to be a hero!
The word "hero" was too noble and carried too much pressure. One small mistake and you'd be roasted alive. It didn't suit Rimuru at all.
When you wander the Jianghu, how can you avoid getting cut? When you roam around, who doesn't have a few alternate accounts?
What does catching Lu Xun have to do with me, Zhou Shuren?
What does catching Conan have to do with me, Shinichi Kudo?
Registration? Doesn't exist!
But there was no free lunch in this world, and aside from cooperating with Tony, Rimuru didn't have a better option.
Stark, though arrogant, was fundamentally a good person.
"Great Sage, should I work with Tony?"
"Master, don't you already have the answer in your heart?"
"Great Sage, you've changed. You're not the Great Sage I knew!"
"Heh."
Rimuru was speechless. Was his own skill mocking him?
Just then, an electronic voice sounded.
"Good evening, guest. Excuse me, the villa's master, Tony Stark, is here to visit."
Jarvis's voice echoed. Although Rimuru already knew of his existence, Jarvis's intelligence still made him curious.
"Hey, Rimuru, can I come in?"
Rimuru was speechless. "You're already in. Asking that now is redundant. Also, when you call my name, please don't add 'little.' It makes me uncomfortable."
Tony, who had replaced his arc reactor, didn't care about Rimuru's complaint at all.
"For the most popular Tony Stark in the world, no one would shut me out. As for the second thing, I'll pay attention from now on, Rimuru!"
Rimuru: "…"
His personality was just as narcissistic and annoying as ever!
Tony casually sat on the sofa across from Rimuru and looked at him seriously. "Alright, it's just the two of us. Though it might be rude, may I have the honor of knowing your true identity and origins? And don't even think about lying—my Jarvis is very powerful!"
"How powerful?"
"More powerful than you can imagine!"
"If he's that powerful, then Jarvis should already know without me telling him."
"…"
[What an obnoxious little brat.]
Seeing Tony's defeated expression, Rimuru couldn't help smirking. Teasing Tony was genuinely fun.
Fighting with Iron Man was endlessly enjoyable!
Rimuru thought for a moment and asked, "Tony, can I trust you?"
Tony immediately straightened up. Although he hadn't known Rimuru long, he could clearly sense that Rimuru possessed a maturity far beyond his apparent age.
Tony: "Everyone who knows me knows I'm the best at keeping secrets!"
Rimuru didn't care. Tony was good at keeping secrets—but also terrible at it.
S.H.I.E.L.D. told him to keep his Iron Man identity secret, and he casually snitched on S.H.I.E.L.D.
(S.H.I.E.L.D.: You're the worst Avenger we've ever trained.)
But Tony could keep Spider-Man's identity secret!
It depended entirely on whether he wanted to.
But secrets were best taken to the grave. Even if Iron Man could keep a secret, he couldn't protect against the Marvel Universe's countless mind-reading cheaters!
Wanda had once infiltrated Tony's mind and tasted his anxiety!
Rimuru's purpose was simply to make Tony believe he was starting to trust him.
"Tony, actually, I'm not from this world. Strictly speaking, I'm not truly human…"
Rimuru chose his words carefully, not revealing anything about his previous life on Earth, only mentioning experiences from the Jura World.
As for his crucial trump cards like [Great Sage] and [Predator], he revealed nothing.
Even so, Tony still felt he couldn't keep up.
"Wait, you're saying you're a Slime? The gooey jelly monster from online games?"
"Exactly!"
Rimuru didn't waste words and directly transformed into his true form.
When he watched Rimuru transform from a little girl into a soft, bouncing blue ball, Stark felt his worldview crack.
"Aren't Slimes super low-level, unintelligent little monsters? Your intelligence and strength…"
"There are exceptions to everything. I'm probably the strongest Slime in history!"
Tony didn't take Rimuru's "strongest in history" line seriously. Having basically completed the Mark II concept, Tony felt his life was about to peak and he was hyped.
But Tony was extremely interested in magical creatures from other worlds. At this moment, his eyes were glowing as he stared at Rimuru.
Rimuru immediately transformed back into human form and crossed his arms defensively.
He said fiercely, "If you even think about using me as experimental material, I'll definitely kill you. Very brutally!"
This should have been a serious threat—but coming from Rimuru, it sounded cute, almost playful, with zero intimidation.
"I know, I know. Rimuru is the best—full of majesty!"
Tony raised his hands in surrender, but his tone was perfunctory, as if teasing a child.
Rimuru: "o(≧口≦)o"
What was with that expression?! Like he was coaxing a little loli!
Idiot!