Inside the house, which was a hundred feet square, elegant wall lamps were embedded in pale yellow wooden walls, emitting a milky white light.
In the center of the room was a light yellow shelf, inside of which were decorations such as incense burners, inkstones, and jade pendants. Looking through the shelf, one could see a wall on which several ink paintings were hung, and potted evergreen trees that were lush and green.
To the left was a screen with paintings of mountains, rivers, birds, beasts, flowers, and trees. Behind it were a rattan tea table and rattan chairs with tea sets, two tables and four chairs.
To the right was a very common straight bar, made of elegant dark hardwood. At the far left was the entrance and exit, and the display cabinet was filled with many bottles and jars.
Inside the bar, Mu Yang, sitting in a recliner, waved his hand, and two cups of tea with a calming effect appeared in front of Ethan and Tony Stark.
Trick Tea, which could produce tea with different effects according to one's needs.
"Welcome to the Dimensional Store. Here, as long as you have enough money, you can buy anything."
"Whoa~~"
Having taken a sip of the calming tea, Tony Stark shook off the panic of his freefall, his spirit restored. His natural inclination to be a smart-ass resurfaced the moment he heard Mu Yang's arrogant words, and he almost opened his mouth to retort. However, he remembered that just a second ago he had been bungee jumping, and now he was in this unassuming room.
This incredible ability made him wary. He also realized that he was speaking to his savior, so Tony Stark swallowed his urge to pick a fight, and instead, chose a more diplomatic approach.
"You claim you can sell anything here. That's just talk, with no proof to back it up. I don't quite believe it."
"Tony!" Ethan, who already knew of Mu Yang's abilities, was immediately alarmed by Tony's words, and turned to say something.
Mu Yang, hearing this, raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement.
"Well, you have a point. It's hard to believe without proof, so…"
With a wave of his left hand, the thing on Tony Stark's chest and the shrapnel near his heart seemed to be guided, flying towards Mu Yang as if returning home, circling around Mu Yang's raised left hand.
At the same time, Tony Stark, with the shrapnel and chest gadget forcibly removed from his body, immediately vomited a mouthful of blood towards Mu Yang, his chest gushing blood like a fountain, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Mu Yang waved his left hand again. The blood that had spurted from Tony Stark's mouth and chest immediately hung suspended in the air. Then, with another wave of his hand, a test tube in the display case shook, and a mass of transparent liquid flew out, entering Tony Stark's mouth. With another wave, the suspended blood flew back.
Tony Stark, who had been struggling to breathe and felt extremely uncomfortable, covered in blood, immediately felt a surge of warmth coursing through his body. The wound on his chest began to regenerate at a visible rate.
"To—ny?!"
Ethan, stunned by the overwhelming shock, hadn't been able to exclaim immediately. After recovering, he finally let out his delayed cry, and then he saw Tony's white, tender chest; the second half of his exclamation was noticeably off-key.
After a few seconds, Ethan perhaps trying to collect himself, asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Tony Stark touched his chest; it was sticky. It was the blood he had just lost, soft and warm, genuine flesh and blood, not cold, hard metal.
"I feel great, absolutely great, better than ever!"
"Oh? Oh! That's good." Ethan said.
After they finished talking, Mu Yang's question reached Tony Stark's ears: "...Do you believe it now?"
Tony, who had been excitedly patting his chest, immediately stiffened at Mu Yang's words. His excitement vanished. Remembering the near-death experience he'd just had, he glanced at the expressionless Mu Yang.
An inexplicable intuition arose in his heart: if he said "no," he would undoubtedly suffer a miserable fate.
As a scientist, Tony Stark insisted on relying on facts. How could he believe a baseless intuition? He was just following his inner guidance, and besides, he already believed it a little bit.
"I... believe!" Tony's gaze was resolute.
Mu Yang withdrew his gaze, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He thought he could have some fun, but he didn't expect Tony Stark to cave so quickly.
What a pity.
With no one to play with, Mu Yang entered business mode. "So, customer, do you wish to continue your purchase? Or would you like to check out?"
Tony Stark asked, "How do I pay? US dollars?"
"Yes..." Ethan took the initiative to explain, providing Tony Stark with a detailed and thorough explanation.
"If I pay with the weapons currently stored in the warehouse, can you take them?" Stark asked.
"Yes, as long as those things belong to you," Mu Yang replied affirmatively. "So, are you going to pay with those weapons stored in the warehouse?"
"No, wait, I'll buy some other things," Tony Stark rubbed his stubble and began to browse the store.
Seeing the descriptions of those very high-end treasures in the store, Tony's eyes flashed with interest. Then he looked at the prices, and only one thought came to his mind.
I, Tony Stark, actually have a day where I'm stumped by money.
Wow, life is full of surprises.
Tony's lips curled into a smile, and he stopped browsing. He went into the technology category.
A few minutes later…
"Hmm, Kamen Rider 01? Interesting."
The moment he saw the flashy Kamen Rider, with its showy transformation effects, showy finishing moves, and undeniably powerful attributes, it struck a chord with Tony Stark.
Such a cool suit of armor, who else could use it besides me?
Kamen Rider 01, I'm getting you!
The flamboyant Stark expressed his love for it.
Without a word, Tony Stark added the Shooting Driver and the Rushing Cheetah Progrise Key to his cart.
Compared to other transformation forms, the gleaming cheetah suited Stark's aesthetic better.
"Mu Yang, check out."
"Alright, sir. How would you like to pay?" Mu Yang asked, switching into business mode.
Hearing this, Tony Stark grinned, pointing to his head. "With the knowledge in my brain. I'd like to know how valuable it is."
"Certainly."
A flash of white light flew from Stark's brow and into Mu Yang's hand. Then, a black light flew from Mu Yang's hand and into Stark's, transforming into a black card.
On the surface of the black card, gold patterns formed a string of numbers – Stark's deposit.
"Whew, as expected of me." Tony Stark whistled proudly as he looked at the numbers. The string of numbers was a validation of his worth.
"Let's go, Ethan." With his mood lifted, Tony Stark and Ethan walked out of the store.
Watching the two figures disappear, Mu Yang smiled. "Kamen Rider Tony Stark, Iron Man Ethan, that's interesting."
Back in the desert, Ethan scratched his head. "Tony, it seems we forgot to buy water and food."
"Why didn't you say something sooner?"
(End of Chapter)