Tony chuckled at her words.
The usual confident, arrogant smile on his face now looked genuinely sincere.
He knew he had made the right bet.
He walked back to the table and sat down across from Shuri, as if he were the one in charge here.
"See?"
He spread his hands, winking at her, his tone slipping back into its usual arrogance.
"I told you, dealing with a smart person is efficient and straightforward. Unlike my brother, who only knows how to solve problems with his fists. If he were here, I bet he'd just demolish this building, haul the vibranium back home, and maybe charge you guys a 'mental distress' fee on top of that."
Shuri couldn't help but laugh at his words. She found herself starting to respect this audacious "future creator."
"Really, Mr. Stark?" she shot back, equally defiant.
"My brother's the same way. If he knew I was negotiating with a former arms dealer, I'm pretty sure he'd strap on his Black Panther suit and tear your tin cans to shreds."
"Hey! I need to correct you there, Princess," Tony immediately protested.
"First, I've washed my hands of the arms business. I'm now a billionaire devoted to world peace—and moonlighting as a superhero. Second, those aren't tin cans—they're walking works of art. And lastly, the most important thing…"
He paused, his tone brimming with showmanship.
"I don't know what your brother's suit can do, but from what you're saying, a black cat outfit alone doesn't exactly make him fly."
Shuri: …
She realized that arguing with this man was mentally exhausting.
"Fine."
She gave up on the pointless squabble.
"Since we've reached a preliminary agreement, Mr. Stark, can we discuss the specifics of our collaboration?"
"Of course."
Tony snapped his fingers. A bodyguard immediately handed him a tablet.
"This is Stark Industries' initial proposal for sharing Arc Reactor energy technology and acquiring vibranium resources." He pushed the tablet toward Shuri.
"You can take a look. Of course, if you find any clauses unreasonable, we can have a 'friendly' discussion about them."
For the next several hours, the conference room became a battlefield of wits.
Tony and Shuri—two of the brightest scientific minds on Earth—went back and forth over every detail of their collaboration.
At times, they were like merchants haggling over fractions of a percentage, red-faced and passionate.
At other times, they were like two chessmasters, deeply immersed in solving complex technical problems together.
Nearby, Okoye watched, utterly speechless. She felt her heart struggling to keep up. She realized she couldn't understand half of what they were saying.
By evening, the sunset bathed Manhattan in golden light.
Tony whistled, striding out of the Wakanda International Outreach Center with a spring in his step.
His face was the picture of smug satisfaction.
After a grueling five-hour negotiation, he had successfully reached an agreement that satisfied both him and Wakanda.
He secured stable vibranium purchasing rights and had successfully introduced Stark Industries' clean energy technology to the mysterious African kingdom.
Most importantly, he had even managed to get a license for some kind of "Kimoyo bead" technology from the princess herself.
Though he didn't fully understand what it was yet, it was still a victory, wasn't it?
"I have to say, J.A.R.V.I.S.," he said, sliding into the Bugatti and starting the engine, "I am a genius at business negotiations. Did you see that? That little princess nearly handed over her country to me by the end."
"Sir, according to my records, during this negotiation, you actually conceded five percent of your core interests, and additionally offered a patent on artificial intelligence technology," J.A.R.V.I.S. pointed out, cutting through Tony's exaggeration.
Tony's smile stiffened.
"Hey! What do you know, you old Ai!" he retorted, trying to save face.
"That wasn't a concession—it was a strategic compromise! A necessary sacrifice to build a long-term stable partnership! It's the art of business! Understand?!"
"Understood, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied, his tone calm and unflustered.
Tony felt like he'd punched cotton. He pouted, then changed the subject.
"Forget it, I'm not arguing with a guy who has no business sense. Where's Henry? Still floating up there? That sunbathing of his finished yet?"
"Yes, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
"According to real-time satellite monitoring, Mr. Henry is still in low Earth orbit. Vital signs stable, cellular energy reserves even higher than before."
"Is that so?" Tony's mouth curled into a smug grin.
"Well, that's impressive. Looks like he's about to glow from all that energy. Maybe I can tie him to the top of Stark Tower and make the world's biggest billboard out of him."
He quipped to J.A.R.V.I.S. as he weaved through the evening traffic in Los Angeles.
Back at the Malibu mansion, he didn't head straight for the liquor cabinet.
Instead, he went straight into the underground lab.
The lab was empty and quiet, almost lonely.
Tony stared at the holographic screen showing Henry floating in space, and for some reason, the giddy pride from his successful negotiation melted into calm.
He knew why he had fought so hard to negotiate with Wakanda and develop world-changing technology.
It wasn't just to prove he was stronger than Henry.
It was because…
He wanted to protect him.
He wanted to stand alongside the guy who always took on all the crap alone.
He wanted him to know that his older brother wasn't just some useless guy who trailed behind, enjoying the peace Henry had brought.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.," he said suddenly, his voice hoarse.
"Yes, sir."
"Optimize the base plan again."
"Upgrade security to the highest level. Replace all facilities with the best equipment. I don't want Henry coming back to see Banner and the others living in quarters worse than our guest rooms."
"Understood, sir."
"And…"
Tony paused, then slowly walked over to the nanotech suit model.
"Get ready. I want to double the development speed on all suits."
"I can't wait any longer."