As soon as Karl spoke, the expression Tony Stark gave him turned a little strange.
Something was off.
Very off.
You were a sorcerer who studied magic.
And now you were teaching him how to do scientific research?
What kind of joke was this?
"Karl, you understand modern scientific theory too?"
Tony Stark could not hold it in anymore and finally asked.
"Ahem, ahem."
"I only read a tiny bit before coming here."
Karl answered modestly.
For Tony Stark, something like God-Tier Talent might have been a little too much for his worldview to handle.
So Karl made up a harmless lie.
"Then what insights do you have on positron collision theory?"
Tony Stark asked at once, without the slightest hesitation.
"You mean Dr. Banner's research, right?"
"I only have a very shallow understanding of that field."
Karl gave a light laugh.
Then he used his hand like a pen and wrote a string of golden equations directly into the air.
Tony Stark examined them carefully.
Karl merely smiled.
That brat Tony Stark had really set him up.
With one question, he had exposed his hand.
What Tony had just asked was no simple problem.
It concerned Bruce Banner's research on positron collision theory.
How impressive was this thing in the world of physics?
Einstein was world-famous, and within physics his status was equally extraordinary.
Even after his death, he was still recorded in textbooks, and his portrait could still be found hanging on classroom walls.
Bruce Banner's research in this field was enough to put him on the same wall as Einstein, Newton, Tesla, Bohr, Feynman, Dirac, and the rest.
It placed his status in physics shoulder to shoulder with those giants who had already reached the summit.
There was no need to say how profound it was.
And this guy had opened with a question like that.
What a schemer.
Karl cast Tony Stark a subtle glance.
This kid really was not honest.
Karl himself had only taken a casual look.
But over there, Tony Stark's eyes were already wide open, and a storm had risen in his heart.
"How is this possible?!"
"You actually came up with an entirely new interpretation of Dr. Banner's positron collision theory?"
"And opinions this groundbreaking... This..."
Tony Stark turned to look at Karl, the expression on his face one of utter shock.
What did this mean?
It meant that if Karl wanted to, he could step straight onto the throne and become one of the absolute top figures in modern physics.
If he wanted, his portrait could even be printed in textbooks and hung directly in elementary school classrooms in the future.
This was an achievement that even Tony himself—
or even his father—
had never attained.
Just by looking at this theory alone, it was obvious that Karl was one of the top scientists on Earth.
Tony Stark drew in a deep breath and asked excitedly,
"Karl, where did you study before becoming a sorcerer?"
"MIT? Caltech? Don't tell me it was Princeton?"
"I grew up in Kamar-Taj."
Karl answered with a smile.
"That's impossible!"
"With theoretical ability like this, how could you possibly have just lived cut off from the world? Only someone who constantly follows the latest papers and the newest research trends could have insights like this."
Tony Stark spoke decisively.
Was this some kind of joke?
How could someone working in isolation possibly be this good?
There were barely a few scientists in the world at this level.
And among those capable of teaching a scientist of this caliber, there were only a handful in the entire world.
He absolutely had to have had some world-class mentor to reach this level.
Seeing Tony Stark's expression, Karl could only shrug helplessly.
"I really only read a few books."
"And a few papers, that's all."
"A lot of those papers might even have been written by you."
Tony Stark froze.
In that instant, it was like he had been struck by lightning.
"You're telling the truth? You're not joking?"
Tony Stark stared fixedly at Karl as he spoke.
"Of course I'm telling the truth. What would I even be hiding in this area?"
"I'm a sorcerer. How could I possibly have gone out to attend school?"
When he heard that, Tony Stark's mouth twitched, and he dropped onto the sofa in one motion.
Tony Stark muttered to himself.
He was a genius too.
So he understood that some things were indeed possible.
For example, what Karl had just said—
that really could happen.
But...
this was way too absurd!!
Tony Stark had always considered himself one of the rare geniuses in human history.
The only one who might be able to compare with him was probably Einstein.
But now—
he was wavering.
He had only read a few books, yet he had gained such deep insight into physics.
More than that, he had even mastered Dr. Banner's theory—the kind of thing worthy of going down in history—and pushed out a new interpretation of it.
Talent like this.
A sorcerer!
Was he even human?
Tony Stark could not stop himself from cursing.
What was even more infuriating was that someone this incredible still acted as though he was nothing special.
And the worst part was that he did not even specialize in physics research.
He was a sorcerer!
A sorcerer!
Tony Stark felt like crying, but no tears would come.
Compared to him, what kind of genius was Tony supposed to be?
In an instant, Tony Stark shut down completely.
When Karl saw Tony Stark's expression, he coughed awkwardly twice and became much more polite when he spoke.
"Mr. Stark, then about the cooperation between us?"
Tony Stark answered with empty eyes,
"I'll have Pepper discuss it with you later."
"Right now, I just want some peace and quiet."
Tony Stark spoke with a look of utter lifelessness.
Now Karl felt a little embarrassed.
This kid...
he was not going to be so devastated that he did something stupid, was he?
He really had not done it on purpose.
Sigh.
This damned talent.
Karl could only shake his head.
"In that case,"
"I'll take my leave first. I'll have a sorcerer come over to discuss the relevant details."
Karl nodded and turned to leave.
Tony Stark weakly nodded in return.
Right now, he truly did not want to see Karl at all.
Karl felt a little guilty as well, so he quickly left.
A short while after Karl left, Tony Stark's secretary, girlfriend, and part-time mother hen, Pepper Potts, walked in from outside.
When she saw Tony Stark lying on the sofa like a dead fish, his eyes lifeless, she found it a little strange.
"Tony? Weren't you entertaining a guest?"
"What, did your guest leave already?"
Hearing Pepper say that, the corner of Tony Stark's mouth twitched.
A guest?
How was that a guest?
That was a real titan.
"Pepper, do you think true geniuses really exist in this world?"
Tony Stark asked with a dazed expression.
"Of course they do. For example, you?"
Pepper said.
If he had heard that under normal circumstances, Tony Stark definitely would have been very happy.
But now, Tony Stark only wanted to give a bitter smile.
Him?
What kind of genius was he supposed to be?
(End of Chapter)
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