Hearing this, White merely smiled.
He turned and leaned against the bar, looking at Tony.
"Repair fees?"
He shook his head, his eyes calm.
"No, Mr. Stark, you're mistaken."
"That's not repair."
He raised the wine glass in his hand, gesturing to Tony from a distance.
"That's an investment."
An investment?
This word made Tony's heart sink.
He sensed something unusual.
"What do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes, asking cautiously.
White didn't answer him directly but turned his gaze to Thor, who was still sulking.
"Thor."
He just said it softly, but it made Thor's body tremble.
"Come here."
Thor frowned deeply, his face full of resistance.
But still, he shuffled over reluctantly.
White took another glass from under the bar, poured him a whiskey, and pushed it in front of him.
"Try it," White said casually.
"A fine brew from Earth. Much more refined than the liquor brewed with brute force in Asgard."
Thor looked at the glass in front of him, then at White.
Taking a deep breath, he still picked up the glass and gulped it down like Water.
"How is it?" White asked with a smile.
"It's alright," Thor replied gruffly.
He hated this taste, and he hated this feeling.
That is, the feeling of being forced!
"Look," White spread his hands, speaking to Tony.
"This is the difference."
"My foolish younger brother only knows how to experience power directly, whether it's drinking or fighting. In his eyes, the strongest liquor is the best liquor, and the strongest power is the strongest power. He never thinks about the art contained within these things."
These words made Thor's face flush then turn White.
He knew White was calling him reckless, saying he didn't use his brain.
But he couldn't refute it.
Because, that was the truth.
But Tony was different; he heard a deeper meaning in White's words.
White was conveying some kind of message to him by evaluating Thor.
"So..." Tony followed his words, asking in a deep voice.
"Your investment is to have me teach him what art is?"
"Smart."
White snapped his fingers, a smile of approval on his face.
"It saves effort to talk to smart people."
He put down the wine glass and then walked to the center of the balcony, standing between Tony and Thor.
His gaze swept over the two of them.
One was the pinnacle of Earth's wisdom, armed to the teeth with technology.
The other was one of the representatives of Asgard's power, naturally possessing destructive divine power.
White slowly began to speak, his tone serious.
"You are two extremes."
"One is overly reliant on external objects; your power and pride come from the Iron Man suits you create. Once you take off this armor, you are just a fragile mortal."
These words struck at his soul; this was Tony's inner fear.
Fragile.
Yes, ever since he escaped from the cave, this word had become a lingering nightmare for him.
He built Iron Man suits, upgraded weapons, all to cover up this fragility.
But now, White had casually exposed him in public.
Tony frowned, lost in thought.
White ignored his expression and turned his gaze to Thor.
"And you, on the other hand, are overly superstitious about your own power."
"You think you have natural divine power, you think you can solve all problems by wielding lightning. You are reckless, impulsive, and never think about the consequences. Your power is strong, but like a child, you wield a hammer that doesn't belong to him. You hurt others and yourself. Have you ever thought about what would happen if I hadn't deterred the Frost Giants?"
Thor's head hung even lower.
White's words were scathing.
His confidence was utterly shattered.
White spread his arms as if to embrace the New York night view.
"So, I've decided to give you two an opportunity to learn from each other."
"I'm investing in you, Mr. Stark, giving you the chance to touch higher levels of power, to make you understand that the Universe is far vaster than your imagination. Your wisdom should not be limited to creating these flashy but impractical Iron Man suits."
"I'm having you teach him a lesson, Thor, to make you understand that divine power is not invulnerable. To make you learn reverence, to learn to think, to learn how to control, rather than be controlled by anger."
His gaze swept back and forth between the two, his smile growing more playful.
"You two are the whetstones I've chosen for each other."
"I'm very curious, what will happen when the limits of technology collide with the origin of divine power?"
The balcony fell silent for a moment.
Jane, Darcy, and Erik, as usual, had given up thinking.
They were just mortals; none of this concerned them.
How to put it, they felt like they had stumbled into a pyramid scheme meeting of a cult organization.
And White was the cult leader, passionately proclaiming his grand vision.
Except his downlines were different; they sounded grander.
One was the billionaire Iron Man, the other was Thor from mythology.
This was simply too absurd.
Tony and Thor, as the parties involved, were also somewhat speechless, and their minds began to ponder.
Tony stared intently at White.
He finally understood.
He finally understood White's purpose.
This guy wasn't trying to watch them fight.
He wanted to cultivate them!
No, the word 'cultivate' wasn't accurate.
'Forge' was more fitting.
He was like a high and mighty creator, not entirely satisfied with his two creations.
So, he decided to have them beat each other into the form he desired.
And his reason for doing this... was simply because he thought it would be interesting?
Or, was it to forge sharper blades to deal with other enemies?!
So, what exactly was White planning?
Given the strength of their two brothers, Asgard should be very powerful. What kind of threat could make White do these things?
Could it be that Earth was in danger?!
Tony's heart gave a sudden leap.
He remembered White saying before that he had another good-for-nothing younger brother who would soon come to Earth.
He also remembered White's dismissive tone when mentioning S.H.I.E.L.D.
This guy's vision had long surpassed Earth, and even Asgard.
What exactly was he plotting?
And what roles would he and Thor play in this plot?
Pawns?
Or cannon fodder?
Thor's thoughts were different, much simpler.
He only understood one thing.
White wanted him to learn from a mortal?
What a joke!
He, the dignified Prince of Asgard, needed to learn what from an Iron Man dwarf who couldn't even withstand one of his hammer blows?
Learn how to fight with flashy metal contraptions?
Or learn his glib tongue?
This was simply an insult to him!
"I refuse!"
Thor raised his head, an unyielding Fire of rage burning in his eyes.
This was the first time he had openly defied White's decision.
"I don't need to learn from a mortal!" he pointed at Tony and shouted.
"His petty tricks are no match for my power!"
"Oh?"
White raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.
"Is that so?"
He looked at Thor, then at Tony's tattered Iron Man suit.
"But how do I remember that just a few minutes ago, you were almost defeated by these petty tricks?"
"If it weren't for your lucky awakening of power that didn't belong to you, it would probably be you lying on the ground groaning right now."
"That was just an accident!" Thor's face turned beet red.
"I wasn't even using my full strength!"
"Really?" White's tone was flat.
"Then you can try again with your full strength now."
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand at Tony's Iron Man suit.
"Buzz!"
A golden light enveloped Tony's body.
To everyone's shock, the Iron Man suit, which was on the verge of being scrapped, actually began to repair itself!
Broken armor reconnected, shattered modules returned to their original state, and the dim arc reactor lit up again!
In just a few seconds, the tattered Iron Man suit was completely renewed.
And it was even newer and more powerful than before!
"Sir, the Iron Man suit is fully repaired, all systems are normal. Energy reserves..."
Jarvis's voice echoed in Tony's helmet.
Tony flexed his restored arm, feeling the surging energy within him, and for a moment, he was lost in thought.
Repair?
No, this was no longer repair.
This was reshaping!
This guy, what exactly was he up to... "Alright."
White clapped his hands, interrupting everyone's shock.
He looked at Thor again, a gentle smile returning to his face.
"Now he's at full power."
"And you, too, have mastered new power."
He spread his hands, his tone relaxed.
"So, how about another fight?"
....
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