Chapter 1073 Father and Son (Part Two) (Patreon)

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"I know that during this time, you've wanted to explain to me and Maria what your current life is all about. You want to tell us what you've been up to, to let us know how much your life has changed..."

"Perhaps you haven't realized it yourself, but it's brought you a lot of pressure. You want to prove to us that you've done a lot, done well, but you don't want to admit that we've been left behind by this era long ago."

"Tony, you're always like this. Every time you want to speak frankly but also want to be tactful, you end up looking very anxious, and you wear that emotion on your face. Maria and I have seen it countless times."

"No, you haven't..." Stark instinctively denied, but Howard's amused voice came from the communication device.

"Haven't what? Haven't seen your awkwardness? Or haven't been left behind by the times? Tony, don't deceive yourself."

"Maria and I have already fulfilled our mission in the previous era. Even though the ending seemed rushed and caused you harm, we're happy to see you have the life you do now."

"You don't need to change your current path because of our unexpected return, and we don't want you to."

"So, we think the best way is for us to disappear from your life again. That way, you can continue along this wonderful path."

"No... no..." Stark kept denying.

"No Stark can live on others' sympathy." Howard's tone lowered. "...That's how it is for all of us."

"Sadly, looking back, what you've seen in my career isn't the same pride you have. I've always retreated like a coward."

"No... that's not true..." Stark's hand against the wall tightened slowly. Tears began to well up more than ever in his always moist eyes.

"In the previous era, I didn't perform well, leaving you with few great deeds to remember. But every Stark has their own pride. I don't want my career to end here, with a final judgment."

"You have the ability to make great strides in this era, but I don't want to retire and become a hermit, just because I have a second chance. I hope I can seize it..."

At this moment, Maria's gentle voice also sounded from the communication device: "I'm sorry, little Tony. We have to part on such a warm Christmas."

"Your father and I will always be proud of you. I hope one day you can speak of us with pride. We are planning to work towards that..."

From the other end of the communication device, Stark heard shouts from strangers, seemingly urging Howard and Maria to the cabin. He rushed to the device, almost frantic, wanting to say something, but Howard's voice came through:

"We're about to board. Another great adventure is about to begin on this Christmas... Merry Christmas, Tony."

After the call ended, there was only the busy signal. Stark leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down to sit on the ground.

He tilted his head to the side, closed his eyes in pain, then soon a self-deprecating smile appeared, murmuring to himself, "I'm just like a little baby, crying and throwing tantrums, not wanting my parents to go to work... but they still left, just like before, just like now..."

"Tony Stark, when will you ever grow up?"

After sitting against the wall for a while, Stark seemed to make some kind of decision. He reached out a hand, and a hovering controller flew out from the nearby console, coming to rest in front of him.

Stark pressed a button, and the overhead of the square display case began to gather light around the body inside.

Placing his hand on the controller, Stark closed his eyes tightly. With the increasing buzz of electricity, a click, and the lights in the entire room went out.

But the eyes of the robotic body slowly lit up, like the first star in the night sky.

After a pleasant chime, JARVIS's voice sounded: "Good evening, sir. Welcome back."

"Good evening, JARVIS. Welcome back to you too."

Stark took a deep breath, trying to contain his emotions, and asked as rationally as possible, "How does the new body feel? Can you hear me talking through your ears?"

"Yes, sir. It feels amazing," JARVIS's voice still had a mechanical flatness, but now it wasn't a machine producing the sound, but rather coming from his throat.

"So, this is what it's like for humans normally, seeming somewhat primitive and backward, right?" Stark chuckled against the wall, saying, "That's why I always have some hearing loss after staying up late. Human organs are far less reliable than machine sensors..."

"No, I feel fine." JARVIS moved a finger in the display room and said, "It's marvelous. I haven't issued any commands, but it's responding to my thoughts. I've lost a lot of data, but it feels like I'm constantly receiving excess information..."

"That's how humans are. We see, hear, and remember too much useless information every day, so forgetting is a necessary function. If you find yourself forgetting something, it means you're becoming more like us."

JARVIS looked down, realizing his body was still evolving. The exposed mechanical parts gradually healed, making him resemble a being composed of liquid mercury. All the interface lines and parts were disappearing.

"Sir, I don't recall you having this kind of technology to forge a body composed of machinery yet possessing a perfect human structure," JARVIS observed the changes in his body, speaking as he did.

"I indeed don't have this kind of technology," Stark stared at JARVIS's body and JARVIS looked back at him. Stark slowly turned his head away and said in a quiet voice that was barely audible in the still room, "So I turned to... magic."

"Existing scientific technology can't truly imbue a digital life with a Soul, nor can it give you a perfect body," Stark said as he opened the transparent cover on the controller, then took out a red gem from inside.

"This is a Reality Stone from Asgard, capable of turning my thoughts into reality," Stark brought the gem in front of his eyes and said, "I hope you can have a perfect body between carbon-based and silicon-based life forms. The gem is powerful, but on its own, it can't achieve this."

"I made a deal with Strange to act as an intermediary and borrowed this gem from Asgard, while also gaining some technology."

"Asgardian starships have the ability to directly convert the power of the Source of Space, which is the source of their divine power, into propulsion. This ability comes from their starship engines, and I obtained this powerful technology from Loki."

"What about the price?" JARVIS keenly noticed the key point.

"There's no price," Stark shook his head. "Anyway, I intended to do this. Asgard is Earth's protector; they shouldn't fall in Ragnarok."

JARVIS's eye contact paused for a moment, then he closed his eyes like a true human, revealing a very human-like expression of pain on his still incomplete features. He said, "You promised to help them during their Ragnarok?"

Stark nodded, saying, "Besides that, there won't be any other price, to acquire such important technology."

JARVIS fell silent until a perfectly matte silver body was constructed.

He had an appearance almost identical to a human, down to every pore and strand of hair, indistinguishable from a human.

The differences were that beneath his eyes, there were two silver lines that extended to his jawbone, and there were two sets of mechanical interface-like patterns on his neck, which now resembled tattoos.

In addition, his exposed bones, such as his nails, still retained a metallic texture, and his eyes were as red as the Reality Stone. Stark looked at JARVIS with silver hair and red irises and said with a smile:

"You now resemble a vampire from fantasy novels. If Peter saw you now, he'd definitely exclaim how cool you look. He might even try to dye his hair silver..."

Through the reflection in the cubic display room, JARVIS saw his own face. He didn't look like anyone, more like the perfect human appearance imagined by humans. His eyes were deep, his nose high, his muscles smooth, without an ounce of excess fat, like a character created in a game.

JARVIS lightly touched his face. He found that he had body temperature, which seemed to startle him, making him quickly retract his hand.

Stark, however, stood up from the ground and clapped his hands, speaking in a cheerful tone, "Alright, your clothes are on the nearby stand. Once you put them on, you can leave. I have to get to work."

The glass door of the display case opened, but JARVIS still stood there blankly. He looked at Stark and asked, "Leave? Where do I go?"

"Wherever you want," Stark walked towards the laboratory, saying, "Anywhere... You're free."

"But I..." JARVIS was about to speak when Stark turned around and stared at him, saying with some anger, "Leave! Don't let me see you here. You're not needed here anymore!"

"Sir, you seem to be feeling sadness rather than expressing anger," JARVIS walked to the nearby stand, picked up his clothes, put them on, then stood by the door, saying, "You always like to be tactful when there's intense emotion, and express anger when you're sad. Dr. Schiller says it's a disorder."

"If that's what he says, go talk to him!" Stark turned back again, waved his hand, and walked back to the lab table, facing away from JARVIS, saying, "Stop lingering here. You should find a job, find a girlfriend, or go to parties, do anything, but it's better than standing foolishly here."

"If you wish it so..." JARVIS stood for a moment, leaving behind these words, then turned and left.

When the moonlight shone into the laboratory, Stark, sitting against the lab table, turned his head and saw another himself.

He looked closely and realized it wasn't himself but Howard from many years ago.

Stark saw Howard, drunk, tossing aside a bottle, saying to the young Tony Stark standing at the door, "Leave here, Tony, go find a girlfriend, or go to parties. Anything is better than standing foolishly here."

Thus, this prematurely fledged eagle, saddened by its own heartlessness in kicking the fledgling out of the nest, sat here, clutching a bottle made of air, pouring the sorrowful rain of the high sky into his mouth, yet never uttering a sound, regretful but stubborn, just like the previous eagle.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1074: Father and Son (Part Three)