It had been a full month since the press conference, and Tony had been holed up in the basement with Yinsen.
During this time, Pepper had been looking after Nero, and the two had gradually grown accustomed to each other.
Pepper didn't know much about Nero, only seeing her as a little girl who knew a bit of magic, loved to enjoy herself, and spent money freely.
Moreover, her boss, Tony Stark, had always been quite indulgent with this lifesaver, never saying anything even when Nero spent money like water.
Nero didn't always buy expensive things; she seemed to have her own independent system of values.
Like Tony, she favored a flamboyant and luxurious style. If it weren't for her overly delicate face, Pepper would almost have thought she was Tony's illegitimate daughter.
However, after getting to know her better, Pepper discovered that Nero was very knowledgeable, although the word seemed a bit out of place for a girl who looked to be under eighteen.
Nero seemed to know everything. No matter what topic Pepper discussed with her, Nero always appeared to have a deep understanding of it. Her knowledge base occasionally made Pepper wonder if she was an artificial intelligence or something similar.
But then, recalling Nero's identity as a mage, Pepper felt relieved. Mages, after all, have always been associated with wisdom and an air of mystery.
The two had just finished bathing. Nero sat lazily, letting Pepper style her hair. After a few days of instruction, Pepper was now quite adept at braiding her hair.
This made Nero sigh: "I am indeed born to be an emperor; I can't go anywhere without people to serve me."
Pepper, who was braiding her hair, felt as if she had a daughter. After returning from work during the day, the sight of Nero made her fatigue vanish.
Suddenly, Nero seemed to sense something, glancing to one side, but she didn't move, continuing to chat with Pepper.
"Nero, do you know what Tony and they are busy with? I saw him in the basement earlier, and he seemed to be researching something like a handheld laser cannon."
Pepper's tone was filled with unconcealed worry. She and Tony were now just one step away from breaking through the final barrier.
But she had clearly asked the wrong person. Nero had lived in a world where the strong could do as they pleased.
Tony's research, in her eyes, was nothing more than a slightly more elaborate special model.
"Don't worry, they're just little toys."
This did not comfort Pepper. She continued to voice her concerns: "Since returning from Afghanistan, he's changed a lot and refuses to see a doctor."
"Tony asked me to help replace the reactor in his chest before; honestly, it was quite scary."
"The company's stock has fallen 56.5%, and the board of directors has strong opinions about Tony. Although Obadiah... that is, Tony's uncle, has been mediating... but... I know it's not good to speak ill of people behind their backs, but I always feel he has a kind of indescribable... ambition?"
Pepper ended with a question, as she wasn't entirely clear on it herself, only having a vague feeling.
"Ob... Obadiah what?" It was well known that Nero's memory was selective; it was genuinely difficult for her to remember the names of mere background characters.
Pepper knew this, which was why she felt comfortable discussing this with Nero. She knew Nero wouldn't bother to remember such things.
Smiling slightly, Pepper finished braiding the hair. Even though she would undo it before sleeping, she still braided it meticulously.
She patted Nero's shoulder: "It's nothing, just some small workplace grumbles."
"Mhm." Nero didn't press the issue; she had always lacked patience for such trivial matters.
She roughly changed the subject: "Then I'm going out to play. Pepper, do you want to come along?"
"No, I still have some work to finish up." Pepper pursed her lips and smiled, knowing Nero was tired of her incessant chatter.
But after voicing the thoughts that had been weighing on her heart, she felt much lighter. She ruffled Nero's head; she had tried many methods to flatten that one stubborn cowlick, but to no avail.
"Don't play too late. Make sure to get some rest early."
Her doting words sounded like she was coaxing a child. Nero didn't feel anything was amiss; didn't everyone close to her talk to her like this?
"I know. Goodbye, Pepper." Nero waved and, without waiting for Pepper's reply, vanished from the spot.
Only Pepper was left, with an expression between tears and laughter, her hand still raised... Five minutes earlier, in the basement.
Tony was wearing an iron-colored suit of armor today, his heart surging with excitement, and Yinsen beside him was equally thrilled.
"j.a.r.v.i.s., check the weather and air traffic control, and monitor ground control."
"Sir, before actual flight, gigabytes of calculations are still required..."
The voice of the artificial intelligence, j.a.r.v.i.s., seemed to carry emotion as it reminded him. Its voice and name were based on Tony's former butler.
"Tony, we should wait for the calculations to complete..." Yinsen's words almost coincided with j.a.r.v.i.s.'s.
But his sentence was cut short by Tony: "Hey, guys, sometimes you have to run before you can walk."
It was the expected answer; few could persuade Tony Stark.
"Ready? Three, two, one!"
White flames erupted from the palms and soles of the armor, slowly lifting the heavy-looking iron contraption off the ground.
As Tony leaned forward, the armor accelerated, flying through the curved basement driveway and then soaring straight into the sky.
Tony's exclamations and cheers mingled; this was far more exhilarating than racing cars.
After a slight wobble, Tony quickly mastered the art of flying.
As he swept along the coastline past the amusement park's Ferris wheel, he clearly saw a little boy eating ice cream look up at him, so surprised that he dropped his ice cream on the ground.
After flying for a while in the thin clouds, Tony suddenly made a sharp turn and shot towards the sky.
"Alright, let's see what this guy can do. What's the highest flight record for an SR-71 reconnaissance plane?"
"The altitude record for fixed-wing flight is 85,000 feet."
"Records are meant to be broken, come on!!!" Tony was ecstatic, flying directly towards the moon.
Soon, j.a.r.v.i.s. warned: "Sir, critical icing may be occurring."
"Keep flying!"
Tony ignored it: "Higher!"
The ice on the armor's exterior grew thicker and thicker. Tony's vision went black, and he lost contact with j.a.r.v.i.s..
Tony began to fall from the sky.
"We're icing up, j.a.r.v.i.s., deploy the flaps!"
However, the screen was already black, and j.a.r.v.i.s. remained silent.
"j.a.r.v.i.s.?"
Tony started to panic: "Please, we need de-icing!"
"Mhm, can I burn it off with fire?" Grabbing one of the armor's large legs, Nero flapped her dragon wings behind her.
The next moment, j.a.r.v.i.s. reconnected, and Tony's vision returned. What he saw was Nero's cotton slippers with a little lion print.
"..."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"