Osborn Estate.
When Herman saw the legendary capitalist giant Norman Osborn greeting his boss with a beaming smile like a kind elder, he was completely petrified.
What on earth was the background of his young boss?! To have the head of Oscorp treat him with such courtesy?
Sir Arbiter, you've arrived."
Knowing that Peter had not yet revealed his true identity to Herman, Norman pointedly avoided using Peter's real name. "Everything you asked me to collect is ready."
Because Norman had known for a while that Peter intended to build a phone, he had spent the past few days specially sourcing top-tier components and spare parts. Even the exterior molds had been manufactured according to the blueprints.
Motherboard, capacitive screen, speakers, vibration motor, camera...
Relying on his super-brain and memories of teardown videos he'd watched out of boredom in his past life, Peter quickly set about assembling a handset.
Before long, a phone resembling an "iPhone 5S" sat on the lab bench.
Peter personally felt that, although many generations of iPhones had been released, if one were to discuss aesthetics, the 5th and 6th generations stood head and shoulders above the rest. Thus, he planned for his first release to be based on the 5s design.
On the side, as the phone powered on, both Herman and Norman involuntarily widened their eyes. When it was just a pile of parts, it didn't seem particularly special, but once assembled, the visual impact was stunning.
The centered screen design, the "massive" screen-to-body ratio for this era, the minimalist home button... every detail exuded a sleek industrial aesthetic.
Norman instinctively pulled out his own latest-model phone for a direct comparison.
Although his phone was also marketed as a touchscreen device, it used a resistive screen that required a stylus and forceful pressure to operate.
The screen brightness was low, and the colors were murky. To ensure a "user-friendly" experience, the phone still utilized a slide-out design with physical buttons underneath, making the whole thing look exceptionally bulky.
In contrast, the "smart" phone Peter had hand-crafted was only about one-third the thickness of its competitor.
It felt incredibly light in the hand, the display quality was superb, and the responsiveness of the touch interface utterly decimated the $1,000+ flagship phone he had just bought!
"This is practically... a work of art!" the "country bumpkin" Herman couldn't help but exclaim.
While Norman didn't necessarily associate phones with fine art, he couldn't help but give a high evaluation: "This phone is three to five years ahead of the industry in appearance alone.
Add in the battery and fast-charging tech... Lord Arbiter, this creation of yours will absolutely unify the entire mobile industry!"
Once he was certain Peter's project was highly viable, Norman didn't hesitate. He immediately began discussing investment amounts and shareholding structures with Peter.
The outcome was simple. Norman, in Harry's name, would invest $50 million to establish the company. Following Marvel naming conventions, the company was christened "Parker Tech."
The brand and model name for the phone would be the "Unicorn Gen 1," with a logo featuring the Horse Talisman pattern but with an added horn.
Originally, Peter wanted to call it "White Horse Gen 1" to commemorate the Horse Talisman that started it all, but Norman felt the name wasn't catchy enough.
Given the miraculous nature of Peter's healing magic, Norman suggested the "Unicorn"—a magical creature more familiar to the Western consciousness.
The share distribution was also very clear:
Peter, as Chief Designer and Owner, held a 55% stake.
Harry Osborn, as the investor, held 40%.
Herman Schultz, as the Head of Technology, was allocated 5%.
Future financing or IPOs would involve proportional dilution to ensure Peter always maintained a controlling interest.
When Herman heard this arrangement, he was so moved he nearly knelt before Peter on the spot.
He had thought Peter would be generous enough to give him a small bonus after the phones sold; he never expected to receive 5% of the original shares!
This was a "rising star" with a future market value of at least hundreds of billions. Even 5% would ensure a lifetime of luxury.
Reflecting on the struggles of his past life compared to the respect and status Peter gave him now, an impulse of "a scholar dies for the one who recognizes his worth" surged in Herman's heart.
He beat his chest, vowing not to fail Peter's expectations and promising to work overtime to complete mass production and subsequent technical innovations.
After handling the company registration with Harry, Peter didn't need to worry about the logistics. Even without using Oscorp's channels, Norman could leverage his own reputation and resources to integrate a world-class supply chain.
Herman, meanwhile, became a perpetual motion machine. He led the newly recruited technical team, working day and night to optimize every detail of the "Unicorn Gen 1" and its operating system.
Time passed in the midst of these intense preparations. A month slipped away quietly.
During this past month, the "Arbiter" did not make any public appearances. Correspondingly, Ghost-Spider's reputation reached unprecedented heights as she fought crime and saved citizens time and again.
Although the current Gwen had not yet experienced the "Canon Event" of losing a loved one, Peter felt she was already a qualified street-level hero.
Thanks to her efforts, the tone of most print media reports had shifted in her favor. Only the Daily Bugle remained persistent as Ghost-Spider's number one hater.
Unfortunately for them, without Peter's help in taking photos, they couldn't get exclusive shots, leaving them with far less credibility than in other parallel worlds.
As for S.H.I.E.L.D., they hadn't contacted Peter since the Captain's revival. It wasn't that the Nick fury didn't want to find him; he was simply terrified that Peter's appetite would grow with every "cooperation."
If he dared to ask for the Captain's suit today, he might ask for Black Widow's tomorrow... and the day after that? Fury didn't even want to imagine.
Consequently, Fury would rather work the Captain to the bone than disturb Peter at a non-critical moment.
Peter was perfectly happy with the peace and quiet, simply counting the days until a specific moment arrived.
Finally, as the clock struck midnight, a long-awaited system notification rang in Peter's ear:
[Countdown Reaches Zero]
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