Selling the battle armor Tony designed to ordinary people was probably the craziest decision Shen He had made since coming to this world.
However, the Marvel world was crazy enough as it was.
Tony alone possessed technology far exceeding this world, even surpassing many alien civilizations. Coupled with Shen He's various resources, Chaldea already had the best conditions for farming.
While enjoying his own life, if he could really develop a number one civilization in the universe, his trip through time wouldn't be in vain.
In the subsequent product launch, Virtual Reality Company detailed the sales and usage terms of this "War Machine."
Even with a strict online control system, not just anyone could use it freely. It was normally in a weapon-locked state and could be used at home or even for work. Only when the system determined that it was permissible to use the weapon for self-defense could offensive actions be taken.
In addition, multiple simplified modes could be used without anyone controlling it.
Including medical mode, chef mode, repairman mode...
The civilian version was essentially a versatile robot.
With Tony's technology, coupled with the self-evolving Jarvis, achieving this wasn't difficult. However, as a weapons designer, Tony had never seriously delved into the commercial demands of the civilian sector.
By the end of the launch event, it had turned into a celebratory feast for all of humanity.
Even those who thought themselves far from danger desired a product that combined "super strong clone," "robot butler," and "virtual reality games" into one ultra-modern package.
Then came the pricing.
"We don't intend to bundle these two devices for sale," Shen He took the microphone. "Today's launch event can actually be seen as two products. The Virtual Reality Company's third-generation immersive virtual sleep pod, priced at thirty-eight thousand US dollars, is for priority sale. As for Tony's 'War Machine,' only those who have completed simulated training within the virtual world will qualify to purchase it."
With Jarvis, even designing games became simple.
The tedious programming work was instantaneous for Jarvis. In terms of creative design, as an ultra-modern virtual reality experience, even the most old-fashioned idea could be incredibly appealing.
However, so far, the only game available in virtual reality is training with "War Machine," which includes strict assessments and war simulations. The simulated enemies are the Aliens located in New York.
As Shen He said, only those who pass the assessment will qualify to purchase the game.
"I plan to cooperate with Stark Industries to establish The Guardians Company," Shen He announced another bombshell towards the end of the press conference. "Steve will serve as the head of The Guardians Company. The existing guardian industries will gradually be transferred over. At that time, we will offer high salaries to those who perform outstandingly in the 'War Machine' assessment."
Perhaps because there were too many shocking announcements today, most people were already numb.
But for those who once admired the guardians and had even dressed up in spandex suits to imitate them on the streets, this was the most exciting news of the day.
Because with this 'War Machine,' they too have a chance to become real guardians.
And in the eyes of a few smart people.
This so-called "The Guardians Company" would become Chaldea's peripheral armed forces, further expanding their influence globally.
Without a doubt, the World Security Council had reached the moment of decision.
Because all of Chaldea's previous actions were now linked together after today's product launch, completely solidifying their new position in this world in a way that no one had anticipated.
As the old rulers, faced with this force displaying a giant's posture, would they "accept" or "resist"?
This, in fact, was not decided by the will of the World Security Council.
The rulers of the Marvel world didn't represent the rulers themselves, but rather numerous interest groups.
Chaldea already held enough interests, enough force, enough bargaining chips.
What remained would be a long process of probing, negotiation, and calculation.
Shen He increasingly hoped that Lelouch could finish his business quickly and come over to help. After all, in the subsequent easing, Chaldea couldn't continue hiding behind Coulson and the others without showing their face.
Two days after the press conference.
Tony received General Ross from the military at the Virtual Reality Company to discuss the military's order for the War Machine.
Ross had had a very unpleasant encounter with Tony in the past, but at this level, neither was petty. The Aliens in front of him were like a mountain pressing down on him, and he desperately needed these weapons.
However, he didn't come alone; he also brought many other arms dealers.
Among them was Justin Hammer, who had appeared in the movie.
This man was basically the epitome of a profiteer and was the largest arms dealer in the world besides Stark Industries.
"Tony, you're on top of the world now."
Ross looked at Tony, who seemed even more flamboyant than before, and couldn't help but sigh.
As a general, he knew more than the average person.
Tony's current status had completely surpassed his former role as a "big businessman." Now, with Chaldea's backing, he was a force to be reckoned with, even capable of making the entire world compromise.
Even Ross himself was just a general who could be easily dismissed with a word from the World Security Council.
"I've always been this successful," Tony didn't care about Ross's envy. "Why did you come here to place orders, and why did you bring some losers with you? Do you expect them to drive down the price of the orders?"
"It's the requirement of the Congress."
Ross indicated that he couldn't take the blame anymore and directly showed Tony the document issued by the Congress.
"This is a special period. We need to obtain a large number of orders in a short period of time, and Stark Industries' production efficiency is obviously unable to keep up. These 'peers' of yours are here to share some of the tasks."
"That's right, that's it." Hammer chimed in, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder as if they were old friends. "Tony, when I knew you were planning to restart the weapons industry, you know how happy I was? Competition can make people progress. Without Stark Industries, we at Hammer Industries have regressed a lot."
Somewhat unexpectedly, Tony didn't throw Justin Hammer's arm away.
This made Hammer feel a little flattered.
"You said it's pretty good." Tony looked at General Ross. "The situation is indeed urgent right now. We agree to transfer a part of the production task to other companies. Come with me, I have everything prepared."
Ross's eyes flickered slightly.
How could he not know that this time was just a probe by the World Security Council, probing whether Chaldea intended to share the benefits.
Now it seemed that Chaldea didn't seem to be prepared to keep everything in their hands.
"Tony, I'm so touched." Hammer was chattering on his own, clearly overjoyed. "If anyone says that we arms dealers have no morals in the future, I'll be the first to disagree. Tony, you are the model of arms dealers... Rest assured, I will provide Stark Industries with the most advantageous conditions, for the victory of the war!"
Clap—
A thick stack of documents slammed directly onto Hammer's face.
"Sign it. All the details of the cooperation are inside," Tony said with a calm expression.
"What? A contract?" Hammer was stunned.
He'd been in business for so many years and had never seen anything like this. No negotiation, just a stack of contracts for him to sign.
"You can also choose not to sign," Tony glanced at his watch and then stood up. "You have an hour. If you sign the contract, I'll come over. If you don't intend to sign, then leave on your own. My time is very busy. General Ross, if you want to see the specific weapon performance, I think you can have our technicians assist you."
"No problem," Ross nodded, watching Hammer's aggrieved expression, a hint of a mocking smile on his face.
He thought Tony was still the same type of arms dealer as them. These businessmen simply didn't have the qualifications to negotiate with Tony anymore.
Tony left the meeting room with a refreshed look.
Thinking about the future development prospects discussed with Shen He earlier, Tony felt a surge of excitement.
If he could truly develop Stark Industries to that level, his father would surely be very pleased.
While Tony was experiencing this shift in status, Shen He was still holding an internal meeting within Chaldea.
To be precise, it was an internal meeting between him and Lelouch.
Since the last meeting, Shen He had realized that the vast majority of Servants weren't interested in what they were doing in the Marvel world. Gathering them every time was merely a show of transparency. However, with the increasing number of Servants, it was indeed unnecessary to summon everyone each time.
After all, the only one truly interested and able to help was Lelouch.
"Master, have you considered that as Chaldea's influence continues to grow in this world, we will no longer be able to remain uninvolved?" Lelouch said in a rather tactful tone.
But Shen He understood his meaning in an instant.
Up until now, Chaldea hadn't really gotten involved in managing the peripheral industries of the Marvel world.
Agent Coulson was completely in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents.
And Tony was completely in charge of the Virtual Reality Company's business.
Shen He's job, as the nominal general manager, was merely to identify what needed to be done by Chaldea, and to get involved in some pre-arranged deployments based on his knowledge of the plot.
"However, Chaldea's core strength lies with you all," Shen He frowned slightly, "There shouldn't be any possibility of rebellion."
He had always trusted Coulson and Tony.
But this trust was also based on the guarantee of their strength. Shen He always believed that as long as he had Servants by his side, he had nothing to fear, so it didn't matter if he left those peripheral industries and developments to them.
"Master really needs to understand the nature of power," Lelouch shook his head, even in front of Shen He, he couldn't help but show a helpless smile, "In a company, the board of directors holds absolute controlling power, but in most cases, they have to listen to the CEO. Why? Because the CEO's decisions can bring in profits."
That's a very vivid analogy.
Shen He listened attentively, considering the implications, and quickly understood Lelouch's point.
Indeed.
If Coulson, or rather, Tony, were to use the authority of the peripheral industries to make decisions that differed from Chaldea's ideals, but didn't cause a major rift, then Chaldea would have to concede.
The reason was simple; these peripheral industries were completely reliant on them at the moment.
All of the agents' missions and arrangements were handled by Shen He through Coulson; he didn't even know many of the lower-level supervisors.
Not to mention the Virtual Reality Company; all the employees, aside from the agents, were seconded from Stark Industries.
Even the current product sales were entirely Tony's responsibility. Without him, Shen He couldn't do anything.
"You're right," Shen He sighed. "I've definitely overlooked the development of our influence in the Marvel world."
If it were still just a small operation at the beginning, it wouldn't matter at all.
But if Chaldea's influence in the Marvel world truly grew into a behemoth, and then one day there was a conflict with Tony and the others, that would be very troublesome.
"In Chaldea, Master, you possess an Absolute Command Spell," Lelouch said, seeing that Shen He understood. He continued, "Although there are only three at most, it represents the Master's authority. Once irreconcilable conflicts of ideas arise, the Master's ideas must take precedence. This can prevent the conflict from escalating to an unmanageable level."
This was a very simple principle.
Excessively dispersed power easily leads to fragmentation, while excessive concentration can suppress the power of the group.
"However, there's nothing we can do right now," Shen He shrugged. "Just as you said, the board of directors has absolute control. Why should they listen to the CEO? We don't have the ability to handle those things."
"My matters can be completely resolved in, at most, two months," Lelouch's gaze flickered slightly, revealing his purpose. "I hope that Master will allow me to participate in the management of our influence in the Marvel world."
Now, Lelouch no longer focused solely on revenge.
He started to consider what would happen after he got his revenge.
Nunnally wasn't a Servant and could only live in that world, but did he really want Nunnally to live a "normal" life?
And Shirley...
Chaldea possessed infinite worlds and infinite possibilities; even he himself might have an infinite lifespan.
He had to secure a sufficient position within the increasingly powerful Chaldea. Lelouch saw clearly that as a man, his only way to "compete" and avoid being "forgotten" was to demonstrate his value.
And his greatest value wasn't actually the "King's Command", but his intellect.
-----------------------
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