Chapter 110: The Standard of a Secretary

“Forget it, if you don’t want to talk about it, I can figure it out myself.”
“Where will I be staying for the next while?”

Tony noticed Harvey was clearly reluctant to discuss that woman, so he didn’t press further and shifted the topic.

“There are four villas on the island. Aside from this one, you can choose any other to stay in temporarily.”
“More importantly, you should decide quickly what kind of laboratory you want to build.”
“The construction speed on Xandar is quite fast.”

Relieved that Tony wasn’t dwelling on the other matter, Harvey sat down at a large table and began to speak.

“Just let me choose. Give me three days—by then, I’ll have J.A.R.V.I.S. up and running and will have a better understanding of Xandar. I should be able to figure out what exactly I want to do to make money.”

Tony sat down beside Harvey without hesitation. When it came to work matters, he got straight to the point and gave a timeframe.

He knew Harvey had brought him here not only to introduce him to other members of the Void Cult, but also in the hope that Tony would develop new technologies to generate substantial income. This way, Tony could study alien technology, and Harvey would have more resources to operate with.

Of course, this was a win-win scenario, and for Tony, it was even a two-birds-one-stone deal—something he naturally welcomed.

After all, on Earth, many scientists had no opportunity to research alien technologies.

At that moment, Sonia arrived with drinks in hand.

“Mr. Kassadin, here is your drink.”
“And sir, this one is for you.”

Sonia addressed the armored man respectfully, noting that he seemed to be on equal footing with Mr. Kassadin.

“No need for formalities. I’m Tony Stark. Just call me Tony.”

Tony knew Sonia was closely connected to Harvey and was evidently a member of the Void Cult herself, so he nodded, lifted his helmet, and revealed his face with a friendly demeanor.

He had three goals for this journey into space: first, to make money so he could purchase large quantities of goods to send back to Earth; second, to research technology—one of his passions—and thus enhance his Iron Man armor; and third, to cultivate friendships within the Void Cult, ideally forging strong bonds to enlist their help in future battles.

“Hello, Mr. Tony,” Sonia said with a smile. “I’m Kassadin’s steward.”

Upon hearing this, Tony glanced at Harvey with mild surprise.

“Sonia, Tony is exceptionally intelligent and has made significant strides in technology.”
“He plans to establish his own laboratory on the island. Please assist him in coordinating with the relevant people to expedite its construction.”

Harvey ignored Tony’s look and turned to Sonia with instructions.

“Understood, Mr. Kassadin.”

Sonia was somewhat surprised that Mr. Kassadin had returned after nearly a month with such a brilliant inventor, but she didn’t press for details and simply nodded.

“Ha… Ha… Kassadin, let’s put the lab aside for now. Can you get me a new cosmic communicator first?”
“I want to contact Pepper and reassure her.”

Seeing Harvey and Sonia so businesslike, Tony suppressed his curiosity about the gossip and nearly blurted out Harvey’s Earth name but caught himself just in time.

“Sonia, get him a cosmic communicator.”

Harvey, noticing Tony had stopped using his Earth name and switched to calling him Kassadin, didn’t make an issue of it and replied,

“Alright.”

Sonia was surprised by Tony’s formal address to Kassadin but nodded and quickly went downstairs to the basement, returning with a brand-new cosmic communicator.

Cosmic communicators weren’t expensive unless they were from certain private brands. Those produced on Xandar and Kree were affordable due to their wide compatibility and a business model of small profits but high volume.

Tony took the communicator, stood up, moved to the bedside, and began operating it himself, swiftly dialing a number.

Despite the vast distance, the communicator’s range was incredibly broad.

Just over a minute later, Tony connected with Pepper.

After assuring her of his safety, Pepper quickly calmed down.

She then warned Tony not to cause any trouble for Kassadin.

Harvey was present during Tony’s briefing, so Pepper knew he had reached space and wouldn’t let anything slip.

Tony didn’t think he would be a burden to Harvey—he was here to help, after all.

But facing Pepper’s earnest and somewhat worried tone, Tony could only nod in agreement.

After a few minutes of conversation, Tony ended the call to cut off her nagging.

“This cosmic communicator is really convenient. Even over such a distance, it only took just over a minute to connect,” Tony remarked, showing no embarrassment, instead sounding impressed as he downed the drink Sonia had prepared for him.

“I’m going out to scout around. Once I’ve picked a spot, I’ll let you know.”

Tony found an excuse and activated the thrusters on his Iron Man armor, flying straight out the window.

After Tony left,

“Mr. Kassadin really brought an interesting person along,” Sonia said with a smile.

“He’s not just interesting; his talents in technology are unmatched by most,” Harvey replied.
“His arrival means the Void Cult will no longer have to worry about finances.”

“How long does Mr. Kassadin plan to stay this time?”

Sonia, curious about Tony Stark due to Harvey’s unabashed praise, was more concerned about this.

“For the time being, he won’t be leaving. He wants to observe and get acquainted with the members he wishes to join.”

Harvey considered this before responding,

“Very well.”

Hearing that he wouldn’t leave soon, Sonia’s eyes betrayed her genuine happiness.

“Tony’s talents are genuine, but often, highly gifted people have issues with daily life.”
“Sonia, prepare a list of secretaries for Tony to choose from. Let him pick whoever suits him.”

Seeing Sonia’s delighted expression, Harvey gave the directive without hesitation.

“What’s the standard for appearance?”
“The woman Tony just spoke with—Pepper, I suppose—is she his wife or something?”

Sonia’s mind was racing as she asked.

“Money’s no object. Just nothing too beautiful—something easy on the eyes will suffice.”

Harvey thought for a moment before clarifying the criteria.

Since Tony hadn’t officially confirmed his relationship with Pepper to him yet, Harvey wouldn’t care who Tony chose as secretary.

But now that Tony and Pepper were official, if Tony picked someone too attractive and ended up leading a shameless life indulging in beauty, there might be a fight when he returned.

“Understood. I’ll prepare the list and bring it to Mr. Tony for his review later.”

Sonia took note of the standards.

——— End of excerpt ———

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