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Chapter 555: The Rotten Story (1)

Schiller arrived at the Stark Tower and could hear the argument between Strange and Stark as he stood in front of the laboratory door.

"I'll say it again, Tony Stark! I'm a doctor, not a god! Why do you come to me every time with these impossible troublemaking matters?" Strange exclaimed.

"Because you can do magic!" Stark responded confidently.

Taking a deep breath, Strange clenched his fist and said, "Teaching a robot magic? What were you thinking? Does this sound reasonable to you?"

Just as Stark was about to respond, Strange raised his hand to stop him and continued, "There are billions of people on Earth, but in each generation, there are fewer than 200 who can learn magic and join Kamar-Taj. It's a subject that can't be mastered without talent, and even with talent, there's a high chance of failure. In simple terms, it's the miracle of probability."

"But JARVIS's opponent, Ultron, doesn't use magic. So, if JARVIS can, he'll have a significant advantage," Stark argued.

"I believe that even though the scientist who created Ultron may not be as specialized as I am, if this Ultron guy has inherited Pym's intelligence and thinking, he will be a formidable adversary," Stark continued.

"It's not just JARVIS; anyone from the Avengers trying to take on such an opponent needs a way to ensure an absolute advantage when facing Ultron. However, it's challenging because an intelligent lifeform with limitless learning abilities, evolving over time, is unpredictable."

"So, I think Ultron won't use magic, but JARVIS will. This way, JARVIS can gain an absolute advantage."

"Because no one taught him, which is why I brought you here to teach JARVIS magic!"

Just then, Schiller walked in and was stunned because in Stark's laboratory, there was a massive robot.

The robot was about two meters tall and was held in place by two supports, both above and below, leaving it suspended about a meter off the ground. The complex network of pipes and wires surrounding it was dizzying, and this single robot occupied a significant portion of Stark's spacious laboratory.

Schiller approached it, observing the robot closely. It didn't look like a typical robot; instead, it resembled a humanoid machine. Its limbs had the appearance of human muscles, with faint traces of each muscle visible under the metallic armor. Apart from the circuitry visible at the joints, it resembled classical sculptures that might be seen in the hands of Renaissance masters, only made of metal.

One distinct difference from humans was its head. It had a more mechanical style and lacked specific facial features. Instead, it had a streamlined human head model split into four sections, intricately connected together. The cheekbones near the head were adorned with two teardrop-shaped metal pieces, reducing the stiffness of the mechanical style and making it more agile.

Schiller crossed his arms and carefully examined the robot. Despite his limited technical knowledge, he could recognize traces of many familiar technologies within it.

Even if all he knew was how to change light bulbs, he could tell that the head's structure probably came from Stark, resembling his combat suit but on a grander scale and more complexity. The muscular lines and biomimetic features seemed reminiscent of Connors' work, possibly combined with some of Osborne's biological science and technology. Even in the leg structure and power system, he noticed a hint of Kree science and technology.

Seeing Schiller studying the robot, Stark raised his head, smirked, and pressed a button on his arm.

Suddenly, the four supports holding the robot retracted into the ceiling and floor, but the robot didn't fall; it floated in mid-air.

"Anti-gravity system?" Schiller squinted and asked, "It looks like Kree's spaceship really helped you."

Stark shrugged and pressed another button on his arm. Suddenly, the ceiling opened up, and with a familiar mechanical hum, a massive pair of wings descended and attached themselves to the robot's back with a clicking sound.

Schiller looked up and noticed not only the wing components but also something resembling Doctor Octopus's tentacles and what appeared to be rocket engine components nearby in the ceiling cavity.

Then, the floor opened up again, revealing various types of weapon components on a lifting platform. Schiller recognized one part that resembled a freeze gun, but the rest were unfamiliar.

When a super billionaire with the world's most resources and a genius brain decides to play with models, the creative and production capabilities that can be unleashed are limitless.

Previously, Stark had played with models, but they were meant to be worn on his body as combat suits. The fundamental requirement for these suits was that they had to fit his body since human flesh is fragile.

This constraint was a significant drawback because a substantial portion of the suit had to be allocated to safety protection functions. It needed to withstand pressure and impacts to prevent Stark from becoming a pancake, and it required braking and an internal space stabilization system to prevent flattening during high-speed runs. It also had to have an overheating and cooling system to avoid roasting Stark.

In essence, creating a combat suit that could be worn by an ordinary human was akin to dancing with shackles.

However, once those shackles were removed, and the design focused solely on the machine itself, the unleashed potential could be channeled into improving its functionality, resulting in qualitative changes.

Moreover, this body was entirely crafted from Molten Steel and Vibranium, materials with terrifying upper limits. The constraints of materials science no longer existed, making it a realm of limitless creative genius for any scientist.

Seeing this, Strange was somewhat speechless. He walked over to Schiller and said, "Look at his expression; he's probably been waiting here for half a day."

Schiller nudged Strange with his shoulder and replied, "He's already gone this far; why not show a bit of magic?"

"It's not that I don't want to, but I really can't," Strange signaled to Schiller.

He began to pace around the room and then explained to Stark, "If you want him to be like you, with a different core that can use magic energy as a power source, that's possible. But if you want him to genuinely learn magic, it's probably going to be challenging."

"Tony, the more advanced you are in science and technology, the farther away you are from magic. You might think that magic energy is just another energy source, no different from science and technology, but in reality, the true depth of magic lies in the unknown."

"It's not a subject that can be mastered through experiments and analysis. It's more about imagination, often without a clear goal, and the inspiration that comes and goes."

"Perhaps what you discover from the depths of your mind has no reason, but it works. Conversely, the conclusions you carefully analyze might prove useless. It's all uncertain, and who can comprehend it, who can use it, and the changes it brings are unknown to us but already determined by fate."

Strange's ramblings of mysticism were giving Stark a headache. As he said, scientists hated hearing these kinds of things. Stark retorted, "Well, at least we should give it a try. How do you know AI isn't a part of fate?"

Strange shook his head and said, "That's precisely why I declined your request. Clearly, you want immediate results, but the learning curve for magic starts at a decade."

Stark stared at Strange, who widened his eyes and added, "What are you looking at me for?... Okay, I'm just starting out too, I'm an apprentice, alright?"

"I think you shouldn't insist on having JARVIS learn magic. Those peculiar mystical concepts might even damage his logic."

At this moment, Strange was like a schoolteacher trying to dissuade Stark, who wanted to enroll his child in too many extracurricular classes. Schiller, on the other hand, was like another parent, also advising Stark not to be too anxious.

Stark suddenly turned around, walked to the lab table, and with his back to both of them, covered his face with his hand. He took a deep breath.

Schiller approached him, patted his shoulder, and said, "I know you're anxious. You have a formidable opponent waiting for your child even before they're born."

"You want to ensure his safety from every angle and believe that any harm to him would be your failure. You're extremely anxious and want to decide his future without his consent. But are you sure you'd like parents like that?"

Stark sighed slowly and said, "I am a bit impatient, but it's precisely because I don't want to treat him as a tool to deal with enemies."

"If I really only needed a robot to deal with Ultron, I could flood him with numbers, scrap as many bodies as needed, and I wouldn't care. But JARVIS is different."

"I want him to have an advantage in every possible way, not just in dealing with Ultron but in everything he faces in the future."

"I know he'll evolve on his own, and maybe someday he'll create a better body for himself, no longer needing the one I've made, but..."

Schiller rarely heard Stark say that someone could create something better than him, but it was clear that JARVIS was different.

The name of this intelligent butler was inspired by the old butler who had raised Stark. In those days when Howard was constantly drinking and Obadiah was busy with business, it was this butler who took care of him.

Stark's relationship with the old butler JARVIS was similar to Bruce's relationship with Alfred, with one key difference. At this level, Stark was even more unfortunate because when he became Iron Man, those who had once loved him and cared for him had all drifted away from him.

Because this AI embodied Stark's longing for his old butler, when creating his body, Stark felt a sense of gratitude. He hoped to create a perfect body for JARVIS.

Schiller advised once more, "Since you know he has the ability to evolve on his own, you should understand that what you've given him is already quite high. You can't hold on forever."

And now, Iron Man was not like in the movies, where he had lost everything. Quite the opposite, he now had more—friends, comrades, descendants, more wealth, and greater abilities. Consequently, he had a stronger sense of security and a more stable mental defense.

So, he fell silent for a while, turned to look at the robot that he had magically transformed into a nearly perfect body, and said, "Alright, let's leave it here. I'll go do some final adjustments to JARVIS's software system..."

With that, he walked towards the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back, puzzled when he saw that Schiller and Strange were still there, but he didn't notice any other actions from them.

Stark was puzzled for a while but eventually left.

The moment he left, Schiller took a step to the left, and Strange took a step to the right. They converged and stared at the robot.

"Can't use magic, huh?" Schiller asked.

"The wand is still in the making; there's no way to learn from scratch," replied Strange.

"It looks like we'll have to think of another solution," Schiller said, stroking his chin.

"You don't intend to send JARVIS to deal with Ultron, do you? You're still deceiving Stark..."

"It's not like it hasn't happened before."

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