Tony Stark waited until he was certain Fury's car had completely vanished from sight before snapping his fingers. Accompanied by the faint sound of mechanical operation, the glass curtain walls of the entire Villa darkened, immediately entering the highest-level isolation mode between the interior and exterior.
"Alright, the Black Brine Egg is gone. It's study time now." He rubbed his hands excitedly and dragged Lin Huai and Dr. Banner, who was still holding his black tea, into his workshop.
"Jarvis, initiate security and confidentiality protocols. New project, code name: Prometheus." Tony's voice carried a hint of impatient fanaticism. "Project goal: Analyze the essence of magic."
"Sir, the Prometheus protocol has been initiated," Jarvis's consistently gentle voice echoed in the lab.
"Now then, Professor Lin," Tony made an exaggerated 'after you' gesture, "begin your first lesson."
Lin Huai looked at the two men before him, who likely possessed the smartest brains on Earth. He smiled and didn't keep them in suspense.
"Our first lesson is called spirituality," he began. "You can understand it as an internal energy originating from the soul. It is the foundation for perceiving and driving transcendent powers, and the fundamental distinction between living beings and inanimate objects."
In the following segment, Dr. Banner became the new test subject. However, whether it was the most advanced electroencephalograph or high-precision thermal imaging equipment, nothing could capture even a sliver of abnormal data called 'spirituality' from this top-tier genius with seven PhDs.
"It's not surprising." Tony crossed his arms with an 'I knew it would be like this' expression, explaining to Banner, "Trust me, Bruce, I've only detected this kind of reaction in Lin so far."
"So, what's the next step?" Tony looked at Lin Huai. "Is Professor Lin going to use himself as a teaching aid to explain it to us?"
Lin Huai shook his head and fished out the small lead box containing the [whispering leech ash] from his pocket.
As soon as the box was opened, Tony subconsciously rubbed his temples. His expression was a complex mix of irritability and nostalgia.
"Oh, shit, that damn static noise..." he complained in a low voice. "It's back, like it's etched into my brain."
Lin Huai smiled. "It seems you're already quite familiar with it. But today, I'm not just letting you feel it. I want to show you how a Beyonder uses it. Of course, another Pathway would be even better at using it than me."
Tony was instantly intrigued; he had long been curious about professions outside the Prisoner Pathway. "A third path besides Seer and Prisoner?"
"Of course," Lin Huai replied calmly. "Savant Pathway, Sequence 6, Artificer."
He reached out, hovering his hand over the pile of ash, and began to whisper a prayer in the Hermes Language: "The Fool that does not belong to this era; the mysterious ruler Above the Gray Fog..."
Tony immediately ordered Jarvis, "Jarvis! Full-spectrum energy scan! Voiceprint recording! Analyze his pronunciation and changes in his bio-magnetic field! I want all the data!"
While Jarvis was recording frantically, a trace of nearly invisible spirituality wrapped around the ash. Lin Huai casually picked up an ordinary commemorative silver coin from the table and pressed the spirituality-wrapped ash onto it.
A flash of light appeared and vanished in an instant.
"The [Probability Mist Coin]," Lin Huai introduced, "a Beyonder charm that can briefly interfere with precision electronic equipment."
"Wait!" Tony didn't reach for the coin. Instead, he stared intently at Lin Huai, his gaze as sharp as a scalpel. "You mean, that's it? No smelting, no etching, no energy injection... You just recited a few incantations and then pressed it with your hand? Is that how you made those bullets before?"
"You could say that."
"My god..." Tony muttered to himself, then burst into a fit of laughter. "What kind of 'Artificer' is this? This is practically God! A brand-new manufacturing protocol! A production method that ignores all laws of physics! Jarvis, did you record it?!"
"The entire process has been recorded, sir. However, I cannot analyze the underlying principles."
"This is just a simple manufacturing method, and this material is relatively low-grade. An Artificer's way of using things is more... how should I put it... more scientific," Lin Huai said, supporting his head. "I'll show you more when there's an opportunity to obtain Artificer-related Beyonder items in the future."
Only then did Tony carefully pick up the coin and activate it toward the security camera in the corner. Seeing the screen instantly fill with static, a look of extreme fascination appeared on his face. "The result truly exists, but the process is temporarily incomprehensible... This is unscientific; I love it."
The lesson ended late at night. Tony and Banner were still arguing heatedly over whether spirituality followed some sort of high-dimensional thermodynamic law. Lin Huai was about to return to his room when he suddenly stopped and looked at Tony.
"By the way, Tony," Lin Huai spoke calmly, "a friendly reminder: don't always stare at future new toys. Sometimes, you should look back at the 'legacy' your father left behind. He already left you the answer to that thing in your chest. You wouldn't want Pepper to find out about your poisoning, would you?"
Tony, who was about to pour himself a glass of whiskey, paused. He turned around, holding the empty glass, and looked at Lin Huai irritably. "You didn't tell Pepper, did you? You've known for a long time, haven't you? Can't you just tell me directly? Can we stop with the riddles? Is the answer what number it is on the periodic table? My father's legacy? Do you know that pile of stuff is enough to fill three warehouses?"
"The Stark Expo."
Lin Huai smiled, and after saying that, he walked straight back to his room.
Dr. Banner looked at Tony with a curious gaze. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Jarvis, pull up all of Howard Stark's legacy data, especially regarding the Stark Expo. Highest priority. Oh ho ho, of course, Bruce, I need you to help me analyze it together."
...The following few days.
In the mornings, Lin Huai would teach the two scientists about mysticism. In the afternoons, Banner and Stark would lock themselves in the workshop to build the new reactor.
On this day, while Lin Huai was explaining the [Hermes Language] to the two geniuses, the private satellite phone on him suddenly vibrated.
On the screen was an encrypted message from Nick Fury. The title was particularly concise: [Intelligence Regarding the Hornacis Gray Mountain Goat Horn Crystal].
Lin Huai opened the message, and Fury's unique words, delivered in an unquestionable tone, jumped out: "The thing you wanted has been found. But the process... is more complicated than we thought. Look at the attachment, then call me back."
Lin Huai didn't call back immediately. Instead, he handed the phone to Tony, letting him see the content on the screen.
Tony's eyebrows twitched. "More complicated than we thought? Sounds like a classic opening line for when he can't handle something and wants us to wipe his ass."
Despite his words, he immediately had Jarvis connect to Fury's encrypted line.
"Gentlemen consultants," Fury's serious face appeared on the screen, with what seemed to be an information center in the background. "Mr. Lin, your 'divination' has come true. I have to admit, that 'viper' is even more active than I imagined."