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"Another one!"
Rimuru licked her lips, still unsatisfied. Compared to Tony's chef, the cooking skills of her own chefs were nothing short of astonishing—in the worst way.
Pepper knew how much Rimuru loved food, so she had specifically instructed the chef to increase the portions. Still, when she saw the towering stack of plates piled up in front of Rimuru, she couldn't help but feel stunned.
It was just too delicious. Every time she watched Rimuru devour an entire plate of steak in a few bites, Pepper's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
She was genuinely worried that Rimuru might accidentally burst her stomach!
"Tony, are you sure she's okay?"
Pepper kept blinking at Tony Stark, silently asking for help.
Tony Stark was also surprised to see Rimuru eat so freely for the first time, but since he understood her nature, he wasn't overly shocked.
Instead, he grew even more curious. Rimuru's slime physiology seemed far more extraordinary than he had imagined.
Before Tony could say anything, however, Rimuru spoke first.
"Pepper, don't worry. This amount of food isn't even one-millionth of what I can eat!"
Since Rimuru had already overheard everything, Pepper didn't bother hiding her concern. She poked Rimuru on the forehead in annoyance.
"You little glutton, your ears are too sharp. You know I'm worried, yet you still can't control yourself. Eating too much is bad for your stomach. If you really try holding back, let's see if you can even sleep at night!"
Without hesitation, Rimuru transformed back into her slime form.
"Pepper, I'm sorry for hiding the truth from you all this time. This… is my real form!"
Telling Pepper the truth had been a carefully considered decision.
First, as the woman behind Iron Man, Pepper was rational and excellent at keeping secrets.Second, in this world, Pepper was Rimuru's closest and most trusted friend. Revealing her true identity would remove barriers and bring them even closer.And lastly—most importantly—the food was just too good. If she didn't come clean, how could she eat freely without holding back?!
When Pepper saw Rimuru transform from a beautiful girl into a round blue blob, she froze, her mouth forming a perfect "O."
"Oh my God! What is this? Tony, is today April Fool's Day?"
Tony's eyes sparkled. Although it wasn't his first time seeing Rimuru revert to her true form, he was still fascinated.
How could something switch between forms like this?
It completely defied science!
"Relax, relax. This is her true form. She won't hurt you," Tony reassured.
Only then did Pepper glance at him, slightly annoyed. "So you already knew?"
She had every right to feel upset. She had always believed she was closest to Rimuru—like sisters, like best friends.
And yet, Tony knew more than she did.
Tony suddenly felt something was off. Was Pepper… jealous?
Well, that was understandable. And as a gentleman, it was his duty to smooth things over.
So he began recounting the story of how he first met Rimuru in the cave.
The more Pepper listened, the happier she became. Her eyes grew brighter, and her affection for Rimuru deepened.
When she finally hugged Rimuru in her arms, her heart completely melted—she was utterly won over.
Rimuru, however, felt a bit conflicted. She even began to wonder if revealing the truth had been a mistake.
In the laboratory
"With the addition of titanium alloy, fiberglass, and your own weight, your Fengshen Mark II armor is getting pretty heavy. Congratulations—you've finally outgrown light armor."
Tony patted Rimuru on the shoulder and said, "Rimuru, you've grown up. I'm proud of you."
A black line instantly appeared across Rimuru's face.
Taking advantage of her like that—how childish!
You stingy man, you'll pay for this arrogance sooner or later!
"No, this weight is too much. To maintain mobility, the energy output would need to increase significantly. That level of consumption is far too high!"
"The weapon systems you're integrating are completely different from traditional combat control systems—the energy demand is on another level."
Tony looked at Rimuru seriously. "With your intelligence, you shouldn't make such a basic mistake. Did you improve the reactor?"
Rimuru was stunned. Tony truly lived up to his reputation—his analytical ability was terrifying.
Just from the materials she ordered, he deduced her armor design, energy consumption, and even guessed she might have upgraded the reactor.
Even if he wasn't entirely correct, he wasn't far off.
Geniuses really don't need explanations.
Before Rimuru could answer, Tony shook his head.
"No… that's not right. With palladium as fuel, the Arc Reactor has very limited room for improvement. Even at maximum efficiency, it still wouldn't meet the energy demands. Did you switch to a hybrid system?"
"I considered that too. But the conversion efficiency is too low—at best, it's negligible."
Rimuru was speechless listening to Tony ramble.
Was he infected by Spider-Man or something?
"Enough! Stop guessing. I'll just tell you—I discovered a new element not on the periodic table. Its energy conversion efficiency far surpasses palladium. It provides more stable and powerful output. I can patent it. Want to buy it?"
Pfft!
Tony nearly choked, spraying water everywhere.
"Wait… what did you just say? A new element not on the periodic table?"
Rimuru nodded.
"That's impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"Why?" Rimuru asked.
Tony replied, "You may not know this, but while palladium saved my life, it's toxic. The more I use the suit, the worse the poisoning becomes. You're not the only one who thought about replacing it."
Rimuru sighed. Of course she knew.
If not for her intervention, Tony might have already reached the point of no return.
But she kept a straight face. "So?"
"So? I've tested every known element, unknown element—even theoretical ones. Nothing worked!"
He didn't say it outright, but the meaning was obvious:
If I, Tony Stark, couldn't discover a new element—how could you?
His arrogance was… irritating.
Rimuru snapped, "Fine! I've changed my mind. If I sell you this reactor, I'll turn into a dog!"
Tony waved it off casually. "Even if I run out of power and drift in space, I'll never come begging you for it."
Half an hour later
Tony felt like his heart was being clawed apart. He couldn't take it anymore.
Curiosity gnawed at him like a cat smelling fish.
He approached Rimuru, smiling flatteringly.
"Did you really discover a new element?"
Rimuru replied seriously, "No."
Tony: "100 million dollars."
Rimuru: "It doesn't exist."
Tony: "1 billion."
Rimuru internally: Wait—did the price just increase tenfold?!
Tony waved his hand. "I'll also cover half the cost of installing a particle collider, 3D printer, and supercomputer."
Cough!
Rimuru coughed violently, her face turning red.
"Well… since you're about to run out of energy and drift helplessly in space, I suppose I can't just stand by. If I don't sell it to you, wouldn't that be cruel? Fine—I'll sell it!"
Tony: "...dog."
Rimuru: "Woof!"
Tony Stark: "…"
Alright.
You win.