In the bustling workshop of Dr. Wondertainment, gears clicked and whirred, bright lights flashed, and shelves lined with half-finished creations vibrated with a sense of barely-contained magic.
It was here, amid the whimsical clutter and kaleidoscopic madness, that Dr. Wondertainment had a sudden spark of inspiration. He was going to make The Marvelous Miniature Iron Master, a toy that would bring both thrills and chaos to any child—or adult—lucky enough to get their hands on it.
"Ah, yes! This one will be superbly heroic, but with a Wondertainment twist!" he mused, sketching in the air with a finger before reaching into a drawer that, impossibly, seemed to contain a starry, endless sky.
Out of it, he pulled a shimmering metal alloy, lighter than air but stronger than steel, and enchanted with a spell of indestructibility. The Miniature Iron Master would be, naturally, able to fly, shoot tiny laser beams, and—most importantly—react to voice commands like, "Hero Mode!" or "Villain Mode!" Wondertainment chuckled to himself; this dual-mode setting was sure to stir up some delightfully unexpected scenarios in any playroom.
As he set to work, assembling pieces with fingers faster than most eyes could track, Dr. Wondertainment felt a sense of pride with each click and twist. He added a tiny arc reactor, just as flashy as the original, but instead of using energy, it would be powered by "Imagination Fuel"—a renewable resource that only children could generate through play. He chuckled to himself as he crafted its perfect, shining red-and-gold armor, with a finish that would never dull no matter how many play battles it saw.
But then he remembered his last experiment, a limited-edition Captain Amazing doll that had caused quite the stir when it accidentally went rogue during playtime. He tightened the Miniature Iron Master's "Wondertainment Safety Mode," ensuring that the little Iron Master could never exceed "Fun Threshold 5" without its user intentionally unlocking "Super Secret Mode."
With the finishing touches in place, he stood back and admired his work. The Miniature Iron Master floated up, its blue eyes lighting up with a friendly glow. It saluted Dr. Wondertainment, tiny rockets igniting with a quiet whoosh before it launched into the air in a victory lap around the workshop.
"Marvelous!" Dr. Wondertainment clapped, watching the toy perform acrobatic loops, firing confetti bursts from its palms in celebration.
The Miniature Iron Master was ready for the shelves, primed to bring either heroic joy or delightful chaos. Dr. Wondertainment was proud—after all, this wasn't just a toy; it was Wondertainment's own kind of magic.
Now to make a deal with that Stark boy, after all, no store would stock his toy, no matter how amazing if they risked getting sued.
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Once again, mysterious invitations were sent out to the rich and powerful of the world, once more, Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd. Was ready to host one of their famous auctions, even if they weren't yet all that famous in this new world.
Not that the last and first auction in the Marvel universe wasn't already legendary within the elite circle.
After all the impossible items that had been on the block last time had left even the most powerful and wealthy people salivate in desire. Yet, the ending of the event had been rather anticlimactic, with Ricci buying the most important objects, and all of them being stolen.
Only Stark made it away with one of those special impossible objects, and even he was robbed just a few days later. Leaving everyone without the true prizes of the evening. However, even today, there are still people looking for them.
In particular, the last item, the locket with healing powers and the ability to make super soldiers, was something many desired. And even if they couldn't have it, they kept an eye out to make sure their rivals didn't have it either.
However, since that event, there has been nothing new, not until now, at least. Finally, another round of invitations was sent out, and this time, it was taken much more seriously than last time.
Even if the turnout hadn't been bad last time, most people had only attended due to curiosity, and plenty of people had missed out, this time everyone who got an invitation was determined to not miss out.
This time, however, there was no plus one, and many people who got an invitation last time were left without one this time around. In fact, the list of people who were allowed to know about this event was much smaller than it was last time.
All the same, everyone got ready for the event, making sure they had plenty of liquid wealth on hand or were ready to liquidate some assets should the need arise.
While Tony would have preferred to bring along a pretty bird once again, he had to simply accept the rules, and he expected Ricci to show up on her own. After all, the Ricci family had plenty of money to spend, so inviting her was a no-brainer.
Yet, once he arrived and was led into his VIP room, he couldn't see any signs of Ricci being there, nor could he see any of her guards standing outside one of the other VIP rooms or anything.
"Did she not bring any guards?" He couldn't help but question. He found it hard to believe, given how many people might take advantage of such a thing after the amount of money she showed off last time was truly shocking.
As the guests took their seats in the dimly lit auction hall, Marshall, Carter, and Dark's representatives floated around with practiced grace, ensuring every billionaire, monarch, and mogul was well-supplied with rare wines, luxury delicacies, and, of course, an aura of exclusivity.
Tony sent the girl they auction house offer out of the room. And then decided to break the rules right away. "Jarvis, are you there?"
They had been informed that they weren't allowed to speak with anyone on the outside, to avoid anything happening to the event, likely they were afraid that someone might alert the military or someone else who might come knocking.
Even Tony had to hand in his phone, but thankfully, that wasn't the only piece of tech he had on him, and even his watch was far more advanced than it looked.
"Yes, Sir, I'm here, though it's difficult to reach you; there is a powerful jamming field around the venue."
Tony smirked, glancing down at his watch as he whispered to Jarvis, "See if you can map this place out for me. I have a feeling our hosts don't want us to see everything."
"Understood, Sir," Jarvis replied. "I'll begin compiling data based on what little access I have, but it may take time to bypass their systems."
"Oh, and see if you can figure out where Ricci is." He added.
"Ricci is at her mansion in New York." Jarvis was quick to respond; finding out the map was far more difficult than finding the location of someone like Ricci; after all, one only had to track if a massive armored convoy left the mansion to know she was heading out.
"Really? I would have expected her to be here, see if you can figure out why she isn't." Tony leaned back, feeling even more intrigued about this event the more he heard.
Jarvis took only a moment to reply. "I have cross-referenced the list of attendees from the last event to people that possibly are attending this one based on their travel history, and it seems that every person closely connected to the underworld hasn't been invited."
Tony raised an eyebrow, processing Jarvis's assessment. "So, they're aiming for a cleaner roster this time. Bold to keep someone like those away, they have the most money to spend for sure."
While Tony talked with Jarvis, down on the stage, things were getting ready to start. And soon enough, a fine older gentleman stepped out on the stage. "Greetings my fine ladies and Gentlemen, And welcome to this event." He began his greeting.
"I have been given the honor of being tonight's auctioneer. And I shall do my very best to ensure that everyone will be having a pleasant evening." He said, continuing with introducing the event itself and the rules.
The auctioneer's voice carried a measured charm, the sort that could calm the nerves of even the most high-strung billionaires in attendance. "Tonight's auction will be conducted with the utmost discretion, as I'm sure you all appreciate."
"Each item has been selected for its… unique qualities. But I must remind everyone of the strict rules: no outside communication, no unauthorized transfers, and, of course, no unseemly interference." He gave a pointed glance, his eyes lingering for just a second too long on Tony's VIP booth.
Tony's smirk grew; he knew exactly who the auctioneer was addressing. But he kept his expression casual, toying idly with his watch as he waited for the show to begin.
"First on our list, ladies and gentlemen," the auctioneer continued, "is an item that has only recently come to us but promises immense power to those bold enough to wield it." He gestured to an attendant, who unveiled a slender silver case containing a vivid green ring resting on a plush cushion.
"Lot One: SAI-714, the Jade Ring," the auctioneer announced. "An object of unparalleled protection, this ring grants the wearer resistance to poisons, diseases, and even certain mind-altering effects—albeit with a small trade-off in physical endurance."