"You...how could you..." Stark's eyes reddened as he held Maria, gently patting her back. "Didn't you guys die in the car accident?" he said.
Seeing Maria unable to express a complete sentence through her tears, Howard felt obligated to step in and explain: "Your doctor friend, Schiller, has explained everything to us. Simplistically, your technology and energy have developed to the point of making deals with the God of Death. We were brought back for a price."
At this point, Howard furrowed his brows and said, "Tony, I didn't want to dampen our reunion with this depressing conversation, but I think this was completely not worth it!"
"The human race is subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. Bringing us back with an exorbitant price will only impact your life."
At this moment, Maria regained her composure. Slowly pushing Tony away, she said, "Tony, it's already wonderful for your mother to see you again. On the way here, Howard and I agreed that we would see you and then return. You really didn't need to resurrect us..."
Finishing her sentence, she held Tony's face with a loving anguish, saying, "The cost of extracting souls from the hands of the God of Death must be high, right? You didn't need to do this for us. Your father and I have already finished our life's work. The fact that you are living well proves that we have no regrets..."
Howard stepped forward. His tone was absolute as he said, "Alright, alright, there is nothing more we want to say. Hurry up and send us back. What if the God of Death charges by the hour? Wouldn't that be a loss?!"
Stark held his head in his hand. Howard hadn't changed a bit. The biggest difference between Stark and Howard was that Howard was truly the world's sharpest businessman, the kind who would consider something lost only if he couldn't pick it up on the road.
Howard wrinkled his brow, looking at his son. "How did you make a deal with the God of Death? What type of payment method did you choose? Are there any penalties?"
"Eh...I didn't make a deal with the God of Death..." Stark could only deny what Howard was saying. "The God of Death you're referring to is actually the Goddess of Death. I've never met her, it was my friend Schiller who..."
Maria immediately showed a surprised expression, "But on the way here, the doctor called Schiller told us that he was only a middleman, only coming to take us on account of his ability to move between the world and the netherworld."
Stark's mouth fell open, instantly understanding Schiller's intent. Every pair of parents hopes their love for their child is returned.
Although Howard and Maria were against it on surface level, they felt very comforted when they learned that Stark had spent a large sum of money to bring them back from the hands of the God of Death, as this was a manifestation of Stark's love for them.
At the same time, Howard and Maria felt guilty. After all, their deaths had been so sudden. After their resurrection, they wondered if Tony might feel resentful due to their abandonment.
But the psychiatrist resolved their confusion. Their son not only had no resentment toward them, but he was even willing to pay a huge price to resurrect them. For parents, this was the highest achievement.
Thinking of this, Maria started crying again, "Tony, do not blame your father. At that time, we were left with no other choice. All the people were closing in on us. If we didn't die, they would definitely target you..."
Howard's eyes also reddened. He pressed his lips together, the muscles in his mouth twitching with anger. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he asked, "The damn beasts didn't bully you, did they? They wouldn't still have designs on Stark Group, would they?!"
As he said this, he became a little anxious. "Where's Obadiah? With him around, you wouldn't have been bullied... No, I need to find out the situation with the Stark Group..."
"Howard! Howard!" Maria called, "What's wrong with you? We agreed..."
"But I especially cannot let those people succeed!" Howard gasped for breath. "How dare they deliver my technology to Hydra?! They even involved Sergeant Barnes! Oh God, Steve must be heartbroken. No, I need to apologize to him..."
After saying this, Howard moved to walk out. But at this time, Steve rushed in through the front door. Seeing Howard, his eyes instantly reddened, running forward to hug Howard.
"Howard! I can actually see you again?! This is incredible! Schiller must have paid a huge price!" Steve exclaimed, choking up.
Howard anxiously looked at him, "How's Sergeant Barnes? Did Hydra mistreat him?"
After speaking, he stamped his foot in frustration, "I should have been more firm from the start. If I hadn't backed down, we wouldn't have compromised. That was the most foolish decision of my life!"
Steve didn't understand, and Howard lowered his head, speaking in a somber tone, "I planned to lure the snake out of the hole by taking the data elsewhere. If they could kill me, they would never get the technology. If they couldn't kill me, I would have the justification to break off relations."
"It's better than death by attrition anyway. But I underestimated their shamelessness. They actually collaborated with Hydra!"
"When I saw Sergeant Barnes' mechanical arm, I knew they must have been teaming up with Hydra. Otherwise, how could the technology I had just given them end up with Hydra so quickly?!"
"I absolutely couldn't be wrong!" Howard stated with certainty, "They said they wanted this technology to provide prosthetics for disabled soldiers. And what happened? They turned Sergeant Barnes, a most loyal patriot, into a killing machine!"
After Howard finished speaking, he stood still, panting, as if his anger had robbed him of coherence.
His words made Stark think of Connors.
He thought that if the technology Howard had given away really had been used on disabled soldiers, perhaps Connors wouldn't have turned into a lizard and charged into the Stark Building. All of this was due to karma and retribution.
At this point, Stark had finally recovered from his shock. He said, "Howard, Maria, in reality, the one who rescued you from the God of Death wasn't me. It was Schiller Rodriguez."
"He devised a series of plans that allowed the human race to negotiate with death. He even created a Heaven that can resurrect the human race. Although the slots are limited, countless talents have been saved."
"Schiller is a true miracle worker." Stark took a deep breath and said, "But resurrecting you must have required a price beyond our imagination…"
At this point, Maria and Howard looked at each other, stepped forward, and touched Stark's face. They said, "Do you know what? Tony, it makes us happier to know that you were willing to pay a huge price to resurrect us."
"Because you have gained the most precious friendship. Your friend was willing to pay such a huge price just so that you wouldn't have to grieve over your parents' death... "
Stark lowered his head, revealing a touched expression. His voice became somewhat hoarse, as if he was on the edge of choking. He said, "I've always known that Schiller was my friend, but I didn't know that he was willing to sacrifice so much for me... "
"You might find it difficult to understand how much wisdom is required, how much effort it takes, and what price must be paid for humans to negotiate with such a law-bound existence to gain an upper hand." Stark's voice was shaking more and more.
"I know," Howard said, stepping forward and patting Stark's shoulder. "Every negotiation in this world is the same. If you don't have any leverage, you'll just become a prey, left to be butchered. Turning the tables under such circumstances is as difficult as ascending the heavens."
"And every individual human, to the God of Death, is smaller than an ant, more insignificant than a speck of dust. In such a drastically asymmetrical situation, negotiation skills are useless. Maybe even all you have wouldn't even worth a second glance from them."
Howard looked up into Stark's brown eyes, "It seems that over the years, you've had many legendary adventures. Can you tell me about them?"
Stark thought he had heard wrong. He could never have imagined a day when Howard would be interested in his stories. In many past years, it was Howard who told fantastical stories, often getting drunk halfway through.
Stark was about to speak, with so many words to say. But more urgent than these stories was another matter. Stark took a deep breath, trying to contain his emotions, then said, "I can tell the stories later. I have to go see Schiller now."
"Right before you came back, Schiller had a relapse of his mental illness due to extreme mental strain and fatigue. Though I don't know what price he had paid, I must make sure it doesn't worsen his condition."
Howard paused, and turned to Maria. Stark immediately detected something and asked, "You just said that it was Schiller who brought you here. How is he doing?"
"Tony, you really should care about your friends more." Maria shook her head and said, "Your father and I don't understand the things he talked about with souls, but I can say this much - he looked very tired, and there was this deep wound on his neck that hasn't completely healed yet."
"Tony, I remember the Stark Group has medical facilities. Didn't you arrange hospital treatment for him?" Maria frowned a little, looking like the caring and worried Blessed Virgin Statue. She continued, "The wound didn't look so good at that time. But your father and I were worried that there was more to it, so we didn't dare to ask."
Stark instantly became anxious. He turned to Steve and said, "I'm sure you don't mind having a long talk with your old friend. I need to find Schiller... "
Steve opened his mouth. He had intended to say that he should also go, but it would not be right to leave Howard here. So, he stepped forward and told Howard, "A lot has happened in the last few decades. You might find it hard to take in."
Howard raised an eyebrow and snorted, "Do you think I'm you? I'm the genius Stark, even more brilliant than the one who just left. There's nothing that I can't handle."
Steve shrugged and said, "Okay, aren't you worried about Bucky? Come on, let's go see him. We'll take the bus. See, I've just got a transport card..."
After he said that, he pulled out a diamond-shaped crystal from his pocket and waved it in front of Howard like a kid showing off a toy. Howard rolled his eyes, clearly not taking it seriously.
He didn't give it any thought until he walked out the door, at the front of the Holy Sanctuary, and saw the chaotic shuttles streaking across the sky and the lush crowd lining up.
"What the hell is this???!!!"