Shiller ate at an astonishingly fast pace, and he always managed to turn the most disorderly food into a vision of beauty, as if a special region in his brain was dedicated to figuring out the optimal and most delicious order to eat a complex array of dishes on the table.
Even more incredible was that eating didn't hinder his ability to speak; whenever he opened his mouth to talk, it was sure to be empty of food. Stark often suspected that this was a skill honed through giving psychotherapy while eating, but he had no evidence.
Stark took a couple of bites of his burger, not particularly hungry, and asked with some listlessness, "What business are you talking about?"
"Oh, it's like this, Kamar-Taj..."
Shiller briefly explained the situation with Kamar-Taj, the more Stark listened, the more something seemed off. He said, "So now Strange is trying to help those villages make money, but the magical herbs he came up with are no good, so he's come begging to me?"
"Pretty much," Shiller nodded.
Stark burst into laughter, then choked on it, and after gulping down some water, he still spoke with a cheerful tone, "Hahahaha, I knew his magic was unreliable! If he had come to me earlier to throw up a satellite for his internet connection, would it have been this troublesome?"
Stark's mood had visibly improved, his facial expression could almost be described as gleeful—a feeling certainly influenced by the longstanding friction with Strange; it seemed as though the two couldn't meet without squabbling.
In the field of both scientific and magical research, although there had been collaborations, it was mostly competition. Science envied the convenience of magic, and magic coveted the systematic nature of science. Yet stubbornly, neither would concede to the other, each determined to prove their superiority.
While science was mainstream in ordinary society, and the Solar System development project had given rise to more outstanding scientists, in the realm of interstellar exploration, magic held too much of an advantage, making the two forces equally matched.
Thinking of a day when Strange would have to come groveling, Stark instantly felt the sunshine become brighter, food tastier, and a clutter of irrelevant thoughts cleared instantaneously from his mind, replaced with ideas focused on making money.
When one's mood is lifted, the appetite naturally increases, and now Stark understood why Shiller had ordered so many dishes.
He stuffed the burger into his mouth in a few bites, dragged Shiller's plate towards the center without any ceremony, and earnestly started to attack the food with knife and fork.
The two then ate in silence, fully focused on their meal. Shiller, having previously worked at a hospital, had hardly had time to enjoy a proper meal, often settling for quick and convenient white people's food.
For some reason, the portions in Stark's cafeteria were particularly large, or at least the dishes in front of them were. They indulged heartily until they were stuffed to the point of bursting, and nearly managed to finish off all the dishes.
After eating, Shiller wiped his mouth and changed the subject, "How's the Stella Core Space Station doing? The trial run should be going fairly well, right?"
"No major problems," Stark said. "Although only the core components are my technology, the rest aren't too difficult. Aside from some instability with the docking of one segment of the space station initially, everything else has been quite smooth."
"Are the staff all in place?"
"Of course, they've been working for almost two months now, and so far, everything has been going smoothly," Stark thought for a moment and then said, "Humanity has never had such a large space station before. In addition to sending astronauts, various countries have also deployed ordinary technical staff and janitorial personnel, who should be well settled in by now."
"Is Peter's uncle up there?"
"Yes, he's already completed one rotation and has returned home for a rest," Stark said. "Considering that nations have ample staffing, they've adopted a rotational system, with a two-month period per rotation, after which a new group takes over."
"That's also good, after all, many technical workers without specialized training can't handle being separated from their families for long."
"In fact, we plan to apply this system to astronauts and resident scientists as well. Nobody wants to be separated from their family for an extended period, and right now, we're not short on manpower."
"What about international technological cooperation?"
Stark waved his hand and said, "It's not about all countries; mainly it's technological cooperation between China and the US. Some of the engines are built in Russia, Europe is in charge of electronic chip technology, the small shuttles that enter and leave the space station employ Wakandan technology, and weak magnetic docking was developed by mutants. Most other countries are just cheering from the sidelines."
"Don't these smaller countries have any ideas?"
After pondering for a moment, Stark said, "The Middle East has some ambition; relying on their wealth, they exchange money for technicians from other countries and have managed to build several laboratories, aiming for independent development."
"Northern Europe is still in a league of its own, focusing all their skills on the aesthetics of design and interior, seemingly set on taking the artistic lifestyle route."
"Small countries around the major powers, such as Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Central America, and South America, even American Enclaves, Canada, and Australia, mostly follow the lead of the great powers and do some fill-in work."
"The only real odd one out is India," Stark said with an indescribable expression. "Their enthusiasm is high, and they feel capable, but apart from their own module, no department responsible for any part of the space station dares to let the Indians touch it, which I think is wise."
"Can't we just reject them outright?"
"Of course not, they are still a major country after all." Stark sighed and said, "Actually, I haven't quite understood what they want to do. If they intended to solidify their foundations, they should attract talent like the Middle East has done, elevate their hardware capabilities, and follow an independent path. Even if they can't develop mainstream technologies, holding a few patents to supplement and fix the gaps in mainstream technologies should be enough to get a taste of the interstellar age."
"But instead of attracting talent, they are driving their tech personnel away. Now, you'll find Indians applying for jobs in major labs all over the globe, as if they are desperately trying to push their way in to add to the chaos."
"If they are aiming for the status of a vassal state, there are potential allies around them to form alliances with. Just showing some sincerity should be enough to secure some cooperative projects; even focusing on manufacturing could be quite profitable. But for all this time, we haven't seen any significant projects come to fruition, perhaps because their environment really isn't welcoming to foreign investment."
Stark shook his head, clearly not understanding India's approach, and Shiller asked with some concern, "You're sure you haven't been manufacturing key components for India, have you?"
"Rest assured, China's production capacity has always been surplus. Our research and development speed can't keep up with their production speed. Except for certain parts of patents that have not been opened up, the vast majority are made in China."
"How is the patent cooperation going?"
"That part has always been pessimistic," Stark said, massaging his temples. "Everyone holds their own assets as treasures, and once opened up, they impose all sorts of restrictions. Some don't allow production abroad, some have requirements on the duration of use. The Nick Organization has held several negotiations, but they've mostly ended on a sour note."
"What do you plan to do then? Are you really going to stay in the lab forever and then come up with technology that transcends the era and makes everyone else's work obsolete?"
Stark looked at Shiller with some surprise, not understanding how he knew his thoughts, but since it was already apparent, he simply said, "Well, pretty much. I know the idea is somewhat foolish, but at least there's some hope, isn't there?"
"As long as the technology of one person remains permanently ahead of the rest of the world, the others will have no choice but to cooperate, otherwise they'll never get a taste of the most cutting-edge advancements."
"But don't you think that approach is rather foolish?"
"Of course I know," Stark emphasized again. "But what can I do? Being a psychologist, don't you know that human nature can't stand tests, and the ultimate answer to game theory is war?"
"Promoting the advancement of humanity through peaceful means is harder than anyone can imagine," Shiller said. "Of course I understand this, but I think you are just being stubborn."
"What do you mean?"
"The ancient East has a proverb that goes, 'The stones from other hills may serve to polish jade.'" Shiller said this in Chinese, then he translated, "It means that when you find head-on confrontation isn't working, perhaps you can find a more clever way."
Stark narrowed his eyes at Shiller, still not guessing what he meant.
"Trying to overcome science with science, and that too by the efforts of a single person against all of humanity, is an insurmountable task for anyone, and doing so is pointless if it destroys only you," Shiller said.
"Then what should I do?"
"Use magic," Shiller shrugged and said. "In certain areas, magic is a downgrading blow to science; what scientists of the entire human race may have taken hundreds of years to achieve, in the Magic realm, could be a common spell that even Little Wizards can perform."
Though Stark was reluctant to admit it, he nodded his head, because it was indeed true. Those students at Kamar-Taj who had barely been enrolled for a couple of years could teleport around with their suspension rings, while the scientific community of the human race still had no teleportation technology that could be widely used and popularized, otherwise there would be no need for air transport.
"But magic relies too much on inherent talent," Stark quickly pointed out. "There might not even be a handful of Magicians in a hundred million people. Those Grand Mages who searched through all the countries only found a few hundred students, didn't they?"
His implication was that although these techniques are excellent, they have no market if most people can't use them. Without a market, there's no profit, and without profit, no one is willing to invest too much in research and development. Surely we can't say that only those with innate talent can use teleportation technology?
"That's true," Shiller acknowledged with a nod without denying it, then said, "But perhaps there is another way."
"What is it?"
"What if everyone had Magic Talent?"
"That's impossible," Stark immediately objected. "You must have heard Steven's long theories too. Affinity for Magic Elements comes from the nature of the spirit, and the nature of the spirit arises from the soul resonance of one's parents, which is completely random."
"But isn't the essence of science to transform randomness?" Shiller said with a smile, looking at Stark. "Isn't artificially controlling Magic Talent the ultimate answer to science defeating magic?"
Stark's heart began to pound wildly.