Lacey's words caused Reno, Kael, and the Seer to glance at each other with a flicker of realization. They had been so focused on the difference in personal power compared to Tony's Iron Man suits that they hadn't fully considered the impact that such a mechanical army, armed with advanced weapons, could have in large-scale wars. It could be the deciding factor in many battles.
Their respect for Tony immediately deepened.
With a mind like his, Tony will inevitably continue to develop advanced technology in the future.
Not only will it provide a constant stream of funds to the Void Cult, enabling them to build various facilities, but Tony's innovations will also become a crucial trump card for the cult. In individual combat, their power might be enough, but in large-scale conflicts, unless one's power is beyond extraordinary, it's limited in its impact. That's where technology, with its devastating firepower, comes into play.
However, given Tony's current lack of personal strength and combat experience, they realized they'd need to protect him—after all, losing this key asset could be a significant setback.
As they discussed, Tony had already installed gravity devices on sixteen space jets and was running test flights to assess their performance. Throughout the process, Tony gathered a wealth of useful data, and he was thrilled with the results.
Those around him were in awe, bowing to his brilliance. They saw a potential future—if Tony could equip new members of the Void Cult with similar technology, it would help them bridge the gap during their initial weaker stages.
While it might not be possible just yet, as the Seer had said, it would be in the future.
Representatives from sixteen major companies, after testing the jets' performance, each signed a deal with Tony for one billion dollars. They planned to begin with a small-scale trial, and if no issues arose after a year of use, they would continue to place larger orders.
Though they were curious about the Iron Man suits, they weren't surprised when Tony refused to sell them. They knew a mind as brilliant as Tony Stark's would develop many other technologies, so future collaborations were inevitable.
After each company paid a deposit of fifty million dollars to Tony Stark, they left.
With eight billion dollars in hand, Tony was well aware that the money wasn't truly his yet.
"Sonia," Tony said, turning to her, "I'll have JARVIS send over the factory designs and a list of the equipment we'll need by tonight."
"Once the factory is built, could you handle hiring staff and starting production?"
Tony transferred seven billion, nine hundred eighty-five million to Sonia, keeping five hundred thousand for personal use.
"Of course, I'll maximize the efficiency of this money," Sonia replied. "We can start construction within a month."
"Good. I trust you completely," Tony said with a smile. "You should get to it."
With that, Tony took off into the sky, heading back to his lab. The wealth of data he'd gathered from the space jet tests would allow him to begin designing his space jets ahead of schedule.
Watching him leave, Sonia glanced at the remaining members of the Void Cult who had been observing and then took her leave as well. She needed to report the good news to Kassadin. As for the five hundred thousand Tony had kept for himself, it didn't concern her.
Previously, Tony Stark couldn't make any money, so every time he wanted to do something, he had to request funding. Though Kassadin almost always approved, Tony needed to apply for every expenditure, so there had been no secrets when it came to his financial dealings.
Now that he finally had eight billion coming in, keeping five hundred thousand for himself made sense.
"Eight billion? Just like that?"
"Is it that easy to make money?"
"How high would eight billion stack if you piled it up?"
"How would I know? I've never even seen one billion!"
The other members of the Void Cult, having overheard the conversations, couldn't help but chatter amongst themselves once Tony and Sonia had left.
"Guess you need to start your own business if you want to make big money."
"Tony Stark was able to start a successful business so quickly because of his genius. That's why Lord Kassadin was willing to fund his research."
"Is your brain that good? Starting a business requires skill."
"No..."
"Exactly."
Some of the Void Cult members, though envious, discussed this amongst themselves before gradually dispersing. Although they hadn't heard the full details, they had noticed Sonia, Kassadin's steward, frequently interacting with Tony. Her involvement in this recent event made it clear that Kassadin had supported Tony's development of the gravity devices.
Seeing Tony achieve so much purely through his technology sparked a wave of determination in many of the Void Cult members. If they couldn't rely on their intellect, they would focus on evolving themselves further.
Meanwhile, Sonia returned to the villa and reported the outcome of the transaction to Harvey.
"Once the factory is built, how long until the first batch of orders is ready?" Harvey asked after hearing the report.
"With the seven billion, nine hundred fifty million, we'll need to purchase an island and build the factory. Training workers to operate the equipment can happen simultaneously. According to Tony Stark, the first batch of orders should be completed within four months. At that point, the full payment will come through."
"As soon as Tony Stark's name gets out there, more orders should follow. We'll need to expand the number of factories."
"Based on projections, after taxes and sharing the profits with Tony Stark, we'll bring in at least thirty billion annually within a year. And that's a conservative estimate."
Sonia laid out the timeline for when they would begin turning a profit, as well as the necessary investments that would follow.
High-tech industries are notoriously lucrative, and Tony Stark was developing technology that would be indispensable for space jets and warships throughout the universe. However, joining the high-tech race was not something just anyone could do.
Even with Tony's genius, it took him five months and over eight billion dollars in research and materials to develop his gravity devices.
Had they hired an elite team of scientists for the same work, the cost would have been even higher.
Now that Tony had succeeded, as long as he could continue to iterate on the design, keeping the gravity devices high-performing and cost-effective, they would be in demand for centuries in this age of interstellar travel.
Even if, hundreds of years from now, some civilization developed a revolutionary spacecraft, it wouldn't immediately render older models obsolete. The universe is vast, and not every civilization would be able to switch to new technology instantly.
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