The Marvelous Dragon Balls-Novel - Chapter 96
Chapter 96: Iron Man’s Visit
A while later, when almost all the seats in Lee’s restaurant were already occupied, there was suddenly a burst of noise at the door. Tony Stark, wearing sunglasses and accompanied by a large group of bodyguards, appeared at the entrance.
Saint couldn’t help but rub his forehead as he watched Tony Stark walk in alone, leaving the bodyguards outside. This grandson clearly doesn’t know how to admit defeat. Yesterday, Saint went to his home uninvited, and today, he came to Saint’s restaurant to make a statement – it’s not difficult for me to find you either.
After silently doing some mental preparation, Saint walked up and reluctantly greeted Tony Stark, “Mr. Stark, welcome to our restaurant…”
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you clearly. Could you repeat it?”
“…”
Saint’s mouth twitched as he politely chased Tony out: “I’m sorry, we don’t have any empty seats at the moment.”
“Isn’t this a seat?”
Tony Stark indifferently pointed to a table and sat down across from Jessica Jones, even flirting with her, “Miss, do you mind if I sit here?”
As a detective, Jessica Jones was well aware of Saint’s true identity, just like Peter Parker. So, she turned to look at Lee with a raised eyebrow and asked, “Lee, what’s the deal? Should I be worried?” it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Lee sighed and didn’t give a straight answer. “Just go along with it, Jones.”
Then, Lee turned to Tony and asked, “What do you want to eat? BBQ?”
Still in shock that his charm wasn’t working, Tony nodded automatically as Lee walked away with a plate of raw meat. Tony was about to say something to Jessica, but she just rolled her eyes and said, “Forget it. I have no interest in an old playboy like you.”
Ouch. Tony was hit hard by her words and it took him a while to recover. As he watched Lee return with the BBQ, he seethed to himself: I should have known better. If this kid’s friend is a scumbag, of course, nothing good will come out of his mouth!
Unaware of Tony’s inner turmoil, Lee expertly grilled the meat and said, “Dig in.”
But Jessica interrupted him. “Hold on. You still haven’t told us what happened.”
Tony Stark, still reeling from his defeat, finally remembered why he came and gestured to the empty seat at the table. “Lee, if you’re not busy, join me for a bit.”
If they weren’t in a crowded public place, there’s no way Lee would have tolerated being called “kid,” but since he wanted to maintain his current lifestyle, he had to play the role of a “Chinese restaurant owner who knows a bit of kung fu.” And this role clearly didn’t involve giving Tony the cold shoulder.
Sitting down expressionlessly, Lee quietly asked, “Lamp man, what’s up?”
Seeing that Lee didn’t avoid mentioning Jessica’s presence, Tony gave him a surprised look and gestured to Jessica before hinting, “She knows?”
Lee glanced at Jessica and understood that Tony was referring to his own identity as the Golden Boy. He nodded, “She knows.”
“I’m right here, and I can hear you talking!”
Jessica Jones, who had been the subject of their conversation, suddenly looked displeased and raised her head. After referring to herself in the third person, she picked up a knife from the table and with her bare hands… twisted it into a steel pretzel. She slammed it down in front of Tony and crudely expressed her dissatisfaction.
“…”
“…”
Saint facepalmed. unlike most superheroes, Jessica Jones had never tried to hide her superhuman strength. In their current workplace, the hell’s kitchen, this wasn’t a secret at all. Saint figured that Jessica probably had a tendency to lose her cool, which was why she didn’t bother hiding her strength.
Tony was shocked for a moment, then turned to look at Saint, winking and nodding as if to say “I get it.”
Saint just rolled his eyes, not asking what Tony understood. Instead, he repeated Tony’s words from yesterday, “I’m really busy. What do you need?”
“I figured out how to control the energy form of that stone,” Tony said.
“Oh, okay. So what’s the favor you mentioned?” Saint asked.
“Let me test it out. I will owe you one,” Tony replied.
“Sure, but not right now. It’s charging,” Saint said.
“Who did you go and cause trouble for this time?” Tony asked.
“Do you even know how to speak? Don’t bother, the energy source is mine,” Saint replied.
“How long will it take?” Tony asked.
“At the very least, it will take three to five days. At most, it will take over half a month.”
“How on earth did you arrive at such an imprecise conclusion?”
“I’m just guessing.”
“…”
Tony Stark savored the last bite of barbeque, offering a lukewarm critique of “it’s passable, I suppose.” He then beckoned his driver, Happy Hogan, and gestured towards the street. “Give him one of my business cards.”
“Just give me a call when you’re done,” Tony said to Saint before disappearing out the door amidst a throng of bodyguards. In the time it took him to eat, a sizable crowd had gathered outside the restaurant, including disgruntled stockholders who had invested in Stark Industries and suffered significant losses.
Can’t you just concentrate on perfecting your Iron Man suit? Saint mused as he watched Tony Stark duck into the sleek car and vanish behind the shut door. He simply couldn’t comprehend how a stone capable of seamlessly shifting between matter and energy could hold such allure. The Suit isn’t even finished, and he’s already considering other projects…
Although those were his thoughts, Saint wouldn’t mind relinquishing the Dragon Ball to Tony Stark for study as long as he refrained from physically harming it. After all, Stark currently owes him a favor, which is tantamount to owing him a massive Ark Reactor…
As for the secrets of the Dragon Ball, Saint didn’t believe that tony can guess from a frigid collection of data that the object is meant for making wishes.
