Chapter 5750: Chapter 4773: X Royal Family: Newborn (13)

"What’s going on with this island?" Steve frowned as he stood by the window. Outside, Clarkia was still lush and verdant. After the storm, the sky was spotless. The water droplets on the plants turned into scattered diamonds, and everything was coated with a hazy glow. As the small animals came out again, rustling noises sounded through the woods and shrubs. The leaves gently shook, dew droplets were shaken off, but before they hit the ground, the tiny figures had vanished.

Yet, beneath this beautiful scene, danger lurked. Although Stark’s physique isn’t as robust as these superhumans, among ordinary people, he’s quite strong.

He has a professional nutrition team to improve his diet; there are regular check-ups, with any health issue addressed promptly; and he is supported by a professional medical team, with all sorts of medical resources at his disposal. He himself is always working out, and all his health indicators are far above average. Even so, he was affected by Clarkia.

An island completely inaccessible to ordinary people. It might be beneficial for the mutants, but it also presents challenges. Like right now, because Stark fell ill, the planned three-day SWORD investigation has been cut to one and a half. This is because neither SWORD nor Clarkia can risk Director Zhengxian encountering problems on the island; that would spell disaster.

Magneto, who had just returned, was also troubled by this issue. To develop more trade partners, it’s inevitable to invite people to visit Clarkia Island. Although theoretically staying for one or two days shouldn’t be a problem, if something does happen, Clarkia won’t stand a chance in international circles.

However, Magneto first approached Shiller. Seeing Shiller walk into the office, he said, "I am very sorry, Dr. Rodriguez. We may indeed have underestimated the island’s effect on ordinary people, which has harmed your friend. Whatever apology or compensation you require, please don’t hesitate to ask."

Shiller took a deep breath, sat down, and said, "The issue now is, given the situation, what we should do is quickly send him away. However, Tony is a man of commitment; once he agrees to help out and has his own plan, he won’t easily give up."

"This time, he just caught a common cold, it’s no serious illness, the fever has subsided, and he doesn’t want to appear like a cowardly millionaire clinging to life, so he’s even less willing to leave. My other friends and I can’t persuade him."

"Right now, the way to quickly get him off Clarkia is for you to quickly meet his expectations. But we all know that’s impossible. Whether it’s industrial or agricultural development, it takes time, even just setting up a framework takes at least ten days to two weeks. No one knows if his health condition will worsen in the process."

"So the best way now is for you to find a way to ensure he can safely stay on the island until he completes what he wants to do. I’ll also do my best to help find a solution. Currently, what I think is, let him wear the Battle Armor as much as possible. The Nano Armor doesn’t get in the way, and wearing it constantly is fine; he’s agreed to this too."

"But you also have to realize that an Iron Man fully armored is intimidating in any universe, any country, especially ours. Wearing the Mecha makes it hard to show a friendly posture, which might make his interaction with the mutants even more challenging. Not to mention, do you expect other countries to visit? How do you think they’ll feel seeing an Iron Man flying over fully armed?"

"Employing people from the Central Universe always comes at a price, but not such an irrational one. This is a completely senseless consumption damaging both sides, benefiting no one. We must avoid such scenarios."

"If you have any good solutions, bring them up quickly, and then figure out how to implement them. If the situation can’t be improved, we’ll have to consider evacuating this plan."

Magneto hadn’t expected Shiller to communicate so calmly and sensibly and consider the situation so thoroughly. It seems like he genuinely wants to solve the problem, not just vent dissatisfaction.

What he said indeed makes sense. Engaging in the Mecha might be acceptable, but it’s not the best solution. No other reason is needed, just saying "Iron Man from the Central Universe isn’t accustomed" is enough.

He’s here to help and guide; naturally, his habits should be prioritized. If he’s not used to wearing the Mecha, then try to make it so he doesn’t have to wear it, instead of dismissing it with "it does no harm to wear it." Even if he eventually does have to wear it, at least put in an effort; it’s a matter of attitude.

This might indeed scare off foreign guests. Especially since the Iron Man from the Central Universe has already made an appearance in the laboratory showdown, proving his strength beyond doubt. If he shows up on the island in this manner, the foreign guests will know no security measures can deter him.

The first batch of foreign guests is manageable, since they’ve already come, they probably won’t leave immediately. But the people they will host aren’t just one group, and there’s no obligation for these guests to keep secrets on their behalf. Once the first group leaves and starts talking about that fearsome Iron Man fully armed on the island, those coming later simply won’t show up.

The mutants’ attitude isn’t a huge issue, despite the Prime Universe folks not leaving a good impression. Thanks to the different Mecha style, they can tell them apart, and they’re unlikely to show any adverse attitude towards the Iron Man from the Central Universe. If necessary, the mutants could just steer clear.

"This is indeed a problem," Magneto said, "but we do have a solution here; it’s just that I’m not sure if you will accept it."

"What solution?" Shiller asked.

"You must have heard of the Clarkia Flower." Magneto took out a flower from beside him and said, "This is a special medicine that only works for the human race. After consuming this flower, it can heal most diseases and also establish some subtle connection with the Clarkian Totem, which might make this island less rejecting of him."

Shiller frowned deeply. He finally understood why Magneto was asking whether this method could be accepted. In reality, this method is indeed hard to accept.

Firstly, the Clarkia Flower is an herb with no pharmacological or pathological research. It was only discovered by mutants to have such an effect, so they used it. As for side effects and long-term effects, they have no understanding of it.

The extraction research has just begun, so there can’t be any quick results. In other words, everything about this herb is a blank slate. Even regarding its positive effects, like healing diseases, leaving that aside, whether connecting with the Clarkian Totem is good or bad is unknown to anyone.

Stark doesn’t plan to live here permanently; he’s only visiting and helping out. Establishing a connection with the Clarkian Totem might help him avoid the island’s rejection, but if it results in any other effects, it would be a significant problem.

Shiller sighed, appearing somewhat troubled. Another issue is Stark’s anxiety disorder. Although he seems completely fine now, consuming an unknown substance like this, for someone with anxiety disorder, is akin to self-harm.

If after consuming it, he experiences overwhelming psychological stress manifesting as physical symptoms, determining whether it’s due to the herb or his own problem becomes impossible. If Clarkia ends up getting blamed for it, it would be counterproductive.

"I have an idea," Magneto continued, "The human scientists stranded on Clarkia have been here for quite a while. Their medical examination results show that most of them are in sub-health conditions. One female scientist has an abnormal uterine lining, and a male scientist has mild meningitis. Before sending them away, we can gift them the Clarkia Flower for treatment. This way, we can do them a favor while also using them as a test to see if there are severe side effects."

Shiller paused in thought. This was indeed a good idea. It’s not that it’s a very rigorous experimental procedure, but it would surely be enough to convince Stark that it resolves his psychological issues.

As for the physical issues, Shiller believed there wasn’t much of a problem. For one, he’d seen the Clarkia Flower and Totem, and they weren’t anything evil. Furthermore, no matter how powerful the Totem is, it wouldn’t break through the cosmos barrier. Once back in the Central Universe, there’s nothing to worry about with that connection.

"Alright, let’s do it." Shiller nodded and said, "But, where are you going to send these scientists?"

"We are planning to extradite them to SWORD. And how SWORD exchanges them with other forces is beyond our control. However, we believe SWORD will handle it well. If they can’t, no other forces could."

Shiller nodded again. This indeed was a smart move. Only he didn’t know how Charles persuaded SWORD to take over these people; this is a minor issue but still troublesome.

Magneto seemed to notice Shiller’s curiosity and lowered his voice, saying: "After this incident, quite a few scientists are inclined to seek refuge in China. They’re not foolish; they know they can’t thrive in the West. The government will surely trouble them, so seeking refuge in the East is a good option. SWORD probably also wants to gamble on leaving a few scientists. These people are valuable talents. If they didn’t really have to leave the island, mutants wouldn’t want to see them go."

Shiller understood that these scientists and SWORD probably found mutual interest. Their knowledge and skills are burdens that make them targets. Today mutants are the issue, tomorrow it may be someone else; continuing like this isn’t sustainable.

To avoid their old friends from previously, they would have to go to a completely new environment where they can’t be interfered with. Though Clarkia is a good place, it’s not quite suitable for ordinary humans. China, however, is much better, despite being a new cultural environment, at least it’s safe and assured. Learning the language and such isn’t a problem for these people.

"In that case, let’s hurry then." Shiller sighed gently, "I’m not trying to rush you, it’s just Tony hasn’t been sleeping well recently, always having nightmares, and I have to frequently rescue him from his dreams, which you wouldn’t want to know what I experienced."