Chapter 139: The Stepping Stone (First Update)

That very evening, Steve was taken by his old friend Bucky to visit the High-Tech Expo.

If there was one major difference between this Marvel parallel universe and the world where someone named May lived, it was the presence of a group of inventors with wildly imaginative ideas and extraordinary execution skills.

For instance, over here in America, there was Howard Stark.

To help his good friend with the ladies, Bucky dragged Steve to the Tomorrowland Expo and even arranged for Steve to meet two American girls.

At the expo, Howard showcased his still-immature magnetic levitation technology. Although he demonstrated how electromagnetic force could lift a car half a meter off the ground, as he himself admitted, “That’s technology from a few years down the line,” the experiment ended in failure amidst a shower of sparks, and the hovering car tumbled down.

Meanwhile, Steve’s attempts at wooing the girls failed once again, this time for the umpteenth time.

It couldn’t be helped—looks were everything. At barely 1.6 meters tall and far too slender, Steve looked like a child rather than a man. He simply couldn’t give the girls a sense of masculinity, let alone that of a heartthrob.

This cold rejection was not new to Steve. His hormones urged him to approach women, yet the deep-seated insecurity accumulated over the years easily shut his heart’s door again, despite his attempts to open it.

Soon, Steve lost interest and quietly slipped away from the group to explore on his own.

Bucky, truly Steve’s steadfast best friend, quickly noticed his disappearance and went to find him.

In a corner of the expo was a poster framed with the image of a handsome American soldier. Anyone could stand on the designated spot and have their face superimposed onto the cut-out headspace.

A burly man ahead of him stepped up and the image fit perfectly.

When Steve stepped up, however, his stature was so small that only his neck appeared in the headspace.

It was yet another biting blow of cruel irony.

Perhaps having been physically frail since childhood, Steve was already used to such harsh realities. He gave a wry smile and was about to step down when Bucky found him and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t be like that. Today’s a double date. You still have to dance with the girls.”

Steve smiled bitterly in his heart. “You go ahead first. I’ll join you later.”

Bucky knew his friend all too well. Steve slipping away mid-event wasn’t the first time. “You… pulling this stunt again?”

Steve didn’t want to admit it, but the last shred of stubbornness inside him urged him on. “There are so many girls here, I just want to try my luck. Didn’t you say there are 3.5 million single women left in New York?”

Bucky immediately saw through him. “And who are you pretending to be this time? Steve from Ohio? The draft board will catch you. They might even throw you in jail!”

“I know you don’t think I can succeed…”

Bucky cut him off sharply. “This isn’t some back-alley fight, Steve! This is war! With so many things to do, why are you so obsessed with joining the army?”

Steve smiled bitterly. “What do you want me to do? Be like little Timmy in the movie intro? Pushing a red cart collecting scrap?”

As they debated, they didn’t notice an elderly man with a Mediterranean hairstyle and graying temples approaching. The old man was clearly drawn by their conversation.

Bucky remained passionate. “Yes! Why not? People must move forward.”

“I won’t become a factory worker, Bucky! Come on, so many have sacrificed themselves. I have no right to do less than them or be more stingy with my life. That’s what you don’t understand about me. Not being able to enlist isn’t my problem,” Steve said with righteous conviction. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but recall the vision of the Paladins charging headlong into death against a million orcs.

Courage knows no country, no era, no power or weapon.

Courage is simply courage.

He didn’t even realize that as he spoke, a faint sacred glow appeared on his face.

The old man beside them was suddenly moved. He sensed that this young but extremely frail man possessed a noble and lofty soul.

Seeing that Bucky couldn’t sway his friend, he gave up and went to dance with the two girls he had invited.

Neither the two brothers nor the old man realized that the wheels of fate had already begun to turn.

Meanwhile, Howard felt awful.

The Tomorrowland Expo was, of course, a public event to showcase new technologies to the ignorant masses. But for exhibitors, it was a platform to attract investment.

Howard was here to raise funds for Stark Industries. In any era, research in mechanical technology was a bottomless money pit.

Although he had close ties with the U.S. military and many of his inventions had received military approval, Stark Industries’ foundation was far too weak compared to established enterprises.

For instance, he had just helped the military mass-produce B-29 bombers, but Stark Industries’ own factories were too small to handle the production. In the end, after assisting Boeing in successfully improving the B-29, most of the orders had to be handed back to Boeing.

Howard was desperate for funding to truly unleash his potential.

Today, he had messed up.

“Damn it, if only that blasted magnetic levitation could have held for one more minute,” Howard grumbled in frustration.

At that moment, his secretary knocked on the door. “Mr. Stark, a businessman has expressed strong interest in investing in Stark Industries.”

“Send him in!” Howard was initially pleased but then grew wary. “Hopefully not some scammer trying to swindle shares without paying.”

The secretary produced a gleaming gold bar. “If this isn’t sincerity…”

Howard swallowed hard.

During World War II, exchange rates were extremely unstable worldwide. Amid the widespread market uncertainty, only one thing remained hard currency—gold.

Howard knew well that the Federal Reserve was already discussing a gold standard policy, issuing dollars based on gold reserves.

At the time, the official price was $35 per ounce.

One ton of gold equaled 35,273 ounces.

One kilogram of gold was worth about $1,234.

This was the market price, but with widespread pessimism, gold used as a safe haven in Europe could fetch nearly $100 per ounce at the most extreme.

For someone to present a 1,000-gram gold bar as a ‘calling card’ showed genuine sincerity.

Howard soon laid eyes on the man who claimed he wanted to invest in Stark Industries.