Ding!

As Rowan stepped back into his office, his phone lit up with a missed call from Tony Stark.

Just as he was about to return the call and see what Tony needed, the phone rang again.

“Hey, Tony,” Rowan answered.

“Hey, Rowan. I heard your office building was attacked by terrorists. Are you alright?” Tony’s voice came through with concern.

At that moment, Tony was attending a party. He looked slightly pale, and a glamorous blonde woman was curled up in his arms. When the call connected, he gently nudged the woman away and walked to a quieter corner.

“I’m fine. Just some reckless fool who didn’t know who he was messing with. It’s been taken care of.”

“Handled already? That’s good to hear. Sounds like your security system could use an upgrade,” Tony replied with a chuckle, his usual sarcastic tone returning now that he knew Rowan was okay.

“Haha, yeah, no argument there. By the way, Tony, about the AI assistant you gave me Friday I’ve been studying its framework. I think there’s huge potential in artificial intelligence. I’m planning to invest heavily in it. Interested in collaborating?”

“You want to develop AI?” Tony’s interest was instantly piqued.

He was a strong believer in the future of artificial intelligence. His Iron Man suits were built on two core technologies: the arc reactor and AI. Rowan’s vision aligned perfectly with his own.

“How do you propose we collaborate?” Tony asked, smiling. After all, during the Obadiah incident, Rowan had risked his life to protect both Tony and Pepper. Tony now genuinely considered him a friend.

“Tony, in my view, artificial intelligence can be divided into four distinct stages. Stage One: basic logic processing. Stage Two: logic that can match human reasoning. Stage Three: emotionally aware intelligence. And Stage Four: true sentient life. Do you agree with that breakdown?”

“Logic processing… logic on par with humans… emotional intelligence… sentient life?” Tony repeated, thoughtfully rolling each stage over in his mind. His eyes began to brighten.

Rowan’s framework struck a deep chord with him.

In fact, Tony had only ever considered up to Stage Three. He believed advanced AI should possess emotions. But Rowan had taken it even further imagining AI that could truly live.

“I think you’re absolutely right,” Tony said firmly.

“Right now, your AI assistant sits somewhere between Stage One and Two,” Rowan said with a knowing smile. “I’d like to propose a bet.”

“A bet?” Tony raised an intrigued eyebrow. “Go on, I’m listening.”

“You contribute your AI assistant technology as your investment. I’ll provide the funding. Together, we establish a new company. Within five years, I’ll develop AI to fully reach Stage Two. If I succeed, I get 70% of the company, and you get 30%. If I fail, I only take 10%, and you get the rest. What do you think?”

Rowan laid out his idea plainly.

Tony was visibly stunned. “You’re insane. That’s impossible!” he blurted out. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been stuck between Stages One and Two? With our current knowledge and tech on Earth, it’ll take at least another twenty years to get there. And you think you can do it alone in five?”

He couldn’t help but doubt it.

“Don’t worry about whether I can or can’t. Just answer me this do you dare take the bet?”

Rowan’s tone was light but confident.

Tony paused, a little flustered. He didn’t want to take advantage of Rowan, but he also knew Rowan wasn’t the type to make reckless claims. If he was willing to wager, he must have something up his sleeve perhaps even a breakthrough.

“Fine. You’ve got yourself a deal,” Tony agreed, curiosity getting the better of him.

He genuinely wanted to see if Rowan could pull it off.

Seeing Tony agree, Rowan’s smile widened.

He was well aware of Earth’s current limitations.

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tony had only managed to create Ultron by accidentally syncing with the energy patterns inside the Mind Stone.

Without that artifact, even ten more years wouldn’t have helped Tony reach that level of AI.

But Rowan never intended to build Stage Two AI from scratch through research.

In the world of Swallowed Star, Earth would connect with the wider universe within a few years.

When that happened, he could simply purchase advanced AI technology from galactic civilizations.

Success was guaranteed and so was his majority stake in the company.

In truth, Rowan’s goal was to leverage Tony’s AI tech as a bargaining chip.

He could take Tony’s tech back to the Swallowed Star universe and trade it for rare resources like the elusive Spirits of Flora, which were tightly controlled by top-tier planetary powers.

If he could exchange the AI system for even one of those spirits, his power would skyrocket.

And if that didn’t pan out, he could still trade with Hong, who possessed incredible treasures like Foundations of the Mental Force Master or the rare and powerful Void Shuttle.

“Oh, by the way,” Tony added, shifting gears, “last time I wanted to grab a drink with you, and Obadiah ruined the mood. When are you free? Let’s have that drink.”

“Give it a few days. I’ve got my hands full at the moment,” Rowan replied with a grin.

“Sounds good.”

After hanging up with Tony, Rowan called in Sharon.

“How’s the company situation?”

“Boss, the debris on the first floor has been cleared, but the inspectors say the building’s structural integrity has been compromised. There’s a degree of safety risk,” Sharon reported, dressed smartly in a gray blouse and black pencil skirt, holding a folder in one hand.

“I see…” Rowan paused, then abruptly changed the subject. “What about the Volvo acquisition? How’s that going?”

“It’s finalized. I’m currently selecting top talent from Volvo to form a new R&D team focused on electric vehicles,” Sharon answered smoothly.

Rowan nodded in approval. “In that case, let’s move to a new office building. We’ll bring Volvo’s R&D center with us.”

Sharon agreed. She’d been thinking the same.

Crowe Industries had become a dominant force in advanced materials. Its Krol Alloy had no rivals on Earth and essentially held a monopoly. Their modest ten-story office no longer reflected the company’s status.

And soon, Volvo would become a global automotive giant as well. They deserved a headquarters that made a statement.

“Constructing a new skyscraper would take too long. Sharon, reach out to your contacts and buy an existing building in Manhattan. I only have one requirement no fewer than thirty floors.”

Rowan raised a single finger for emphasis.

“Understood, Boss,” Sharon replied with a smile and a nod.

After wrapping up the day’s work, Rowan drove home.

But just as he stepped into his apartment, Natasha shoved him right back out the door.

“Come on. We’re hitting the training room. Let’s see what you’ve got!”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep