The One Cursed by Knowledge

"The Universal Communicator you brought back last time was really a great thing."

"It boosted Jarvis’s data transmission speed by a whole level. Now, no matter where I am on Blue Star—"

"Jarvis can directly deliver the Iron Man armor to me remotely."

"It’s a pity I forgot to ask for your Universal Communicator number last time."

"Otherwise, I could have contacted you long ago."

As Tony and Harvey walked out of the underground laboratory together, Tony seemed to have found his opening and began speaking on his own initiative.

"If you need it, we can exchange numbers."

Hearing Tony’s words, Harvey tapped his right wrist, and a projection popped up.

"Sure, but is the place where you stay in the universe far from Blue Star?"

"If it’s too far away, the signal might not be very good."

"Although I managed to develop it, it’s still limited by the available materials, so there are still some shortcomings."

"So let’s just use the one you gave me instead."

As he spoke, Tony picked up the Universal Communicator Harvey had given him earlier from the table.

Tony had immense confidence in his own intellect, but the Universal Communicator was, after all, the product of alien technology.

The technological gap between Blue Star and extraterrestrial civilizations was still extremely obvious. Replicating an inferior version in just a few months was already impressive enough; fully catching up to it, much less improving it, was impossible in the short term.

"Either works."

Harvey did not mind. He tapped a few times to connect to Tony’s Universal Communicator, and they exchanged contact signals.

"By the way, Harvey, there’s something I think I need your opinion on."

"Although the Universal Communicator I developed isn’t as advanced as the ones in the universe, once it’s widely promoted, it’ll bring in endless wealth."

"It will also drive the development of Blue Star’s various technologies. Do you think I should push for it?"

When Tony saw that the name on the communication signal was Kassadin rather than Harvey, his eyes flickered, but he did not ask about it. Instead, he brought up another matter.

"You can promote the Universal Translator."

"But as for the Universal Communicator, unless Blue Star is already prepared to connect with the universe, it’s better not to promote it for now."

After exchanging signals, Harvey casually found a seat and sat down as he spoke.

"Doesn’t Blue Star have God King Odin and the Sorcerer Supreme protecting it? Aren’t aliens afraid to act recklessly?"

Tony felt some doubts after hearing Harvey’s words.

"Tony, I know you want to drive the technological development of all Blue Star and give humanity greater means of self-defense."

"But you need to understand that once Blue Star begins using Universal Communicators on a large scale, it will mean sending a signal to extraterrestrials."

"Blue Star is ready to meet the various civilizations from different planets, and that will increase the likelihood of them visiting Blue Star."

"Once that signal is sent, it cannot be taken back."

"Although Blue Star currently has Odin and Ancient One protecting it, so it need not fear the arrival of alien races, they do not have many years left to live."

"Can you guarantee that Blue Star’s technology can develop rapidly over just a few decades, enter the interstellar age, and catch up to the starting point of other alien civilizations?"

Seeing Tony’s expression, Harvey understood what he was thinking and spoke slowly.

"Although I’d like to assure you that it can, we’re limited by the various materials available on Blue Star. It’s unlikely within ten years."

Tony revealed a bitter smile after hearing that.

Blue Star’s technological development could be said to have been extremely rapid. From the steam age to modern society, it had taken only a little over a hundred years.

Human technology had advanced by leaps and bounds over the past century, the result of countless generations of geniuses and the efforts of innumerable people.

A little over a hundred years would have allowed humanity of the past to go through several eras of renewal, but for a civilization, a hundred years might only be the beginning.

From the books Harvey had brought back, Tony had learned that the civilizations of many alien planets generally only formally connected with other planets after entering the interstellar age.

At present, Blue Star could at most launch rockets and satellites to investigate several nearby planets. It was still a long way from the interstellar age.

That was also why, despite successfully replicating a low-end version of the Universal Communicator, he had not rushed to publish it immediately. He had intended to discuss it with Harvey first.

To be honest, Tony still held onto a trace of wishful thinking. Although Blue Star’s technology could not possibly catch up in a short time—

Blue Star had two great figures overseeing it, capable of buying humanity enough time to develop.

However, although Harvey had not explicitly said how many years the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One and God King Odin had left to live—

Tony estimated that it would only be a matter of decades.

Whether humanity could even bring back some rare materials unavailable on Blue Star within those decades was uncertain.

Even if Harvey helped bring them back, researching and manufacturing with them would take a great deal of time. Catching up to the starting point of alien technology was not something that could be achieved in a short period.

"Tony, you don’t need to be so anxious."

"Although I understand that you want to connect with the universe and frantically absorb knowledge from every civilization, allowing you to invent more things that benefit humanity—"

"You don’t need to rush so much. As long as you don’t encounter any accidents or die in battle—"

"You have a long lifespan. You can research things step by step."

Seeing the bitter smile on Tony’s face, Harvey spoke to comfort him.

"I may have plenty of time, but Blue Star and humanity might not."

Tony crossed one arm over his chest and rubbed his chin with the other, his face filled with conflict.

Ever since Harvey had brought back alien technology for him, aside from eating, exercising for three hours every day, and spending time with Pepper after midnight, Tony had basically spent all his remaining time in the laboratory.

Fortunately, he had joined the Void. Otherwise, with only two to four hours of rest a day for several months, his body would have collapsed long ago.

Seeing Tony like this, Harvey knew that people cursed by knowledge like Tony found it harder to feel at ease the more they knew.

Those cursed by knowledge would feel anxious because their firepower was insufficient, and anxious because there were potential safety hazards.

To completely eliminate that anxiety, the only way was to resolve the matters troubling Tony. Only then could he truly feel at ease.

Otherwise, no matter what was said, it would be difficult to reassure Tony and let him slowly do the things that interested him, then live each day in comfort and leisure.

However, this was not a bad thing for Harvey, because he knew that the more Tony was like this, the more likely his plan was to succeed.

It was just that before discussing that plan, Harvey felt that he still needed to wait for the right opportunity.

"Time will bring you everything you want. Let’s not talk about this for now."

"How is your Iron Man armor coming along?"

Thus, Harvey looked at Tony and took the initiative to change the subject.

"I’ve spent more than two months researching the things you brought back last time."

"Because the materials you brought back were more suitable for improving intelligence than the power or durability of the Iron Man armor—"

"In just over a month, the armor’s performance has only improved slightly. The greater improvements are mainly in its intelligence."

Since Harvey had taken the initiative to change the subject, Tony temporarily put aside his concerns and spoke.

With Jarvis’s intelligence improved, the Iron Man armor’s intelligence had effectively improved as well, allowing it to carry out every instruction he issued more quickly.

Thanks to A-Sheng for the reward. Another ten-thousand-word day tomorrow. This is the first chapter. Please subscribe.