Chapter 72: Anton Vanko (Part 3)

"Stark family, always pushing the boundaries of what's possible," Daniel Davis couldn't help but marvel as he watched Tony Stark successfully synthesize the new element. Both Howard and Tony were technological prodigies. If Hydra hadn't assassinated Howard, perhaps the miniaturization of the Arc Reactor would have been accomplished long ago.

"This new element could easily win a Nobel Prize," Daniel mused. But Tony had no interest in such accolades. Daniel used to hold the Nobel Prize in high esteem, but since his journey to this world, he realized that the prize wasn't as prestigious as it seemed. No wonder Stark was indifferent to it.

The Nobel Prize's selection process was far from fair. True scientific achievement was often overshadowed by politics and public relations. Every year, many groundbreaking discoveries go unrecognized. It often boiled down to a matter of connections and lobbying.

It's akin to the Oscars, where any criticism is met with the assertion that the critic simply doesn't understand the deeper meaning of the work.

Daniel's disillusionment with the Nobel Prize stemmed from two main reasons. First, Alexander Pierce, the head of Hydra, had won the Nobel Peace Prize. The irony of the world's most notorious terrorist leader receiving such an honor was not lost on Daniel. He could only imagine the faces of the Nobel committee members when Pierce's true identity was revealed.

The second reason was more personal. Despite his significant medical breakthroughs facilitated by the Ope Ope no Mi, Daniel had only received a nomination for the Nobel Prize, not the award itself. To his past self, the Nobel Prize was an unattainable dream, but now, not receiving it seemed profoundly unfair. He had published numerous important research findings, and while they weren't as monumental as curing late-stage cancer or HIV, they were still worthy of recognition.

Winning the Nobel Prize wasn't out of reach for Daniel. If he chose to publish a cure for HIV, the committee would have no choice but to award him the prize, regardless of their biases.

With the powers of the Ope Ope no Mi, Daniel could make substantial contributions to medical science, even without revealing his abilities.

"It worked!" Stark's successful synthesis of the new element brought him immense joy. It meant he was no longer doomed to die from palladium poisoning.

"Congratulations."

"Tony!" Daniel's congratulatory words were cut short by Pepper Potts, who burst into the lab, her eyes brimming with concern. Only she and Stark knew the lab's access code.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Pepper immediately hugged Tony, her voice trembling with sadness.

"What happened? Who upset you? Where's Happy? What is he doing?" These days, Happy Hogan acted more like Pepper's personal bodyguard.

"I know everything. How long were you planning to keep this from me?"

"Uh, I'll just step out for a bit." Daniel excused himself from the lab, sensing it was best to give them privacy.

"Long time no see." Stepping into the lounge, Daniel encountered a familiar face: Natasha Romanoff, the infamous Black Widow, still sporting her signature fiery red hair.

"Long time no see," she replied. Officially, Natasha was Stark's secretary, but in reality, she served Pepper after Pepper became CEO of Stark Industries.

"Tony's palladium poisoning is resolved. You can all relax now."

"That's good news. By the way, what was that serum you used to treat Coulson's gunshot wound? It was incredibly effective, leaving no scars. Do you have any more?" Natasha seemed more interested in the serum than Stark's recovery. She sat beside Daniel, smiling.

"That was made from Dittany. Hold on a second." Smelling Natasha's familiar perfume, Daniel stood up and retrieved a large bottle of Dittany from his bag.

"Here, take it." For someone willing to sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone, a mere bottle of Dittany was nothing. Female agents like Natasha dreaded scars. She might appear flawless, but that didn't mean her body was scar-free.

"Thanks, I won't refuse." Natasha accepted the Dittany without hesitation.

"Don't bother trying to analyze and replicate it. The ingredients come from the magical world. Even if you determine the components, you can't recreate it."

"Understood. Do you have more to sell? In our line of work, this stuff is as valuable as life itself."

"I do have some, but not for free."

"Of course, we'd pay for it."

"I don't have much, and it's quite expensive."

"Name your price." Natasha spoke confidently. As part of S.H.I.E.L.D., money was rarely an issue. Even if funds were tight, they could always secure new budgets for something as valuable as this.

"One million dollars per bottle." Daniel named what he considered a sky-high price after some thought.

"One million?" Natasha's smile faded instantly. It wasn't that S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't afford it, but they had hoped to make Dittany standard issue for their field agents. At this price, only a select few could be equipped with it.

That was precisely Daniel's intention. While he had plenty of Dittany, it was essentially a cheap commodity in the Harry Potter world, overshadowed by powerful healing spells. Selling it to S.H.I.E.L.D. for a million dollars per bottle was practically daylight robbery.

"Order ten bottles for now." Before Natasha could respond, Tony, who had followed Pepper upstairs, chimed in.

"Why do you need so many? I can give you a few bottles for free," Daniel quickly declined Tony's purchase request. Ripping off S.H.I.E.L.D. was one thing, but Stark was different.

Tony didn't seem surprised by Natasha's real identity. As Stark or Pepper's secretary, it was unthinkable that Tony hadn't thoroughly vetted her. Despite Natasha's secretive nature, her true identity was no challenge for Stark to uncover.

"I'll need to consult with the director," Natasha said, standing up to make a call to Fury.

"No problem. Even in the magical world, this stuff is highly sought after. Let him know so he can plan accordingly."

"Out of curiosity, what's the price in the magical world?" Natasha asked, holding up the bottle of Dittany.

"That's a trade secret," Daniel replied with a smile. Revealing the real price would likely make her furious.

"I'll be right back." Natasha excused herself to make her call.

"Do you want to expand the space in your bag?" After Natasha left, Daniel noticed Pepper's expensive handbag and made an offer.

"Expand?" Pepper looked puzzled.

"Yes, increase the space, like my bag here." Daniel demonstrated by picking up a cup from the table and casting an Extension Charm on it.

"This cup now has about a cubic meter of internal space," Daniel explained, placing the cup back on the table.

"Let me try," Tony said, taking the cup to the water cooler and filling it up.

"Amazing," Tony remarked, returning with the cup.

"How about expanding this lounge?" Daniel suggested.

"You can do that? Hold on." Tony led Daniel to the lab. "Expand this area."

"Which direction?"

"Here."

"Watch closely." Daniel raised his wand, and the lab space doubled in size.

"Incredible," Tony immediately dashed outside to see if the exterior had changed, which of course, it hadn't.

"This expansion is temporary. Let me stabilize it." Daniel cast another spell to make the space permanent.

"I've applied a spell to stabilize the space. It should last a century without issues. When the time comes, the space might start to shrink, and you'll need to move things out. But people inside will be safe," Daniel explained. Modern Extension Charms had been refined over years to ensure they didn't harm living beings. Even if the space collapsed, it would eject any living creatures safely.

"Fantastic! Now, how about creating a space for my armor?" Tony, ever since his kidnapping, had become obsessed with security and had built various armors, including the portable suitcase armor.

"Even if I make the space, how will you put the armor on?" Daniel's question halted Tony in his tracks. The armor was too heavy to don without machinery.

In the future, Tony would develop self-assembling armor pieces that flew to him. This innovation came much later, around the time of the Battle of New York, when Tony had advanced his technology considerably.

"If the expanded space doesn't add weight, that would be great for my bag," Pepper mused. As a woman, she wanted her bag to hold more without becoming heavier.

"It won't. The weight remains as if the items are only on the surface. That's why Tony could lift the cup filled with water," Daniel explained.

"Wait a moment." Pepper left and returned after a while, her handbag emptied. Daniel then enlarged the bag as she requested.

"By the way, can you expand the space inside my armor?" Tony asked after Pepper's bag was done.

"Finally, you asked." Daniel had been waiting for this. Demonstrating the Extension Charm in front of Tony was a deliberate move to encourage him to ask for the armor expansion. He couldn't offer without Tony's request, as the armor was a weapon.

Expanding the armor's space meant enhancing Tony's combat capabilities.

"They didn't purchase immediately. I thought I'd make a big sale," Daniel sighed in disappointment as Natasha and Pepper left without discussing the Dittany purchase further. He had hoped to cash in on it.

"Dimensional space, mirror dimension... Your explanations aren't scientific," Tony remarked.

"It's not about science. It's magic."

For the next few days, Tony dragged Daniel into various magical research projects whenever he had free time. Without the threat of palladium poisoning, Tony had reverted to his inquisitive scientist mode.

"Maybe nanotechnology operates similarly, storing excess material in a mirror dimension," Tony speculated, possibly inspired by the Extension

 Charm.

"Could he invent nanotechnology before Dr. Helen Cho?" Daniel wondered. In the Marvel universe, Helen Cho pioneered nanotechnology with her Cradle of Life.

But for now, Tony was still some way off from developing nanotechnology. As with the new element, certain breakthroughs required overall technological advancements.

"Tony, there's trouble!" Pepper's urgent call interrupted their lab session, followed by a video clip.

"That's Whiplash. He's got guts to cause trouble outside Stark Tower." The video showed a man wielding electric whips, and Daniel immediately recognized him as Anton Vanko, known as Whiplash.

In the movies, Whiplash attacked Stark during a car race. But that was when Stark was despondent from palladium poisoning and sought thrill in racing. Now, with that issue resolved, Stark had no reason to race. Flying in his Iron Man suit was far more exhilarating.

"Good. This saves me the trouble of finding you." Vanko's appearance was actually a boon for Daniel. It meant he could now build his own Arc Reactors.

While selling in the Marvel universe wasn't feasible, the reactors would be valuable in other worlds. Energy was a universal currency.

"Damn it." Tony suited up in his Iron Man armor and flew towards Stark Tower. Daniel and Tony were currently in Tony's New York penthouse, not his beachfront mansion. It was a short trip to Stark Tower.

They chose to stay in New York to avoid the hassle of long-distance travel, even if it was by private jet. Though Apparating was faster, Daniel had told Tony that it couldn't cover such long distances. It was a plausible explanation for Tony and indirectly for Fury.

As Tony rocketed towards the confrontation, Daniel prepared for his own role in the coming battle.

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