The next morning, Rowan got up early and made breakfast.

After eating with Sharon, she headed to the office to handle some affairs, while Rowan returned to the Swallowed Star world.

As soon as he arrived, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Howard Zhou.

According to the message, the buyer in Hongning Base City had already coordinated with the Limit Martial Arts Dojo in Jiangnan Base City. The batch of Kroluminum Rowan requested would be delivered in full within three days.

After confirming receipt, Rowan set the message aside and began training in earnest.

Money, after all, was only a means to acquire resources from both worlds.

And resources were for one purpose getting stronger.

That was why he never slacked on his training.

He noticed the beast meat in his freezer was nearly depleted, so he ordered another batch.

This time, he bought even more, and to store it properly, he purchased a large cryogenic freezer specifically for monster meat.

He also restocked on upgraded versions of the medicinal bath kits.

Just those two purchases alone cost him over 100 million credits.

But it was enough to sustain him for about two weeks.

And so, Rowan trained without distraction for three full days.

On the fourth morning, he returned to the Swallowed Star world to receive the shipment of Kroluminum materials worth over one billion credits.

This shipment included two tons each of Grade-1 and Grade-2 Kroluminum, along with 1.5 tons of Grade-3.

It wasn't quite enough to fulfill the entire exhibition order, but it covered about sixty percent. He'd only need one more week to gather the rest.

"Rice is still too cheap," Rowan muttered as he looked at the 100,000 tons of rice he'd traded, which only yielded this modest batch of alloy.

The demand for Kroluminum in the Marvel world was sure to be staggering.

At this current exchange rate, it would be hard to scale up his sales effectively.

Then he remembered something Sharon had mentioned: Ivan Vanko was arriving in New York today. With his talent, replicating the arc reactor would be child's play possibly even artificial intelligence systems too. Perhaps he could monetize these technologies in the Swallowed Star world…

Rowan was still considering the possibilities when his phone rang. It was Sharon.

"Hey Sharon has Ivan Vanko arrived?" Rowan asked as he picked up.

"No, boss. He's arriving this afternoon. Someone else came to see you. He wants to discuss a business proposal."

"Oh? Who is it?"

Rowan was curious. Krol Industries hadn't yet expanded its distribution network, and only certain top-tier power players even knew about Kroluminum.

If this person had come knocking, they were likely connected to one of those major entities.

"He said he's the CEO of Advanced Pharmaceuticals. His name is Aldrich Killian."

"Aldrich Killian?" Rowan raised an eyebrow as he held the phone.

That name was all too familiar.

Wasn't he the villain from Iron Man 3? The mastermind behind the Extremis soldiers?

Rowan had little personal interest in Killian himself a petty villain in his eyes.

But the Extremis virus that Advanced Pharmaceuticals had developed? Now that intrigued him.

Its potential value was immense.

In the Marvel universe, the virus seemed underwhelming basically a flawed version of the super-soldier serum with dangerous side effects.

Killian and his associates primarily used it to heal the disabled and turn people into human bombs.

But if that technology was brought into the Swallowed Star world, things would be different.

In that world, many warriors sustained life-altering injuries while hunting monsters in the wild.

Most of these lower- and mid-tier fighters couldn't afford the Water of Life, and thus were forced to retire with regret.

Just like Zhang Ke from the Warhammer Squad, who lost an arm in the original story.

Extremis could change that. It enhanced the body, regenerated lost limbs, and even granted the ability to control temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees Celsius.

Most importantly, it offered a stunning regenerative capability.

In the original story, one Extremis soldier survived a direct blast to the head and still regenerated an astonishing feat.

For those mid- and lower-level warriors, gaining that kind of healing factor would massively increase their survival rates and combat effectiveness.

As for the instability and self-detonation risk? Rowan didn't see that as an insurmountable flaw.

Killian himself never exploded, did he?

It could be refined.

The Extremis virus in the original film was still incomplete far from perfect.

More importantly, warriors in the Swallowed Star world had far stronger physiques and could channel gene energy. That might help suppress the virus's negative effects.

From that angle, Extremis might offer nothing but benefits.

A wild idea suddenly struck Rowan.

Extremis warriors could superheat their hands to over 1,000°C.

Kroluminum blades were highly resistant to high temperatures.

What if every warrior could use their heated hands to forge and wield "scarlet blades" in real-time just like the characters in Demon Slayer?

The image alone was thrilling. Rowan was genuinely excited now.

If this worked, he could very well become a national hero on Swallowed Star Earth.

At the very least, he'd max out his contribution score at the Limit Martial Arts Dojo.

That would open the door to some serious rewards from Master Hong.

With all that in mind, Rowan couldn't wait to meet Killian.

"Sharon, have him wait for me in the conference room."

Sharon sounded surprised. She hadn't expected Rowan to show interest in someone like Killian.

But she didn't ask questions. Peggy had once advised her: "Words are silver, silence is gold. If it's not your business, don't ask."

Rowan hung up and immediately headed to the company building.

Not long after, he arrived at the base of his own office tower.

The ten-story building stood on the edge of Manhattan, and its exterior was currently under renovation. Workers on scaffolding were installing sleek, silver-gray metal panels over the façade.

The original structure was quite dated, but the new cladding made it look modern and prestigious.

At the very top, new black metallic letters had already been installed, spelling out:

Krol Industries

Rowan admired the revamped façade and nodded in approval. Sharon clearly had good taste.

He stepped through the front doors and saw that the lobby was also bustling with workers.

The floors had already been redone in a bright, minimalist style.

Rowan gave it a quick glance before turning his focus elsewhere. He didn't care for these details. Leaving it to Sharon was definitely the right call.

"Boss, welcome!" the receptionist greeted, quickly stepping forward with a slight bow.

Rowan gave her a nod and headed for the elevator, riding it up to the seventh floor.

That level was reserved for meetings and client receptions.

As he stepped out, he noticed the carpeted hallway and tasteful artwork hanging on the walls.

He made his way to Conference Room 701 and opened the door.

Inside, a man with slicked-back blond hair and a silver-white suit sat on a guest sofa, casually sipping tea with his legs crossed.

That had to be Aldrich Killian.

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