Chapter 258 — New Tools
About ten minutes after the call ended, a knock came from the front door of the residence.
The sound had barely finished echoing through the house when the door suddenly opened.
Marcus blinked.
Naruto was already standing there.
It was immediately obvious what had happened.
The blond ninja had clearly been waiting right beside the door.
Marcus couldn't help smiling slightly.
"Hello, Naruto."
"Good morning, Marcus," Naruto replied immediately.
Then he stepped aside and gestured inward.
"Come in fast. They are waiting."
Marcus nodded.
"I appreciate the warm welcome."
He stepped into the residence.
The door closed behind him.
As he walked toward the living room, he noticed everyone gathered there.
Tony was sitting on one side of the room.
Saeko sat nearby.
Diana and Tanya occupied their own seats.
Mindy was leaning comfortably against the couch.
Only one person was absent.
Gaius.
Marcus assumed the giant Space Marine was still in his room.
In one hand, Marcus carried a medium-sized case.
The moment he entered the living room, everyone's attention shifted toward it.
Naruto especially looked eager.
Marcus walked to the table in the center of the room and placed the case down.
Click.
The locks opened.
He lifted the lid.
Inside were seven devices.
Six sleek wrist-mounted communicators.
And one larger tablet-like device.
All of them looked distinctly futuristic compared to the technology most of the group was familiar with.
Naruto leaned forward.
So did Mindy.
Even Tony's attention shifted toward the contents.
Marcus noticed immediately.
Seeing that everyone was watching, he began explaining.
"This is a communication device."
He picked up one of the wrist communicators.
"It's similar to a phone."
The device activated.
A small holographic interface appeared above it.
"It uses a holographic touch interface."
Several members of the group watched with interest.
Marcus continued.
"Each communicator already contains an initial balance of two hundred and fifty thousand credits," Marcus explained. "It's our currency."
Silence.
Then Naruto's eyes widened.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand?!"
The number sounded enormous.
At least to him.
Mindy barely reacted.
Saeko remained calm.
Diana simply listened.
Tanya's expression did not change.
They were all more accustomed to hearing large monetary figures.
Mindy, in particular, thought the amount sounded somewhat low.
After all, she had spent enough time around Tony Stark to become accustomed to ridiculous amounts of money.
Compared to Stark-level wealth, two hundred and fifty thousand sounded modest.
Naruto, however, was looking at the communicator like it was treasure.
Tony noticed the difference in reactions and decided to ask the obvious question.
"Is two hundred and fifty thousand a lot?"
Marcus looked toward him.
Tony continued.
"Give me an estimation of what it could buy."
Marcus thought for a moment.
"That depends on what you're buying."
Tony gestured for him to continue.
Marcus nodded.
"A meal at a restaurant might cost ten to twenty credits."
Naruto listened carefully.
"A good hotel room for a night could cost a few hundred credits."
Tony nodded slightly.
That sounded reasonable.
Marcus continued.
"Most civilian vehicles cost tens of thousands."
Several heads turned toward him.
Then he elaborated.
"A civilian vehicle usually costs somewhere between fifty thousand and ninety thousand credits depending on the model."
Naruto nearly dropped the communicator.
"You can buy a whole vehicle?!"
Marcus gave a small shrug.
"Several, actually."
For a moment, Naruto simply stared at him.
Mindy whistled softly.
Now that sounded much better.
Marcus continued explaining.
"If you wanted to live comfortably in Cascade for quite some time without working, two hundred and fifty thousand credits would be more than enough."
Tony nodded thoughtfully.
That gave him a much better frame of reference.
"So basically a generous expense account."
"More or less."
Marcus folded his arms.
"Commander Osman wanted to ensure none of you had to worry about money while you're our guests."
Naruto looked down at the communicator in his hand.
Then he looked at Marcus.
Then back at the communicator.
His expression slowly became serious.
"I am rich."
"You are not rich," Mindy immediately corrected.
Naruto ignored her completely.
"I am definitely rich."
Diana smiled.
Saeko covered a small laugh behind her hand.
Even Marcus found the reaction amusing.
For someone who had spent the last hour discussing galaxy-spanning civilizations, advanced technology, and threats capable of destroying entire worlds, Naruto seemed remarkably excited by the discovery that he could buy multiple cars.
Marcus already knew the details of the earlier meeting.
Under normal circumstances, a discussion of that level would have remained classified within ONI, far beyond his clearance. However, as the group's designated liaison, he needed to understand the situation he was helping manage. Commander Osman had therefore briefed him on the meeting and its outcome.
Marcus shook his head slightly before continuing.
"The communicator can be worn on your wrist."
He demonstrated the strap.
"Or you can keep it in your pocket."
He shrugged.
"However you want."
Then he added something important.
"It also contains a complete map of the city, along with several other features you may find useful."
Diana immediately reached toward the case.
"That will be useful."
She picked up one of the communicators and strapped it around her wrist.
"Thank you for your assistance, Marcus."
"You are welcome."
The others soon followed.
Naruto grabbed one.
Mindy picked another.
Saeko took hers.
Tanya selected one as well.
Tony eventually reached forward and picked one up.
After everyone had taken theirs, only one device remained inside the case.
One tablet.
Everyone immediately understood.
Those belonged to Gaius.
Considering his size, a larger device made sense.
Marcus didn't need to explain it.
The assumption was correct.
The remaining device had indeed been prepared for the giant Space Marine.
The group spent several more minutes talking.
Nothing particularly important.
Just casual conversation while everyone examined their new devices.
Naruto spent most of his time opening menus and looking through the map.
Mindy checked the balance repeatedly.
Saeko explored the interface.
Diana looked through local information.
Eventually, excitement won.
Naruto stood.
"Let's go."
Mindy immediately got up.
"I've been ready."
Saeko followed.
Diana stood as well.
The four of them had already planned to explore the city.
Now they finally had everything they needed.
Money.
Maps.
Communicators.
Permission.
The group headed toward the door together.
Before long, the residence became noticeably quieter.
Naruto, Mindy, Saeko, and Diana had left to explore Cascade.
Marcus remained.
Tony remained.
Gaius was still in his room.
Tanya remained inside the residence as well, intending to spend her time relaxing.
The atmosphere shifted again.
Now that the others had left, Tony decided there was no reason to waste time.
He looked directly at Marcus.
"Marcus."
The lieutenant turned toward him.
Tony got straight to the point.
"I need you to get me some land."
Marcus blinked.
"Land?"
Tony nodded.
"I'm going to build my own workshop."
That was not the request Marcus had expected.
A laboratory would have made sense. A workshop would have been reasonable.
But asking for land?
"You don't want an existing facility?" Marcus asked.
Tony shook his head.
"No. I want space. I'll build my own lab."
He gestured around them.
"I need somewhere to study the technology here and work on a few projects. It's easier if I design the facility myself."
Now it made more sense.
Tony was not asking for a completed laboratory. He wanted a location where he could build exactly what he needed.
Marcus considered the request.
It was unusual, but not unreasonable.
More importantly, Commander Osman had given him broad authority to support their guests wherever practical.
This fell well within those limits.
Finally he nodded.
"Then I will arrange it."
Tony looked satisfied.
"Give me some time."
"Fair enough."
Tony nodded.
The matter settled surprisingly quickly.
A moment later, Tony finally examined his communicator more closely.
He rotated it in his hands.
Studied the interface.
Looked through several menus.
Then he strapped it onto his wrist.
The futuristic device immediately activated.
A holographic display appeared.
Tony smiled slightly.
Interesting.
"Then call me when it's arranged."
Tony raised his arm, turning the communicator toward Marcus.
The meaning was obvious.
Contact him through the device.
Marcus nodded.
"I will."
Then he remembered something.
The tablet.
Marcus reached into the case and removed it.
He placed it on the table.
"Since Gaius isn't here," he said, "please give this to him."
Tony glanced toward the tablet.
Marcus continued.
"Also explain what I explained earlier."
"The communicator."
"The city map."
"The credits."
"All of it."
Tony nodded.
"I'll take care of it."
"Thank you."
Marcus closed the now-empty case.
The conversation was finished.
There was nothing else that needed immediate attention.
Marcus stood.
Tony remained seated.
The lieutenant gave him a final nod.
Then he turned and headed toward the door.
A few moments later, the residence door opened and closed.
Marcus had left.
The house became quiet once more.
Tony and Tanya sat alone in the living room.
~~~
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