章節 4073: Chapter 3181: "Romantic" Wedding Season (65)
The Skrulls were indeed inadequately prepared, and it was clear that the person who planned this wasn't too bright. The on-site preparations would inevitably drag on for a long time, with just the startup of the entire set of electromagnetic shielding equipment taking over half an hour.
Apocalypse was clearly just stalling for time.
Loki, who had been in the office, was no longer in sight. Having come all this way, she, of course, intended to play her part. In such circumstances, her greatest use was not to clash with others head-on, but to stealthily open teleportation portals.
The portals opened by Loki were not the portable kind used by human mages. With sufficient Divine Power, her portals could directly transport three main fleets of Asgardians, a task she had often performed back in the military.
Of course, her portals weren't as handy as the Rainbow Bridge, only to be used occasionally when diversions were needed due to accidents.
The Skrulls' space blockade was like nothing to Loki. If the Three Great Empires could block the Asgardians from opening portals, they wouldn't be having their faces ridden day after day.
While the Skrulls were making preparations to verify their goods, a large teleportation portal quietly opened in a corner of this star system, and a fleet painted with the colors of the Xiya Empire nobles slowly sailed into the star system.
The commander of the Shi'ar Empire didn't suspect anything amiss because although this was Skrull territory, it was quite at the outskirts, as remote as the Milky Way. It was unlikely that the main Skrull forces were present here, and without facing the main forces, they were not in any danger to their lives.
They had just arrived when the Skrull fleet detected them. The Skrull commander cursed, "Despicable! They've actually cooperated with the Shi'ar Empire!"
"Quick! Get that thing back! Apocalypse! If the item is lost, I won't let you off!"
Apocalypse immediately flew towards the small ship, but the corners of his mouth revealed a cold smile.
As expected, the Skrulls had been tricked.
They thought the Mutants and the Shi'ar Empire were putting on a play for them, making them believe that the product of the Life Fusion Plan had been successfully stolen and they had shown up here to pick up the goods. Then they would unite with the Shi'ar fleet to trap and capture them all.
Now, they couldn't care less about what exactly was inside that small ship. If there was something there, great; if not, they would just admit the blunder. The main thing was to get their hands on the goods and escape quickly. Their three fleets were not weak, but the individual combat capabilities built by the Shi'ar Empire were inherently stronger than the other two empires. With five ships arriving this time, any slower and they really would be done for here.
The Skrull Empire was not like the Kree Empire, monitored by the Supreme Wisdom where no one dared to desert. They actually operated quite independently, prioritizing their own lives. If the plan failed, at worst they would be punished, but not running now would mean dying here.
After taking control of the small ship, the Skrull ships threw out gravity traps, directly dragging the small ship back to the fleet and wedging it among the cargo ships, then immediately started their jump engines and fled.
They fled so swiftly that they didn't notice Magneto as he turned to look at the fleet of the Shi'ar Empire and slowly raised his hand.
The following scene, even Loki, who had just returned to the office, could hardly bear to watch. Mutants excelled in destruction, unparalleled in the entire cosmos, even better than the Asgardians in this regard.
If one had to point out a disadvantage, it would be that the Mutants were overly young. Magneto and Professor X were born too late; for thousands of years, there hadn't been a leader like Odin. Otherwise, their current status in interstellar space would be on par with that of Asgard.
After watching the grand explosion for a while, Loki also finished her coffee and turned to Thanos, who wore an expressionless face, and said, "Once the Shi'ar Empire declares war on the New Skrull Empire, whom do you plan to send to mediate?"
Professor X also turned to look at Thanos.
Thanos smiled and said, "Of course it's you."
Professor X fell silent. Loki mediating? Are you speaking seriously?
"Stop joking around," Loki said. "If I were not an Asgardian Prince, it might be amusing to go, but I represent Asgard. If I say they shouldn't fight, they might just stop."
Professor X then realized Loki had a point. Asgard indeed had a certain deterrence. If they really sent Loki to mediate, they might actually stop.
"Then let whoever most wants them to fight do it."
"Shiller? I can help you call him, but if all Three Great Empires start fighting, don't blame me for not warning you."
"I didn't mean him," Thanos said. "Isn't there anyone else among humans that you can send?"
Loki stood up and paced two steps, then said, "The Avengers certainly have some strong players, and they also have some reputation in the cosmos, but they've never worked within the Intergalactic Alliance. Isn't sending them over a bit like showing favoritism?"
"Whose favoritism am I showing?" Thanos said, sipping his coffee. "First, I'm not human; second, I have no relation to Earth; and third, I don't know any humans."
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Loki responded. "Mediating between two great empires is a tough job. If you straightforwardly propose sending a human, they will definitely think you're trying to suppress the human race."
"So what if they do?" Thanos retorted. "If I appear too close to humans and then humans take over the space that becomes available, won't they suspect that I'm behind it?"
Professor X certainly understood the subtle contest of wits between them. Simply put, once the two empires declare war, the interstellar council must fulfill its duties by sending someone from the security departments to mediate.
But mediation is an especially tough job, even for the members of the interstellar security. As long as you belong to a race or have origins, you inevitably carry a bias. If you speak for the Shi'ar Empire, others will think your civilization is biased towards them, eliciting a backlash from the opposition, and vice versa.
To give an example, it's somewhat like Poland sending someone to mediate a war between the Soviet Union and Germany.
Of course, Poland would end up as nothing.
As expected, no one in the entire security department wanted this job, and Thanos was looking to take this opportunity to push humans into it.
From the outside perspective, it obviously seemed like a big affront to the human race. They got none of the benefits when there were good times, but now that a tough job came up, humans were suddenly remembered. How could there not be resentment from Earth's side?
"However, if Thanos were on their side, this move would actually be what's called drawing a clear line. By pushing such a difficult task onto the human race, it represents that I am not on the same side as Earth; therefore, if there is a vacancy later on and I recommend humans, it wouldn't be favoritism, but rather showcasing my impartiality by promoting the virtuous without avoiding my foes, a mark of great wisdom and goodness."
Indeed, there wasn't a single easygoing person in the interstellar council.
Loki certainly had figured it out too, she cleared her throat softly twice and said, "Alright, I think Earth would agree to your plan, but who should go?"
"Who is the head of the Time Management Bureau?"
Loki paused slightly, then said, "Nick?"
She first opened her mouth, then pursed her lips, followed by opening her mouth again, but still said nothing. After being frozen for a while, she then said, "Actually, I think Shiller could also be considered a candidate."
"What's the matter with Nick?" Thanos asked with a hint of confusion. He truly didn't understand; the security department hardly had any dealings with the Time Management Bureau, and as for S.H.I.E.L.D., he was even less in touch.
Loki opened her mouth again, then closed it, primarily abiding by the principle that family shame should not be spread abroad, she remained silent.
"Then let it be him," Thanos said. "Both great Empires consist of humanoid beings, with no taboos concerning communication and culture. However, it's true that humans have never participated in the work of the Intergalactic Alliance. So here's what we'll do, have him come to the security department for training for two days."
"Maybe that's not necessary," Loki quickly interjected. "Otherwise, just announce that he has already undergone training. Better not to let him actually come."
Thanos gave her another puzzled look. Ever since he brought up Nick, Loki's demeanor had been somewhat strange, as if she wanted to say something yet hoped he could understand on his own.
"Never mind," was all Loki said, but in her heart, she added, "Good words are wasted on the damned, I hope that when you check the security department's accounts one day, you'll remember my behavior today and not dump the blame on me."
Magneto soon returned with his people.
Professor X was stunned the moment he saw him; his expression changed slightly, but he said nothing. Observing his reaction, Loki waved grandly at the other Mutants, saying, "Let's go, I'll take you to the interstellar council for a spectacle."
As the others gradually left, only Professor X and Magneto remained. Professor X then spoke, "Are you injured?"
Magneto remained silent.
Professor X stood up, looking at his figure and said, "You can't be injured by a starship. What were you doing?"
"My mind was elsewhere," Magneto gave an explanation that didn't really explain.
Professor X walked over, slightly helplessly.
After leading everyone out, Loki breathed a sigh of relief, but then Thanos was still giving her that questioning look.
"You'll understand about Nick once you have dealt with him. I'm too lazy to explain more," Loki thought he was still dwelling on the previous issue.
Instead, Thanos asked, "What's the relationship between the two Mutant leaders?"
"Uh… good question," Loki nibbled on her fingernail lightly.
"You don't need to explain. I'll ask you a few questions; you only need to answer yes or no."
"Alright."
"Is their relationship like the one between you and your brother?"
"No, not quite the same."
"Is their relationship like yours and Strange's?"
"What relationship do I have with him?!... No."
"If one of them were of another gender, would they fall in love?"
"It's not about being another gender, they also... I can't explain this to you."
"Let me change the question, if their genders were different, would they get married?"
Loki thought about the question seriously for a moment, slowly shook her head and said, "No, if their genders were different, they wouldn't get married. They..."
Loki paused, then said, "They might end up killing each other."
This answer was clearly beyond Thanos's expectations, but he seemed to understand something, so he said, "Alright, I get it. Let's go back to talking about Nick."
Loki immediately made a bitter face, and Thanos chuckled before saying, "Or maybe we should talk about Strange..."
"Why talk about him?!"
"What's wrong? The Supreme Magician plays such an important role; surely he will have a significant impact on the war between the two great Empires. Why can't we discuss it?"
"Uh…"
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