Chapter 549: Not in Love with Amethyst Purple Sweet Potato Spirit (1)
Thanos, a well-known villain in Marvel Space, needs no introduction here. Let's talk about his current situation.
At present, he is in his own realm, the Dark Dimension. After leaving Titan and entering Space, he defeated a group of Space Pirates, replacing their leader. These were the first citizens of Thanos' newly founded nation.
Currently, Dark Dimension's development is proceeding smoothly. Thanos' elite force, the Obsidian Five, is engaged in warfare throughout Space, plundering resources to support Thanos' expansion.
Previously, Dark Dimension was at its peak of development. Despite destruction being Thanos' nature, he had already spent quite some time tending to his fields in his old home.
In a way, Thanos' situation is somewhat similar to Stark's. Developing one's territory is a complex and time-consuming process, and sometimes, in interstellar warfare, what is needed is the collective strength of an entire civilization.
Thanos wanted to accelerate the overall military development of Dark Dimension, but he didn't know where to start. He sat on his throne, pondering this issue.
Currently, he had two options. One was to make himself even more powerful, capable of facing countless adversaries, effectively becoming a one-man army with the strength to wage war across Space, much like the Spacedemon gods. The other option was to establish a military empire, much like Asgard.
For Thanos, the first option was simpler. As a member of the Titan race, he had inherent advantages, already surpassing many individuals in various civilizations and even Spacedemon gods. However, developing an Asgard-like empire was also attractive to him.
He had envisioned what it would be like if the major Empires in Space became his instruments, making his endless ambitions for destruction all the more tangible.
But the reality was that Dark Dimension was far from as strong as these major Empires. Currently, Thanos' Empire was facing a bottleneck after its rapid development, a challenge that every civilization encounters.Thanos couldn't decide whether to fully abandon this path and focus on his personal growth.
Just as he was deep in thought, leaning back on his throne with narrowed eyes, a servant entered nervously. In his arms, he held a massive communication device that was incessantly emitting a "beep-beep" sound.
Thanos frowned and turned his head, looking somewhat impatiently at the communication device that had interrupted his thoughts.
Nonetheless, he extended his large hand and took the communication device. To the servant, it was an enormous device, but to Thanos, it was a normal-sized telephone.
Thanos answered the call, and on the other end, a pleasant female voice said, "Greetings, King Thanos. I am Lady Loki, the eldest princess of Asgard. We've just met..."
"I didn't realize you were such a shy person. Our meeting was quite brief, and we didn't have a chance for a deep conversation. That's why I decided to call you. You can save my telephone number and call me anytime..."
Lady Loki's words were filled with ambiguity, but it was clear that her initial friendliness was a façade, and beneath it lay a hidden dagger.
"I believe we can discuss matters concerning the Infinity Stones. You should be aware of how powerful they are, and currently, the Infinity Stones are within the Nine Realms. All it takes is killing Odin and Thor, breaking through Asgard's defenses, and..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the call was abruptly cut off.
In a guest room at the nearest starport transfer station to the Dark Dimension, Lady Loki, holding the communication device, slammed it on the table. Through gritted teeth, she muttered, "He dared to hang up on my call, such an uncivilized bumpkin!"
But she quickly suppressed her anger. Once again, she dialed Thanos's number, only to find that her call couldn't get through.
Lady Loki let out a cold snort and smirked mockingly. Immediately, her hand emitted a faint glow as she altered her communication channel, attempting to call Thanos once more. However, she was disconnected again.
Clearly, at this point, the outcome was no longer as important as the desire to win.
Communication and contact in Space were somewhat akin to making telephone calls for humanity, but they used a different kind of signal. When Lady Loki called Thanos, it was similar to how Spacedemon gods contacted the Sanctum Sanctorum; it was all achieved through the source energy of Space.
This method also had its equivalent of telephone numbers, namely the uniqueness of one's soul. Whether it was Spacedemon gods or ordinary humans, their souls were unique within Space. For beings capable of utilizing the source energy of Space, the aura of their souls was equivalent to a unique telephone number.
Most beings couldn't change their appearance, but they could change their form. However, they couldn't alter their own souls.
Lady Loki was an exception among these beings.
All Divine Positions in Asgard possessed special abilities, and the Trickster's ability allowed her to conceal the aura of her own soul.
This was why Lady Loki could easily come to the Dark Dimension even after being blacklisted by most intermediate civilizations. She could change her appearance, her voice, and even her soul. If one IP address was blocked, she could simply switch to another.
And this also applied to her harassment calls.
So, Lady Loki was essentially a one-woman telemarketing company with an infinite number of phone lines. She could change her numbers and IPs without limits, making it impossible for Thanos to distinguish between her harassment calls and legitimate ones.
Some might wonder why Thanos didn't just refuse all calls. However, Thanos was not an ordinary person idling at home; he was the leader of an empire, and he had countless matters to attend to every day.
Lady Loki kept changing her number, and Thanos couldn't discern which calls were harassment and which were genuine. He couldn't afford to hang up on all calls, as it would hinder the development of Dark Dimension.
Therefore, Thanos' straightforward rejection of Lady Loki was also a reflection of his intelligence.
Lady Loki had essentially written "I am a scammer" on her face. Both races in Space and civilizations in the Dark Dimension had analyzed the situation thoroughly. It was nothing more than a scam, so why would Thanos step into the trap?
In the era when Odin ruled supreme in Space, there were few who could rival him, and the Asgardians only grew stronger with age. Who knows how powerful he has become now? Plus, there's the so-called new king, Thanos, who doesn't have the glove or the stones. One must consider whether it's wise to confront him head-on.
Even if we take a step back, I can't do what the enemy wants me to do. The more they try to lure me with various gem artifacts, the more resolute I become not to waver.
Whether to steal the gems or not is my own decision, not something I'll do just because you tell me to. Am I supposed to be your lackey?
This is what Thanos thought. However, Lady Loki was incredibly persistent. She started to refuse food and rest, constantly splitting into dozens of duplicates, rotating her telephone numbers, bombarding Thanos with harassing calls.
Thanos couldn't trace the telephone line to strike at Lady Loki. Even if he had a way, he needed to consider the weight of Asgard's eldest princess. If Asgard were to unleash its full might and attack the Dark Dimension, Thanos might be able to fend for himself, but his territorial armies and weapons wouldn't escape unscathed.
In the end, Thanos gave in.
In the final telephone call from Lady Loki, he said to her, "Come to my throne hall. Let's talk in person."
The palace of the leader of Dark Dimension's stars was situated in the very center of the city. Its overall design resembled a spear thrusting into the sky, and the pinnacle of the spear emitted a dazzling light that illuminated the entire planet. This was where Thanos resided, in his throne hall.
To enter the throne hall, one had to pass through a long covered bridge, under an eternally dim sky, like a twilight of shifting shadows. Lady Loki's black hair danced in the wind, and her footsteps echoed on the glass floor, reverberating through the twilight city.
When Lady Loki appeared, she still held her head high, radiating a brilliance that made her seem like a god descended from the heavens.
She noticed that, apart from Thanos seated on the towering throne, there was another slightly emaciated figure below the throne. He had a grayish head and deeply sunken eyes. When Lady Loki's gaze fell upon him, the figure spoke:
"Hello, Princess, His Royal Highness. I am Ebony Maw, one of Thanos's Obsidian Five and a general and strategist of the Empire."
"Today, His Highness wishes to discuss the future development of the Empire with you. Please allow me to listen in and offer my humble opinions..."
Lady Loki frowned slightly. A radiant aura enveloped her, and an invisible wave surged forth, precisely reflecting back onto Ebony Maw. He stumbled back two steps and coughed violently.
Lady Loki said, "Ebony Maw, were you trying to manipulate my mind?"
Ebony Maw's expression became somewhat unpleasant. He hadn't expected his forte to be so easily exposed by Lady Loki.
Ebony Maw did possess the ability to manipulate minds, albeit different from Professor X's powers. His abilities weren't as comprehensive but mainly focused on linguistic manipulation.
He could use language to sway people's thoughts and make them think in line with his agenda. In the comics, he even influenced Doctor Strange. Although his abilities weren't as versatile as Professor X's, he was more specialized.
Lady Loki let out a cold snort, thinking of the entries written in the little booklet that Schiller had given her. She said, "Are you trying to mentally control and suppress me? Are you planning to resort to extreme violence?"
The halo around her radiated once more, making it difficult for Thanos to keep his eyes open. He gave a dissatisfied glance at Ebony Maw.
When Ebony Maw had come to see Thanos and heard that Thanos wanted to invite Lady Loki, he had volunteered, hoping to establish dominance over Lady Loki. However, this backfired. Instead of weakening Lady Loki's presence, it only made her aura stronger.
Thanos speculated that this radiance might be Lady Loki's innate ability, and whatever it was, it didn't seem easy to deal with.
He adjusted his posture slightly, staring directly at Lady Loki, and said, "You've been in contact with me for quite some time. What exactly do you want to say? You don't need to bring out those deceptive tricks; let's talk about a real deal."
Lady Loki, instinctively ready to pitch her proposal, realized that Thanos had other intentions in mind.
At this point, the power wave, rebounding and oscillating, had taken a toll on Ebony Maw. Clearing his throat, he spoke on behalf of Thanos:
"We have no interest in the Infinity Stones, but we do find Asgard's new strategy intriguing..."
Lady Loki furrowed her brow. She knew that there were rumors circulating in interstellar society, suggesting that her plea for assistance was actually part of Asgard's conspiracy. However, she hadn't expected Thanos to express interest in it.
"Our Empire is thriving, but we won't stop here. We still need more power. For this reason, I hope to learn about the specifics and execution methods of Asgard's strategy, as well as... Asgard's future plans."
Lady Loki narrowed her eyes. She had to admit that Thanos was quite clever. Compared to the elusive and trap-like Infinity Stones, intelligence on Asgard's strategy was indeed more valuable.
With a professional smile, Lady Loki said, "Next, please allow me to introduce the source of these strategic plans and the professional team behind the genius strategies—the Nine Realms Sanctum Sanctorum!"
[Read atwww.patreon.com/shanefreak, without ads and support the work.]