"This is our absolute advantage." Thor began to recommend himself: "I have absolute control over the entire Nine Major Kingdoms, I won't let anything happen here. No matter how powerful visitors from the Multiverse are, they can never cause trouble here. This is definitely a good place for multiversal convergence, what do you think, professor?"
"Batman might not agree with you." Shiller thought for a moment and said, "The biggest issue is that if you can truly control everything here, Batman might worry about you becoming corrupt."
"I won't deny that possibility," Thor said, "but compared to others, my risk of corruption is much lower. My original family is very happy, my parents and brother all love me. Although we've had some ups and downs later, it turned out to be the best result, everything is past now."
"Besides, I especially won't harm Earth; my biological mother is Gaia, the Earth Goddess." Thor emphasized, "Doing anything bad to Earth is equivalent to matricide; I wouldn't do that."
Shiller seemed somewhat convinced. The setting of Prime Universe's Thor and the universe where Greed exists is quite different; his biological mother is Earth Goddess Gaia; although Frigga is his stepmother, she's also his foster mother, and he has a good relationship with both mothers.
Additionally, he and Loki have experienced much more than most universes. Thor has once killed Loki with his own hands, then Loki revived, nearly killed Thor, and then Loki died again, Thor brought back the revived young Loki, and fought the world for him, and then young Loki died again, and the previous Loki returned...
Thinking of this, Shiller asked, "Where's Loki now?"
"Uh, at the Fairy Palace, in his bedroom." Thor opened his mouth and said, "He can't leave his bedroom now; I won't be soft-hearted anymore."
"Hard to say," Peter commented.
At this moment, the door was knocked. Shiller walked over and opened the door, and a red-haired female agent stood outside. Natasha from the Prime Universe looked more mature and sharp than their universe. She stood outside, nodded, and said, "Hello, Professor Rodriguez. I am the head of the special security affairs team of the Rebirth Alliance Security Department. I'm responsible for all the security affairs during your travel in this universe."
Natasha showed her credentials, and Shiller indeed looked carefully. This credential was different from all previous departments, overall presenting a deep blue color, the cover depicting a silver-white Earth, with a line of cursive script below saying "Rebirth Alliance."
"Next, I will conduct a routine security check, may I come in?" Natasha asked.
"No problem, ma'am." Shiller stepped aside, and Natasha led the staff inside, discovering Peter and Thor were both present. She slightly raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The staff began the routine check.
Shiller pretended they didn't exist, sat down, and said, "What's going on with Captain America and Carter?"
"Difference in stance," Peter surprisingly sounded a bit wistful, "Captain America also doesn't advocate heading to the cosmos to fight enemies. I know his standpoint is that Earth's situation is unstable, not suitable for large-scale cosmic entry, and if any disaster happens on Earth, there'll be no one to manage it. But Agent Carter adheres to a notion that genius scientists are no more entitled to be super villains than anyone else."
"Whether it's Doctor Destruction, Dr. Pym, or Reed, they all cause trouble in the name of scientific research. Not only do superheroes have to fight tooth and nail to resolve it, agents also have to come out and clean up afterward."
"Those super villains may be arrested for the crimes of terror attacks, but crazy scientists remain unaffected, even enjoying first-rate scientific resources and prestige. This is just unfair."
"She's been resentful of this for a long time; this incident just finally erupted. She believes this cannot go on, someone must bear responsibility. Since the Avengers are allowing them, then the trouble should be resolved by them. The Captain wants to explain, but Carter is no longer listening."
"Ms. Carter makes a valid point," Shiller thought for a moment and said, "The destructive power of crazy scientists is considerable. The villains you fought with all your might only managed to destroy a few streets, but they easily cause cosmic crises, indeed should be somewhat controlled."
"Of course we want to," Peter, who had been a member of The Avengers, said, "But the real issue is, we need their research. Even if we don't need it, who can thoroughly restrain them? It's truly too difficult to achieve."
"Moreover, Reed actually hasn't caused much trouble," Peter said, "I know some universes have a Reed who is very skilled at causing trouble, but in our universe, it's really not that bad. He's not particularly good at socializing with others and occasionally does some absurd things, but truly causing cosmic-level troubles, that's only this time..."
This statement might seem unconventional, but Shiller thought it over carefully. It might be because there are too many experts in the Prime Universe, which ironically prevents Mr. Fantastic from standing out too much. Reed Richards is indeed a person who doesn't know how to conduct himself socially and has done many ridiculous things, such as secretly spending all the team's funds, exiling The Hulk from Earth, and creating a murderous, out-of-control robot during the registration act, but he's also done a lot of good deeds.
For instance, when The Thing had just transformed and felt inferior due to his appearance, Reed created a machine to revert him back. He also invented a device that could identify Skrulls during the Secret Invasion, turning the tide of the battle, and even rebuilt the cosmos during the Battleworld event. On the whole, he is of mixed merit, as he behaves questionably and virtuously in equal measures.
The act of drilling holes may not be entirely ethical, but later, when he broke free from control and slapped the Anti-Monitor, his initial intentions were bad, but at least he did a good deed.
Moreover, although Captain America doesn't appreciate Reed for opposing him during the Civil War, he has a good feeling about the Fantastic Four as a group. Having been adversaries, he knows Reed's strength and believes that forcing him might lead to more severe consequences, potentially triggering another "World War Hulk" scenario.
Meanwhile, Carter, from the perspective of an ordinary worker, thinks that the damage caused by Spider-Man battling the Sinister Six is nothing compared to Reed firing a single shot. When the New Earth Alliance was on the verge of breaking, these agents were sleepless and anxious, fearing an unstable individual might just go berserk and destroy Earth, leaving indelible psychological and physical scars.
Carter feels Captain America is inconsiderate and unwilling to think of ordinary people more or take responsibility. Captain America feels Carter is neglecting the bigger picture. After all, this was an experimental mistake, and directly arresting Reed without any thought could result in a disaster if he truly defects from Earth. They quarreled constantly, inevitably hurting their relationship, and eventually, they fell out.
In truth, it wasn't entirely about Reed. The core conflict between them stems from the fact that Carter, during his time in S.H.I.E.L.D., was not really seen as a leader and often considered things from an ordinary worker's perspective, whereas Captain America has countless things to consider, making it difficult for them to align their viewpoints. Moreover, there's Peggy Carter between them, and it doesn't take much to guess which past grievances their arguments might dig up.
"They both are fine," Peter said, "maybe they're just not suited for each other."
"I'm somewhat curious," Shiller said, "how did they get married?"
"It was during the time of the New Earth Alliance when their old feelings rekindled," Peter sighed deeply, "Their relationship had been dormant for a long time. Since the Civil War, Carter had become somewhat distrustful of the government, and his relationships with everyone had become somewhat cold. But after the formation of the New Earth Alliance, he once again threw himself into work, and Captain America was attracted by his work enthusiasm. They quickly rediscovered their past happiness, and then everything naturally fell into place."
"Once the wound healed, they forgot the pain." Shiller remarked, "Of course, it might have been the hormones at work as well. But how did you eventually deal with Reed?"
"I sent him to Jotunheim," Thor chimed in, "I've set up a comprehensive experimental site there, where all those crazy scientists from Earth can conduct their dangerous experiments. Even if they punch a hole in the cosmos, I can fill it immediately."
Shiller understood; it was just like dealing with Brainiac. Controlling such dangerous individuals is impossible, yet leaving them unchecked is equally unwise, so the only solution is to establish a nature reserve and keep them segregated.
"I believe my leadership capabilities can gain Batman's approval." Thor said, stroking what had transformed from Mjölnir into a cane, "My focus on building Forward York City is also to show the people of the Multiverse that this is a trustworthy safe haven. No matter what trouble they have, they can come here for help, and I think creating such a Utopia is very necessary."
"Are you truly confident you can withstand all attacks?"
"Besides me, there's also Loki, the God of Stories," Thor replied, "To be precise, it wasn't Peter who made a deal with him, it was us making a deal with him together. And saying it was a deal isn't really accurate; it was a common interest."
"It seems the plight of Mount Olympus has given you a warning." Shiller quickly grasped the point.
"Exactly," Thor acknowledged, "As interactions between both worlds increase and Multiverse exchanges become more frequent, if you can't sit at the table, you end up on the table as a dish. Asgard will not be prey like Mount Olympus; we will assume our responsibilities and advance and retreat together with the Multiverse."
Shiller could fully understand. The Olympus in the DC world was indeed too miserable; almost every universe's Mount Olympus was plundered by Batman. These gods, who adhered to their self-interest, ultimately turned into Earth's nutrients, with few gods escaping unscathed.
As a divine race in another Great World, Asgard realized that if they didn't want to end up like Mount Olympus, they had to do something. If they wielded the power and authority of gods but only cared about their enjoyment, making no contributions to the Multiverse, their end wouldn't be much better than Mount Olympus.
Understanding this, the God of Stories, Loki, entrusted the World Tree sapling to this universe's Thor, who was willing to merge with the Nine Major Kingdoms, creating a completely safe paradise meant for communication between the two Great Worlds and the Multiverse. This is a demonstration of Asgard's responsibility, showing all that the Aesir are not undeserving of their position; they possess divine power as well as the compassion and love of gods, endeavoring to protect everyone.