"Please, follow me." Two agents led Asta and her group toward a landing pad.
They had been walking for a while now, and the journey had left both Janus and Themis looking incredibly grim.
Initially, they felt a flicker of gratitude toward this civilization for saving their own.
They had even appreciated the gesture of an invitation to clear up any misunderstandings. But... what was this? These people weren't showing them an ounce of the respect they deserved.
It wasn't that their manners were poor—the basic formalities were there—but this wasn't the kind of deference a civilization should show when they were the ones coming to apologize.
Asgard was powerful, sure, but was their home, The Blue, really any lesser than Asgard?
The two were in the dark about the specific details of how things had unfolded.
After all, Asta had buried herself in the lab the moment she returned, and Arlan wasn't exactly the talkative type.
Consequently, Janus and Themis were under the impression that they were currently in Midgard, a territory under Asgardian rule.
If this was Asgard's domain, then Asgard should be the one calling the shots. They'd heard an Asgardian prince had saved them, but that was no excuse for these people to be so dismissive.
Fuming but seeing that neither Asta nor Arlan had spoken up, Janus and Themis maintained a tense silence.
The group boarded a helicopter and flew toward the SHIELD Helicarrier.
Waiting for them was Natasha. Unlike the agents' surface-level professionalism, her welcome was noticeably warmer.
"Welcome. I hope the helicopter ride wasn't too uncomfortable for you?"
"It was a fine experience."
Asta was willing to be cordial with Natasha, offering a small smile as she replied, "Vehicles like this have been practically extinct on The Blue for a hundred years. Functional models you can actually ride in are incredibly rare. I've never had the chance to try one until now."
Obsolete a century ago...
Natasha kept a pleasant expression, but her mind raced. Based on that comment, the technological gap between their worlds was roughly a century—but it wasn't that simple.
Realistically, Earth might not even be able to phase out helicopters in the next few decades.
Besides, the sheer velocity of a technological singularity could be impossible to fathom.
More importantly, a civilization only a hundred years ahead of Earth wouldn't make Asgard this wary. Asgard was an ancient, powerhouse civilization.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Please, follow me. Director Fury has been expecting you," Natasha said, leading the way.
She carefully avoided any politically charged topics, steering the conversation toward daily life—local cuisine and culture.
She was trying to plant the idea in their heads that Earth was filled with countless living, innocent souls, silently praying that the woman behind her was a kind-hearted person.
It wasn't just Asta; even Themis and Janus could see right through Natasha's intentions, which only made their feelings more complicated.
So, what exactly happened yesterday?
After they had called for help, Asgard had quickly sent word that compensation would be provided as soon as possible, assuring them there would be no further "accidents." But surely this compensation wasn't just about making sure they didn't take their anger out on Midgard?
This woman was practically begging for mercy on behalf of her world.
They hadn't planned on settling scores with Midgard anyway; their beef was with Asgard.
The two were struggling to keep up with the situation.
Soon, they were ushered into a spacious conference room. In the center sat a massive round table.
Nick Fury was already seated at one end, waiting. He wasn't alone; with the exception of Thor, the rest of the Avengers were present.
"Thank you for agreeing to come, Madam Asta." Nick stood up and made a "please, sit" gesture.
Asta took her seat smoothly, while the other three stood a short distance behind her.
"You said you wanted to clear up a misunderstanding, so here I am," Asta replied. "Tell me, are you the ruler of this planet?"
This question made Themis and Janus trade a confused glance.
With Asta's status, she had to negotiate with the head of some neglected little backwater planet? Was this how Asgard chose to apologize?
The anger in their hearts was becoming difficult to suppress.
It was like a Vice President going on a state visit, only for the other country to send a mere provincial governor to meet them.
"Well... I am not the ruler of this planet. In truth, this planet doesn't have a single ruler. It is divided into hundreds of nations, each governing themselves," Nick Fury explained.
Janus couldn't hold back anymore. He let out a cold sneer.
"Then instead of 'clearing up a misunderstanding,' you should have found someone who actually carries some weight before starting this conversation."
It was a blunt, direct show of contempt, but Nick didn't get angry. As the master of spies who had survived countless missions, he wasn't someone easily swayed by emotion (mostly).
"Earth's situation is complicated—perhaps difficult for your civilization to grasp—but we are doing our best to communicate in good faith."
Nick Fury's tone was remarkably sincere.
"I can understand that Earth is... unique," Asta said.
She didn't lift a finger to scold Janus for his lack of restraint, simply continuing to the next topic with an expressionless face.
"I recall you mentioned wanting to clear up a misunderstanding. I assume this is regarding the fact that you deployed weapons of mass destruction toward our location?"
"It is."
Finally reaching the heart of the matter, Nick said, "We are deeply sorry for that lapse in judgment. At the time, the battle was not going in our favor, and portals were continuously pouring alien fleets into our world. We resorted to that as a last, desperate measure."
"You're saying you had no choice?" Asta wasn't buying it. "Even though Prince Thor was down there? Even though you hadn't even fully deployed your own military, you chose to drop a nuclear bomb?"
There was more?
Janus and Themis kept their faces neutral, but internally, they were reeling.
They knew Thor had saved them, so they knew he was on the battlefield. But upon hearing that Midgard had dropped a nuke, their first assumption had been that Thor must have already evacuated.
They didn't really care if Thor had left them behind to save himself; he probably barely made it out alive.
While they would have demanded an apology and reparations from Asgard for the abandonment, logically, Thor's actions would have made sense.
But... what was this? Thor hadn't evacuated, and Midgard had dropped a weapon of mass destruction on the battlefield anyway?
What about Thor? The situation was dire, but it hadn't reached the point where a Prince needed to be sacrificed.
Looking back at how Natasha had been desperately trying to humanize Midgard on the way in, the pieces finally clicked.
This was insane. Midgard was committing high treason.
In the face of Asta's questioning, Nick Fury's expression turned incredibly stiff, but he eventually nodded.
"...We had no choice. And of course, we are prepared to face the consequences of that decision."
"Face the consequences? What consequences could you possibly face?" Janus looked like he was about to laugh from pure rage.
"I don't feel a shred of sincerity here. If your idea of 'sincerity' is playing the victim and then saying you'll take your licks, then I'll tell you right now: you can't afford the price we're going to set."
Themis added coldly, "Station Lead Asta, these people have no respect for you, nor for Madam Herta. I suggest we proceed with a forced liquidation of this planet."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.