"A curio that can infinitely replicate food?"
The mere mention of those words caused Tony and Banner's expressions to shift instantly.
If this replication was the real deal—a perfect one-to-one copy—wouldn't that be equivalent to a perpetual motion machine? It was technology that spat in the face of the laws of thermodynamics.
"It's not as absurd as you're imagining. Achieving infinite division without any energy input is an impossibility in this universe," Herta's voice sliced through their speculation.
"If such a thing were ever created, the entire universe would blink out of existence the very same moment."
Rogers and Scott felt a cold sweat break out at her words, but they also felt a wave of relief. It seemed the Madam Herta standing before them wasn't some flavor of pathologically obsessed mad scientist.
Beside them, however, Tony and Banner still looked conflicted.
They were more curious about whether Herta couldn't do it, or simply wouldn't. Unfortunately, she didn't seem inclined to elaborate.
Shaking off his curiosity for a moment, Tony realized something else.
"Wait. Thanos's whole deal is 'saving' the universe from collapsing under the weight of its own consumption. That's why he's off on his idiomatic quest to collect the Stones," Tony said, turning his gaze toward Herta.
"But... if you have a solution for that, there's no reason for Thanos to be helping Loki invade Earth."
"Why would he even bother?"
After all, Thanos only lent his armies to secure the Stones.
Tony didn't mention that food wasn't the only resource Thanos was worried about; he figured if Herta could solve hunger, she could likely solve the rest.
Even if she couldn't actually stop the clock on entropy forever, it was a hell of a lot more reliable than wiping out half the population.
And yet, Thanos had still attacked.
Herta's answer was devastatingly simple: "I don't know."
"...Huh?" The response caught the Avengers completely off guard.
"I don't know, and I don't care what he thinks. A genius's time is precious. I don't have a spare second to waste deconstructing the neural pathways of a single-tracked purple prune. Besides, we've only met once. I'm not curious enough to keep tabs on him."
"I... well..." Even though they'd known her for less than ten minutes, her bluntness felt strangely familiar to the group. It 'clicked.'
"Looking at you all, it seems that purple prune left quite the shadow on your souls." Herta snapped her book shut and set it aside.
"Regardless, that's none of my concern. You should get back to the original topic. What price are you prepared to pay to borrow the Stones?"
Sensing that Herta wasn't entirely impossible to talk to, Scott spoke up tentatively.
"Um, well, even though we're 'borrowing' them, we aren't actually taking them away in the long run. Once we take them to the future and finish using them, we'll return to the exact moment we left. Effectively, we're only borrowing them for maybe a minute. Or ten seconds."
"I thought the Kree took the prize for being the most thick-skinned idiots in the galaxy, but whose subordinate are you supposed to be?" Herta almost laughed in sheer exasperation.
"I'll have Asta kick you out now. Don't bother thanking me."
"Deepest apologies, Madam Herta! That's not what he meant!" Banner interjected hurriedly. "What he means is that we will do everything in our power to ensure there is zero impact on your research!"
"Yeah... right! Exactly! We wouldn't dream of wasting a single second of the great Madam Herta's experimental time!" Scott added, desperate to recover.
"The technology you mentioned earlier," Tony said, stepping forward. "Our method for traversing time—no, for traveling between parallel universes."
His words drew the eyes of the others. Their gazes were heavy with complexity, but in the end, no one moved to stop him.
"Oh? I thought you were unwilling to share that at first?"
"The tech is incredible, but it's also dangerous. We didn't dare hand it over lightly. I'm sure you understand that concern."
It was only because of the series of things Herta's puppet had just said that Tony had been able to make this call.
He knew all too well what happened when powerful, era-defining technology was introduced too early; the government's reaction to his first suit was proof enough.
From her words, it was clear Herta understood this principle too—which was why she hadn't just handed over technology that outstripped this universe by eons, like those Star-Destroyer ships.
Tony decided this was a researcher he could trust.
"It seems you still have some misunderstandings about geniuses." Tony's bluntness was as consistent as ever—whether in the present or the future.
Because of that, Herta was willing to chat a bit longer.
"Do you really think a genius like me wouldn't already possess such technology? Space and time might hinder those chasing the limits of the unknown, but they have never been shackles for a genius."
"..."
Truth be told, Tony had wondered if she already had it. Even the snippets of information the puppet had revealed hinted at how terrifying Herta's intellect truly was.
But... if she already had the tech, why bother asking for their data?
"The answer is 'perspective.'"
As if reading the confusion on Tony's face, Herta explained: "I've never lacked the means to reach the truth. But just as one plus three equals four, and two plus two also equals four, there is never just one path to the truth. I am a perfectionist. Every variation of the truth should be known to me."
Tony couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Even as a self-proclaimed genius, Herta's mindset was on a different plane.
But it didn't matter. Maybe if he were twenty or thirty years younger, he would have been consumed by curiosity and pressed for answers, but right now, he didn't care. Their goal was within reach.
Nano-machines shifted in Tony's hand, forming a sleek USB drive.
As another puppet approached, Tony placed it firmly in its hand.
"Congratulations on striking a deal with a genius. It's a shame you aren't from this universe, or you'd actually have something to brag about." Herta finally flashed her first smile since they'd met.
With a slight wave of her hand, two Stones drifted out from the machinery, hovering silently before the group.
"You can take them. The other puppet will lead you to Asta, and she'll see you out. And for heaven's sake, don't actually come back ten seconds later. Your past selves won't have even left yet, and I have no desire to clean up that paradox. Calculate your arrival time properly."
Having granted them her mercy, Herta reopened her book and fell silent.
"Thank you," Rogers nodded to her, leading the team as they followed the first puppet toward the exit.
--+--
Meanwhile, in the deep reaches of space.
A massive vessel hung suspended above a planet.
A tall, armored man with skin the color of bruised plums looked down at the world below. A purge had just been completed; his eyes remained cold, devoid of both joy and sorrow.
"My Lord, Loki has failed."
Behind him, an elegant, spindly old man bowed respectfully.
"And the Stones?"
"The Space Stone was not recovered, and the Scepter was lost on that planet." Ebony Maw hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"It appears a vessel from 'The Blue' made an unscheduled stop on that world due to an unforeseen incident."
At those words, Thanos, who had been devoid of emotion, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Herta?"
--+--
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.