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*****
Feny was well aware of this, of course. Truth be told, things on Asgard's end were easy enough to handle, but the Dark Elves were going to be a bit more troublesome.
At this point in time, the Aether was not yet the Reality Stone in its truest sense, just as the Eye of Agamotto was not synonymous with the Time Stone. Their core essence was simply that of Infinity Stones.
The primary reason for this state was the exorbitant cost of using the stones directly. Modifying them lowered the requirements for wielding their power.
However, the Reality Stone had been converted into the Aether by the Dark Elves, who had embedded various tracking and locating functions into it. Judging from the original timeline, it seemed that the moment it left its sealed location, the Dark Elves would instantly receive a signal.
Therefore, even if Feny managed to obtain the Aether, unless he was absolutely certain he could wipe out all the Dark Elves right here on Earth, returning with it would only bring trouble.
Although the Dark Elves were few in number, those who had survived that ancient war were either cowards terrified of death, or individuals of supreme power. Feny suspected the majority fell into the latter category.
Furthermore, in the original plot, they possessed a method of modifying themselves to drastically boost their power at the cost of their lifespan. He still wasn't sure just how far that method could amplify their strength.
As Feny weighed the facts regarding the Reality Stone and the Dark Elves in his mind, he answered Ancient One, "I know, but if we let the Dark Elves find the stone, it will be a disaster for the Nine Realms as well."
Ancient One looked at Feny and said nothing more. She could see that Feny was utterly determined to get his hands on the Reality Stone, and she understood why he wanted it so badly.
The Ars Magna was a type of magic that altered the rules of reality. It could be said that Feny already possessed abilities similar to the Reality Stone itself. If he were to gain the amplification of the actual Reality Stone, she doubted even the Sanctum would be able to suppress the effects of his Ars Magna anymore.
It wasn't that Ancient One didn't want Feny to grow stronger; she was simply worried that growing too quickly might cause him to lose his way.
With a silent sigh, Ancient One realized that wanting a peaceful retirement wasn't going to be easy. Feny's appearance had completely shattered her grasp on the future.
Feny noticed that Ancient One seemed reluctant to have him seek out the Reality Stone, so he didn't press the matter further. Changing the subject, he asked about Bast.
While going to her dimension carried certain risks, he could always just wait for her to come to him.
Because he had accidentally stumbled into her dimension, Bast had demanded a trip to Earth. Previously, Feny had fretted over how to handle this situation, but now he practically wished she would show up sooner.
Unfortunately, Ancient One didn't know much about Bast either, and could only provide a few basic details.
...
Only after the matters at the Sanctum were temporarily settled did Feny find the time to check on S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. Once he looked into it, he discovered that things had taken a turn for the worse.
In the beginning, the battle between them had been carried out in the shadows, barely affecting ordinary citizens.
But as time went on, thanks to Feny's assistance, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s advantage grew larger and larger, leaving Hydra struggling to cope.
As a consequence, the conflict began to escalate further, starting to impact the public. For instance, Hydra had used its resources in a fit of desperation to issue a global manhunt.
Because Feny had been staying at Kamar-Taj conducting research with Ancient One during this period, he hadn't paid much attention to external affairs, which was why he was only finding out now.
"Captain America is actually alive!"
"Oh my god, I can't believe it! He must be nearly ninety years old by now, right?"
"I never expected him to commit treason. I grew up listening to his stories. Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?"
"Me too! I still have a full set of his comic books at home. He was my biggest idol when I was a kid!"
"He defeated Hitler! Without him, World War II couldn't have been won. How could a man like that betray his country?"
On the streets of New York, everyone was discussing one thing: the wanted notice for Captain America.
In truth, Captain America wasn't the only one wanted. Nick Fury, Hill, Black Widow, and practically every key figure in S.H.I.E.L.D. were currently on the run.
It was just that ordinary people had no idea who Nick Fury was, let alone what a S.H.I.E.L.D. Director or an elite agent meant. Only Captain America, whose entire life was a legend, was familiar to them, leaving them thoroughly shocked.
Captain America clearly hadn't expected to officially announce his 'resurrection' to the world in this manner.
Watching the wanted reports playing on a loop on the street screens, Feny could clearly sense Hydra's disadvantage. After all, if they had the confidence to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. normally, they would never have resorted to such measures.
What Feny didn't know was that the primary reason Hydra had begun to collapse so suddenly and rapidly was because he had delivered Sitwell to S.H.I.E.L.D.
As Alexander Pierce's confidant, Sitwell possessed far too much critical intelligence.
Even so, for Hydra to have remained hidden and grown within S.H.I.E.L.D. for so many years meant they wouldn't be defeated easily. Though caught off guard by Sitwell's betrayal, Pierce had reacted quickly and found a countermeasure in time.
At the same time, he was prepared for a mutual destruction. Even if he truly failed, he wouldn't let S.H.I.E.L.D. have it easy.
In fact, a scenario where both sides suffered heavy losses was an outcome Feny was perfectly happy to see.
Although he had helped Nick Fury many times, that man could not be judged by conventional standards. The moment he suspected you posed a problem, he would discard any past sentiment in the blink of an eye and turn against you.
Therefore, if both sides ended up severely wounded, Nick Fury would have to focus on rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength, leaving him with less free time to blindly plot against others.
After catching up on the publicly available news, Feny planned to consult someone with access to better intelligence. Making a quick phone call, he opened a portal and stepped into Tony's villa.
"Good afternoon, Feny!"
As he crossed through the portal, he found Pepper was there as well.
"Good afternoon!"
Feny nodded and returned the greeting with a smile.
However, after exchanging greetings, Pepper suddenly walked over and gave him a hug, looking at him gratefully as she said, "Thank you for saving Tony yet again!"
Feny froze for a moment before realizing Pepper was referring to the shrapnel in Tony's chest. He couldn't help but shake his head with a smile and say, "Tony has helped me out a lot, too."
When it came to Tony Stark, Feny didn't hold the same immense wariness that he felt toward Nick Fury.
In some ways, Tony's personality was quite similar to his own; he hated owing people favors. If someone treated Tony well, he would always find a way or an opportunity to return the kindness.
Moreover, in the near future, he might still need Tony's help with an extremely vital matter.
On the entire planet, Tony was likely the only person capable of figuring out how to navigate the Quantum Realm to enter other timelines and return safely.