Artoria sat quietly on the sofa with a smile on her face, watching the video that Saturday had given her. The movements of Hydra over the past two days were completely unexpected. Such maneuvers proved that the world's development would no longer follow the path seen in the movies. The enemies would not be idiots who foolishly delivered experience points to help you grow. They would develop in the shadows, seize the right timing, and never let an opportunity slip by once they had it. This was no longer a solo show for superheroes, but a life-or-Death battle between superheroes and villains. It was very real, with no falsehoods at all.
"It seems Director Egg's luck is truly terrible."
Artoria felt immense sympathy for a certain Director Egg. He could have just coasted until retirement, but instead, he ran into all this. Everything started when Tony was kidnapped, and after Tony announced that he was Iron Man, the entire world was afflicted with a negative BUFF. All kinds of villains emerged one after another, and even guys who had long since disappeared were popping up. It was truly a disastrous era; Director Nick was a pitiful fellow indeed.
"It's not like there's no way out. Since things are so chaotic, the help of the Inhumans could allow the world to settle down."
Thinking of this, Artoria looked up at the sky. It was overcast today without the sun, but on the Moon in the sky, were the Inhumans also longing for Earth? It seemed she needed to go find Black Bolt and ask if they could help Earth. If they couldn't, so be it. If they could, she would gift them a piece of land to satisfy their desire to station themselves on Earth. After all, she had bought quite a few uninhabited islands when she was building her Base, so gifting one to the Inhumans wouldn't be bad.
"You should thank me! Director Nick, and the people of the United States."
She stood up from the sofa and stretched languidly. A silver light flashed on her hand, and the Infinity Gauntlet appeared on Artoria's hand. The Space Stone flickered, and Artoria disappeared from where she stood. It was time to let the Inhumans enter the eyes of Earth. Although people might be afraid of them at first, Artoria believed that after the Inhumans helped people pacify this group of guys, at least thirty percent of people would develop a favorable impression of them. All of this required everyone's effort; Artoria was just there to act as a catalyst.
"Why is she gone?"
Susan, who was bringing a drink to Artoria, opened the door wanting to get close to her. To her surprise, upon opening the door, Artoria was not in the room. She remembered that she hadn't gone out! How could she just disappear? It was truly strange. Carrying a belly full of confusion, Susan closed the door to Artoria's room and walked away.
"Here again. This is really nice."
Arriving at the place in my Remembrance, where she first met Princess Crystal, Artoria looked around and said with some emotion. Back then, she had gone to other Planets to search for the Infinity Stones. Her first stop was the Moon, where she encountered a cute little child and even had a fight with the Kree. It was a good memory.
"Sister Artoria? Is that you?"
Just as Artoria was reminiscing, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her. The sound was so sudden that even Artoria's intuition hadn't sensed it. Startled by the voice, one of Artoria's eyes turned into a Mangekyo Sharingan, and the other into a Dragon Eyes. But Artoria quickly realized that this was Crystal's voice. She retracted the Mangekyo Sharingan and Dragon Eyes that had appeared due to her shock, and with a smile on her face, she turned around, meeting Crystal's cute, surprised face. It really was the Sister Artoria she had missed. Crystal happily ran forward and threw herself into Artoria's arms.
Holding Crystal in her arms, feeling her soft, petite, and fragrant body, Artoria's gaze drifted to the big dog, Lockjaw, lying quietly to the side. Its teleportation was extremely powerful and could indeed bypass her intuitive senses, but she hadn't expected it to be this strong. If she were ambushed, she might truly be unable to defend against it. It was a pity that the one controlling this power was a dog. If it were a powerhouse wielding a dragon-slaying artifact, she might really be in trouble.
"What's wrong, our cute little princess, Crystal."
Feeling the dampness on her chest and the slight trembling of the petite body in her arms, Artoria knew the child was crying. Sure enough, coaxing a Little guy was quite a troublesome affair, but watching such a cute child cry was truly unbearable. Artoria began to comfort the Little guy, and after a long time of comforting, she finally made the Little guy break into a smile through her tears.
"Take me to find Black Bolt and Queen Medusa! I have something important to tell them."
After chatting with Crystal for a while, Artoria asked Crystal to take her to find Black Bolt. This was a pressing matter; if she succeeded, seeing Crystal in the future would be more convenient, and she could even invite the Little guy to visit her home. Artoria didn't know if Black Bolt would agree, but some things needed to be tried to know if they would work.
"Long time no see, Miss Artoria."
It was the same place, and the same expressionless, mute Black Bolt. Beside him, Queen Medusa greeted Artoria with a peaceful expression. It seemed they were very welcoming of Artoria's arrival and had no thoughts of rejection. Crystal, accompanied by Lockjaw, walked to the side and stood quietly; this was no different from Artoria's last visit.
"Black Bolt and Queen Medusa, I won't beat around the bush. An evil force has appeared on Earth, wanting to rule the world. They have dragged innocent people into the flames of war, and I have come to ask for the help of the Inhumans."
Without any polite pleasantries, Artoria spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. In fact, she could solve this matter herself and didn't need the Inhumans' help at all. But thinking about the boast she made in front of Crystal... ahem! The promise she made, Artoria thought this was a good opportunity to bring the Inhumans back to Earth and plan for them to interact and live with Earthlings. If the Inhumans entered the sight of Earthlings in a friendly manner this time and helped people quell the rebellion, then at least the Inhumans could leave a good impression on the people of Earth.
"..."
Because of Artoria's words, Medusa and Black Bolt both fell silent. They looked at each other. Black Bolt knew about the situation on Earth, but he hesitated. Going at such a chaotic time might make people think they were taking advantage of the situation. Although he was kind-hearted, he was not a fool. He wouldn't just impulsively go to help with something that was strenuous, unrewarding, and potentially misunderstood. But he hadn't expected Artoria to come and ask for help, and it just so happened that they owed Artoria a favor, so he was somewhat indecisive.
"Of course, I won't let everyone help for nothing. Within some of my islands, you can choose a place as your own Base. What do you think, Black Bolt?"
Seeing the other party's hesitation, Artoria was not angry. Dangerous things naturally required benefits to motivate people. If you didn't offer anything and still expected people to risk their lives for you, that person would be either a fool or an idiot. Artoria believed Black Bolt was not an idiot, so she clearly laid out the benefits she could offer to Black Bolt. This was a transaction. It wasn't that she absolutely needed the Inhumans, but rather that she, Artoria, was helping the Inhumans out of old friendship.
"No need to consider, Miss Artoria. You must have a very detailed plan, so we agree to this matter."
Just as Artoria was about to say, "Why don't you think about it!", Medusa said this so readily that it stunned Artoria. What was going on? Agreeing so quickly? Fine! She did have a plan that could advance the relationship between the Inhumans and Earthlings, but Black Bolt had actually seen through it. This King really wasn't just for show. Artoria gave Black Bolt a meaningful look.
"Then, welcome, our friends, the Inhumans."
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