Tony was very interested in Ethan's proposal. He had long wanted to visit outer space, and this opportunity to help might allow him to get a good look at Asgardian civilization and technology... or perhaps even other civilizations.
He had already begun to consider his upcoming schedule, while Ethan, at this moment, contacted Loki in Asgard through magic.
"What made you think of contacting me?"
"I just wanted you to ask Thor for me if he needs my help over there."
This was also why Ethan didn't mind Thor going back directly. Now that Loki had returned to Asgard, he could contact him at any time.
This long-distance communication spell wasn't particularly difficult. The only drawback was that both parties needed a certain level of magical ability, which was why he didn't choose to speak directly with Thor.
Loki seemed to be with Thor, and after a moment of silence, he gave his reply.
"It seems he does need your help. What's inside that young lady... is quite troublesome."
Hearing that last part, Ethan knew that Odin had discovered the Aether inside Jane. The fact that it was an Infinity Stone wasn't the issue. The key problem was that this object could attract the covetous gaze of the Dark Elves.
Of course, the current Odin believed the Dark Elves had been wiped out by his father, King Bor.
"Tell Thor I'll get ready and head over."
As soon as he finished speaking, Loki ended the communication first. Ethan wasn't surprised and didn't take offense. After nodding to Tony, Ethan began considering whether he should bring Logan along this time.
The main element of the plot in Thor: The Dark World was the Aether, and the sole enemy was the Dark Elves. Their leader, Malekith, intended to use the power of the Aether to transform the Nine Realms into a realm of darkness during the Convergence. In such an environment, the Dark Elves would become the sole rulers, while most life forms in the Nine Realms would be unable to survive.
In Ethan's view, if Malekith in the original story had simply chosen a random planet to transform after obtaining the Aether, he probably wouldn't have faced such trouble afterward.
If it didn't involve the Nine Realms, Asgard, which had recently been heavily damaged, wouldn't have reacted at all.
And not stirring up trouble on Earth wouldn't have attracted the attention of the Avengers, let alone drawn out hidden powerhouses like the Ancient One.
So, throughout the entire story, this guy Malekith was just digging his own grave.
His ambition was too great. He actually dared to transform all Nine Realms into a dark world in one go, without considering that, with only two or three surviving Dark Elves, how could they possibly control such a vast territory?
Of course, ambition itself wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Preparing enough territory in advance would mean they wouldn't have to worry about living space once the Dark Elves developed in the future.
Unfortunately, his strength didn't match his ambition. Even with the Aether, he could only fight Thor to a draw—and that was Thor who hadn't even fully mastered his thunder powers. With strength like that, how had he fought Thor's grandfather? Or had he just barely survived King Bor's hands through sheer luck?
Thinking about it, if this guy attacked Asgard now, even though Odin's health wasn't at its peak, with someone like Loki around, he would likely be beaten badly.
This trip wasn't particularly dangerous. Bringing Logan and Selene would allow them to fight at full strength and gain a clearer understanding of their current abilities.
Among the companions, only Logan and Selene could participate in battles of this level. Ada's strength was still insufficient.
While chatting casually with Tony and making preparations, Logan and the others quickly returned.
People like Evelyn and O'Connell were quite interested in modern cities. With Logan guiding them, they explored the city, saw what a modern metropolis looked like, and bought a bunch of things. Since someone else was paying, they could shop to their heart's content.
By the time they returned, Tony and Ethan were already ready and waiting. After briefly explaining the situation, Logan simply nodded and said it was fine.
"Let's go then."
"Don't you need to prepare anything?"
Logan extended his hand and showed off his combat bracelet. "My gear's all here. I don't need to prepare anything else."
Besides, Logan had always relied on his own body as his main weapon. As long as he could move, he could fight even without equipment.
It was the same for Selene. Her combat gear was always with her, so no extra preparation was needed.
The only surprise was that Laura also wanted to come. After thinking about it, Ethan agreed.
Logan didn't want to bring her, but Ethan patted his shoulder. "Laura isn't a kid anymore. Besides, she's been training to fight. If she doesn't get real combat experience, she'll never become a true warrior. It's better to let her gain some experience."
"Are the enemies this time troublesome?"
"As long as she doesn't go up against their leader, the rest are just cannon fodder."
Besides, Laura had inherited Logan's ridiculous regeneration. What was there to worry about?
"Let's go then."
Compared to Ethan and the others' casual clothing and laid-back attitude, Tony looked quite special.
Wearing his Iron Man armor, he was also accompanied by a strange device floating behind him—his 'logistics station'. Tony had successfully modularized his Iron Man armor. If a part was damaged or ran out of ammo, he didn't need to replace the whole suit. He could just swap out the damaged part, replace the weapon bay, or attach new components.
At the same time, the logistics station not only carried replacement ammo and armor but also a few weapons that were too bulky to be directly installed in the suit. This way, they could be temporarily assembled when needed.
"It's still too much trouble."
"I'm researching nanotechnology. If I succeed..."
"Even if you succeed, at best it means your armor and some basic functions can be carried with you. Are you going to use nano-tech to assemble disposable weapons like missiles?"
"Uh..."
"You could study the combat bracelet I made. If you can figure out its spatial principles, you might be able to solve those problems."
The five of them, plus the floating device, walked into the portal together. Ada was staying behind to watch the house. As long as Jonathan didn't sneak out and bring home some strange item, there shouldn't be any problems.
When Ethan and the others emerged from the portal, the first Asgardian they saw was their old acquaintance, Loki.
"So many people came?"
Loki glanced at the fully armed Tony and suddenly thought of something.
"What do you think is going to happen?"
"Just like the Tesseract once attracted you to Earth, I don't think what's inside Jane won't attract someone's attention."
Loki wasn't worried by Ethan's words. In fact, he thought it was a good thing. He could properly show his strength in front of his father.
Those so-called rebellions were nothing. He couldn't even go all out, and those weaklings couldn't even withstand a casual blow from him.
If some powerful figures actually showed up, he would definitely give them a good welcome.
As long as it wasn't Thanos.
Thinking of Thanos, Loki suddenly recalled the Infinity Stones. Thinking of the Stones, and then the Aether... Even though Odin hadn't explicitly said the Aether was the Reality Stone, it wasn't hard for someone as sharp as Loki to guess.
"Could it be... him?"
"No, he won't make a move against Asgard yet."
Loki knew Thanos was wary of Odin. As long as Odin was alive, even if his condition wasn't great, Thanos wouldn't declare war on Asgard lightly.
As they were talking, Ethan and the others had already entered the great hall. Odin was still waiting for Ethan here, but this time, besides Thor, Jane Foster was also present.
"Ethan, can you solve the trouble with Jane?"
"Don't worry, Thor. I've already figured out how to safely remove that thing from Jane." Ethan patted Thor's shoulder, signaling him not to worry. "I need to talk with the All-Father first."
Odin looked at the people behind Ethan. He had seen Logan before. His life force had grown stronger, but that wasn't anything special.
Selene, in his eyes, was just a relatively unique humanoid life form.
The only thing that caught his attention was the Arc Reactor on Tony Stark's chest. The technology within it had clear traces of the Tesseract.
"Is there a problem?"
Odin remained warm and polite toward Ethan, curious about what he wanted to say.
"All-Father, what's inside Jane has already been confirmed, hasn't it?"
"The Aether..."
Odin briefly explained the situation regarding the Aether. He had already told Loki, Thor, and Jane earlier, so this time he skipped some details and added a few things he hadn't mentioned before.
"Also, the Aether is the Reality Stone among the Infinity Stones." Odin looked at the calm Ethan in front of him. "You should know that."
"Yes."
Ethan didn't deny it. He had never intended to hide that, and there was no need to.
"You want to take the Reality Stone?" Odin didn't agree. "Having two Infinity Stones in close proximity is not a good idea."
"I don't want the Reality Stone. I have no use for it."
He truly had no need for the Reality Stone. The Space Stone could extract energy from the Marvel Universe and help him study the nature of spatial energy. But once the Reality Stone left this place, it would be useless. Why would he want it?
"Then what is it you want?"
"I just wanted to remind the All-Father that the Dark Elves have returned."
After thinking for a long time about how to phrase it, Ethan finally couldn't resist—he started spoiling things again.
(To be continued.)
***
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