Chapter 210

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After leaving Ajak, both parties became busy.

Ajak immediately used a communication sphere to summon all the Eternals - Ikaris, Kingo, Gilgamesh, Thena, and more. The Eternals, scattered across different corners of the Earth, received Ajak's summon without delay. Some responded immediately and swiftly began heading toward Ajak. However, some hesitated.

For instance, Druig, who had settled into the life of a "lord." Or Kingo, who had become a big star in the entertainment industry in India. He was counting his schedule on his fingers. It had been hundreds of years since Ajak disbanded the team, and over such a long time, some Eternals had indeed changed considerably.

Nevertheless, Ajak was their former leader, and they wouldn't completely ignore her call. It was just uncertain when they would all gather. As for Sersi, while waiting for news from Ajak, she was also trying to investigate Zhou Cheng's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, at Sanctuary II, the atmosphere in the spacious hall was suffocating. The naturally eerie environment added to the oppressive feeling. The Other was prostrating and kneeling before Thanos, his head bowed low, not daring to breathe loudly.

Thanos, seated on his throne, looked displeased. "Did you say Loki failed?"

After a long silence, Thanos's emotionless voice finally broke the air, still exerting immense pressure on The Other. "Yes, my lord," The Other reported immediately. "Loki successfully infiltrated C53 and stole the Tesseract. But he didn't have time to open the portal and was captured. The Tesseract was taken from him. Asgard discovered Loki and brought him back."

"According to reliable information, the Tesseract was also taken to Asgard. They even used it to repair the Bifrost." The Other detailed the entire event to Thanos.

"And the scepter?" Thanos asked without any expression, glancing at the kneeling The Other.

"It was lost on C53," The Other answered fearfully.

Thanos's face grew darker. "So, not only did we fail to get the Tesseract, but we also lost the scepter?" This is what you call a double loss!

"My lord, it was my oversight," The Other quickly began to self-reflect before Thanos could get truly angry. "I thought Loki, Odin's son, a prince of Asgard, would be somewhat capable. But I didn't expect him to be so useless! He couldn't even open the portal on C53, a primitive planet."

Loki boasted about ruling C53, but he couldn't even accomplish this. The Other's disdain for Loki peaked.

Thanos fell silent, contemplating. Was Loki useless? Certainly, flipping so badly on C53 made him a failure. But even so, he was still the second prince of Asgard. No matter how useless, he shouldn't be this incompetent.

This indicated that C53, despite appearing primitive and backward, wasn't as simple as it seemed. It was indeed deeper and more complex.

Originally, Loki was merely a pawn for Thanos, a probe to gauge C53. Now, Thanos knew better.

"My lord, I will correct this! I will go to C53 and retrieve the scepter myself!" The Other stood up, volunteering. "I won't fail like Loki, I promise!"

However, he did not mention retrieving the Tesseract from Asgard, recognizing his limits.

"No, you needn't do anything," Thanos waved his hand, rejecting the request. C53 seemed much more complicated than he had initially thought, making rash actions unwise.

"My lord, I don't understand. Are we just going to leave the scepter lost?" The Other was surprised.

"I will get the scepter back, but not now," Thanos pondered for a moment before giving The Other an order. "Contact Ronan; I need to talk to him."

The Other was momentarily startled. The sudden shift was unexpected. But obeying without delay, he established contact with Ronan.

Ronan's projection soon appeared before Thanos. "Thanos, I haven't found the Orb yet, but I have leads."

Thanos shook his head. "This isn't about the Orb."

"Oh?" Ronan seemed surprised. "But our agreement doesn't cover matters outside finding the Orb."

"Calm down, boy," Thanos smiled, though his smile still carried pressure. "I just want to ask you something."

Facing Thanos, even a simple inquiry made Ronan nervous. He stood straight and serious, his mind racing to guess Thanos's purpose.

Thanos asked about Ronan's attempted invasion of C53 years ago. Baffled but compliant, Ronan recalled the events for Thanos.

Thanos remained visibly unperturbed, but internally, he was shocked. Ronan couldn't even reach C53's surface, getting repelled right after entering the atmosphere?

It seems that the depth of C53 is even more astonishing than he had imagined! After severing communication with Ronan, Thanos made a decision after some contemplation.

Considering the complex situation on C53, he decided to let the mortals temporarily safeguard the scepter that had been left behind. Once he obtained the other stones and gained enough power, he would return to C53 to reclaim it. After all, it was just a matter of time; eventually, all six Infinity Stones would end up in his hands! So yes, Thanos, the great conqueror of the universe, chose to abandon the scepter for the time being!

Without a doubt, this was good news for Nick Fury, Thor, and the entire Earth. However, it was something Nick Fury could never know. As the Director of SHIELD with a heap of things to manage, he remained intensely focused on the progress with Vision.

Nick Fury's men had successfully made contact with Klaue, and the acquisition of Vibranium was progressing smoothly. Zhou Cheng was also arranged well by Tony. But frustratingly, the decoding process of the scepter showed no signs of optimism. Another month had passed, and only fifty percent had been completed. As for the parts Jarvis couldn't decode at all? Well, they still couldn't be decoded. Those areas belonged to fields beyond the reach of Earth's technology, entirely new and unexplored realms—even for the genius of Iron Man, they were highly challenging. 

Nick Fury was worried but had no better solution, after all, Jarvis was the world's top super-program, second to none.

"Director!"

Fury's thoughts were interrupted by the ever-dutiful Coulson. Catching Fury's attention, Coulson reported an unexpected piece of news.

"Thor is here again."

Thor? Nick Fury straightened up; the presence of the God of Thunder demanded respect. Despite having a lot on his plate, Fury set everything aside to meet Thor as quickly as possible.

"Thor, maybe next time you visit, you could avoid choosing places packed with people," Nick Fury quipped upon arrival. "Not everyone has a heart as strong as ours."

"No, they all love me," Thor grinned, exuding confidence. "They're all eager to take... what's it called... selfies with me."

"So you enjoy all the attention and flowers?" Fury made a welcoming gesture. "I thought gods from Asgard were different."

"I'm Thor. Everyone loves me, whether in Asgard or here," Thor boasted unhesitatingly as he and Fury took their seats.

"Thor, you're here about the Dark Elves, aren't you?" Fury suggested, having learned about Asgard's current situation during Thor's last visit. The Nine Realms were still in turmoil, a time when Thor was desperately needed. Unless it was something urgent, Thor wouldn't visit Earth casually.

"Malekith is a threat not only to Asgard but also to you," Thor acknowledged. "I'll defeat Malekith, but I may need your help."

"Anything I can do, I won't hesitate," Fury assured, his genuine concern for the threat evident.

"Jane is key to finding the Dark Elves, but she's in Midgard and out of my reach," Thor explained. "Even if Heimdall can see her, I can't have him watching her all the time; Heimdall has more important duties."

"So, I thought SHIELD might be more suited to this task," Thor suggested straightforwardly.

"I've already taken care of that," Fury nodded. "Ever since that particular journal update, I've kept track of Jane's every move."

"Good, seems like I was overthinking," Thor nodded in satisfaction.

"But what happens after that?" Fury raised an eyebrow, probing further.

"What do you mean, after that?" Thor was puzzled.

"If we do find something, how do we notify you? And if the Dark Elves do wake, and Malekith indeed revives, how do we eliminate him?" Fury's pointed questions aimed directly at the heart of the matter.

"That's simple. Just give me a call," Thor said casually.

"So Asgard has cell phones too?" Fury asked, incredulously.

"We don't. What's that for?" Thor replied, confused.

Fury: "..."

The mighty Director of SHIELD had to explain the basic workings of a mobile phone to Thor. It took quite some effort, leaving his throat dry, but he eventually got Thor to understand that calling Asgard was impossible.

"If that's the case..." Thor pondered before suggesting, "You can call upon Heimdall. I'll inform him to respond to you."

"How exactly should we call Heimdall?" Fury sought confirmation.

"Anytime, anywhere, you just need to say 'Heimdall, I need to talk to Thor' or something like that. Heimdall will hear and let me know," Thor explained.

Fury said no more. In Norse mythology, Heimdall was the guardian of the realm with the ability to see and hear everything. What Thor suggested wasn't far-fetched.

If that was the case... Fury remained calm on the surface but felt a surge of excitement inside. Thor's impromptu suggestion held enormous significance for Earth. It meant Earth had finally bridged the gap to form initial contact with a more advanced civilization like Asgard.