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Chapter 70: The Avengers' Plan

In fact, Sif's claim of being Thor's fiancée had been tacitly accepted throughout Asgard, even though their relationship before his exile hadn't officially reached that level.

After all, she had always been seen as the prime candidate for the ace princess role by Odin and Frigga.

The reason Odin had sent Sif to Earth under false pretenses was largely due to his concern that Thor, with his frequent romantic entanglements on Earth, might actually find a woman from Earth to be his future queen...

Although Odin often preached about "all beings being equal" to Thor and Loki, he still harbored a deep-seated arrogance inherent in the gods of Asgard, looking down on mortals in many ways.

He simply chose not to voice it.

…

In an office at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury studied the words "Avengers Project" on a document.

"Meow--"

The Flerken let out a soft meow.

"Hey, don't make a fuss, I'm trying to think."

"Meow--"

Nick turned his head to see Thor holding the orange cat.

"Why are you here in such a hurry? I'm quite busy." Thor set the cat down and asked seriously.

Nick Fury took a moment before presenting the document: "For the past few years, I've been working as a civilian, researching potential future threats to Earth. I never imagined they would come from the sky or other planets... Well, I'm not referring to you..."

"This is a new initiative—the Avengers Plan, which aims to assemble the world's most outstanding individuals into an emergency team to protect Earth during global crises. You're the only superpowered individual I can currently approach, so I'm here to discuss cooperation..."

"That sounds like a great plan! But why are you asking me for help? I'm not from Earth."

Nick Fury was momentarily taken aback but responded: "Alright, but I believe that Earth and Asgard are generally on the same side, right? After all, we're allies in name."

Nick Fury's perspective was that Asgard must see Earth as a valuable ally...

However, there was a flaw in his reasoning. The term "ally" was merely a label used to foster cooperation. Did he expect Thor to work for nothing?

Clearly, it was a difficult sell. Why did he think it was so appealing?

Nick Fury rubbed his uninjured eye and continued: "Anyway, you and Earth are connected. Even if only for Carol's sake, you should consider..."

"Stop!"

Thor interrupted firmly: "I don't know when we'll meet again, and besides, we're just acquaintances."

Were you planning to deceive me? Don't think I'm unaware of how intense your conflict was that night, nearly destroying the house?

Fury added resignedly: "Also, Agent Carter..."

"She's retired."

"Agent Romanoff..."

"I asked her to retire as well."

"…"

Nick Fury's already dark expression grew darker: "Forget it, just tell me what your conditions are."

As a seasoned agent, he recognized that the other party wasn't outright refusing but was likely setting conditions...

Thor wasn't entirely opposed, after all, the enemies of both sides were essentially the same...

For an adversary like Thanos, it would be imprudent to rely solely on Asgard. With so many superheroes expected on Earth in the future, it made sense to leverage additional strength...

Furthermore, Asgard and Kamar-Taj had a friendly relationship, with each side providing powerful allies and supporting one another.

Otherwise, Odin wouldn't have allowed the Ancient One to cooperate with Thor on Earth.

It was a shame that the Ancient One didn't manage to wield Mjölnir...

In the original timeline, both the Ancient One and Odin fell around the same period, and their heirs had not matured in time, giving Thanos the opportunity to invade.