Chapter 208

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Alright, these sensational stories aren't the main point.

Iron Man grumbled slightly, then tossed these useless thoughts to the back of his mind and got back to his serious analysis. Judging by the diary, it seemed Dormammu's niece sought out Doctor Strange to resolve the crisis caused by his cosmic collisions. So apparently, Dormammu's niece was actually a good person.

What about her power, though? Although the diary didn't specify, considering her formidable lineage as a niece of a dimensional demon, she couldn't be weak, right? Coupled with Doctor Strange who could traverse the multiverse, they should be able to solve the cosmic collision crisis, right?

Tony hoped to find a concrete answer from the diary, but unfortunately, it made no further explanations!

"According to Mr. Fantastic from Universe 838, the only way to solve a cosmic collision is to completely destroy one of the universes. Otherwise, both universes will perish together."

"So the best case scenario is still one universe turning to dust!"

"Considering that Doctor Strange from Universe 838 already caused one collision event."

"And in Universe TRN889, Doctor Strange himself destroyed the universe without even needing a collision."

"So, it seems Mr. Fantastic has a point. The greatest threat to the multiverse really is Doctor Strange!"

Tony's expression turned more serious and grave than ever. His assumptions had been entirely correct. The consequences of a cosmic collision were indeed as severe as he imagined; the only solution was to destroy the other universe. 

That meant an entire universe! Countless planets, civilizations, and lives would all be annihilated. Such an extremely cruel deed was unsettling just to read about in the diary. Nonetheless, Tony understood that if such a situation truly arose, they would have no choice but to become the executioners, destroying the other universe for the survival of their own.

Thus, the best solution was to prevent the cosmic collision in the first place. In other words, they had to stop Doctor Strange from studying the Darkhold. 

But after reading the diary's spoilers, Tony started feeling less confident. So Doctor Strange was a repeat offender! The Doctor Strange of Universe 199999 wasn't the only one who triggered cosmic collisions. Other universes had their Doctor Stranges doing the same, some even destroying entire universes by themselves.

So, could it be as the diary said, that Doctor Strange was indeed the greatest multiversal threat? That would be utterly maddening! But Tony currently had no way to deal with this. He couldn't possibly monitor Doctor Strange every moment to prevent him from studying the Darkhold. Though Tony didn't know the specifics of how Doctor Strange studied dark magic, it was clear that someone as powerful as him would be well aware of its risks.

Despite that, Doctor Strange still chose to do so, implying he had sufficient reasons. The diary made it clear that Doctor Strange studied the Darkhold to solve the Scarlet Witch's crisis, not for personal gain. Under such circumstances, could he truly be stopped? Or would it even be wise to stop him?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Nick Fury stayed much more composed as he reviewed his own diary entry. The multiverse concerns felt too distant for him to dwell on. Judging by all the intelligence the diary had revealed, the future was evidently one dominated by the multiverse. Multiversal-level crises would emerge continuously, making another cosmic collision no more or less significant.

Just as SHIELD had always managed various problematic scenarios, including the most serious crises, there would always be solutions. Fury decided not to be overly concerned, diverted his attention back to the diary, and waited for the next wave of spoilers. But after waiting for several minutes with no new content appearing, it seemed the diary had once again abruptly ended.

Fury closed the diary decisively and, after organizing the intelligence from the latest spoilers, swiftly retrieved his phone. Using an encrypted line, he dialed a number.

"Nick!"

"What's the matter?"

A deep voice quickly responded—it was none other than the imposter Baron Strucker, a Skrull ordered by Fury to oversee the Sokovia base.

"Listen, I need the latest personnel list from your secret experiments. Get it to me immediately. Hurry!"

Nick Fury gave the command without hesitation.

"You still haven't given up? I told you, those experiments are just a waste of resources. There's been no progress so far," replied the fake Baron Strucker.

"Who knows what tomorrow brings?"

With that cryptic remark, Fury ended the call. Moments later, the list he requested was sent. Fury impatiently opened it, his eye quickly scanning across the various dossiers.

Soon, his eye lit up with a gleam of insight.

Wanda Maximoff!

He had found her at last! The formidable Scarlet Witch had finally been discovered! Was it really you? Fury began to carefully examine the profile before him.

An original resident of Sokovia, Wanda had lost her parents during the upheaval when she was very young. Since then, she and her brother had lived a harsh and nomadic life on the streets, until they signed a "contract" with HYDRA and voluntarily underwent human experimentation.

Nothing striking about it. Wanda's background, like many other unfortunate children, was unremarkable and had no notable aspects. Even Wanda herself appeared to be just an ordinary yet beautiful child at first glance, leaving no strong impression on Fury.

Fury hadn't anticipated that such an unremarkable girl would hold such immense potential in the future. Storing this dossier separately, Fury continued his search.

Soon, the information on Pietro Maximoff was also brought out. 

After a quick browse, it was evident that this kid seemed even more unremarkable compared to Wanda. 

However, unlike Wanda, Pietro's situation was more complicated, as he needed the scepter to awaken his abilities as Quicksilver. Considering the scepter was currently with Tony and knowing Tony's personality, Nick Fury realized that using the scepter to stimulate Pietro would require significant effort.

No matter what, Nick Fury wasn't going to give up easily on this matter.

"Agent Coulson!"

After creating separate files for Wanda and Pietro, Nick Fury called his loyal subordinate, Agent Coulson.

"Sir, what are your instructions?"

Coulson stood straight and waited for his boss's orders.

"Jane Foster, I need you to resume secret surveillance on her."

Nick Fury stated directly.

To be honest, Coulson was somewhat surprised and puzzled by this command. Hadn't it been proven that Jane Foster no longer merited monitoring, thus ending the operation? Why suddenly keep an eye on her again? Nonetheless, despite these questions, Coulson didn't say anything and, as always, accepted the task without any objections.

"Besides, I need to know what 'The Convergence' is all about."

Nick Fury continued after a brief pause.

The Convergence was a crucial time for the awakening of the Dark Elves, and Nick Fury took it very seriously. After all, the Dark Elves could bring darkness to the entire Nine Realms, and Earth, being one of those realms, couldn't escape unscathed.

So, Nick Fury's concern for the Dark Elves was no less than Thor's.

"The Convergence sounds like an astronomical phenomenon, Sir. Jane Foster is the best astrophysicist for something like this," Coulson confirmed. "What are our engagement principles for this matter?"

"Don't alarm Jane."

After some thought, Nick Fury gave Coulson this answer.

According to the diary's spoilers, Jane Foster's discovery of the Aether was purely accidental. Nick Fury was indeed worried that any interference might deviate from its original trajectory, thereby causing the Aether, or Reality Stone, to be buried.

As for discovering the Aether waking up the Dark Elves, well, the diary never mentioned such a thing—or at least not clearly. 

Even if the diary had explicitly stated it, Nick Fury, being who he is, would still find a way to obtain the Reality Stone. Risks never deterred Nick Fury.

"Understood, Sir."

Coulson acknowledged and left to carry out his orders.

Soon, Nick Fury was alone again in the office. He rubbed his temples and sunk into deep thought. A moment later, he straightened up and dialed a number. "Stark, I think we need to talk."

On the other side of the call, Iron Man naturally knew what Nick Fury wanted to discuss. After a brief pause, he agreed, and they arranged to meet. Given this opportunity, everything could be laid out clearly to Nick Fury. Human experimentation was his bottom line!

About two hours later, Nick Fury and Tony Stark met at a secret base where they were researching Vision.

They engaged in a heated debate over Quicksilver's experiments.

"Enough!"

"Let's end this useless argument. I don't need to lecture you; I know that won't persuade you. But let me make this clear, Nick: this is my bottom line!"

"I will never allow anyone to use a child for human experiments, regardless of the reason!"

"If you insist on doing this, I will stop you!"

Tony Stark delivered these firm words and left, leaving Nick Fury with an unpleasant expression.

Things were much more complicated than he had anticipated. Tony's attitude was more resolute than expected. However, Nick Fury couldn't afford to fall out with Tony. As bad as it felt, he had to admit he needed Tony more than Tony needed him. 

For Quicksilver—more precisely, for a Quicksilver that might not even be born—it wasn't worthwhile to strain their relationship. Given that Hydra was now under his control, history had already deviated. Even if he sent the scepter, Pietro's experience would differ from another universe. Nick Fury couldn't guarantee a 100% replication of Quicksilver. Thus, it wasn't worth jeopardizing his relationship with Tony.

Nick Fury began to weigh the pros and cons. How Tony felt about all this was unknown. However, days passed, and Nick Fury did not bring up the matter again. Iron Man went on with his research on Vision, continuing with his usual activities as if nothing had happened. 

At the same time, Sersi and Sprite finally arrived at Ajak's secluded place.

"Sersi, Water Sprite, long time no see!"

Riding back, Ajak pulled the reins, dismounted gracefully, and approached Sersi and Sprite with a smile.

"So, this is your life now?"

"A cowboy?" 

Sprite looked Ajak up and down and greeted her.

"No, being myself," Ajak laughed. "I have never felt so at peace."

"Seeing you live well puts me at ease," Sersi said, walking up and adding, "At least, it looks better than mine."

"You seem to have many stories," Ajak responded, gesturing to invite them in. "Come in, I have some good tea."

They followed Ajak inside.

Sipping tea and chatting, they shared laughter and stories in a warm atmosphere.

"Alright, Sersi," Ajak said, seeing that the time was right. Her expression grew serious. "What happened exactly? Can you satisfy my curiosity now?"