Chapter 212

Future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict. Additionally, I have many new works readers may be interested in. Go look! Thanks!

What is this? Their homeland, Olympia, was fake and never existed from the start? They, the Eternals, were created by the Celestials, just like the Deviants they have been fighting their whole lives? And the planet they are on has been harboring a Celestial, waiting to awaken? Once awakened, the entire planet will turn to ashes? Is this the real truth? So shocking!

"So, you're telling us we're not actually Eternals, but a bunch of super robots? Like the Destroyer crafted by that super-rich kid?" Gilgamesh spoke, unable to accept this, and making a self-deprecating joke.

The other Eternals also felt a heavy weight in their hearts. Although Gilgamesh's analogy was a bit off and too self-deprecating, it wasn't completely senseless!

"We always thought we were heroes, but it turns out we are the villains, the executioners." Gilgamesh shook his head in dismay, his face showing great conflict.

"No, we are not the villains!" Makkari, who couldn't speak, started gesturing quickly, "We didn't know the truth. We are also victims."

"That's right, we're not!" Gilgamesh firmly agreed, "We helped the Celestials spread life in the universe; villains wouldn't do that."

The Eternals started sharing their views one after another.

"Ikaris, what do you have to say?" Finally, Sersi turned to Ikaris, who had been leaning at the door with crossed arms, silently observing everyone. With Sersi's gaze, almost every Eternal present turned to look at Ikaris. None were stronger than him, except for their leader, Ajak. Even Ajak valued Ikaris's opinions highly.

"Ajak." Ikaris shifted his gaze to Ajak, "Why? Why did you choose now, after all this time, to reveal the truth? Tell me, what were you thinking!"

This was indeed a question that plagued Ikaris. Unlike the others, Ikaris had known this ultimate secret for a very long time. He thought it would remain a secret shared only between Ajak and himself, until the completion of Tiamut, and then Arishem would erase his memory again. But now, Ajak had suddenly revealed this secret? What was he thinking! Revealing this information did more harm than good!

So, Ikaris genuinely wanted to know what Ajak was up to. "Do you want to know what I was thinking? Do all of you want to know what I was thinking?" Ajak glanced at all the Eternals present before candidly sharing his thoughts, "I want to save this planet!"

With that statement, the room became lively. The Eternals reacted differently but were genuinely surprised by Ajak's decision. After all, Ajak was the leader of the Eternals. The only one who could communicate with Arishem. Was he planning to betray Arishem?

"Do you realize what you are saying? You want to betray Arishem?" Ikaris's gaze became sharp, openly expressing his skepticism towards Ajak.

"No, I never thought of betraying Arishem." Ajak corrected Ikaris immediately, adding, "Our mission is to ensure the emergence of Tiamut, and that hasn't changed. But before that, we need to find a way that doesn't involve sacrificing this planet!"

Ikaris was less aggressive after hearing this. This approach didn't violate Ikaris's principles. Strictly speaking, it was the only solution that satisfied both needs.

"How long until the Emergence?" Spryte, who had been quiet, spoke up, asking a crucial question.

"About eleven years," Ajak provided the answer, "We have eleven years to find a solution; I believe we can do it."

"We're talking about saving a planet." Thena, however, was not so optimistic.

"Okay." Ikaris spoke again, "So Ajak, what's your plan?"

"We find another planet for Tiamut before it awakens!" Sersi quickly chimed in, sharing her idea, "That way the Earth doesn't have to be sacrificed."

"Are you sure we can do it in eleven years?" Sersi doubted, "It's not as simple as finding a nice restaurant."

"Even if we find one." Phastos, a scientist among the Eternals, pointed out a critical flaw, "Does anyone know how to transfer Tiamut without affecting it? I mean, in a way that doesn't harm Tiamut?"

This left Sersi speechless; she didn't know how to respond.

"That's why we need you." Ajak continued, posing a challenging question to Phastos, "Phastos, can you handle this?"

"Ajak, I'm not Arishem; I'm just an Eternal like all of you!" Phastos opened his hands in exasperation.

The discussion among them became more passionate. While no effective strategy was agreed upon right away, one consolation was apparent. All Eternals unanimously agreed on trying to save the planet. Even Druig, who generally seemed indifferent towards Earth's fate, didn't object. 

What about Ikaris? Even this unwavering supporter of Arishem felt the same. This differed from the movie scenario where they only had a week left under dire circumstances. Now, they weren't discussing stopping the Emergence but ensuring it happens without destroying Earth. A completely different set of challenges. Of course, the difficulty was much higher than just stopping the Emergence.

One proposal after another was made, all subsequently rejected. Until…

"Can we try collecting the Infinity Stones?" Sersi proposed another method, an idea she conceived from a reminder in her diary which seemed relatively feasible.

"The Infinity Stones? What are those?" Gilgamesh, with muscles even more exaggerated than Thor, instantly turned into a puzzled face. He had never heard of that name before. Like most of the Eternals present, they weren't familiar with that name either.

After all, the Infinity Stones haven't resurfaced yet, and aside from Ajak, the memories of the other Eternals have been erased by Arishem. Their current memories only include the 7,000 years spent on Earth trying to eliminate the Deviants! Most of these memories are associated with mutants. 

However, Ajak, who still retains millions of years of memory, knows exactly what level of existence the Infinity Stones are. "They were born before time records began, and I don't know their exact origins. They contain the universe's most powerful forces, with each stone possessing enough energy to destroy entire planets. If we find the stones, and if we can properly harness their energy, I think we might be able to accomplish just that."

Ajak then explained the origin of the Infinity Stones to the present Eternals. Phastos nodded in agreement, "The essence of the universe is energy exchange. Tiamut's creation needs tremendous energy, which comes from Earth. And if Earth loses that energy, it will be destroyed. But if we can provide that massive energy to Tiamut from other sources, Earth might indeed be saved. Of course, it's not as simple as it sounds. Using that energy is not a simple matter."

Phastos's remarks deeply inspired Ajak and Sersi. This was valuable advice coming from a technological expert. "So, are we getting involved in human affairs now?" Druig couldn't help but scoff, "Isn't that the very principle we have always adhered to?"

Druig had long wanted to control humanity to eradicate needless wars and deaths but was strictly forbidden by Ajak. The reason was that aside from mutants, the Eternals should not interfere with human matters. But now... Their faces were metaphorically slapped.

"Sometimes, for the greater good, we must make tough decisions." Ajak's attitude was still firm, not swayed by Druig's sarcasm. "How do you plan to explain this to Arishem?" Kingo then asked, "Although we are not exactly betraying Arishem, I feel this slightly deviates from Arishem's commands."

"Leave Arishem to me," Ajak had already figured it out. "I am the leader of the Eternals, and all of you should follow my command, nothing more."

With this, the overall tone of the discussion was set. Among all the methods, collecting the Infinity Stones seemed the most reliable one. Until a more plausible method is found, Ajak and Sersi considered this plan their primary focus.

"Alright then." Thena's voice resonated, drawing everyone's gaze as the Eternals' top beauty spoke, "So, where are the Infinity Stones?"

"There are two on Earth." Sersi, who had thoroughly reviewed her diary during this time, immediately explained to Thena. "One of the stones is in a place called Kamar-Taj. The other one is with an organization called SHIELD."

It's worth mentioning that Sersi was unaware that the Tesseract had been taken back to Asgard by Thor and that Loki's scepter had remained at SHIELD. The stone from SHIELD she referred to was indeed the Tesseract. 

Kamar-Taj? SHIELD? These were completely unfamiliar names to the Eternals. However, having clues was better than none. And everyone was surprised that Sersi had the leads on two of the Infinity Stones.

"Sersi, where did you find out about these?" Ikaris curiously asked. 

Sersi hesitated. After exchanging glances with Makkari and Ajak, she decided to share the details of the diary with her fellow Eternals. They all were stunned. And like Makkari and Ajak, they were completely unable to see the location of this "mysterious item."

"Zhou Cheng? It sounds like a very ordinary name, right?" "Absolutely."

The diary's owner, Zhou Cheng, along with that "mysterious item," suddenly became the focus of all discussions among the Eternals. The Eternals made another obvious decision. While investigating the Infinity Stones, they would also thoroughly investigate this "mysterious item" and the mysterious "Zhou Cheng."

Unbeknownst to Zhou Cheng, he had become a target of the Eternals. Currently, he was still living a bland and boring life as a top-tier tycoon. His online presence had been completely erased by the intelligence network. In addition, he had been using a memory wipe stick for a long time, erasing the memories of those who had seen his "true face."

So, after three months, Zhou Cheng had not encountered any trouble. The Eternals couldn't trace anything back to him. Meanwhile, Zhou Cheng was distracted by something else. Or rather, a piece of news that others wouldn't pay attention to.

"This tidal phenomenon, scholars express, might be related to celestial movements, a normal natural astronomical event. The sun and the major planets exert different 'tidal forces' on Earth, which vary with the movement of the nine planets." 

Tidal phenomena didn't concern Zhou Cheng. However, the mention of the movements of the nine planets in the news reminded Zhou Cheng. The Battle of New York had passed some time ago. Calculating a bit, it seemed that the story of "Thor 2" might be approaching. Zhou Cheng recorded these thoughts in his diary with a mere thought.

"Calculating the time, the convergence of the nine planets must be approaching, right? This should be an incredibly important day not only for Asgard but for the entire Nine Realms. The Dark Elves are about to awaken, and Malekith is set to see daylight again! Thor is about to face the darkest moment of his life. Watching his mother and brother perish before his eyes. And neither Malekith nor the Accursed would leave Thor at his best. But to be honest, the Malekith of universe 199999 is just so-so; the real Malekith of the main universe is the truly twisted one. He was the mastermind behind the warfare across the realms, defeated only by three Thors from the past, present, and future, along with a female Thor!"