Chapter 319 The Four Powers of Virtue (Part 2) (Patreon)

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When Nick walked in wearing a red reindeer sweater, Strange snapped his fingers and said, "Hey, buddy, you're much fancier than before."

Nick paused and asked, "Who? Captain?"

"Correct, his red and green sweater is really something."

"I let him choose between these two, and he picked the red and green one himself." Nick lowered his head, pulled open his sweater, glanced at the pattern on it, and said, "Honestly, I quite like the one he's wearing."

"Did you model these clothes yourself when you purchased them? Haven't you considered how disastrous it would be for a Caucasian to wear them?" Schiller stood up, took out another cup from the cabinet, poured wine for Nick while asking.

Nick sat down on the sofa and shook his head. He said in a relaxed tone, "It's fine. Besides me and Captain, no one else will wear them. Since no one will wear them, it doesn't matter what color I buy."

"I think it's because these outdated colors are the cheapest, right? When you took them from the clothing factory, they had to pay you a cleaning fee."

"Don't say that. These are my winter reimbursable expenses. I didn't come here because you guys called me. I'm still busy with the Christmas gift count of twelve thousand per person..."

After saying that, he turned his head and looked at Lady Loki sitting on the sofa, then asked, "Who is this miss..."

"She is Lady Loki."

"Oh..." Nick made a long sound and said, "Interesting."

"Aren't you surprised?" Strange asked him.

"A little, but I can't express an opinion. I am the director of SHIELD, and when it comes to sensitive issues like gender and transgender individuals, I can only remain silent."

"Come on, first remove the bug you planted on Steve's clothes, then say that." Schiller glanced at him and said.

Nick waved his hand and said, "We are responsible for dealing with paranormal events on Earth. It's normal for field agents to have communication devices to stay in touch with headquarters."

"Did you hear everything we said before?"

"I only heard the first version of the story, but I guess there should be a hidden version, right?" Nick nodded slightly at Lady Loki.

Strange briefly explained the current situation to Nick, and Schiller placed the glass in front of Nick. Nick took a sip of wine and said, "Well, I understand the general situation now. The plan and the unexpected have led to the current situation, but overall, it's within the plan."

Lady Loki nodded, lit a cigar, put it in her mouth, and then looked at Schiller, who had just sat down, and said, "When you advised me to cause trouble and test Odin's attitude, I had some ideas."

"Only Thor would recklessly cause trouble without thinking. Or rather, he truly causes trouble, while I do not."

"If one day I cause trouble, it will definitely be part of my plan. This time is no exception." Lady Loki smiled.

"And Thor and his foolish friends can only create some minor disturbances. No matter how many times they cause trouble, it's inconsequential. Besides being mocked for their stupidity, it serves no purpose."

"But I won't do that. If I'm going to cause trouble, I'll make a big commotion that will shake the entire universe..." Lady Loki's tone carried the typical evil and madness of a trickster god. She said, "I won't make All-Father angry, I will only shock him."

"You can say it directly, in terms of causing trouble, you also want to outdo your elder brother." Schiller summarized.

"Well, that's part of the reason, but not the main one." Lady Loki shook her head and continued, "When I decided to create some disturbances, I realized it was a triple opportunity."

"After Thor was banished to Earth, he hasn't made any progress. He needs an opportunity to awaken."

"When I found out that I wasn't Odin's biological child, I suspected there was a conspiracy, but couldn't confirm it. I needed an opportunity to test Odin's attitude."

"While All-Father was in slumber, some people were itching to manipulate Thor, and Odin also needed an opportunity to suppress them..."

"I combined these three opportunities into one and created the event of the Destroyer invading Earth."

"Now it seems that your objectives should have been achieved." Strange pondered for a moment and said, "Thor awakened, gained a new divine role, and you haven't been blasted by Odin, which means he must still love you. And those people who wanted to guide Thor should have also revealed themselves..."

"Correct, but there's one more thing. I deliberately sent Thor to Sakaar Star to hold him back. He would only be a hindrance here, and without him, I can continue with my plan."

"Actually, you didn't plan to go to Sakaar Star, did you?" Schiller asked.

Lady Loki sighed and said, "Correct, but if I didn't give Thor some stimulation, who knows when he would awaken."

"I wonder why you, without divine power, still went alone to the Grandmaster's lair. It turns out you used yourself as bait..."

"It's not exactly bait. I knew the Grandmaster wouldn't dare to kill me." Lady Loki leaned on the armrest of the sofa, propped her head with her fingers, and continued, "I didn't expect Thor to gain a new divine role, but it's also a good thing. In the subsequent plans, Asgard will have more initiative because of it."

"You still haven't said what you plan to do next." Strange looked at her.

"Don't rush. How is business at the Sanctum Sanctorum lately?"

"You have the nerve to ask that? I've been swamped during the time you were gone. Do you remember that this is a joint industry? I did all the work. Is that fair?" Schiller replied.

"Well, it seems like you should be familiar with the business by now. Let me ask you a question..." Lady Loki took a puff of the cigar, exhaled the smoke, and then said, "Now, the Lords of the Underworld are looking for me all over the world, wanting to kill me, and the God of Light is also looking for me all over the world, wanting to protect me."

"They both have a deep grudge against each other, and as soon as I appear, they will surely clash."

"So here's the question: Now that we know there's going to be a war between universal demonic deities, with a significant conflict between the Death Realm and the World Tree's life force, what should we do at the Sanctum Sanctorum?"...

Strange stroked his chin and said, "Hmm... mediate?"

But Nick shook his head and answered first, "We need to warn them, to let the other universal demonic deities know that we are about to fight."

"Is it to intimidate them? To announce to the universe that Asgard still possesses formidable power, and even the hidden Hela and Balder can cause such a commotion, no one would dare to question Odin's authority..." Strange quickly grasped the idea.

"Exactly," Nick continued, "Sometimes, internal competition not only consumes our strength but also serves as a deterrent to external threats. The strength displayed during an internal war can make certain powers hesitant to act recklessly."

"This will also shake the internal situation in Asgard. Thor has acquired the new Power of Light and is destined to become the new king of Asgard. But at this time, the former heir to the throne, Balder, appeared with great fanfare, accompanied by Asgard's princess Hela..."

"The once unshakable position of the heir suddenly became uncertain. This will trigger a major shuffle within Asgard. I can take advantage of this turmoil to rearrange the internal powers of Asgard and even pave the way for future structural reforms."

Strange lightly applauded and said to Lady Loki, "God of Mischief, you truly live up to your name."

"In this intricate plan, you have achieved all your goals, including awakening Thor, testing Odin, and disrupting the existing order in Asgard..."

"The only question is, how do we deal with Balder and Hela? Hela has negotiated conditions with you, but Balder hasn't. Are you suggesting that Hela fights a staged match?"

"Why not? Even if she defeats Balder, she can't defeat Odin. Sooner or later, she will have to return to the realm of death. Both will be weakened, with Hela being slightly disadvantaged. They can temporarily retreat, return to the realm of death to regroup and recover. Isn't that a good script?"

"Actually, I think this plan can be further improved." At this moment, Schiller suddenly spoke up, and the other three focused their gaze on him.

"What if we have a real fight?"

"What do you mean?" Nick stared at Schiller, sensing a slight difference in his tone.

Schiller looked at Strange and said, "You mentioned before that your Sanctum Sanctorum has developed a magic broadcast that can communicate with demonic deities throughout the entire universe. Can it be used to transmit messages to only a portion of the demonic deities?"

"Of course, it's possible. Even without using the broadcast, we can use customer service."

"Alright, then the esteemed customers who have joined our Advanced Members should receive the latest news from the universe..."

"What do you mean?" Strange furrowed his brows and looked at Schiller.

"What I mean is, since Balder and Hela are going to fight anyway, why don't we choose a place where there are more demonic deities in the universe and truly initiate a war?"

"Before starting this war, we can use the broadcast to send a message to those demonic deities who have recharged as Advanced Members at the Sanctum Sanctorum, informing them that the war is about to begin and advising them to seek refuge. After that, we can start the fight. Those who survive will be members of the Sanctum Sanctorum, and those who die will be gifts. How about that?"

The other three exchanged glances, but before they could speak, Schiller added, "Of course, I know what concerns you have. It's about the limited scope of impact, insufficient manpower, insufficient killing power, and the uncertainty of how many gifts we can acquire to offset the costs..."

"But that's okay. We still have the most esteemed Platinum Members, right? Let's call them and initiate the war together. It's normal to have such a powerful clash of demonic deities, from Centaurus to Inferno Nebula, from the Realm of Eternity to Hell's Edge, right?"

"At the same time, the Sanctum Sanctorum, which possesses a strong sense of universe responsibility and upholds humanitarian principles, will open up quick evacuation channels for those who are willing to join as members, and those who choose not to join will be considered Gifts of Nature."

"When the fighting starts, how much you can seize will depend on your abilities. When you return after the fight, the collected protection fees will be distributed based on membership levels..."

"Of course, this distribution might be a bit chaotic, as it's difficult to measure the amount of effort put into the war with numbers."

"Instead, let's keep this portion of funds reserved at the Sanctum Sanctorum as their joint investment. We'll provide them with dividends on a regular basis, and if they want to receive more dividends, they can make additional investments. The more they invest, the more they'll receive..."

"Then, we'll integrate the equity structure, establish a Board of Directors, and let the shareholders vote to hire professional managers. We'll divide the universe into regions such as the Galactic Sector and Nebula Sector, establish divisions, hire managers accordingly..."

"...Ahem, I've spoken too much. That's alright. Let's start with the Millennial Plan... Oh, wait, I forgot..."

Schiller glanced at the three individuals in the room and said, "All three of you are immortal, right? Unfortunately, I'm just an ordinary person, so I'm afraid..."

"Enough said. Ten sets of infinite serum. That's my highest offer."

"One hundred sets, otherwise, no deal."

Nick fixed his one-eyed gaze on Schiller and said, "Deal."

Schiller smiled, lifted his glass, and said, "To the universe."

The other three had different expressions, but they also raised their glasses and silently said, "To the universe."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 320 The Fourth Power of Wickedness (Part 3)