I'm grinding for Marvel attributes

Chapter 331 Showdown, Tony Stark's Advice

Neutral space, the edge of the world, the breeding ground of evil gods, the forbidden zone of life.

In this extremely empty area, countless terrifying, ferocious, and indescribable monsters gathered together.

They wriggle, they wander, they do nothing, they wait for the lost to arrive.

huh~

A slight tremor came from space, and a spaceship sped towards us from a distance.

Boom!

The monsters instantly erupted in a frenzy, scrambling and rushing towards the direction the spaceship was heading.

Another group of monsters chose to flank the spaceship from both sides, blocking its escape route. This action saved their lives.

Suddenly, a silvery glow surged from inside the spaceship, engulfing the monster in front of it.

The fluorescent light seemed crystal clear, yet it also possessed an unparalleled brilliance that made people afraid to look directly at it and try to see what was inside.

In an instant, the fluorescent light faded, and the spaceship had vanished without a trace.

The monsters that had been blocking the spaceship's path disappeared as well.

"I didn't expect this operation to go so smoothly." Inside the spaceship, a handsome middle-aged man wearing a black cloak said.

Undoubtedly, this person is Doctor Strange, and this spaceship is the Ark.

"That's only true for you, Black Cloak. Our goal of figuring out the true state of Eternity is far from complete."

Tony Stark retorted, raising his glass of red wine towards Doctor Strange:

"Anyway, congratulations on getting what you wanted."

"Thanks."

Hey~

Tony Stark downed his drink in one gulp and turned to Russell: "Russell, there must be something wrong with Eternity, otherwise he wouldn't have gone out of his way to stop us."

"I know." Russell nodded with an "Mm." "That's why I deliberately used a tough attitude to test him just now."

Russell's previous defense of Doctor Strange was, in Yongheng's eyes, almost like a direct insult, but Yongheng did not argue back; instead, he chose to compromise.

Was Eternal persuaded by Russell?

of course not!

"Russell, what did you find?" Tony Stark asked, frowning.

Russell slowly shook his head: "There are more speculations, but it's still uncertain. The only good news is that we don't need to worry about eternal defeat and the destruction of Universe 404."

Why do you say that?

Russell frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I feel... I feel that Eternity isn't worried about its own situation, but rather about me causing trouble."

"Feeling?!" Tony Stark's voice rose. "How can you rely on feelings for something like this! It concerns the safety of Earth and the entire multiverse; we must ensure its eternal security."

"Tony, we're not the same." Russell said somewhat helplessly. "Eternity doesn't trust me, and I don't trust him either. You should have noticed, right? It's the way Eternity addresses me."

For different people, the meaning of "the other shore" is different.

Long ago, Tony Stark and the Ancient One knew that Russell came from another universe and was not a native of Earth-404.

They simply assumed Russell was a lost soul from a distant part of the multiverse and didn't pay much attention to that.

But when the word comes out of Eternity's mouth, its meaning is completely different.

For Yu Yongheng, the other side is at least beyond the multiverse.

Tony Stark frowned. "Russell, where exactly are you from? Some higher-dimensional universe?"

"Maybe, but I don't know for sure." Russell shrugged. "When I traveled through the universe, I was just an ordinary person, a perfectly ordinary person."

"I think it's more important to discuss what we should do next than to discuss where we came from."

"But before that, I'd like to correct one of your points, Tony."

"Eternity is the embodiment of the multiverse; eternity is the universe, but the universe is not necessarily eternal."

"Before eternity, the multiverse had already undergone several iterations."

"You want to mess with eternity?" Tony Stark frowned, understanding the deeper meaning behind Russell's emphasis that the universe is not necessarily eternal.

"It's just a possibility," Russell chuckled. "To paraphrase a saying from my hometown, 'How can one tolerate another snoring beside one's own bed?'"

"At this moment, Yongheng and I are like two people holding sharp blades, yet sitting side by side."

"If you can't build trust, you can only be wary of the other party at all times."

"And once one side grows tired of this vigilance, conflict will break out."

With a smile, Russell said somewhat helplessly, "To be precise, I'm like an unwelcome guest who barged into the Eternals' home and refuses to leave, which is really unreasonable."

Tony Stark smiled, but there was a hint of helplessness in his smile: "Unfortunately, we, Earth-404, and even the 404 universe, are all tied to your chariot and can only join you in being unreasonable."

"While it's the truth, please don't say it that way, Tony."

"In any case, at least I can guarantee that Earth-404 will survive the upcoming upheaval that could affect the entire multiverse," Russell said with a slight shrug.

"Does that mean Earth is safe and sound?" Tony Stark asked with a smile, raising his glass. "To Earth."

"Honor the Earth."

After downing his drink in one gulp, Tony Stark smiled confidently and said, "Tell me what you know, and I'll give you some advice."

In terms of intelligence, he was always confident that he was no less intelligent than others.

"Okay." Russell nodded.

"Should I excuse myself?" Doctor Strange, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly interjected.

"What do you think?" Russell countered.

Doctor Strange shrugged, remaining seated and motionless.

Russell: "So it is, and so it is."

After listening, Tony Stark frowned and concluded:

"If the First Firmament wins, the entire multiverse will be devoured by it, and we can only escape with Earth and some friends."

"If you win forever, almost nothing will change."

"But after losing the First Sky as an external enemy, Eternity may begin to expel you or force you to make compromises."

"And you have a higher opinion of and hope that Yongheng will ultimately win."

Russell nodded slightly: "That's right."

"Then there are only two solutions: establish mutual trust with Eternity or go elsewhere." After a pause, Tony Stark asked, "Russell, how much do you know about things beyond the realm of omnipotence?"

"Almost none." Russell slowly shook his head, his expression somewhat strange. "However, I know someone who might have some understanding beyond all things."

"Who?"

"The second incarnation of the cosmic entity that has already vanished."

Is it believable?

"In this generation of the multiverse, he is the creator of the Old Gods of Earth-616. And in a way, I am the savior of the Old Gods. We have a deep cooperative relationship."

Upon hearing this, Tony Stark's brow relaxed slightly. He said, "Then you should contact him as soon as possible for advice. If the level of danger beyond all things is acceptable, leaving is an option."

Click~

The sound of the mirror shattering rang out, and the Ark returned from neutral space to the supervortex domain.

"There's no time like the present, let's do it now," Russell said, raising his hand and sending a streak of light flying out of the Ark.

After a while, the Ark appeared as a phantom, as vast and profound as the starry sky.

"Creator, I have a question for you."

In a few words, Russell expressed his concerns and inquired about matters beyond the realm of things.

The Creator did not answer, but instead asked, "Master Russell, what lies beyond Earth?"

"The Solar System".

"What about outside the solar system?"

"Speak your mind."

The Creator nodded: "Beyond Earth, in the solar system, there are several planets with environments of the same level as Earth, but different in size."

"Outside the solar system, in the Milky Way galaxy, there are hundreds of billions of star systems that are similar to but different from our solar system."

"Earth is not alone in the universe, and the multiverse we live in is not alone in the omnipotent universe."

"What is called 'outside of all things' is nothing more than 'within of all things'."

After a pause, the Creator continued, "Master Russell, you need not worry. What you really need to worry about is eternity."

Even the smallest tiger is a carnivore, and even the largest buffalo is a herbivore.

"They can never do anything to you, but you might be able to take advantage of them completely."

"There are quite a few tigers in nature that die before they grow up," Russell shook his head, slightly puzzled.

"Creator, my only intention was to inquire about the situation beyond all things, so as to leave myself a way out."

"But from your words, it seems you want to persuade me to stay?"

"That's right." The Creator nodded, then asked, "There's a comic book series on Earth called 'Superman.' Have you heard of it, Master Russell?"

Russell nodded. "Superman is a major IP, both before and after the time travel."

Seeing this, the Creator nodded and then asked, "There is another comic book series on Earth called 'Dragon Ball.' Has Master Russell heard of it?"

Russell nodded again, saying that Dragon Ball was also a major IP.

The Creator explained: "Master Russell, you are to this multiverse what Superman and Sun Wukong are to Earth."

"They could bring trouble and danger to the multiverse, or they could become guardians of the multiverse."

"Sun Wukong just has a bigger appetite; he can't eat the whole Earth. I'm different," Russell shook his head, pointing out the flaw in the creator's parable:

"Aren't you afraid I'm a cub from the Celestial Tribe?"

The birth of each new celestial group requires a large amount of energy from intelligent life.

When the gods have fully developed, they will emerge from the planet's interior.

This means the complete destruction of a life-bearing planet.

"You won't." The Creator shook his head. He had observed Russell for a long time and had a good understanding of Russell's character.

"But I have this ability, and even if I don't have it now, I will in the future."

"Therefore I will forever fear you, but I will not, for I have perished." The Creator chuckled, and then suddenly proposed, "Master Russell, I have a suggestion."

"—Kill Eternity!"

"What?!" X3

Like a thunderbolt from the blue, the Creator's proposal made Russell, Doctor Strange, and Tony Stark uneasy, and the three looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Creator, do you know what you're saying?"

"Kill eternity." The Creator repeated:

"The demise of the seventh multiverse and the rebirth of the eighth multiverse were not complete, which led to the weakness of many cosmic deities."

"Master Russell, perhaps you can correct this mistake."

"No," Russell shook his head in refusal. "That would bring annihilation to countless universes, countless civilizations, and countless lives."

The Creator chuckled softly, his meaning enigmatic: "That's why I said, Master Russell, you wouldn't do something like what the Celestials did."

"You are a human being, you have a human moral compass, and you can see the inherent meaning of every person and every civilization, rather than simply measuring their value by a single set of standards."

"Thank you for your praise, Creator." Russell smiled.

"But that's not all. I just understand one thing: almost all the trolley problems in the real world have a great evil behind them."

"The Celestials believe that without the emergence of new Celestials, the universe will fall into darkness, so they openly regard life-bearing planets as the breeding ground for the birth of new Celestials."

"The truth is that the birth of a new god only requires energy, and does not necessarily come at the cost of the destruction of a life-bearing planet."

"The Celestials do this, but they don't see life as life."

Upon hearing this, the Creator's starlight shone brightly, and he exclaimed, "Master Russell truly possesses great wisdom."

"Alright, stop praising each other," Tony Stark interjected.

"Getting back to the main point, since this creator wants Russell to stay, how will the issue of mutual trust between him and eternity be resolved?"

The Creator said somewhat innocently, "Didn't I just say? Kill Eternity."

Tony Stark scoffed, "A joke is fine once, but saying it too many times is going too far."

"I'm not joking." The Creator slowly shook his head, and said with great seriousness, "Kill this generation of Eternity, and the newborn Eternity will not know the origin of Master Russell."

"What about the multiverse? Should we end it prematurely? We're not executioners!" Tony Stark shook his head and scoffed.

"Forget it, I don't need your bad ideas. Let's just use some traditional methods."

"Strengthen communication and exchanges, conduct more collaborations, and seek common interests."

"That's for the best." After a pause, the Creator continued, "If necessary, I can mediate."

Russell smiled and said, "Then let's give it a try. Thank you, Creator."

"You're welcome. I just hope that Master Russell won't delay our deal." The Creator spoke pointedly, teasing Russell about his numerous absences from work over the past six months.

"Don't worry, the average efficiency won't drop." Russell waved his hand, dispelling the Creator's projection.

Seeing this, Tony Stark gave Russell a look, and Russell nodded.

Tony Stark poured himself a glass of red wine, downed it in one gulp to moisten his throat, and asked, "Is his story believable? Could there be some kind of conspiracy?"

Russell slowly shook his head. He casually opened a portal, took out a coconut, opened it, poured the contents into a cup, shook it for a while, and drank it all in one gulp.

Fresh coconut water mixed with red wine, sweet and fruity.

"The Creator has his own plans, but his target is not me, but the Ancient Gods. He wants to push the Ancient Gods to power as soon as possible."

"Perhaps, he has in mind the right candidate for the ninth eternal incarnation."

(End of this chapter)