The truth (part two)

Two like-minded old rascals who have brought countless stories to the world each want to be fans of the other's work, one from the East and one from the West.

In order not to ruin their lives, the fan must be terminally ill and not long for life.

"Coincidentally, the actor who plays Black Panther is a fan of Old Mr. Jin, and in the East, we selected hundreds of eligible individuals in Huaxia and posted small advertisements along their usual routes home."

Xia Yu recalled the content of the advertisement and decided he didn't want to comment on the two men's perverse sense of humor anymore.

Especially the person Old Master Jin chose, a Black person who transmigrated to an Eastern martial arts world set in a feudal dynasty, doesn't seem to have an easy time of it.

"You think tearing down an ad will get you selected? I remember my phone number was on the ad. If others have the same number, I'm sure I'm not the only one who tore it down, right?"

Xia Yu asked curiously.

"You're definitely not the only one!"

Old Master Li said with a touch of nostalgia.

"But you were the only one who stupidly replied to the text, weren't you?"

"Hold!"

Xia Yu was so angry that he started swearing.

"I'm just bored, so tell me why you were able to enter the Soul Stone. If you could appear anywhere before without attracting attention, that was a privilege granted to you by some unseen force. I think that privilege doesn't include entering the Soul Stone, which has already affected the course of this world."

If what Old Master Li said is true, then his entry into the gemstone is absolutely illogical.

"You and I are from the same world. As you know, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was formed after Marvel started making movies, roughly after Iron Man, and then the emergence of the Avengers laid the foundation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which can be said to have become the key to creating the world."

"But I didn't arrive at the beginning of the Iron Man story; I arrived during World War II, and according to this world's timeline, I traveled directly to before Steve Rogers became Captain America."

"So I've been in this world for many, many years. Over all those years, I've discovered a loophole. I don't know if it's because I've had cameo roles in almost every movie, leaving my mark in each one, but these cameo characters all have legitimate identities in this world."

"I didn't pay attention at first, until I encountered the first character I played myself. I discovered that, in some ways, our Source are aligned. I could influence him with an indescribable power, even briefly immerse myself in him. Do you understand what I mean?"

Xia Yu understood, of course. It was a rather chilling thought: the old man was essentially a wandering spirit in this world. He had left too many marks in this world before, and he could possess these marks at any time. That was roughly the idea.

Seeing Xia Yu nod, the old man continued.

"Most of the roles I've played are minor, insignificant extras. But as I occasionally immerse myself in their bodies, I find myself increasingly able to sense the unique, Source imprints of this world on myself."

"That includes the consciousness of the Soul Stone?"

Xia Yu gradually began to understand.

"That's right. In the movie's story, the Soul Stone should contain a consciousness, not the same as the Cosmic Consciousness, but rather a character similar to JARVIS. In a sense, it's not as agile as JARVIS. This is the collective consciousness of the Infinity Stones."

"Therefore, the Soul Stone is the most mysterious of the Six Infinity Stones. It is the core, the brain, the soul. Before encountering a master, it will act according to its own principles, such as bringing Red Skull as its guardian."

"I understand all of that. I'm just wondering why this consciousness is yours. Marvel hasn't made any films about the Soul Stone's consciousness, right? We can't have you make a cameo appearance."

Stan Lee smiled in response to Xia Yu's question.

"When they were making the movie, they not only asked me to have a cameo role, but they also treated this old man like a lot of respect on set. They asked for my opinion on every script revision, especially regarding the Infinity Stones, because they are very important props in both the comics and the movies."

"Especially since they want to create such a large Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the casting and time span, many of the earlier stories may not correspond to the later ones. So I suggested leaving a plot hole in the shadows, about the Soul Stone's self-awareness, which can be used to fill in any gaps if there are any changes or modifications needed later."

Xia Yu thought about it and realized it was true. This was an old trick used by the old man or Marvel comic book authors: if a story is written to death, or even if the universe explodes, they always have to find various excuses to make it work.

However, movies are much more rigorous, so it's understandable to pre-plan a plot hole.

Since the pitfall was created by the old man who provided the feedback code, it bears his mark, which makes sense.

"Alright, since you're free in this world, why did you ask me to interfere with its operation? And before, you said many things couldn't be said openly, but now why can you say them directly? Is it because it's inside the Soul Stone?"

Xia Yu then asked, which was also the last question: since the old man could enter his own world and live out his remaining years in peace, why did he cause so much trouble?

"Well!!"

The old man let out a long sigh.

"You know, when creating a story, after defining the personality of each character, sometimes you use them to create the story, letting the characters' personalities drive the conflicts and the passage of time."

"But sometimes, when following the character's personality, it's easy to kill off some popular characters. Of course, sometimes it's also intentional to elicit tears from fans."

The old man chuckled, somewhat embarrassed, as he spoke.

"But you know, these characters have changed over the decades. In my heart, these Hero are like my children. So in the comics, there are infinite Parallel Universes and countless messy storylines, but the original characters will always exist. The fans can't bear to part with them, and I can't bear to part with them either."

"Later I died and entered this world. The Hero I created became real people with flesh and blood. They were all truly responsible Hero who wanted to make the world a better place. But the movies were destined to be different. I had to watch them grow old, watch them die, experience all the stories I knew about them, and then face the unknown of this world."

Do you understand what I mean, young man?

Old Master Li patted Xia Yu on the shoulder and said...

Xia Yu understood, of course. He not only couldn't bear to see these children die, but he also couldn't bear to watch them leave the stage one by one in this world.

"As for why I can tell you everything now, it's not because I'm inside the Soul Stone, but because of you. Because of your appearance, this universe has broken free from its original control!"

The old man stared intently at Xia Yu, his eyes shining brightly as he spoke.