Streetlights and Gods (Part One)

Most human thoughts and behaviors follow patterns and logic; a person's thoughts and actions depend on the situation they are currently facing.

It's not surprising that Strange would have such a bold idea. At this time, he was a successful and wealthy man, not only rich, but extremely rich.

In the months before he met the Ancient One, his daily life consisted of dealing with the richest and most powerful people in the world.

His encounter with magic was not due to setbacks that forced him to seek help from magic. The invitation from the Ancient One to learn magic was more like an invitation to an academic exchange conference in a completely new field.

Therefore, at this point, Strange had no reverence for magic. His view was similar to Stark's: magic was just another form of energy that could be used, and what magic was depended mainly on how people used it.

Schiller then helped him through a process of elimination, allowing him to ignore Wang's so-called self-cultivation, moderation, and peace rhetoric, and to discover that sometimes, while violence is simple and brutal, it is very effective in solving problems.

In this situation, Strange would inevitably begin to think about and try to find a simpler and more effective way than to bury himself in Kamar-Taj.

This is a mindset that inevitably arises from human scientific education: the ultimate goal of all experiments is to improve efficiency and accelerate production.

It's not surprising that he approached Stark. Although the two had some conflicts before, things have progressed to this point because of shared interests. Clearly, they will have greater common interests in the matter of magic.

Stark sat behind the lab bench, his elbows propped on the table, his hand against his temple, and said, "That being said, it's just an idea for now, lacking too many necessary conditions to be implemented."

He waved his hand and said, "You walked in here, showed me what your magic was, and then the two of us started plotting against those powerful aliens."

"If you ask me, man, if you hadn't come looking for me, or for Stark, who's full of brilliant ideas, everyone else would have kicked you out like you were crazy."

"Humans haven't even built a single spaceship yet, and we're already thinking about borrowing money from aliens. That's really a bit crazy."

Strange sat on the other side of the lab bench, arms crossed, and said, "This idea is certainly bold, but it's not impossible; it just needs some time."

"It will take a lot of time," Stark said to Strange. "I haven't even touched the threshold of magic yet, and you, you're just a magic apprentice, you haven't even officially used magic."

"It seems we really need to treat this as a long-term plan. By the way, did I remind you? Magic shouldn't be talked about casually, so don't tell too many people about this plan either."

"Don't worry, even without magic, I'll prevent certain people from finding out about your wicked plan. They'll definitely gossip about it, like that old fogey who always calls himself my uncle, that silly kid who swings around in the sky, and..."

Strange began, "I don't know who this plan is meant to protect against, but..."

Then he looked up at Stark, Stark looked back at him as if they were telepathically connected, and said, "... You must know that this plan can't be kept in check against anyone."

In the S.H.I.E.L.D.. office, the light bulb above flickered on and off. Below the bulb was a square table with four corners, and a person sat on each of the four sides of the table.

Nick and Schiller exchanged a glance, and Nick said, "So, you're planning to rob aliens?"

"Don't put it so harshly," Stark denied. "It's essentially a loan, a loan, you understand?"

"Okay..." Nick opened his mouth as if to say something, but it seemed that there was too much to say and he couldn't say it for a moment.

He paused for a moment, placed his hand on the table, made a gesture to calm down, and said, "I understand what you just said. There are some powerful beings in this universe who possess magical energy. Ordinary people call them aliens, while magicians call them Cosmic Demons."

"They can lend their power to humans through some means, allowing people to perform magic, so the essence of magic is the power of Cosmic Demons."

"Now you plan to borrow some power to arm yourselves, refuse to repay your debts, and then borrow even more power."

"Putting aside whether it's technically feasible..."

Nick had barely finished speaking when Stark interrupted him, saying, "I know it's a bit unethical, but it was his idea."

Stark pointed at Strange and betrayed his teammate without any hesitation. Strange was stunned for a moment, then glared at him.

Nick was stunned. He said, "Shameless? What's so shameful about that?"

Nick and Schiller looked at Stark and Strange with suspicion. Stark and Strange exchanged a glance, and then Stark said, "Well, we shouldn't overestimate your moral standards."

Nick said with great surprise, "So, after setting aside the technical issues, the first thing you considered was the ethical issue. That really surprised me."

"But what I'm talking about isn't a moral issue, but a logical one."

"First of all, according to you, the Cosmic Demons are intelligent and can communicate, which proves that they are not stupid."

"Just like the human credit system, if you borrow money from a bank the first time and refuse to repay it, the bank will never lend to you again. If the amount is huge, other banks will also blacklist you."

"I know this behavior is more like robbing a bank than taking out a loan, but banks don't move. If you have enough strength, you can indeed rob them repeatedly, but the Cosmic Demons aren't without legs. If they find out that you refuse to repay your debts and they can't beat you, they can just run away, right?"

Nick asked Strange with considerable doubt, "According to you, your teacher borrowed power and didn't pay it back, then defeated all the creditors. Wouldn't all the Cosmic Demons run far away from him? How could he borrow more power then?"

"Is there a possibility?" Schiller looked at Nick and said, "Those who don't want to borrow his power can't escape."

Strange offered a more reasonable explanation. "Cosmic Demons don't just wander the universe. Some of the more powerful Cosmic Demons often have their own territories, such as... what was it again? The Dark Dimension and the Crimson Dimension. I heard about these from the King. These are essentially the territories of Cosmic Demons."

"That does have some feasibility," Nick said, stroking his chin. "However, there are still many problems, especially on the technical level."

Then, the three of them started discussing how to borrow money to buy a gun, and then use the money and gun to rob someone.

"I said..." Schiller tapped the table, as if he couldn't take it anymore, and said, "Why is your thinking always so limited? Why are you always thinking about violent robbery? Can't you be a little more flexible and adaptable?"

The other three looked at him, Schiller said helplessly, "That's why I always feel out of place with you guys, you know? What you just said was like a bunch of people gathered in a farm warehouse playing cards and yelling 'rednecks' at each other."

"Give up your straightforward, violent thinking. That's the most inefficient way. Robbing banks isn't popular these days. Buying guns, recruiting people, preparing cars, refueling cars, scouting locations in advance, planning escape routes, etc., is just too much trouble."

"Just tell me what your plans are." Nick glanced at Schiller and said, "I think you've been holding this in for a long time."

"Instead of robbery, we can find a completely different way."

"What?"

"Cheat."

Schiller spread his hands and said, "What's the highest score a bank robber has ever made? A few million dollars? And what about a con artist?"

"That depends on what kind of con artist you're talking about. If it's a successful one..." Nick looked at Strange and said, "You'll have to ask him."

"Why are you looking at me?" Strange said irritably. "Compared to some people, what kind of successful conman am I?"

He then looked at Stark, Stark glared at him and said, "Why are you looking at me? I'm a businessman, I don't do financial fraud, and besides, I didn't create the Immortality Factor..."

After saying that, he looked at Schiller, and the other two also looked at Schiller. Nick said, "For now, you can answer this question yourself. I haven't seen a fraudster with a more glorious record than you yet."

"Okay, I have a plan. The old trick of borrowing money and not paying it back is outdated. Let's put it in a more fashionable way."

"For example?"

"For example, investing."

Schiller placed his hands on the table and began his narration:

"Look, the way the Cosmic Demons trade now is one-on-one. This trading model seems very rudimentary and primitive to humans."

"They are still at the level of bartering and face-to-face transactions, but modern finance has completely moved beyond that level."

"The first step is to break away from the one-to-one transaction model. We can engage in one-to-many or many-to-many transactions. Simply put, it's about getting the Cosmic Demons to invest their power in us."

"And then what? There has to be a return on investment, right?"

"Cosmic Demons ..." Schiller placed his hand to the right.

"...Invest your strength..." He then placed his hand in the middle.

"... Give it to us." Finally, he placed his hand to the left to indicate that this was the three-stage process.

"More Cosmic Demons, invest more power in us." Schiller then made three more gestures.

Under the curious gazes of the other three, he suddenly sped up his speech, quickly rattling off a long string of words:

"We use the power invested by other Cosmic Demons to give back to other Cosmic Demons as a return on their investment, and tell them that the more they invest, the more they earn."

"Set up a tiered system, define promotion ranks, and increase returns at each level. For each Cosmic Demons you recruit, you can get 3% of the transaction amount as a reward; for two Cosmic Demons, you can get 7%; and so on. The more people you recruit, the more you earn..."

"After expanding the core business, we start using later-stage investments as returns for earlier investors. As investment income and returns increase, the difference reaches an ideal level..."

Schiller spread his hands and said, "... The industry is facing some difficulties caused by force majeure, and we can only say goodbye to everyone for the time being. We deeply regret this."

After he finished speaking, the conference room was silent for a minute. Stark spoke first, "What a creative concept... bullshit, isn't this just Ponzi scheme???"

Nick also looked at Schiller and said, "Although I have estimated your moral bottom line as low as possible, its flexibility is still frightening."

Schiller suddenly said very seriously, "I have always believed that what humanity needs to explore the universe is not only the essence of human civilization, but also some of its dross."

"Garbage is just a resource in the wrong place, the essence is the driving force for the universe, and the dregs are weapons. After all, probably no other cosmic civilization has as much dregs as humanity."

"Of course, this is just a basic approach." Schiller shrugged and said, "After expanding the concept of one-to-many or many-to-many transactions, we need to change the current situation of bartering. That's something from the primitive era. Without a general equivalent, how can they still call themselves powerful and advanced aliens?"

"With a general equivalent, the concept of money emerges, followed by markets, supply and demand, crowdfunding, companies, stocks, futures..."

"What humanity should do is not to be a buyer who defaults on debts, nor a villain who violently treats creditors, but a bookmaker with a good reputation and image, praised throughout the universe, and fair and conscientious."

"Force is merely a necessary means to ensure justice, and we can even promise that we will never be the first to use the Sorcerer Supreme."

"And then if they refuse to join, you send the Sorcerer Supreme to their house to knock on their door, right?"

"Don't say that. The Sorcerer Supreme even went to his house and knocked on the door. He still has a chance to live. That's already a huge improvement. We are practically the vanguard organization against violence in the universe."

"When we have both power and reason, we can begin to establish a trading system, formulate trading rules, and then divide classes, subdividing them layer by layer, all in a legitimate and logical manner..."

The other three exchanged bewildered glances, while Schiller remained remarkably calm, showing none of the composure one would expect from a schemer planning to capitalize the entire universe.

"Of course, these are all things to be discussed later. Let's talk about the first plan first. There are many advantages to doing this."

"Actually, this can't be considered a scam, because in the later stages, those early investors will find out the Truth, but they won't stop. To protect their sunk costs, they will keep this secret for us. Not only will they keep it a secret, but they will also actively help us find more people."

"This solves the problem of information isolation on Earth. Although we don't understand the Cosmic Demons, the Cosmic Demons certainly does."

"You don't need to explain the principles of Ponzi scheme anymore, we all know them. But the biggest problem with this scheme is that after you run away with the money, you have to find a way to hide yourself and launder the money."

"If this were an individual, it might be easier to hide or change identities. But Earth is inescapable. We can't just abandon the entire Solar System to fleece the Cosmic Demons, can we?" Nick asked.

"If we really start to take control, it might be difficult to hide ourselves, but there is another approach: find a powerful enough backer, promise him benefits, and let him help us avoid trouble if he runs away with the money."

Schiller then looked at Strange and said, "You mentioned before that your teacher, the Sorcerer Supreme, once told you that she's been busy with the birth of some New Gods, right?"

"That's right, just like I told you before, it seems like a mysterious entity that has been making deals with her has told her that something is about to be born near Earth, and she is preparing for it."

"Is the mysterious entity behind her interested in getting involved?" Schiller shifted his elbow, which was resting on the table, and continued, "With the Sorcerer Supreme's reputation as a guarantee for the opening, the entity behind her will host the event. Let's bring in a few minor Demon God first, use their investment power to put on a show, and create a positive example for publicity."

"Once more people join and more power is accumulated, we will focus on attacking a major Demon God, spending money to pave the way, promising him high returns, getting him in first, and then letting him taste some sweetness, so as to deceive a few more major Demon God."

"Once these powerful Demon God join us, we'll propose a recruitment policy, having them help us exploit the smaller Demon God, and we'll give them a cut."

"When we were about to run away, we returned the fists that were big to us, and we chopped up and ate the smaller ones. We paid protection money to the entity behind the Sorcerer Supreme, and we kept the rest for ourselves."

"Once the little Demon God in the universe grows a bit more, we can use that power as capital to make another killing."

"There's a problem..." Stark frowned and said, "As you know, a crucial aspect of Ponzi scheme is that there must be tangible assets to lure investors in the early stages. What are you planning to use as the object of your investment scheme?"

"Didn't Stephen mention it before? The being behind the Sorcerer Supreme told him that a new Beast Totem was being born."

"Speaking of which, what exactly is going on?" Nick asked Strange. "What is the Beast Totem? Since it originated on Earth, could it have any negative impact on us?"

Strange shook his head and said, "According to my teacher, it's a symbol of cosmic power, all mystical stuff. Although it originated on Earth, it has nothing to do with people on Earth."

Nick touched his forehead and said, "I bet it has something to do with that big bat from last time, right?"

As he spoke, he looked at Schiller, Schiller gave him an approving look and said, "This can be used to make something of it."

"A new totem power is rising in the universe, and it needs your help. Giving roses leaves a lingering fragrance. The return on investment during the birth of the New Gods is 200%. Join the Totem God Cult and embark on a successful demonic life. How about it?"

Stark and Strange clapped, Nick commented, "Theoretically speaking, it does work. The Greater Demon God with the ability to retaliate are also beneficiaries, and the Lesser Demon God whose power has been taken away are definitely no match for these powerful beings who have joined forces."

"With the presence of the Sorcerer Supreme behind him ensuring that no one dares to lay Black Hand, the chain of exploitation and reaping is basically complete."

Nick sighed and said, "The plan is good, but the risks are still huge. Earth is at a great disadvantage. Humans here are too fragile and civilization is still backward. Without the help of others, we can hardly compete with any cosmic forces. Once we are chased back to our homeland, we will have no means of resistance."

"I've always believed..." Stark said firmly, "If one day Earth truly faces annihilation and we are powerless to resist, then at least we must have the ability to avenge it, so..."

"Stop!" Schiller interrupted Stark, saying, "Don't talk about such unlucky things. Besides, Earth isn't powerless to resist."

"You may think that resistance must be force. I admit that we need sufficient force to qualify us to sit at the negotiating table."

"But when we really can't develop enough military strength in a short period of time, it's not shameful to use other means to accumulate resources and buy time for us, just like what we just planned."

"Actually, I think your thinking is limited." Strange continued Schiller's words, "You think that nuclear bombs made by humans using science may not be able to effectively kill those strange aliens, but we can actually think differently, for example, by using magic to make one."

"If we can really trick those Cosmic Demons... I mean borrow enough power, then it can also become a weapon for us to protect the Earth. These two are just different paths, but there is no essential difference."

Nick sighed again and said, "Everything is difficult at the beginning. We have a plan, but where do we start?"

"We really know too little about things beyond Earth," Stark said. "I certainly don't know any of those Cosmic Demons."

Strange shrugged and said, "I could go back and discuss it with my teacher, but I just feel that such a despicable plan..."

He sighed and said, "This will definitely severely damage my image in her eyes, making her think I'm an ignorant and incompetent liar."

"Besides, I'm not sure if she'll actually go to the person behind him to tell him about this. After all, no matter how you look at it, it's a bit too unethical..."

"Our immediate priority is to find someone who has a thorough understanding of things beyond Earth, especially of the Demon God and other forces in the universe, to help us identify the first victims... I mean, the list of participants," Schiller proposed.

"It's not that easy. The vast majority of people on Earth don't believe in the existence of aliens. Even space agencies and astronauts can't possibly know anything about those mysterious things," Nick said, rubbing his forehead.

"Even if you find him, you still have to make sure he poses no danger and can communicate normally with humans," Stark added.

"Ideally, they should also have a low IQ, so it's easier for us to get information out of them and they won't guess our purpose," Strange added.

The three of them sighed in unison, feeling like they were daydreaming.

Just then, Nick's phone rang. He answered it and said, "Yes, that's right... What's up?"

"What did you say?... Are you sure?"

"Really? What else?"

After hanging up the phone, Nick repeated the report he had received over the phone, "A suspected extraterrestrial object has been discovered in New Mexico. At the same time, the state has also reported a mentally ill person claiming to be God who attacked the staff who went to investigate the scene."

"He claimed to be a god from Asgard, and the alien debris that fell was his weapon. Because he had been stripped of all his divine power, he was unable to wield his weapon..."

At this point, the four of them exchanged glances and, as if taking turns speaking, continued:

"An alien?"

"An alien who has lost its powers?"

"An alien who has lost its power and weapons..."

An alien who has lost its powers, has no weapons, and seems to be a bit dim-witted!!!