Hela, I'm Here to Negotiate Terms with You (Happy New Year, Everyone~)

"How is that possible!"

"Wasn't he already dead?"

"If he didn't die, does that mean he watched the Ancient Egypt dynasty he built collapse without doing anything?"

Tony Stark didn't believe it.

Who is Menis?

This was the king who unified Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, laying a solid economic and cultural foundation for the glorious Ancient Egypt civilization.

The pyramids of Ancient Egypt —no, they should be called the most incredible creations in human history—were also the work of this great man.

As the first Pharaoh of the Ancient Egypt dynasty, Menis' status and position need no further explanation.

Of course, in the history of humankind, he should already be dead.

Tony Stark can attest to this.

Or rather, his mind and the education he received from childhood can attest to this.

Unless his childhood history education consisted of cheap, mythical literature, which is obviously impossible.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm an Earthling too."

"Besides, my grades were pretty good back then." Carol, also an Earthling, was very dissatisfied with Tony Stark's gaze.

That look was like a top student looking at a struggling student.

Whom do you look down on?

At least she was a well-rounded student who excelled in moral character, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor skills back then.

Although his results weren't as phenomenal as Tony Stark's.

"Earthlings?"

"Sorry, no offense intended, but this...?" Tony Stark raised an eyebrow in surprise.

His physical body traverses the universe, he can fly and move freely, and he even has his own interstellar spaceship...

That's it? Earthlings?

Then what are they?

Upper Cave Man?

No, the Upper Cave Man was also an Earthling.

Tony Stark, who was habitually getting sidetracked, instantly snapped back to reality.

What does that mean?

How can someone like Nick Fury have such trustworthy people?

Tony Stark, who has always been skeptical of Nick Fury, the king of secret agents, has truly learned something new this time.

"Just an accident." Carol shrugged, putting the model of the Ancient Egypt Pharaoh Menis back into her bracelet, not wanting to delve too deeply into the topic.

Having gained this superhuman power, she lost many people she still doesn't want to remember.

"Okay, even if what you're saying is true, and there really is Pharaoh has lived for thousands of years, why would we look for him?"

"As you said, he was a staunch supporter of Beckett thousands of years ago, and we—"

Tony Stark stopped abruptly as if he had just remembered something.

"You want to contact Beckett through him?!"

"It was my idea." A weak voice came from not far away. The Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange, who had just been dried by magic and looked like he had just been pulled out of the water, limped across the muddy alley and appeared in front of the group.

The puffy skin made Strange's already long cheeks look rather... rounder.

"That's my Plan B."

Strange, limping, stood before Tony and the others, Strange after catching his breath, revealed his backup plan.

His Plan A was to use Gamora to establish connections with Beckett and Thanos.

However, as a qualified Sorcerer Supreme, Strange also considered remedial measures should Plan A fail.

That's Plan B.

As Pharaoh has revered Beckett as his savior for thousands of years, if Menis were to relay a message, Beckett and Thanos might not necessarily ignore it.

Carol, who arrived on Earth with Gamora, had met her long before she was taken Gamora. The reason she had remained hidden was not only because she felt she was not strong enough to fight Clark, but also because of the request given to her by Strange, someone she had only met once.

The script left behind by the Ancient One before she left was the basis for Strange's Plan B.

"Speaking of which, how did you know that Nick Fury was having me investigate that mysterious Ancient Egypt religion?" Carol curiously, looking at the magician with the large, round face in front of her.

"If I said I could predict the future, would you believe me?" Strange asked weakly.

"Maybe." Carol, who had come into contact with various planetary civilizations, neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Having seen the world makes a difference." Strange, who had learned a bit about Carol Vers through the letters left by the Ancient One, smiled and glanced down at the Eye of Agamotto hanging around his neck.

Or rather, the Time Stone.

"Tony Stark, I'll leave things in New York to you and Carol. Thor and I have some business to attend to; we need to go to Asgard." Stephen Strange, now sporting a confident smile, began assigning tasks to the group before him.

"???"

"What? Is that Menis your Plan B?" Thor asked, puzzled by being suddenly called out.

"Of course. But before that, you have to come with me to Asgard to see your sister."

"For Plan B to succeed, there are prerequisites." Strange sighed, then pulled the bewildered Thor along as they embarked on the journey to Asgard.

The Bifrost is closed to Thor, but Strange has other ways to get in. However, to ensure he can see Hela, Thor, his brother, will have to go back with him.

Dark Order, outside the main hall of the base.

Because Thanos was going to have a heart-to-heart talk with Beckett and the other four Black Order, Hela wisely left the hall first.

She's not married to Beckett yet, so there are some things she shouldn't get involved in.

However, that Mera...

[What is going on...?]

Back in Beckett's side hall Hela frowned in thought.

The image of Mera lying in a pool of blood and Thanos with his sword shattered remained constantly in her mind.

She's strange.

Logically speaking, Mera's strength was far from sufficient to shatter Thanos's sword, let alone cause a wound on Thanos's face.

Or perhaps—

[Sizzle...]

Hela was lost in thought, a piercing electrical sound suddenly reached her ears.

"Who?!"

The old communication channel, which had not been used for a long time, was activated again, Hela's vigilance instantly rose to its peak.

"My name is Stephen Strange, and I am the current Sorcerer Supreme on Earth."

"I think you must have heard of me."

The image of Strange, who had finally managed to clean himself up, was reflected in Hela's pupils.

"The Sorcerer Supreme I remember was called Agamotto, the Ancient One."

You are not worthy.

"..." Strange forcibly suppressed the twitching at the corner of his mouth and calmed himself down.

"Listen, Hela, Queen of Asgard, I'm here to negotiate."

"Conditions you can't refuse."

Strange's hand reached out from outside the light barrier, then pulled the expressionless Thor into Hela's line of sight...

Sleepy...

One more chapter to go...

It's really difficult to add more food during the Chinese New Year holiday...

I'll try my best to maintain a stable update schedule from now on...

I won't mention any extra chapters; I'll add more as I feel like it, since I've written a lot... so as not to disappoint you all again...

Finally, I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

(It was supposed to be posted at midnight, but I didn't finish writing it by then...)

(The Spring Festival Gala as background music made my already slow typing speed even slower...)

By the way, I'd vote for Yan Ni's skit as the best skit of this year's Spring Festival Gala, lol.

Shen Teng's time was too short...