Time Stone as a Bargaining Chip

"You did this to his hair?"

Hela, who hadn't taken it seriously at first, suddenly sharpened her eyes after seeing Thor being forcibly dragged into the communication screen by Strange.

Thor was forcibly included in the shot, had all four limbs bound by crimson magical ropes. His previously long, flowing golden hair was gone, replaced by a rather neat-looking buzz cut.

It's important to know that Asgardians take their hair very seriously, especially Thor, a member of the royal family.

My head may be severed, my blood may flow, but my hairstyle must not be broken.

Even Hela, after being sealed away by Odin for over a thousand years, the first thing she did after returning to Asgard to recuperate was to wash her hair and get a perm.

"That depends on how you interpret it," Stephen Strange gave an ambiguous answer.

It was precisely this ambiguous answer that left Hela unsure whether Strange was playing a trick on her.

What do you want to talk to me about?

"I think it would be better if we discussed this face-to-face." Strange shrugged, and with one hand pushed Thor, who had forcibly entered the frame, back out of the shot.

"To further demonstrate my sincerity, how about we hold the talks in Asgard?"

"In Asgard, you are the supreme Empress, and no one is your match. Can you rest assured?" Strange spread his hands, and the virtual image in front of Hela changed abruptly.

Strange's appearance gradually blurred, and in his place appeared Asgard, where the reconstruction project was nearing completion.

"How did you get in?" Hela asked with a hostile look.

All of Asgard's external portals should have been completely closed after she left, and Hela had also resealed the secret door that the Dark Order left on the Bifrost.

"I said I am the current Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange."

With a smile, Strange's image slowly disappeared after leaving behind these last words, leaving Hela alone sitting in the chair, her expression uncertain.

"Ms. Hela, please lift your foot." The side hall butler, the Butler Mech Cat Gates, rode a mobile cleaning machine to Hela's side and respectfully reminded her.

"Meow!"

The Energy Devouring Beast was almost building its nest on the beam, yawned. Its pink little paws accidentally slipped, and its soft, slender body crashed directly onto the cleaning machine.

Bang!

"You're causing trouble again!!!"

Seeing the cleaning machine break down, the raccoon butler, wearing a checkered apron around her waist, suddenly went berserk.

"Meow!"

The orange cat, struggling to crawl out of the machine parts, suddenly stood on end and ran away!

"Stop right there!"

"I'm definitely going to cut all your fur off today!"

Enraged, Gates pulled eight Mechanical Arm from his pocket and attached them to himself, then chased the orange cat, who was now sprinting, all over the place.

"Meow!"

The previously desolate atmosphere in the side hall was suddenly shattered.

The two cats, one big and one small, darted around right under Hela's nose, starting their regular routine that they did every few days.

"..." Hela sighed helplessly.

Why is Beckett surrounded by such a bunch of clowns? That's not his personality at all.

How did you manage to endure it for so long?

From the housekeeper cat Gates to the mischievous Energy Devouring Beast, and then to the celebratory sycophant who has already left a deep impression on Hela, the only one who seems somewhat normal by Beckett's side so far is probably the combat support AI life form Woz.

Hela sighed inwardly, stood up from her chair, took one last look at the side hall where Beckett had grown up, and then turned to leave.

She wants to go back to Asgard.

Thor is, after all, Asgardians and a member of the Asgard royal family.

She could hit him, Beckett could humiliate him, but no one else could.

"Are you done?"

"Can you untangle this thing now?"

In the royal palace of Asgard.

Thor, expressionless, spoke after Strange hung up the call.

"No, you'll have to suffer a little longer before Hela comes back to see you." Strange, the Strange who had Thor tied up, shook his head and refused.

"What exactly do you want?" Thor asked, puzzled.

If it weren't for Tony Stark's unwavering trust in him, Thor would have slapped him long ago to teach him a lesson.

The last the Grandmaster who dared to tie him up like this had his house blown up.

Although he didn't blow it up.

"I want to work with Beckett."

"...What did you say?!" Thor's eyes widened.

Collaborating with Beckett?

Did he hear me correctly?

"I know this decision is crazy."

"But this is the only feasible method so far."

"Your brother has personally pushed our universe to the brink of the abyss!"

Strange met Thor's gaze without backing down.

"My teacher left me a letter before he left."

"She exhausted her life force to find me two people who could save the universe."

"One is Beckett, and the other is Tony Stark."

"But right now, Tony Stark is critically injured and can only exist as a soul. This means that the only person who can save this universe is Beckett."

Strange's voice was serious, and his expression was solemn.

"I know that there is an irreconcilable hatred between you and Beckett."

"I know he killed your father Odin."

"But now, in the face of a cosmic crisis, I cannot disregard your personal grudge against Beckett."

As the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange had neither the obligation nor the responsibility to serve Thor's personal hatred.

Instead, he would try every possible way to save the universe.

"Him? Beckett?"

"The savior of the universe?"

"Why do you believe him?!"

"I don't believe him, I believe my teacher, I believe in the Time Stone," Strange interrupted Thor's excited emotions.

He had never met Beckett, so how could he believe him?

This universe is in crisis, and someone needs to save it.

It's a very simple principle.

As for those grudges, Strange won't care what Thor does after this is over.

Thor remained silent, pondering to himself.

He thought of the other version of himself that had been on Sakaar, the one who had used himself as a bomb to detonate.

The awakened Odinforce stirred within him, ready to break free of its shackles, when Thor suddenly heard a roar.

An extremely shrill roar.

"Roar!!!"

Although the roar was fleeting, Thor was certain it wasn't an illusion, but when he glanced discreetly at Strange, he found the latter seemed not to have heard it at all.

What happened?

Are there any other ferocious and evil creatures imprisoned in Asgard?

Thor frowned in thought, and Strange assumed he was just temporarily upset and ignored him. But when Hela appeared at the palace gate, he smiled with relief.

"If you don't give me a satisfactory answer, I guarantee you'll die a horrible death." Standing on the land of Asgard, Hela had the confidence to say this.

Even if the person standing in front of her was a Sorcerer Supreme.

"The Time Stone".

"I'll give you the Time Stone as a bargaining chip, how about it?" Strange removed the Eye of Agamotto from his chest and handed it to Hela.

Hela:???