Ian had dozens of screens floating in front of him, and countless papers and scrolls scattered around. Sometimes, he found that writing on paper with a pen or pencil could make him feel peaceful or awake. Morgana suddenly appeared next to him.
"What was the result?"
"Same as usual," Morgana replied. "The spacecraft we sent was lost in another timeline and failed to reach its destination."
Ian groaned. They have conducted thousands of tests so far, but the results are the same. The drones or spacecraft sent are all lost in Multiverse.
"Did we at least get some useful data?"
"I got it, but I didn't find anything big."
Ian looked at the data and began to analyze and process the results. He was glad that he went to the <Doctor Who> universe first and learned about Time Vortex and the high-dimensional physique. Otherwise, he suspected that he would gain nothing in developing a new navigation system.
Although frustrated with the current situation and eager to leave this world as soon as possible, Ian still enjoys it because he finds a challenge. Furthermore, this situation allows him to digest the knowledge gained from Time Lord and integrate it into his own magical system.
Just when he was thinking deeply and focusing on his work, he felt someone flying over, and he knew who it was.
"You seem to be in a bad mood," Ian said without looking up.
"It's my mother. She's just insufferable and opinionated," Diana complained.
"What happened this time?"
"Your prediction is correct. A huge war is spreading in Man's World. Since it is still in its infancy, now is the time to intervene and stop it. But she refused to let me leave, saying that they are not ready to accept my existence. It is nonsense."
"She's right," Ian said casually.
"What! You actually sided with her."
"I'm not taking sides; I'm just stating the facts," Ian continued. "The outside world is not technologically and socially developed enough to accept your existence because you are Zeus's daughter."
If this world were a comic book, or a timeline where many heroes appeared as early as World War I, that would be fine, because Diana's appearance would not attract attention. But now, she may cause more trouble than good.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know the main reasons for wars in the outside world?"
"Not sure."
"It's religion," Ian replied, while distractedly processing the screen in front of him. "Although the current level of technology has developed, human beings' desire for the sacred has never stopped. So, when Zeus's real daughter appears and shows power beyond imagination, what do you think will happen?"
Diana didn't answer, so Ian answered for her:
"First, the people will be happy and celebrate; they have found conclusive proof of the gods' existence. So, they will go looking for evidence of other pantheons, and since the gods are currently gone, no one can find anything. So, they will deny your existence, claiming you are a liar."
"But I'm not a liar."
"Yes, but that doesn't matter," Ian explained. "That's how human psychology works."
Diana thought for a moment, "If things are as you said, as long as it can help the world achieve peace, I don't mind being labeled a liar."
"No, things will only get worse from now on. I won't mention that many governments around the world will want to capture you, study your biology and try to clone super soldiers. Let's focus on the religious aspect.
"Currently, about a third of the population identifies as Christianity followers; in other words, they are a sizable group. At the same time, religions such as Greek Paganism, which worship Zeus and other Olympian Gods, are considered cults in much of the world.
"Now, imagine what these people will do when they learn that the only proof in the world claims to be the daughter of Zeus? They will use your name to gather followers and spread their name; they will presumably claim that their pantheon is the only Truth religion."
"Wouldn't it be easier to tell the truth?"
"The heart of the matter is, it's your one word against the voices of many. You can tell the truth, but will members of your camp be willing to pass up such an opportunity? All they have to do is spread the word in the dark that you're a good person who doesn't want to cause harm to the world, and that's why you're saying this nonsense."
"I think you have a pessimistic attitude," Diana retorted. "I can hide my identity and origins."
"Yes, but humans are not friendly to the unknown. They will want to know where you came from and how you got your powers," Ian replied. "You can lie and say you are an alien, but that just raises another question: Are humans ready to face the fact that they are no longer alone in this vast and dangerous universe?"
"You can say that your powers come from magic or Divine Artifact that you accidentally acquired in some unknown location. However, this lie does not hold water when one cannot find such powers or information about them in any country.
"My point is, it's not a good idea for you to get involved in human society right now."
"So, you want me to watch the world suffer without doing anything?"
"As cruel as it sounds, humans have to go through certain things in order to grow and learn. Intervention by any divine being in the early stages of our development is never a good thing."
"When can I step in?"
"Decades from now. By then, there will be threats we are not prepared to deal with, and they will need your help. We will also have evolved to the point where we can accept the divine presence without letting it destroy our society.
"At that time, there will also be many heroes with power and similar missions to you."
"I understand." Diana stayed with Ian for a while, but was distracted the whole time. Finally, she flew home because she needed time to calm down and think. A few hours later, Ian received another visitor:
"Queen Hippolyta, what kind of wind brings you here?" Ian asked while making calculations.
"I came to say thank you," the Queen said. "It's hard to communicate with her sometimes, so I'm glad you were able to make her see sense."
"The problem with your communication is that you only regard her as your little girl. I have no biological flesh and blood, so I can't comment on your relationship, but it is obvious that if you can treat her as an adult and even tell her the cruel truth and reality, your relationship will not have many problems."
The Queen was silent for a moment, then said, "Maybe you are right."
Time passed and it was 1925. After more than ten years of trial and error, Ian created a navigation system that used artificial Time Network to navigate in this turbulent Multiverse.
Now that the city is using its own Time Network, it is no longer affected by the chaotic space-time continuum created by this world due to Fusion. Even if these timelines keep moving or changing, he can find his destination.
"Can't you stay?" Diana asked.
"I'm afraid not."
The Amazon princess sighed, "Will we meet again?"
"I have somewhere to go, but before I return to my dimension, I'm going to come see you."
"Then it's settled."
Ian smiled, and a small wooden box appeared in his hand, "My parting gift."
"You don't have to spend money," Diana said, but she still opened the box and saw a bracelet. "What does it do?"
"It allows you to transform pure Divine Power into elemental Divine Power, thunder and lightning to be exact. Additionally, it is indestructible."
Diana put on the bracelet, and with a thought, a bolt of lightning appeared on her body, just like her father.
"It seems you figured out the secret of Lasso."
"Yes, a material subject to Cosmic Will Grace. As long as Multiverse is present, Lasso will not break."
Diana didn't understand most of what he said, but she didn't care. "So, you successfully reproduced it?"
"So to speak. I connected this Divine Artifact with your Lasso. So, as long as the Lasso is intact, there will be no problem with it."
"I like it," she said. "It's a pity that I can't get you a gift. How about this: When I see you again, I will give you a gift in return."
"Okay, I'm looking forward to it."
Ian said goodbye, then entered the city and prepared to set off.
"I thought you were going to try to trick her into going home with you," Morgana said with a mocking look.
"A few nights of passion were enough for a romantic relationship between us." A woman like Diana would never allow herself to take second place, so there was no hope from the start; nevertheless, he was content with the time they spent together and made a friend.
"Let's go."