Ian looked at the landmark building with the Fantastic Four logo - Baxter Building. "First it was Inhumans, and now it's Fantastic Four. According to this logic, the next large-scale Convergence should involve X-Men."
"The chance of this happening is as high as 75%," Morgana nodded.
"La, what is the history of Fantastic Four?"
"In 2007, a scientific expedition team led by Reed·Richards, one of the brightest minds of the 21st century, accidentally exposed him and three others to Cosmic Rays, giving the four of them superpowers. Subsequently, they formed a team to help people."
"2007? That was before Tony was kidnapped," Ian muttered. It seems that the mythology of Fantastic Four has been woven into the history of this timeline.
"Where were they during Battle of New York?"
"They fought alongside everyone," Ra replied, showing him photos and videos of the four men in blue superhero uniforms fighting Chitauri.
"That means I should have invited them to that brief meeting I had with Avengers as well," Ian commented.
"According to our investigation, you did invite," Ra nodded, then showed him the memory retrieved from Avengers. "Reed is firmly opposed to your treating everyone like a pawn in Battle of New York. In fact, he is completely opposed to your existence and even thinks there is a better way to deal with Convergence."
"Understandable," Ian said calmly. Extremely smart people are usually very conceited and think they can solve any problem. "So, has he found a better way?"
"Not so far," Ra replied. "The brutal killings after the peaceful timeline Fusion hit him hard, but since then, he has been working on a more peaceful Fusion method. He believes he can create a way to make the two timelines peaceful Fusion without committing mindless killings."
Ra showed him Reed studying an object similar to Cosmic Cube. Then, the projection showed its blueprint.
"So, he has now admitted that Convergence is unstoppable and has devoted himself wholeheartedly to controlling the situation?" Ian chuckled and began to analyze the blueprint. Then, he immediately shook his head.
That thing contained a Dimensional Stabilizer, and this was exactly the technology that Ian had implemented. However, its existence exposed how much Reed didn't trust him, which made Ian feel a little speechless.
"This is a wonderful design," Ian commented. "He has realized that the fundamental purpose of Convergence is to train people into warriors. His design allows people to inherit the power and even memory of the variant without reservation. However, the biggest problem is how to stop the crazy urge to kill."
During the peace Fusion, anyone who meets their own variant will have an uncontrollable urge to kill the other person. The problem Reed faces now is how to stop this impulse before the peace Fusion.
"Is there any chance of him succeeding?" Ra asked.
"My first instinct was to say 'no,' because even I couldn't do it," Ian said. The power involved in Convergence is called "Grand Will" by Ian, a term he coined to explain the entire Marvel Multiverse--which encompasses the comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe---Cosmic Will.
Grand Will is the sum of all Cosmic Will in all timelines. On his home planet, it is equivalent to the sum of the power of all time and space in all timelines. In fact, Ian believes that one of the main purposes of Convergence is for Grand Will to regain power. By merging all timelines into one, Grand Will is able to regain and focus all of its power in one place to face the horrific future.
Reed is trying to study and interfere with such a being. Under normal circumstances, Ian would say this is simply impossible. But he would never underestimate one of the greatest minds in Marvel Cinematic Universe. Furthermore, unlike him, Grand Will may not interfere with Reed's research, and may even encourage him.
"What do you think?" Ian asked.
"I don't think he will succeed either," Morgana replied.
"Oh?"
"This is not due to arrogance," Morgana added. "If Grand Will hopes to train ruthless warriors for war, then Reed's peaceful methods are contrary to his wishes/plans."
"I understand what you mean, but I don't completely agree," Ian declared. "Strong and ruthless warriors are not the only conditions needed to win the war. You also need ordinary people as logistical support, or to build a better future after the war. So, I think the meaning of Reed's existence is to study alternative paths to pre-war preparations."
Morgana frowned. "Are you implying that Grand Will uses you and Reed as pawns for the future of this world? You represent an extreme war line, while Reed takes a more moderate and conservative approach?"
"I'm afraid that's the case," Ian replied. "Our timeline is now a testing ground to determine which method Marvel Universe will use to prepare for war."
"For existences at the level of Grand Will, you, or this timeline, are insignificant," Morgana added. "So, there should be other unique timelines as testing grounds for the future."
"Yes," Ian nodded. "Update our database and label these unique timelines: Prime Universe."
"Leave it to me."
Ian focused his attention on Ra: "Does Doctor Doom exist in our world?" Victor von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom, is the greatest enemy of Fantastic Four--especially Reed Richards. In Source Earth, he was also Ian's favorite superhero.
"No such person exists," Ra replied.
"What a pity," Ian muttered to himself. He felt both relieved and a little disappointed that Doctor Doom hadn't appeared yet.
Doctor Doom's mind is comparable to that of Ian and Reed. More importantly, Doctor Doom also combines magic with technology. Ian knows very well that if Doctor Doom masters his arcane magic, the achievements this man can achieve will definitely bring him serious trouble.
The worst part is that Doctor Doom is an arrogant person, which means that the chance of Ian being able to coexist peacefully with him is even lower than the chance of Hell freezing naturally.
"What should we do with Reed·Richards?" La asked.
"I'll let S.H.I.E.L.D. keep an eye on him. You just need to focus on protecting our timeline."
"Understood."
"Are there any other changes?" Ian asked. In order to reach Demon God King's energy level, he invaded and Annihilation several timelines, which means that more changes may have occurred in this timeline.
"The overall strength of all inhabitants of the universe has increased, but you will need to contact S.H.I.E.L.D. for a more complete report," La replied.
"Okay."
Ian teleported to Kamar-Taj, but he did not go to see the Ancient One first. Instead, he contacted Coulson.
"You're still alive," Director Coulson said. "I mean, you're back."
Since his clone collapsed when Ian was in an extremely seriously injured state, he understood Coulson's reaction. "The situation was very critical at the time, so it took me a while to come back."
"Anyway, I'm glad you're back," Coulson sighed.
"Report to me on the physical condition of the people."
"Yes. The power of ordinary people is now three times that of normal conditions," Coulson said while showing him a document. Although the power and memory of most people have been sealed, government agencies and the military have gained privileges. Of course, the premise is that these people will not use these Superman classes to wage war or plunder resources.
"Do you think we are ready for universal training?" Ian asked. The original plan was to focus on the military first and then expand to a global scale.
"I don't think so yet," Coulson replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is still in the initial stage of expansion across the universe. Even with the help of the Nova Empire, the process is very slow." Ian has secretly controlled Nova Empire and even formed Green Lantern Corps.
"In fact, even on Earth, we are not united enough to conduct large-scale national training," Coulson hui reported.
"I trust your judgment, but time is running out. You need to speed up the progress," Ian sighed. "I will let Celestials act as a diplomat to lobby various forces in the universe. This should speed up the expansion of S.H.I.E.L.D.. So, prepare to be very busy in the next few years."
"I'm ready."