Manhattan is busier than the suburbs by countless times. After entering summer, New York occasionally sees light rain. The rain left in the early hours of the morning made the ground shine, and on the paths of Central Park, New York, many people were jogging for exercise. When Steve ran downstairs, Shiller stretched at the desk and set aside the parchment scroll with various mysterious runes written on it.
He took a cable tie from the drawer, bundled the parchment scroll he had just written, checked off his schedule, and picked up the phone next to him to call Strange.
"I've finished writing the props for the film shoot. Should I deliver them to the Sanctum now, or wait for you to come back to New York to pick them up? ... Weren't you supposed to return today?"
Shiller glanced at his watch in some confusion, then said, "You've been busy for half a month straight. Loki is nowhere to be seen. Has something happened to Asgard?"
Strange said a few words on the other side. Shiller sighed and said, "Alright, I'll make a trip to the Sanctum now. Wait for me there."
Shiller went downstairs to drive and managed to arrive at Wall Street before the Manhattan morning rush. He greeted the reception staff and walked straight into Strange's office.
Just as he arrived, a teleportation portal opened in front of him. Strange and Loki came out one after the other. Shiller's gaze switched back and forth between the two of them.
"Something has happened," Strange said.
"What exactly is going on?" Shiller asked.
"Don't tell me you know nothing at all." Loki walked to the couch beside him and sat down, sighing, "The conflict of wars among the three great empires is getting more intense. Within these two weeks, their highest military commanders have all sent letters to Asgard, each seeking Asgard's support."
"That's a good thing." Shiller lowered his eyes and also walked to the couch in the receiving area to sit down. Strange went to pour them some drinks.
"Currently, Thor is doing his best to withstand the pressure. But you know, once full-scale interstellar war breaks out, Asgard cannot maintain neutrality forever. We've been fiercely discussing this matter recently. You understand, Asgard is full of war factions."
Strange placed two glasses of whiskey in front of them and sat down on the couch across, looking at Shiller and saying, "Even as you prepare for Steve's birthday party, you can't ignore the cosmic situation at all. Even ordinary governments have heard. Recently, I have been calming various national governments, preventing them from fearing interstellar warfare."
"When we provoked the war, we anticipated this day would come," Loki shook his head lightly and said, "Trying to break the solidified interstellar situation to secure a better position for the nine major kingdoms has made soreness unavoidable. The problem now is, if we decide to go down, the nine major kingdoms are hard to ensure safety."
"Kamar-Taj and Asgard discussed many solutions." Strange intertwined his fingers and placed his forearms on his knees and said, "The nine major kingdoms have a widely known weakness, which is the World Tree. Should anything happen to the World Tree, the nine major kingdoms will collapse instantly. The dimension that Earth is in will not be spared either. We are aware of this, and the three great empires know it too."
"So they are not so much inviting, but rather threatening," Loki took a sip of his drink and said. "Each of them has weapons that can threaten the World Tree. If pushed to the limit, it's hard to ensure they won't use such weapons to drag all of Asgard into the mire."
Shiller nodded, seemingly not surprised. Asgard's combat strategy is already clichéd, it's a lightning decapitation battle centered on the Father of All Gods. No matter where they attack, it's rush in and knock them senseless.
They also once had many skirmishes with the three great empires but never fully engaged in open warfare. Odin understands that Asgardians alone cannot possibly destroy any of the three great empires, because their combat strategy lacks the capability for facing head-on battles.
Even if the decapitation tactic, which Asgard excels in, succeeds greatly after the war begins, the enemy's army will certainly already be at the doorstep of the nine major kingdoms. They don't have enough troops to resist the continuous assault. Once the World Tree falls, the nine major kingdoms are completely finished.
In terms of macro scale, each of the three great empires is a trained army, whereas Asgard is an extraordinary martial arts expert. Although it can easily storm into the command center and pose a deadly threat to the enemy's leaders, once the army is in motion, it cannot escape.
Therefore, the three great empires have the capital to threaten Asgard. Though they are warring now, they still have room to spare forces to contend with Asgard. "You don't help me, I'll brush you off." Even if Asgard doesn't actively attack and can keep the aggressors outside the doors, playing homeland defense is a loss regardless. In case a branch of the World Tree gets hurt, recovering it would be tough.
"I can confirm Shi'ar Empire won't make a move," Shiller only said, "No matter how much pressure they give you, it's just a performance. You need to focus on the two mechanical civilizations."
"Those two are what we are most worried about. The ultimate weapon of Shi'ar Empire is the large teleportation portal, but this is not just a weapon but also a vital tool for their country and won't be used lightly. The strategic-level weapons the other two empires possess are not so easy to handle."
Shiller knows, just like many countries on Earth having nuclear weapons, many advanced civilizations have strategic-level weapons, those one-strike win-all, everyone-goes-down weapons, this type can lightly destroy a star system or heavily shatter a dimension. Until now, no country has truly used such a strategic-level weapon, proving precisely the immense deterrence such weapons possess.
In this situation, no one can push the other into a dead end, or the other side will definitely drag everyone down with them. But before that, they could naturally use the deterrence power of this strategic weapon to rally allies. The more powerful allies they have, the bigger the stakes. After a ceasefire, there's more room for negotiation. The war is merely a means; what they seek is profit.
Asgard is currently caught in such a predicament. The Three Great Empires are in a deadlock; you punch me, I kick you. The scale of the war is constantly escalating and is now approaching the Constant Star System Level. Any further, and it would be at the Star Cluster Level. The millennia-long war between the Kree Empire and Skrull Empire has lingered at this level.
In this situation, everyone is eager to stop the war, but none are willing to do so at a disadvantage to themselves. Each empire needs a shot of confidence, and Asgard is the best choice for an ally.
As a civilization, Asgard may not excel in frontal battlefield combat, but when someone else is handling the front, their blitzkrieg capability shines, providing the strongest strategic deterrence. No matter the empire's leader, they all fear Asgard suddenly striking a heavy blow. Regardless of the losses, the key issue is the loss of face.
Don't think that a mechanical civilization like the Kree Empire, with its strict controls, doesn't need strategic confidence. Their dominant race may completely heed Supreme Wisdom, but within their territories are many subsidiary civilizations, including three advanced civilizations below the empire level, much like America and its subordinates.
Every time America fights, it not only seeks victory but needs a crushing, decisive victory, one that is impressive, to bolster the confidence of its subordinates. Even if defeated, they must still have honorable defeat. If they neither win the war nor keep their secrets, it would be more severe than any personnel losses. Once the myth of invincibility is broken, unrest is sure to follow, deeply shaking the foundation.
The Three Great Empires understand that Asgard won't cooperate obediently, so naturally, they will use both threats and inducements. It's easy to imagine the pressure Thor and Loki are under during this time.
"Tell me, what's your plan?" Shiller swirled his glass, watching the ice ball inside slowly melt.
"First, we must ensure the safety of the Nine Major Kingdoms. At this critical juncture, the Three Great Empires will surely engage in some covert activities. So recently, we will seal the dimensional channels between the Nine Great Empires; no one can travel between the kingdoms without Asgard's permission."
"Secondly, Asgard will comprehensively strengthen the defenses within the Nine Major Kingdoms," Loki glanced at Strange and said, "This is what we've been busy with lately. We will garrison troops in each kingdom to deal with any unforeseen events."
"Oh, that's a bit sensitive," Shiller nodded and said, "Let me think, the garrison commander won't be you, right?"
"How could it be me?" Loki smiled helplessly, "Those people wouldn't listen to me. The general dispatched to Midgard this time is Heimdall."
"It seems you attach great importance to this place."
"Of course, Midgard's strategic position is now second only to Asgard and Vanaheim. Thanks to the human race's efforts and also to a change in Thor's governing style."
"Alright, where do you plan to garrison?"
"We're currently discussing this," Loki took another sip of his drink and then said, "We plan to set up the base on Uranus. This way, it's far from Earth to avoid causing your panic, but close to the Star Port to protect the human race's most valuable cosmic assets."
"Uranus?" Shiller frowned slightly and said, "That's not a good place. I thought you would choose Pluto. Or is the special low-temperature condition there more favorable for certain races to be stationed long-term?"
Loki pursed his lips and said, "Although no one in Asgard listens to me, I'm still a Frost Giant. Back then, the Frost Giants were severely defeated by Odin, almost to the point of extinction. I went to unite the remnants of the Frost Giants, preparing to send them to Uranus. At least it's a force."
"It seems you don't trust Heimdall much."
"From Asgard's perspective, he is trustworthy. But all Asgardian warriors have one problem: they are too belligerent," Loki sighed and said, "When facing issues, they won't choose to handle them calmly; instead, they'll resort directly to violence. Heimdall is relatively rational among the Asgardians, but it's hard to say if when encountering an enemy, he might escalate the conflict. That would not be good for both Asgard and Earth."
"Are you sure you can manage your fellows well?" Shiller took a sip of cold liquor and then said, "It's not that I don't trust your abilities, but the Frost Giants seem even more irritable than the Aesir."
"Those who were irritable are all dead," Loki laughed again and said, "Thank Father of All Gods, the most belligerent batch of Frost Giants were all killed. Those remaining are either more gentle or have some brains, most are the anti-war faction among the Frost Giants, making them relatively easier to control."
"Alright, if you insist on doing this, I won't oppose it. Also, I reminded you earlier to retrieve Laufey's skull from the Dark Elfs; why haven't you gone?"
"It's not time yet," Loki said, "I must wait for the Frost Giants to regain their strength, then as Laufey's son, lead the Frost Giants to retrieve the skull and conveniently annihilate the Dark Elfs who insulted the King of Frost Giants' remains. This way, it is justified and legitimate."