Chapter 324: Fourfold Depravity (Middle)

When Nick walked in wearing a red reindeer sweater, Strange snapped his fingers and said, "Hey, buddy, you're way more stylish than the last guy."

Nick paused and asked, "Who? The Captain?"

"Yeah, that green-and-red sweater of his was brutal."

"I gave him a choice between two, and he picked the green-and-red one," Nick said, looking down at his own sweater, pulling it open to examine the pattern. "To be honest, I kind of like his better."

"Did you use yourself as the model when buying these clothes? Didn't you ever think how disastrous this would look on a white person?" Shi Le stood up, took another cup from the cabinet, poured Nick a drink, and asked.

Nick sat down on the sofa, shook his head, and said casually, "It's fine. No one but me and the Captain will ever wear them. Since no one will wear them, it doesn't matter what color we buy."

"I bet it's because these old-fashioned colors are cheapest. When you took them from the factory, they probably paid you to take them off their hands."

"Don't say that. This is my winter expense report's flagship item. If you hadn't called me over, I'd still be busy counting out twelve thousand gifts per person…"

He turned to look at Loki sitting on the sofa and asked, "And this lady is…"

"She's Loki."

"Oh…" Nick drew out the sound. "Interesting."

"Aren't you surprised?" Strange asked him.

"A little. But I can't comment. I'm the director of S. . . . . . On sensitive issues like gender and transgender identity, I must remain silent."

"Come on. Take off the bug you've got hidden in Steve's clothes before you say that," Shi Le glanced at him.

Nick waved his hand. "Supernatural events on Earth fall under our jurisdiction. It's normal for field agents to have communication devices linked to headquarters."

"So you heard everything we said before?"

"I only heard the first version. But I suspect there's a hidden one," Nick tilted his head and nodded at Loki.

Strange gave Nick a brief overview of the current situation. Shi Le placed the glass in front of Nick, who took a sip and said, "Alright, I get it. The plan and accidents together caused this situation, but overall, it's still within the plan."

Loki nodded, lit her cigar, put it in her mouth, then looked at Shi Le, who had just sat down, and said, "When you advised me to cause trouble and test Odin's attitude, I already had an idea."

"Only Thor would cause trouble without thinking—or rather, he truly causes trouble. I don't."

"If I ever cause trouble, it's always part of a plan. This is no exception," Loki smiled.

"Thor and his stupid friends can only make small messes. No matter how many times they do it, it's harmless—useless except for making people laugh at their stupidity."

"But I won't do that. If I cause trouble, I'll make a big enough commotion to make the whole universe boil…" Loki's voice carried the evil and madness unique to the God of Mischief. "I won't make the Allfather angry. I'll make him stunned."

"You could just say you want to outdo your brother in causing trouble," Shi Le summed up.

"Alright, that's part of it—but not the main reason," Loki shook her head. "When I decided to make some noise, I realized this was a three-birds-with-one-stone opportunity."

"After Thor was exiled to Earth, he never improved. He needs a chance to awaken."

"When I learned I wasn't Odin's biological child, I suspected a conspiracy—but couldn't prove it. I needed a chance to test Odin's attitude."

"After the Allfather fell asleep, some began stirring, trying to manipulate Thor. Odin needed an opportunity to suppress them…"

"I merged these three opportunities into one: the Destroyer's invasion of Earth."

"It seems your goals have all been achieved," Strange thought for a moment. "Thor awakened and gained a new divine role as the God of Light. The fact that Odin hasn't killed you means he still cares for you. And those trying to control Thor have surfaced…"

"Correct. But there's one more thing: I deliberately sent Thor to Sakaar to keep him occupied. He's just a hindrance here. Without him, I can continue my plan."

"You didn't originally plan to go to Sakaar, did you?" Shi Le asked.

Loki sighed. "Correct. But unless I gave Thor a real shock, he'd never awaken."

"Now I get why you went to the Grandmaster's lair without any powers—you were using self-harm as a tactic…"

"Not exactly self-harm. I knew the Grandmaster wouldn't kill me." Loki rested her elbow on the sofa arm, propped her chin on her fingers, and continued. "I didn't expect Thor to gain the new God of Light title. But it's good—it'll give Asgard more initiative in future plans."

"You still haven't said what you plan to do next," Strange looked at her.

"Don't rush. How's the Sanctum's business lately?"

"You dare ask? While you vanished, I nearly went insane. Don't you remember this is a joint venture? I did all the work. Is that fair?"

"Alright, so you're clearly experienced now. Let me ask you this…" Loki took a drag from her cigar, exhaled smoke, and said: "The Lord of Death is hunting me everywhere, wanting to kill me. The God of Light is hunting me everywhere, wanting to protect me."

"They despise each other. New grudges piled on old ones. The moment I show up, they'll fight."

"So here's the question: we know a war between cosmic deities is coming—the clash between the Realm of Death and the World Tree's life force will be massive. What should the Sanctum do?"

Strange stroked his chin. "Hmm… mediate?"

But Nick shook his head. "We issue a warning. We tell the other cosmic deities: we're going to fight."

"To deter them? To announce to the universe that Asgard still has immense power—even Hela and Balder, hidden away, caused this much chaos. Odin's authority will remain unquestioned…" Strange understood quickly.

"Exactly," Nick continued. "Sometimes internal competition doesn't just drain strength—it also deters outsiders. The power displayed in civil war can make certain factions hesitate to act."

"And this will shake up Asgard's internal structure. Thor has gained new Light power—he's destined to become Asgard's new king. But now, the former heir, Balder, has made a bold appearance. Alongside him comes Asgard's princess, Hela…"

"The unshakable succession line suddenly has a chance to shift. This will trigger a major purge within Asgard. I can use this chaos to reorganize its internal factions—and pave the way for future societal reforms," Loki concluded.

Strange clapped lightly. "The God of Mischief. True to reputation."

"In this chain of plans, you've achieved every goal: awakening Thor, testing Odin, disrupting Asgard's existing order…"

"The only problem: how will Balder and Hela fight? Hela made a deal with you. Balder didn't. Do you expect Hela to throw the match?"

"Why not? Even if she beats Balder, she can't beat Odin. She'll have to return to the Realm of Death eventually. A mutually damaging, slightly losing, temporary retreat back to the Realm of Death isn't a great script?"

"Actually, I think this plan can be improved further," Shi Le suddenly spoke. All three turned their gazes to him.

"What if we really fight?"

"What do you mean?" Nick stared at Shi Le—he was the first to sense something different.

Shi Le looked at Strange. "You mentioned the Sanctum created a magical broadcast that can send messages to all cosmic deities. Can it send messages to only some?"

"Of course. Even without the broadcast, we can use customer service."

"Good. Our esteemed Platinum Members deserve the latest cosmic updates…"

"What are you getting at?" Strange frowned at Shi Le.

"I mean, since Balder and Hela are going to fight anyway, why not choose a region with many cosmic deities and truly start a war?"

"Before the war begins, we use the broadcast to warn the cosmic deities who've paid for Sanctum Platinum Membership: war is coming. Evacuate. Then we fight. Those who survive are Sanctum members. Those who die? Membership gifts. How's that?"

The other three exchanged glances before speaking, but Shi Le added: "I know what you're worried about—limited scope, insufficient manpower, low lethality, not enough member gifts to recoup costs…"

"But we still have our most esteemed Platinum Members. Summon them. Let them join the war. So many powerful cosmic deities fighting together—from Centaurus to the Infernal Nebula, from the Eternal Realm to the Edge of Hell—isn't that perfectly normal?"

"Meanwhile, the Sanctum—upholding cosmic responsibility and humanitarian spirit—opens rapid evacuation channels. Those who join as members get evacuated. Those who don't? Nature's gift."

The First Evolution

"Whoever grabs the most during the fight keeps it. Afterward, we collect protection fees and distribute them according to membership tier…"

"Of course, this might get messy. It's hard to quantify how much each contributed in battle."

"Then keep that portion in the Sanctum as a collective investment. We pay dividends on schedule. Want more dividends? Invest more. The more you invest, the more you earn…"

"Then restructure the equity, form a board of directors, let shareholders vote to hire professional managers, divide the cosmos into regions: Great Galaxy Zones, Great Nebula Zones, etc. Set up branches, hire managers, adapt locally…"

"…Cough, cough. I talked too much. Doesn't matter. Let's just follow the Ten-Thousand-Year Plan… Oh, wait—I forgot…"

Shi Le looked around at the three. "You three are all immortal, right? Too bad—I'm just a mortal. So I probably…"

"Don't say it. Ten sets of Infinity Serum. That's my highest offer."

"A hundred sets. Or no deal."

Nick stared at Shi Le with his single eye. "Deal."

Shi Le smiled, raised his glass. "To the universe."

The other three raised their glasses, each with different expressions, but all said in unspoken agreement: "…To the universe."