"It is worthy of being called a place of the Kingdom of Death."
Artoria looked at the images on the screen. At this moment, the hyperion seemed to have entered a land of Death. There were no signs of life on any star, nor was there any glowing or heat-emitting star. It was a very strange scene, as if they had entered a dark void. There was not a shred of 'life,' yet it revealed a sense of lonely Death. It was worthy of being called the Kingdom of Death by people in the Universe. Such a place was simply impossible for people with poor psychological endurance to survive in; it was too oppressive.
"master, we will arrive in five minutes. Are you sure you want to land in such a place?"
Just as Artoria was looking at the scenery and sighing with emotion, Saturday reported to Artoria how long it would take to arrive, using a cute Hatsune-like voice, but in the end, she couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm, I must go and take a look."
After hearing Saturday's words, Artoria came back to her senses. Looking at the Planet getting closer and closer on the main screen, Artoria said firmly. She had already obtained one Infinity Stone, but that was far from enough. If she could take away the Soul Stone, then there would basically be no scattered stones left in the Universe. Excluding the Space Stone that was taken to Asgard by Thor, the Time Stone and Reality Stone were currently on Earth. Then, when Thanos arrived, Artoria would very likely have collected them all.
Even if one was lost, Thanos would not be able to gather all the Infinity Stones, so Thanos would never be able to make waves again. Now Artoria could be at ease—this was assuming there were no accidents. She just hoped her hypothesis wouldn't come true. If an older parallel-Universe counterpart of Thanos crossed over, then everything would be over. She hoped nothing would go wrong.
"Please be careful, Master."
Seeing that Artoria had made up her mind, based on the core code of obeying all the Master's orders which could not be violated, Saturday had no intention of stopping Artoria anymore. However, this performance by Saturday made her seem more and more like a human in Artoria's eyes. At this moment, Artoria could be certain that Saturday had indeed become a true artificial intelligence.
"Saturday, how about I make a body for you after we go back this time?"
Accompanied by the slight vibration of the hyperion's hull, Artoria knew this was landing. She walked toward the hatch with a hint of excitement, saying to Saturday as she walked. She had wanted to realize this idea for a long time, but because Saturday's evolution was not particularly 'humanized,' it had been endlessly delayed. Now that Saturday had become a true intelligent life form, Artoria decided to bring this plan forward.
"Eh!?"
Before Saturday could fully grasp her meaning, Artoria walked out of the hatch, looking at the pitch-black surroundings. This Planet was completely dead, but this Planet did have a single light, even if it was a strange mountain peak. Upon seeing this, Artoria understood—this was her target. Without thinking, with telekinesis wrapping around her, Artoria flew quickly toward the mountain. But when she flew to the foot of the mountain, Artoria was stopped by a mental force.
"Howard Stark's daughter, Artoria Stark, welcome to your arrival."
A figure like a phantom drifted toward Artoria. It was none other than the Red Skull, who had taken up the full-time job of helping people find their loved ones. At this moment, the madness and high spirits he possessed during World War II were completely gone. He stood peacefully before Artoria, speaking her Father's name. If not for that red, skull-like face, one might have mistaken him for an unassuming Master of hidden depths.
"Greetings, sir. I am Artoria Stark, here to seek the Soul Stone."
Artoria slowly descended to the ground, using a set of ladylike manners she hadn't used in over a decade to address the Red Skull. Maria had forced her to learn these as a child. Before Maria 'died', she had used this persona to leave the public with the image of a beautiful princess. Although it felt a bit pretentious, it was undoubtedly a sharp weapon for disguising oneself and greeting someone for the first time, and it wouldn't make her lose out to the Red Skull in terms of aura.
"I know why you have come, but you are destined to return empty-handed."
The Red Skull saw that Artoria was alone and spoke, but there was no fluctuation in his tone. At this moment, he was no different from a high-level NPC. However, no one could gauge his current state. After the Space Stone had teleported him directly to Vormir, what exactly had happened? No one knew.
"Gaining it is my fortune, losing it is my fate. If you expect me to turn back without even trying, I'm sorry, sir, but I must tell you: the stark family is very stubborn!"
Artoria didn't feel angry at the Red Skull's dismissal. She spoke calmly, but her tone carried a refusal to be denied. This finally made the Red Skull look at Artoria properly. Watching the firm look in her eyes, the Red Skull shook his head. The more determined she was, the more despairing the outcome would be, but he had no reason to refuse someone seeking Death.
"Follow me."
After leaving that sentence, the Red Skull—draped in rags... ahem! Draped in a cloak—led the way like a ghost. Artoria followed behind him without any hesitation. This mountain wasn't particularly tall, especially given the mobility of two non-humans. Artoria soon saw the altar that had sent away Gamora and Natasha.
"Little guy, you will soon understand that in this world, there is no such thing as a free lunch. To obtain something, you must sacrifice something else. Here, a soul must be sacrificed—the soul of your most beloved."
Without turning back to look at Artoria, the Red Skull said with emotion. He had already seen many people who wanted to get their hands on the Soul Stone. Artoria was not the first, nor would she be the last. The results were always the same: they either retreated here or failed. The Soul Stone did not recognize a Master without love. To become its Master, one must have love, yet one must also lose that love; only then could the trial of the Soul Stone be completed. He, the Red Skull, was someone without love.
"This is my favorite steak, so much so that I can't bear to eat it even now. This cow listened to music and drank beer every day, ate the freshest cultivated grass, and even watched movies when it was bored. For such a cow, I only eat the most delicious cut of meat from its thigh—it's very chewy. Especially since I came to space, I haven't been able to bring myself to eat it."
The Red Skull's words did not make Artoria retreat in the slightest. Amidst the Red Skull's black-lined expression, Artoria took out a steak she didn't know if she was supposed to eat for breakfast or dinner. She spoke affectionately about how much she loved this steak and described how the provider of this steak had grown up. Her expression was deeply pained, as if she had lost a lover. Finally, as if unable to bear looking at it, she turned her head away and threw the steak down the cliff.
"There's actually no reaction!" "It would be strange if there were, alright!"
Seeing that the swirling cloud formation on the mountain showed absolutely no reaction, Artoria stopped her'silly' behavior and stared blankly at the sky with her big holy green eyes. At this moment, even the Red Skull, whose temperament had been smoothed out by decades of time and such a dry environment, and who was almost ready to become a Buddha, couldn't help but complain to Artoria. In all his years, this was the first time he had seen such a 'weirdo'; it almost destroyed his three views.
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