"This world is completely unlike the Marvel I'm familiar with!"
Standing in the ruins of the mountain, Artoria quietly opened her eyes. Her consciousness had just entered the Realm of Death in another dimension. This was likely related to the Sentry Serum mixed with Pym Particles in her body. From Death, she confirmed that she had never seen Thanos, meaning Thanos's current actions had nothing to do with the Goddess of Death. Or rather, the Goddess of Death in this world had no connection to Thanos. Parallel Universes hold infinite possibilities; Death told Artoria that Iron Man could become Iron Woman, and Tony Stark could become Toni Stark. Thinking of this, Artoria no longer felt conflicted.
"An Infinity Stone, finally obtained another one."
Holding the Power Stone in her right hand and the Soul Stone in her left, Artoria had now acquired two Infinity Stones. Aside from the Space Stone already in Odin's Vault, the Reality Stone and Time Stone were both on Earth. Artoria no longer needed to wander the Universe; besides, such wandering was dangerous, as she might accidentally run into Thanos.
"Time to go back, back to Earth."
Honestly, Artoria quite admired those who could travel indefinitely through space. Such a pitch-black environment was extremely oppressive; without a good mindset and long-term adaptation, one simply couldn't live well in space. Mentally fragile people would undoubtedly fall into a deep depression, and then they wouldn't be far from meeting the Goddess of Death.
"Saturday, begin the return voyage."
"Yes, master."
Using her telekinesis, Artoria quickly flew back to the hyperion. There was nothing left here for her to linger over. However, she hadn't seen the Red Skull just now; otherwise, she would have definitely given him a proper greeting before leaving this godforsaken place. But at this moment, the Red Skull, buried under massive rocks, didn't exactly want to see Artoria. He still wore that expressionless face, but his eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and shock. He hadn't expected Artoria to actually succeed; it shocked him deeply. It wasn't that only a soul could be traded for an Infinity Stone! So there was such a way to do it. What made him helpless was that this brat had actually caused the mountain to collapse.
Although pinned under the mountain, the Red Skull didn't intend to move at all, as if he were a corpse. At this moment, the task assigned to him by the stone was considered complete. He could finally end this boring life; he could rest.
"Hmm?"
Feeling something inexplicable, Artoria looked toward the mountain, but she soon focused her attention on the beef she had just heated. She had lost one piece, but she still had a pile left, enough for this meal. She had to get back quickly; she didn't dare gorge herself in space. If she finished it all, she would go hungry.
Artoria's life was going quite well, but her clone on Earth was suffering. After all, there was a big shot watching her twenty-four hours a day. The clone felt like she was about to break down; she was so miserable. Why did she have to endure things she shouldn't have to?
"Good morning."
"Morning."
As soon as she opened her eyes, the clone saw this familiar woman. She had been by her side for several days and had no intention of leaving. Every time she woke up, she saw this woman lying on her bed, greeting her expressionlessly. This kind of life was like living in a horror movie; it was a bit unbearable. Facing the familiar face, the clone gave a greeting and went to wash up. After all, to the outside world, she still had to stay for a few more days, holding out until the moment the original body returned.
"Why hasn't the big shot Ancient One come out yet! I'm about to have a mental breakdown."
While brushing her teeth, the clone began to miss a certain mischievous bald woman. With such a heavyweight big shot always by her side, it was one thing for the Ancient One not to solve it, but she instead treated the clone as a sedative. After so long, the clone had also sensed the Ancient One's thoughts. It was true that the clone's disappearance wouldn't cause huge damage to the original body, but her memories would still be transmitted. She was now very afraid that some part of her would touch Gaia's sensitive nerves and bring a devastating blow to those around her. So her pressure was immense, and she looked forward to the Ancient One coming out to help solve this problem.
"It seems the big shot can't be relied on. Original body, when are you coming back?"
After breakfast, the clone continued to play the role of the original, going to work as usual. Gaia was right behind her like a guardian spirit, but no one could see her, and no one could touch her. This was evident from how she easily passed through doors and people's bodies. People couldn't sense her, let alone touch her. Even an extraordinary person like Gwen, who possessed Spider-Sense, was not exempt. The clone watched clearly as Gwen passed through Gaia's body to hand her documents, completely unaware of any abnormal presence.
"I've always had a question. Gaia, you are the deity from Greek Mythology, the Earth Goddess, right? So does the Greek Pantheon still exist? Have you had contact with gods from other pantheons?"
The clone suddenly thought of something; she wanted to understand this goddess. After all, the principle of 'knowing yourself and your enemy' still applied. Even if Gaia hadn't made a move against her yet, who could guarantee she wouldn't in the future? She wanted to learn some things she wanted to know from Gaia, for example, whether the Eastern Pantheon existed?
"I don't particularly understand what you're saying, but Gaia is my name, and the Earth is indeed my body. As for Greek Mythology? I'm not clear on that. I haven't had contact with the gods in the Greek Mythology you mentioned."
Gaia's answer was a blunt 'I don't know,' but her attitude left the clone very confused. She had originally thought Gaia wouldn't bother with her probing, but she didn't expect her to actually speak. Her straightforwardness made the clone feel a bit embarrassed; after all, she hadn't approached the conversation with Gaia with good intentions, prioritizing caution above all.
"Then may I ask, Goddess Gaia, why are you watching a mortal like me so intently?"
Since they could communicate properly, the clone didn't plan to hide anything anymore and directly spoke the thoughts she hadn't dared to say for days. This question had been bottled up for a long time; she hadn't dared to ask, but now the clone plucked up the courage to ask Gaia.
"You are no mortal. I can feel that your soul is not simple; the power you control is far beyond your imagination."
When the clone voiced her doubts, Gaia smiled very warmly and spoke to her. She wasn't flattering Artoria, nor was she talking nonsense. She could sense the aura of a Phantom Beast from Artoria's clone. Beings like Phantom Beasts once dominated the Earth, but they were wiped out. She had actually been very fond of those children and hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Seeing one again, plus the debt of being rescued, she had a very good impression of Artoria, so she stayed by her side. It was much better than staying near other creatures.
That's what caused the clone's current predicament. It could be considered an 'ill-fated relationship.'
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