What was brought back from the snow-capped peak of Kamar-Taj was not just the wise advice of Sorcerer Ancient One and the crisp fragrance of tea, but also a clearer certainty about her own path, and a more cautious understanding of the hidden undercurrents in this World. After returning to the quiet Villa on Long Island, Artoria did not immediately set out to carry out any grand plans or interventions. Instead, her thoughts were drawn to a grand concept derived from "past life" memories, one that was both real and illusory in the Marvel Universe—the Celestials.
In her memory fragments, inside the Earth of the Marvel Universe, there seemed to be a sleeping Celestial infant named "Tiamat." These ancient beings, born at the beginning of the Universe, with bodies comparable to Planets and possessing unimaginable power, were in themselves the embodiment of the laws of the Universe. In the comics, their awakening is often accompanied by the destruction of Planets and the alternation of civilizations. Although she seemed to be in a plane that leaned towards the movie Universe, having experienced the journey in the Super God Universe, having seen "God-level" civilizations like Angels, demons, and the God of Death with her own eyes, and even having participated in confrontations at the level of logical definition, she knew well the complexity of the multiverse and the possibility of "high-dimensional mapping." Just because the movie Universe had not explicitly stated it did not mean it absolutely did not exist. Especially when combined with what Ancient One said about "some ancient beings being awakened," this possibility was even more worth exploring.
If a Celestial infant were truly gestating inside the Earth, its energy signatures, mass anomalies, and even its impact on the Earth's geology and magnetic field would inevitably be extremely significant and unique. With her and Minerva's current abilities, they should theoretically be able to detect traces of it.
"Xiao Xiao," in the evening, as the two stood side by side on the terrace of the Villa facing the sea, watching the last ray of sunset sink into the horizon, Artoria said softly, "Do you think there might really be a... 'God' hidden deep beneath the Earth beneath our feet?"
Minerva snuggled up to her, tilted her head slightly upon hearing this, and a flash of understanding passed through her starlight-clear eyes. She was soul-linked with Artoria and shared many memory fragments from their "past life," so she naturally understood what Artoria was referring to. "You mean those cosmic giants known as the 'Celestials'? It doesn't seem to be explicitly stated in the movies..."
"Just because the movies don't show it doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Artoria took over the conversation, her gaze fixed on the solid ground beneath her feet. "The Marvel Universe's worldview is inherently complex and intertwined; different media, different timelines, and even the perceptions of different observers can affect the presentation of 'reality.' The 'variables' we bring, our very existence, might even disturb certain possibilities that were originally 'non-existent' or'sleeping,' causing them to produce 'high-dimensional mapping.' Moreover, Sorcerer Ancient One also mentioned that some ancient ruins are 'awakening.' As the core of multiple Universe events, it wouldn't be strange if there really was something special inside the Earth."
She paused, a flash of curiosity and sharpness belonging to a researcher appearing in her eyes: "I want to go down and see. Given our current state, the pressure, temperature, and even any potential energy radiation at the Earth's core shouldn't pose a threat. Let's just treat it as... an in-depth geological survey, or rather, a most thorough 'physical examination' of our 'home'."
Minerva did not hesitate and nodded gently: "Okay, I'll go with you. It just so happens that I also want to test the adaptability and control precision of my newly acquired abilities when dealing with extreme physical environments."
Once the decision was made, there was no need to delay the action. They did not alert anyone, nor did they even activate the "Hyperion." At their level, many things that once required tools or complex rituals to achieve had now become almost instinctive.
The night grew deeper, and the bright moon rose into the sky. In a quiet corner of the Villa's backyard, Artoria and Minerva stood facing each other. Artoria took Minerva's hand, while her other hand pressed gently onto the damp grass beneath their feet.
"Relax, follow my guidance." Artoria closed her eyes, her mental power and psionic energy highly concentrated. Combining this with her deep understanding of spatial rules, she began to construct a temporary, downward-penetrating "passage." This was not a crude teleportation that tore through space, but a simulation of a state of "integration" and "penetration," allowing their own existence frequency to produce a wondrous, temporary "coordination" with the material particles that made up the Earth, thereby achieving a "descent" that was almost resistance-free, like a drop of Water seeping into a sponge.
Minerva likewise restrained the brilliance of her vast "Star Source Holy Body," reduced her presence to the minimum, and followed Artoria's guidance with complete trust.
The next second, their figures, like reflections sinking into Water, slowly became transparent and ethereal, and finally, they "sank" silently beneath the ground, leaving no holes or traces, as if they themselves were part of the Earth.
The descent process was gentle at first. Initially, it was the soft soil layer, mixed with grass roots, insects, and damp Water vapor. Soon, they entered the dense sedimentary rock layer, where they could "feel" the pressure of the billion years of accumulation and the weight of time. Further down were even harder, older igneous and metamorphic rocks, containing memories of the violent geological movements during the early formation of the Earth. The temperature began to rise steadily, and the pressure increased sharply. However, for Minerva, who had activated her "Star Source Holy Body," was surrounded by a field of rules, and whose physical essence had become highly energetic and informational, and for Artoria, whose spatial manipulation, energy defense, and God-body strength had all reached an extremely high level, these environments, which would crush any conventional detection equipment or even powerful super-powered beings, were merely like a gradually deepening, gentle "massage."
They did not fall in a straight line but moved like the most agile fish, weaving through the gaps in the rock layers, the trends of mineral veins, and the undercurrents of groundwater, while scanning everything around them with their powerful perception abilities. Artoria's psionic energy acted like the most precise probe, meticulously analyzing the composition, age, and stress structure of the rocks, and sensing the flow of energy within the Earth. Minerva, on the other hand, used her perception that touched upon the rules to "listen" to the "pulsation" of the Earth itself, looking for any discordant "noise" or "anomaly points" that transcended conventional physical and geological laws.
"Depth: 15 kilometers. Lower part of the lithosphere, close to the top of the asthenosphere. Temperature is about 450 degrees Celsius, pressure is equivalent to 40,000 times that of the surface. No significant energy anomalies or large-scale void structures found." Artoria silently recorded the data in her mind while sharing her perception with Minerva. Everything seemed to be within the normal range of geology.
Continuing deeper. Passing through the partially molten asthenosphere, they entered the mantle, which was denser, more rigid, but still undergoing extremely slow convection. The temperature climbed to over a thousand degrees, and the pressure reached hundreds of thousands of atmospheres. The "matter" around them was no longer hard rock, but more like a "plastic solid" that was slowly flowing and of high density under extreme high pressure. Here, the conventional concepts of geological structure began to blur, replaced by global-scale material circulation and energy transfer.
"Depth: 410 kilometers. Mantle transition zone. Detected a density jump caused by the phase transition of silicate minerals. Energy flow is stable, primarily based on the conversion of geothermal and gravitational potential energy. No giant life energy reactions or information structures consistent with the characteristics of a 'Celestial infant' have been found." Minerva's soft voice sounded in the conscious link they shared. Her perception was more fundamental; she could distinguish how the particles constituting matter arranged and transformed under extreme conditions, and she could also distinguish which energy flows were the "metabolism" of the Planet itself, and which might originate from external, discordant "parasitism" or "gestation."
Not discouraged, they continued downward. Passing through the lower mantle, the temperature and pressure continued to soar, and the matter was in a supercritical state, even beginning to show partial ionization. The concepts of "solid" or "liquid" in the ordinary sense lost their meaning here. But for them, this was merely a change in environmental parameters, and their own defense and adaptation mechanisms were operating perfectly.
"Depth: 2900 kilometers. Gutenberg discontinuity, the boundary between the mantle and the core." Artoria "watched" the clear interface in her perception, with the hot, high-pressure, slowly convecting mantle material on the outside, and the core, with its completely different composition, density, and physical state, on the inside. "Preparing to enter the outer core."
The process of crossing the boundary was like moving from thick syrup into flowing mercury. The outer core was mainly composed of molten iron, nickel, and a small amount of light elements, in a state of violent convective motion, and it was this motion that generated the Earth's magnetic field. The temperature here exceeded 4000 degrees Celsius, and the pressure was nearly a million times that of the surface, making it a true hellish furnace. Violent energy turbulence, powerful electromagnetic fields, and the strange states of matter under extreme conditions constituted a chaotic and magnificent cosmic spectacle.
Artoria and Minerva were like two specks of dust thrown into boiling molten steel, yet they remained unstained. They did not even activate their strongest energy shields, relying solely on the strength of their God-bodies and their affinity for the rules to remain unscathed. Minerva even "observed" the movement trajectories of the molten metal flows with great interest, attempting to analyze their subtle connection with the Earth's magnetic field.
They slowed their descent speed and scanned more carefully. If a Celestial infant really existed, its massive body would inevitably require space, and its life activities would necessarily be accompanied by huge energy throughput and information disturbances. However, no matter how they probed, what the perception fed back was still the Earth's own violent and "natural" internal activities. There was no life pulsation like a stellar embryo as expected, no rule distortion transcending the scale of the Planet, and no clear signs of the existence of any intelligent life or higher energy entities.
"Depth: 5100 kilometers. Boundary between the outer and inner core." Arriving at the edge of the solid inner core, the pressure here reached an astonishing three million plus atmospheres, and the temperature was close to the surface of the sun, but the iron-nickel alloy existed in a solid state under extreme pressure. This was a hot and solid metal Planet core, shaped by extreme physical conditions, with a diameter of about two thousand kilometers.
Artoria and Minerva hovered at the edge of this steel purgatory, and for the last and most thorough time, they spread their perception out like a net, covering the entire core region, and traced back upwards, combining the scanning data from when they passed through the various layers, to conduct holographic modeling and comprehensive analysis in their consciousness.
After a long while.
"Nothing." Artoria let out a soft breath and said in the conscious link, her tone showing no disappointment, but rather more like a confirmation that the dust had settled, "At least at the current time node, within the detection dimensions we can reach and understand, there is no life form or energy structure with Celestial characteristics gestating or sleeping inside the Earth. All mass anomalies, energy flows, and magnetic field changes can be reasonably explained by existing planetary physics and geological models."
Minerva also nodded and added gently: "Although the Earth's 'heartbeat' is powerful and complex, it is 'pure,' belonging to a normally evolving rocky Planet that possesses active internal power and has nurtured rich and colorful life. I did not perceive any foreign 'foreign object' with clear 'purpose' or 'consciousness' embedded in its core."
The result of the exploration was clear: at least in the main MCU timeline, or this derivative line they were in, the Earth had not gestated that Celestial infant Tiamat from the comics. The so-called "high-dimensional mapping" or "variable disturbance" did not seem to have taken effect here.
"It seems I thought too much." Artoria smiled self-deprecatingly, "Perhaps it was a confusion of memories, perhaps it was a deviation in different Universe branches, or perhaps... it exists at a deeper level of 'possibility' that we cannot currently reach, or it has not yet reached the time for 'awakening.' But regardless, for the moment, our Earth's core is 'clean'."
This was undoubtedly good news. At least, there was no need to worry about a Planet-destroying giant God suddenly popping up from beneath their feet one day and cracking the Earth open like an eggshell.
"However, it wasn't a wasted trip." Artoria's attention was suddenly attracted by something else in her perception. In some relatively "calm" areas deep in the mantle, in the gaps of ancient rock layers that had not been completely smoothed out by lava, and in special mineral inclusions that had been altered by high pressure and high temperature but still retained their original structure... she "saw" something.
"Xiao Xiao, look there, and there..." She guided Minerva's perception, pointing to several specific coordinates.
Those were... fossils.
They were not the common biological fossils found on the surface, but remains that had been preserved in an incredible way under the extreme environment of the mantle, which were older and might not even belong to known life forms. Some were traces of microbial activity, preserved by being instantly "vitrified" by high temperature and high pressure; some were remains of some unknown tiny creatures, suspected of having silicon-based or metal-based shells, embedded in special minerals; even, in a certain ancient mantle plume "fossil" near the edge of the inner core, they perceived a residual information imprint of a suspected non-carbon-based biological macromolecular polymer that was extremely weak, but structurally unusually complex and by no means formed by natural minerals!
These findings aroused great interest in both Artoria and Minerva. They carefully "collected" the environmental information and energy characteristics around these fossil samples, recording and sealing them. These "time capsules," buried deep in the Earth's core and surviving billions of years of vicissitudes, were of immeasurable scientific value; they might record secrets from even earlier periods of the origin of life on Earth, or even point to the sowing of life from outside the Earth, or more peculiar life forms in the Universe.
"Let's just consider this journey to the Earth's core a unique joint scientific expedition of 'paleontology' and 'extreme environment geology'." Artoria's mood became relaxed and happy. Although they did not find the "God" they expected, these unexpected gains were equally gratifying.
After confirming that there were no other special findings, the two did not stay any longer. At a faster speed than when they descended, they "floated" back up along the original path. Passing through the hot core, the surging outer core, the thick mantle, the solid lithosphere... finally, in the darkest moment before dawn, at the same location in the Villa's backyard, they "re-emerged" on the grass silently, as if surfacing from the Water.
The morning dew wet their shoes, and the cold air surged into their lungs. Overhead, the stars had not yet faded, and the east was already glowing with a fish-belly white.
"We're back." Minerva let out a light sigh of relief. Although the journey to the Earth's core was no burden to her, returning to the familiar surface environment and feeling the morning breeze and the scent of grass and trees still gave her a sense of peace, like coming home.
"Yeah, we're back." Artoria held her hand, and the two smiled at each other. Although they did not find the Celestials, this adventure deep into the Earth's core gave them a more intuitive and essential understanding of the Planet beneath their feet, and they also unexpectedly gained a batch of precious ancient information. More importantly, they once again confirmed each other's abilities and tacit understanding, remaining calm and composed even in extreme environments.
"Let's just call it a... unique date?" Artoria blinked.
Minerva smiled and leaned gently on her shoulder: "A great date. Next time, shall we go and take a look inside the sun?"
"Good idea." Artoria agreed with a smile.
The two walked back to the Villa hand in hand. Inside the window, "Little Ai Classmate" had thoughtfully brightened the warm lights, and the coffee machine began to emit a pleasant hum.
The secret exploration deep in the Earth's core had come to a temporary end, and their daily life, which was calm but contained infinite possibilities, continued.
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