The news of Loki being captured for the destruction of the Skrull Hatchery made the front page of the Interstellar News Network the next morning, causing a huge stir in the Interstellar Society.
What does it mean to provoke a powerful figure? What does it mean to hit a snake in its weak spot? What does arrogance mean, what does it mean to be brazen? Even though Loki used to be a notoriously infamous trickster, now, everyone who mentions his name can't help but admire him.
Indeed, usually the most adept at fleeing, Loki didn't run this time. Using Asgard's iconic weapon, the universally known Power of Thunder, and his identity as a Prince of Asgard, he boldly charged into the depths of the Skrull Empire, obliterating the future population growth for the next decade of the Skrulls, then just stood there waiting to be arrested.
This is beyond being described as brazen. Even the bravest Asgard Warriors might only fantasize about destroying countless Robots in direct combat, like breaking the Skrulls' nose; but Loki did a Flying Thunder followed by a Super Assassination, almost gutting the Skrull Empire's backbone.
Shiller sat in the tavern reading the newspaper. And whenever there's such shocking news, taverns are the best place for gossip. And just on the occasion of Cross Two lifting its regulation, the workers from the construction site poured into the tavern, each with a mug of beer, starting to chit-chat about the incident.
In the past, within the domains of the Three Great Empires, they wouldn't dare speak so freely, as some camera might capture them unexpectedly. But being in the Milky Way, they no longer need to worry about the Three Great Empires, and can talk extensively about this.
Most of the opinions are schadenfreude. The Three Great Empires rarely have true fanatics, and over the years, they've secretly committed many wrongdoings, no one's blind. Finally catching a chance to ridicule them, the Interstellar Society almost instantly swelled into a sea of joy.
Of course, the lingering influence of the Three Great Empires remains, so everyone only dares to secretly have some fun. However, the nature of what Loki did and the final judgment are indeed worth discussing.
Early the next morning, like a rocket, Polaris dashed downstairs, shouting, "Shiller!!!!!"
"I heard you, why are you shouting so loudly?" Shiller handed Polaris a glass of honey water and said, "You drank so much yesterday, isn't your head hurting this morning?"
Polaris seemed to just realize, her features instantly crumpled together, she waved her hand and said, "Oh my, now that you mention it, my head really does hurt."
She picked up the honey water, gulped it down, wiped her mouth, and sat at the bar, then said, "Did you see the news? Loki really did something big this time. My gosh, he actually blew up the Skrull Empire's hatchery! That's their lifeline!"
"Saw it," Shiller said, "but actually this isn't the most troublesome thing, the most troublesome thing is that after doing the bad deed, he didn't run..."
"Yeah, I was just about to ask you," Polaris said, "even if that place is the Skrulls' home, surely he could escape, right? His skills in fleeing are top-notch, even my dad might not catch him."
"He did it on purpose," Shiller said, "if he had just blown up a hatchery, with the Skrulls' technology, rebuilding would only take time, just at the cost of some population. But if he doesn't run, the Skrulls have to capture him first, then lock him up, followed by figuring out how to judge him. The key is, they might not be able to reach a judgment, it could be a lengthy dispute."
"Oh, I get it, it's to waste the Skrulls' time." Polaris snapped her fingers and said, "But whether the matter will be judged isn't up to them. If not handled properly, the Skrulls and Asgard might go to war again."
"Oh right," Polaris seemed to just remember, "Loki got caught, why hasn't Thor reacted? With his past temper, wouldn't he rush to the Skrull Empire's capital to demand him?"
"Of course, because they planned it together. If they use military means, it won't drag on for long, they must follow legal procedures, file a lawsuit at the Interstellar Court, only then can it consume the most energy."
"True," Polaris nodded and said, "what if the Skrulls want to engage in military combat?"
"Do you think they're foolish? Who would plan to engage in military combat with Asgardians? They couldn't win last time, losing again would truly mark the end of the Empire."
"Just imagine how difficult it is for them," Peter said, coming downstairs, "Declaring war directly, they can't win; not declaring is embarrassing; taking legal procedures plays right into Loki's hands; avoiding legal procedures, they don't dare privately execute. Loki really has given them a big problem. But they're deserving of it."
"Just afraid they'll retaliate," Polaris said worriedly, "we can destroy their hatchery, they might just... But we're not born from eggs, plus Earth isn't afraid of them."
Arkham Knight, looking a bit drowsy, also came downstairs, he said, "Listening to you guys talk about aliens, what's up with them again?"
Polaris, full of enthusiasm, recounted the entire process to him, Arkham Knight said surprised, "You mean such a big empire, their members are oviparous?"
"Exactly, but that's not strange. Just imagine if dinosaurs had developed civilization back then, we'd be oviparous now too."
"Uh..." Arkham Knight didn't know what to refute at the moment.
"But actually, the Skrulls should have some spare egg sheaths," Shiller said, "it's just that unfreezing them would be complicated, plus they'd need to rebuild the hatchery. The key is they don't know how Loki sneaked in, before resolving the security loophole, they probably wouldn't dare hatch eggs. It's all very troublesome."
"Now they should have no mood to cause trouble in the Milky Way," Peter said, "but there's also a chance of intensified retaliation. What do you think, Doctor?"
"They won't give up attacking our teleportation portals. The chaos Loki caused only stops them from thinking of other schemes, as for the jammers, we'll have to locate them ourselves."
Just then, the sound of a large spaceship engine was heard. Everyone looked out the window and saw a massive cargo ship docking near the planet.
Soon after, a group of people entered. Leading them was Star Lord, followed by several members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. After coming in, Star Lord first shook hands with Shiller, then sat down with swagger.
"The goods are here," said Star-Lord. "We looted a Skrull military base near Sparta Star, then found a cargo ship and transported everything over."
"Is the trouble over there settled?"
"More or less. Just as things were getting critical, an incident happened in their capital, and they had to retreat hastily. The Sparta Empire didn't gain any benefits, but they didn't suffer losses either, so they got through this ordeal."
"Thanks for your hard work. Do you urgently need to use this cargo ship?"
"No rush. This is Sparta's cargo ship. We helped them with such a big task, so it's fair to borrow a ship. You all can use it as you like."
"Alright, Peter, send a message in the group that anyone needing equipment support should come to the tavern in Centaur. We've got some nice weapons suitable for dealing with robots."
"Oh, by the way," Star-Lord said, "these weapons haven't been cleaned; I mean, the control programs are still from the Skrull Empire and might have backdoors. You'd better have someone check them."
"Rest assured, by the time you brought the cargo ship over, JARVIS had already cleaned it inside out," Shiller said as he served beer to a few members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, then added, "Yondu moved over with the Ravager Team. If you have time, you should drop by and see him."
"How did he come here?" Star-Lord asked in surprise. "I've tried persuading him to move over countless times, but he wouldn't budge. How did you convince him?"
"By appealing to his emotions and reasoning with logic," Shiller said with a smile. "He's now likely researching the underground casino with the High Lord. The entrance is not far from here; you'll see it once you step out."
Hearing that Yondu had also come, Star-Lord couldn't sit still. He quickly finished his beer and dragged the others outside.
Not half an hour later, another group arrived — the Robins from the Schiller Universe. They teamed up with Scarlet Spider and Riley and were getting along quite well.
"It must have been you, right?" Tim asked Shiller intently.
"What do you mean?"
"Of course, I'm talking about the attack on the Skrull capital. I can't believe it was entirely Loki's idea. Not that I'm saying he's a good person, but such a big commotion must have been your work."
"You're underestimating him. Loki has always been adept at creating impressive surprises," Shiller said as he started serving dishes according to their orders and added, "Besides, when two great empires attacked Asgard in the past, it's only natural for Loki to want to settle the score..."
"Who spread the rumor about him and the Supreme Magician?"
The mention of this made Polaris spray her drink.
"You're saying him and the Supreme Magician? But they... oh, wait... Maybe... I mean... actually... Oh my god! They... Oh my god!"
"It's merely a tactic for escape," Shiller said, taking away the beer glass Polaris had finished and putting it in the sink. "If someone's brother is the Divine King of Asgard, and they have an ambiguous relationship with the Supreme Magician, and you were a jury member, how would you rule?"
"I don't think that's a ploy Loki would come up with," Tim snorted and continued, "First, if someone's brother is the Divine King of Asgard, his partner couldn't possibly be the Supreme Magician. Thor would never agree to a relationship between Loki and Strange beyond partnership, absolutely not. So this rumor can't have come from Loki."
"Wait a minute," Polaris interrupted, "Why wouldn't Thor agree?"
"Because if Loki gets hurt in this relationship, Thor might not be able to protect him, and Strange seems like the kind who might hurt a lover."
"My god," Polaris exclaimed, "I didn't realize the love and hatred in our universe were just as dramatic."
As she spoke, she glanced at the Arkham Knight. The Arkham Knight just took a sip of coffee and said, "You only found out now? I haven't even asked you about Magneto and Professor X yet."
"That gets a bit too complicated," Polaris said. "You and Batman have only known each other for a few years; those two have been in a love-hate relationship for most of their lives, not even counting the times they've crossed timelines. I couldn't possibly explain it."
"And couldn't it possibly be Strange who spread it?" Shiller asked again, "Maybe he wanted to use this method to rescue Loki."
"Do you hear yourself talking? Would the Supreme Magician need to spread rumors if he wanted to rescue someone?"
Just as they were talking, the tavern door burst open with a bang, and a figure clad in a Red Cloak arrived in a flash.
"Shiller!!!!!!"