"Where did you get these things?" Shiller looked at the materials on Stark's desktop with some surprise.
Their guest room is a suite, meaning two bedrooms lead to the same living room. At this moment, Stark is in the middle of the living room, studying the materials spread all over the round table.
Most of them are very complex blueprints, with so many numbers and letters that they make one's head spin, and some are not even in English, but rather some peculiar script from who knows where, looking like alien language. Shiller found it familiar but couldn't recall from where.
While Stark was studying, Shiller sized up the whole living room. The decor of the living room still exuded a naturalist style. At the far left side, there was a floor-to-ceiling window. Although it was already night, the moonlight was still very bright, and the glowing plants swayed subtly.
The round table was placed near the window, bookshelves were on each side, while the sofa was positioned on the side near the door, with a bedroom on the left and right side. Most furniture was wooden, carved with patterns of vines and flowers.
The chandelier hanging above the round table was very beautiful, composed of six lily-shaped lampshades, emitting bright but soft light. The light appeared to be not produced by modern technology; although the lampshades directed the light downwards, there were no obvious boundaries of the light spots, looking more like a magical artifact.
Shiller didn't know if it was an illusion, but he saw the vines on the lamp move slightly, as if greeting him. Shiller waved back, but the vines stopped moving.
He withdrew his gaze just as Stark reached out to him. Shiller took a monocle out of his pocket and handed it to him. Stark clipped the monocle into his eye socket and then asked, "How did your conversation with the Professor go?"
"The usual. The Conservative faction thinks the Radical faction is too conservative." Shiller sighed and said, "Mutants are always very naive. The biggest incomprehension between them and the human race is perhaps their understanding of the sinister aspects of human nature. How about you? Did you run into anyone from the Prime Universe?"
"They're still the same as ever," Stark said without looking up, "The Multiverse War made them mature a bit, but clearly not enough. I suspect they might do something foolish."
"Like what?"
"Procrastinating until the Mother Module fully awakens, pushing the mutants to the brink of life and death, and then saving them heroically."
"Do they think they can succeed in saving them?"
"They're going all-in this time, Doctor Strange is here too," Stark looked up and said, "If they're genuinely assisting the mutants, they might be able to turn the tide, but we all know that's impossible."
Shiller was naturally aware that the Prime Universe group came for the prestige, not with genuine intent to help the mutants, or rather, they were also very cautious of mutants. After all, The Avengers stood on the side of humans, and the best assistance they could provide would be merely mediation. Whether or not mutants can establish a nation, and what price they have to pay for it, they don't care.
This mindset is easy to understand. Because it seems that humans and mutants are engaged in a zero-sum game, where one's gain is indeed the other's loss. Helping mutants gain an advantage implies that the Avengers of this universe might be suppressed. This is not good news for The Avengers of other universes. Especially in a universe without the ability to compete for leadership, drawing in and assisting would far exceed suppression.
Yet they unwilling to let go of this rare proactive request for help, so they came under the guise of assistance. They want both the glory and don't wish to genuinely help, hence they procrastinate.
"Can you expose them?" Shiller asked.
"It's difficult," Stark said, "The Red Orchid Factory has a lot of technical content, this isn't entirely human technology, it seems to be somewhat connected to the Shi'ar Empire. Honestly, if Main Universe Iron Man can't propose a definitive solution, I'm not surprised."
"Why? Is it due to insufficient technical proficiency?"
Stark shook his head and said, "The Prime Universe is still too young, they haven't experienced large-scale star system projects, which limits their vision. This can also be seen in the content of their research materials; they're trying to understand the principles of the Mother Module."
"Isn't that alright?"
Stark shook his head and said, "He seems to want to destroy the remaining pillar. This appears to be the best way because there is just one left. If the mutants go on a full attack, it's not completely impossible. As for sacrifices, they're not in their consideration."
"But the mutants wouldn't agree."
"Then they can say it's the mutants who are afraid of sacrifice, not that their plan is flawed," Stark said, "This plan is a win-win for them. If the mutants follow through, they will suffer great losses, even if they establish a nation, they may no longer be able to contend with The Avengers. If they refuse, they can't blame the assistance, they still need to entertain and express gratitude for their help."
"Sounds nice enough," Shiller said, "Although I don't have sympathy for mutants either, we have to find a way to stop the Prime Universe. Otherwise, the matter of ghostwriting Strange's medical records will be exposed sooner or later."
Stark rolled his eyes. He took off his glasses and then said, "I actually have a better plan, but let's hear yours first."
"I do have a plan, but I'd rather you propose yours first."
"How about we both say it together."
They exchanged a glance and said in unison, "The Sun!"
Then both of them chuckled helplessly. Stark threw down his pen, put one hand on his hip, and said, "Shiller, you just can't change your destructive habits, you damned cosmic annihilation engine!"
"You're not much better," Shiller replied with a smile of frustration, "Mad Scientist, indeed!"
The two laughed for a while before returning to the serious topic at hand.
"The best way isn't to dismantle the Red Orchid Factory, but to find a way to control the Sun. To be precise, to use the Sun as a hostage to threaten the human race. For mutants, this shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"You've got that wrong," Shiller said, "The humans in this universe are more formidable than you think, or they wouldn't have pushed mutants to this point. They not only have perfect anti-mind control devices, but also magnetic field correction equipment, and their ultimate weapon against mutants: the Sentinel Robots."
"I understand the first two, but what's the deal with the last one?"
"You just need to know that even the Phoenix-hosted Phoenix was silently killed by the Sentinel Robots," Shiller shook his head and said, "Not a single mutant can escape the Sentinels. Phoenix, Magneto, Scarlet Witch, all the same."
"That powerful?!" Stark said, incredulous, "Even Omega-level mutants can't escape?"
Shiller nodded and said, "Yes, you can think of the Sentinels as an indiscriminate force of suppression against all mutants, their natural enemy. In front of the Sentinels, all mutants are as fragile as paper."
Shiller's description was not an exaggeration. In most mutant comics, the Sentinels are indeed this strong, almost like a forced weakness added to mutants by the editors to curb their power inflation.
No matter what Unified Field Theory, Chaotic Power, or the Phoenix Force, as long as it's a mutant using these powers, they are no match for the Sentinels. You can understand that the Sentinels are specifically targeted at the X Gene; as long as you have this gene, the Sentinels can kill you easily.
This is why, even though there was Phoenix on the dispatched team, they were still completely wiped out, and the Phoenix Force didn't manifest. Because when the last pillar was trembling, the humans sent out the Sentinel Robots.
"That's a bit troublesome," Stark said, "It seems I've underestimated the mutants' strength in this universe; they're weaker than I imagined."
"You can't really say that. The mutants in our universe act recklessly because no one is using Sentinel Robots to hunt them down. On the contrary, when they are suppressed by the Three Great Empires, ordinary people help them, allowing them to unleash their full strength. But the mutants in this universe are fighting alone."
Stark nodded, apparently agreeing with this statement. The mutants in this universe are truly caught between a rock and a hard place. They want to display strong individual power, but they fear the Sentinels will annihilate them. Without trustworthy comrades to rely on, many things become difficult to accomplish.
"But there is a way to break this predicament," Stark said, "If a frontal attack doesn't work, we'll have to use some tactics. But first, we need to convince the mutant leaders."
"Professor X and Magneto are easy to deal with. But right now the one responsible for Clarkia's diplomacy is the White Queen. This lady is tough, but her strength is misplaced. Convincing her will take some effort."
"What are you planning to do?"
"We can contact another person, her arch-nemesis, Black Emperor Sebastian, and arrange a secret meeting," Shiller thought and said, "I need to have a talk with Magneto."
"Sebastian?" Magneto frowned and said, "The White Queen had to put in a lot of effort to get rid of the Black Emperor. If you bring him back to Clarkia at this critical moment, the White Queen will be very angry."
"That's exactly what we want, to make her angry," Shiller said, "We can't let her go to the United Nations Assembly."
Magneto squinted his eyes and said, "Not let the White Queen go to the United Nations Assembly? Then who will represent us to propose and witness the votes?"
"No one will go," Shiller said, "And you need to release information, saying there's internal conflict among the mutants, even signs of collapse, implying that nation-building might be challenging."
"Why do this?" Magneto's face turned cold. It seemed that if it weren't for the good impression Shiller had left on him before, he might have wanted him to leave. "This is the crucial moment for nation-building, how can we lower our spirits?"
Shiller sighed. Whether any mutant understood politics was becoming a faint hope, so he had to spend some time on prenatal education.
"If mutants are the greatest threat, everyone will target you. But if mutants are no longer a threat, then who should control the super factory hanging over their heads and the powerful weapons it produces?"
Magneto was stunned; he hadn't considered this question. Shiller continued, "Such a powerful super AI, once fully awakened, could not only wipe out mutants but also have a significant impact on Earth's situation. If it's not used against mutants, then no one would want it to be used against themselves, right?"
"In a way, the total annihilation of the strike team is actually a good thing for you," Shiller took a step forward, looking Magneto in the eyes, "You're proving to the human government that you're not that strong, and Sentinels are entirely enough to deal with you. But the Red Orchid Factory has been completed, and the Mother Module is about to awaken. The time left for humans to decide the target of the super weapon is running out."