That evening, Lily hummed a little tune as she busied herself in the kitchen. The clatter of pots and pans played out like a lively melody.
Arthur, meanwhile, sent a voice call to Natasha. "For the next few days, I probably won't be staying at Camp Lehigh all the time."
"Is it because of Mr. Hank?" Natasha asked. "The Pym Particles?"
"That's right." Arthur nodded. "But it's not just about the Pym Particles. I'm very interested in his successor. And Hank seems quite interested in us as well."
"Why do I get a strange feeling?" Natasha chuckled. "Is this what you'd call… mutual understanding without words?"
"A kind of mutual appreciation born from having the same goal?" Arthur shook his head. "In any case, I'll do my best to win them over."
"Understood." Natasha nodded. "And then?"
Arthur thought for a moment before saying, "What does everyone think about the Infinity Gems?"
"Aren't they all in your hands already?" Natasha replied. "It doesn't seem like anyone has any particular thoughts about them."
Arthur was momentarily speechless. "Their noble integrity truly puts me to shame."
"Yours is even nobler," Natasha said. "So what are you thinking?"
Arthur fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't have any plans yet."
At this point, Arthur had gathered many Infinity Gems, the Power Stone, the Space Stone, the Soul Stone, the Mind Stone, the Reality Stone… It seemed that aside from the Time Stone at Kamar-Taj, he had somehow collected five of the six Gems himself!!
If he didn't use these things to stir up something, wouldn't that make all the hardship along the way meaningless?
But… was he supposed to do what Thanos did? Create something like an Infinity Gauntlet and snap his fingers while wearing it?
As for forging an Infinity Gauntlet, it actually wouldn't be difficult.
Whether it was the dwarves or the technological capabilities of Camp Lehigh, either could probably make one.
"Or… should I snap my fingers before that guy even arrives on Earth?" Arthur pondered. It didn't seem entirely impossible.
Granted, punishing someone in advance for a crime they hadn't yet committed was a bit excessive.
But Thanos would inevitably do it!
So even if he snapped his fingers now and sent Thanos straight to meet Death, it wouldn't be entirely unacceptable.
"Why do I always avoid this line of thinking?"
Arthur stroked his chin. For some reason, he felt a deep, instinctive reluctance toward gathering all six Infinity Gems and creating an Infinity Gauntlet.
"Is it coming from… my subconscious? Is my intuition telling me I shouldn't do this?"
"You okay?" Natasha's voice sounded in his ear, pulling Arthur back to his senses. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'm fine. Let's talk about this later."
"Hm?" Natasha asked, puzzled. "What's going on with you?"
"I'm thinking about whether I should save the world in advance." Arthur tapped his forehead. "But I keep feeling that this isn't the only solution."
"I've seriously thought about it," Natasha said. "And I still don't understand what you mean."
Arthur shook his head. "Let's just leave it at that…"
After cutting off the communication, Arthur sat on the sofa, staring blankly into space.
Lily came out of the kitchen carrying a large platter in her hands. "Try the braised fish I made."
"Just looking at it makes my mouth water," Arthur said, his attention instantly captured by the food as he stood up to help.
During dinner, Lily could tell that Arthur seemed distracted. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.
Arthur shook his head.
"Although I probably can't… well, I definitely can't help you with anything," Lily said, looking at him pitifully, "sometimes just talking about it can relieve your stress. Can't I at least be your trash can?"
"…." Arthur pinched the girl's cheek in mock annoyance, then sighed. "Let's say I know someone is planning to do something truly despicable. Extremely despicable, so bad it reaches the limit of what you can imagine. And right now, I have the means to stop it all. But since they haven't actually done it yet, would it be right for me to take action now?"
"Punishing someone for something they haven't done yet?" Lily summarized his words, then looked completely baffled. "That sounds like such a complicated question."
"Mm. And the thing is, they will definitely do it," Arthur sighed.
"That's strange," Lily said. "On one hand, they haven't done it. On the other hand, you're certain they will. Why?"
That question left Arthur at a loss for words. After mumbling for a while, he could only spread his hands helplessly.
Lily suddenly laughed. "Alright, anyway, I believe you. If you say it's true, then it must be true. In that case, wouldn't it be good to eliminate the danger before it even happens?"
"It might cost a lot of lives," Arthur said.
"I see… Is there any way to solve it without anyone dying?" Lily asked.
Arthur shook his head. "A difference in beliefs ultimately leads to a result where it's either you die or I die. There's no room for compromise."
"Then there's nothing I can do… I don't know either!" Lily shook her head decisively. "How could a little girl like me possibly help you solve something this big? You might as well just talk, and I'll just listen."
Arthur couldn't help but laugh. He rubbed Lily's head and said, "Being willing to listen is already more than enough."
And besides… what he was truly struggling with had never really been whether to gather all the Infinity Gems now and snap his fingers.
What he was truly struggling with was why he didn't want to do it.
Ever since he came to this world, that giant purple potato head had been a nightmare looming over him. And now that he possessed the power to end that nightmare, he found himself unwilling to act?
"Why?"
Arthur asked himself, but found no answer.
After dinner, Arthur coaxed Lily to sleep, then changed his clothes and stepped onto the Teleportation Array.
The next second, he had arrived at Kamar-Taj.
When faced with uncertainty, one could seek guidance. Even if it didn't provide an answer, at least it might offer some inspiration.
What surprised Arthur, however, was that when he opened the door to the room, he saw the Ancient One standing outside, looking up at the starry sky above.
(End of Chapter)
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