Many might not be familiar with the name Thanos.
However, as long as "The Purple Sweet Potato" or "The Mad Titan" is mentioned, most people with a passing knowledge of American comics would recognize him. Corresponding information immediately surfaced in Ian's mind.
Thanos. The Overlord of the Universe born on Titan.
He was different from birth—possessing purple skin and a physique surpassing ordinary men. Yet, he was ostracized by his kin because his appearance and ideologies deviated from the norm. His most famous act was using the Infinity Gauntlet to gather the six Infinity Stones and, with a single snap, wiping out half of all life in the universe.
Many called him a "simp" obsessed with Death, but Ian felt the word "simp" was too generous for Thanos; he was a devotee far more fanatical than any mere admirer.
"I didn't expect this place to be Titan. Are you here to participate in our electronic transcendence ceremony?" Contrary to Thor, who was already on high alert and treating this as a confrontation with a great enemy, Ian acted differently.
He warmly invited Thanos to the memorial service. Without the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos was merely a quasi-Allfather, whereas Ian was currently an "Ultra-Allfather" with the high-level capability to trade one-for-one with any Skyfather.
"The passing of electronic life is not worth mourning, but I agree to let you bury it in our soil." Thanos looked toward the funeral scene that had been set up with surprisingly formal effort.
His voice was gentle, lacking any sense of cruelty or ruthlessness.
"Thank you."
Ian gave Thanos a large, polite smile.
"No thanks are necessary. After all, compared to most stubborn races, I quite like the nature of you Earthlings." Thanos' deep voice echoed through the woods.
He slowly raised his hand in an inviting gesture, and a hint of anticipation even appeared on his face. "Would you like to tour our planet?"
Titan was large. And beautiful.
It was a civilization established by the descendants of the Eternals. Every individual was an extraordinary lifeform, much like the "magical beasts" that lived here.
Ian was interested in this tour; he wanted to find some Titan-flavored potato chips to eat.
However.
"No, no! We have matters to attend to, Your Majesty. Thank you for the audience!" Thor's face changed instantly as he hurriedly waved his hands in refusal, beating Ian to the punch.
He seemed to fear Thanos greatly, and his words revealed Thanos' current status and position.
"Hey! Do you even know how to do diplomacy? I'm the boss here; I should be the one making the decisions!" Ian complained, poking Thor's beer belly with his fist.
"..."
Thor opened his mouth but didn't dare say anything with Thanos present.
"Who is this big guy?"
"It looks like even Thor is afraid of him?"
Gwen and Cap looked at each other and communicated in low voices. Thanos' gaze swept over them, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly as he introduced himself: "As the Prince of Asgard said."
"I am a King—the King of Titan." His voice was steady and majestic, as if reciting some cosmic truth: "My influence spreads across the entire universe, benefiting countless civilizations in the vast starry sky. It is one of the most massive forces in the universe. You should also address me as His Majesty Thanos."
This Overlord of the Universe seemed rather vain.
"Is that 'benefiting'?"
Thor muttered under his breath, but didn't dare let Thanos hear. Gwen and Cap were intimidated by this status and didn't dare act rashly. Only Ian blinked his eyes, still looking full of interest.
"If we tour Titan, are there any grand tour gifts?" Ian knew this was the time to use analogies, so he provided an appropriate example.
"When I go to buy a car, the dealership doesn't just give out small gifts; they even give me a guest meal." Yes, the greedy Ian just wanted to taste the delicacies of Titan.
Thanos was silent for a second.
"The hospitality of the Titan race has always been excellent." He nodded slowly, his tone still gentle. As he spoke, he raised a hand to point at the wreckage of the crashed ship in the distance: "I see your ship has crashed. As a meeting gift, I will grant you a new ship to help you return home."
One had to admit. Meeting and immediately giving a "car"—Ian was very familiar with this routine.
"Overlord" and "Overbearing CEO" were indeed only one character apart in Chinese.
"Great, great! Giving us a ship—you must be a good person!" Upon hearing "new ship," Cap's eyes lit up, and he agreed before Ian could.
"Damn it! Shut up!"
Thor grew frantic. But his single dissenting vote clearly couldn't beat the two votes in favor.
"I have no comment." Gwen rolled her eyes and abstained. Seeing Thanos turn around and lead Ian and Cap toward the saucer, Thor had no choice but to follow with gritted teeth.
Gwen crept closer and whispered her question.
"Is that guy... very scary?"
She clearly saw the heart-felt fear in Thor.
Thor's face was grim as he lowered his voice. "Believe me, he is an existence that makes countless civilizations tremble with fear. The Titan Legion is more terrifying than you can imagine."
The Prince of Asgard's tone was more serious than ever before.
Gwen wanted to ask more, but Ian was already waving and urging them at the hatch of the saucer.
"Hurry up! The Titan Luxury Sightseeing Tour is about to depart!" Only a fool would refuse a free travel project. He felt he could definitely get along with the Thanos of this new world.
"Ian! You'll regret this! You have no idea who you're trying to associate with!" In helplessness, Thor could only grip his hammer and board Thanos' saucer with Gwen.
The saucer slowly rose into the air.
It carried the group through purple clouds and into the main city area of Titan, a magnificent metallic metropolis. Viewed from the air, the city was grand and solemn.
The architectural style was also ancient and mysterious. It looked like some hybrid civilization that fused technology and magic. On the streets, Eternal descendants of Titan walked in an orderly fashion, their skins showing various shades.
They were physically robust. Their eyes were filled with hope for life.
In the center of the city, unknown script flickered on towering mega-structures, and the fragrance of some herbs permeated the air. Thanos personally acted as the guide, taking Ian and his followers to see the "cultural highlights" of Titan.
"This is our cultural center. The people of Titan love art, philosophy, and cosmic truth."
"Over there is our energy core, providing stable power for the entire planet."
"This is our education center, where all subjects can learn the mysteries of the universe." Thanos seemed to really enjoy introducing his civilization to others.
"Is that a munitions factory?"
Ian pointed at an industrial area emitting steam in the distance, his tone curious.
"No, that is not a munitions factory. Titan develops life technology; there are almost no factories for the production and manufacturing of steel weapons." Thanos followed his gaze.
He shook his head slightly, his tone solemn.
"That is the radiance of life."
He was being quite poetic.
Ian: "...?"
Cap: "...?"
Gwen: "...?"
Even Ian couldn't decipher the meaning. One could imagine how artistic and vague the description was. Only Thor's expression after hearing it was as ugly as if he had eaten spoiled canned herring.
God knows what he had experienced.
"In fact, I also want to spread them to Earth." Thanos seemed satisfied with their confusion. Finally, as if revealing his true intentions, he spoke in a serious tone.
"Sure, sure~"
Ian wasn't trying to be a collaborator. He just wanted to use Thanos to hone the superheroes on Earth—to treat the superheroes, he naturally needed to create a crisis large enough.
As for the potential impact and losses, that wasn't a big problem.
Even if there were a big loss, the Marvel universe always had its own Seven Dragon Balls.
The original Infinity Stones had six, but adding the ethereal Mind/Wisdom Stone, there really were seven. Compared to Ian's little schemes, Thor's reaction was extremely violent.
"Absolutely not! Earth is under the protection of Asgard! You cannot set foot on Earth!" Thor instantly bristled, reacting more intensely than the three Earthlings.
Hearing this, Thanos looked at him calmly, his tone carrying a bit of disdain: "Odin rejected me, but that doesn't mean he can reject me on behalf of Earth. Earthlings have their own free will and the right to choose."
Who knew Thanos understood freedom and democracy? He really looked like the beacon of Titan. Just as Thor's face turned red while trying to argue with Thanos, Gwen, who was hearing all this in a daze, finally couldn't help but raise her hand.
"Can someone explain to me what 'spreading radiance' means? Are you going to invade Earth?" This was the most logical explanation Gwen could think of.
However, Thanos shook his head.
"No, I am going to bring you prosperity." The giant's voice was very sincere.
"What kind of prosperity?" Ian also probed curiously.
"The prosperity of life."
The Titan was still being poetic; all he lacked was a pair of gold-rimmed glasses to complete the artistic look. Seeing this scene, Thor finally lost his patience and gritted his teeth to expose Thanos' true colors.
"He's an aphrodisiac peddler! The Titans are the largest manufacturers of aphrodisiacs in the universe! His legion is a sales team! They travel the universe hawking their damn fertility potions!"
Thor's words were like a bomb, exploding in everyone's ears. Ian, Cap, and Gwen all widened their eyes in unison, their faces filled with disbelief and shock.
"Wait? New Marvel is hitting hard again?"
Ian, who was still thinking about how to trick Thanos into sending small fry to Earth first—to let the heroes level up before sending the big bosses—was instantly struck by lightning.
Thanos frowned in displeasure.
"Prince of Asgard, do not use your narrow perceptions to define the mission of our Titan race." Thanos' craggy face was filled with seriousness and piety.
"Those are not aphrodisiacs; they are the gospel of life."
He had clearly moved on; he was now a devout apostle of life.
The air grew quiet. Even Ian couldn't find words to liven the atmosphere for a moment. The saucer slowly landed on the platform of a potion factory. When the hatch opened, it puffed out a mist with a strange sweet fragrance.
"Everyone can come and take a look to correct your erroneous perceptions." Thanos walked down the ramp with steady steps, his metal war boots thumping on the alloy floor.
"I have always felt I was born for greatness. Therefore, I led the Titan race to take up the responsibility of sowing life—this was a problem I discovered while traveling the universe in my youth. The vast starry sky is so beautiful, yet life is so scarce that a civilization can't even be born in an entire galaxy."
"We have failed the gifts of the Creator. Therefore, I want the quantity of life in the universe to match the scale of this universe." A fanatical light flickered in Thanos' eyes.
His philosophy was truly a complete reversal.
"Damn it! Thanos! Even so, that is no reason for you to sneakily drug our well water, causing a large number of Asgardian men to collectively become pregnant!"
Thor's golden hair stood on end with rage, and Mjolnir sizzled in his hand.
"Why not?" Thanos countered coldly, his tone carrying a near-religious devotion. "The universe needs fairness. This is the Way of Balance."
Some of Thanos' philosophies still existed, just slightly deviated from the normal track.
"You're crazy!"
Thor roared at Thanos. Gwen looked at Ian from the side and found him looking down, writing and drawing in a small notebook, his brow furrowed as if he were conducting some research.
"What are you doing?" Gwen couldn't help but ask.
"I'm recording." Ian responded without looking up. "I'm not sure if Thanos counts as mentally ill, so I need to go back and consult with my psychiatrist."
Gwen fell silent after hearing that. She realized Ian seemed to have not given up on his dream of being a psychiatrist. Just then, Thanos led them through the production line and began to introduce his "masterpieces."
"This is 'Speed-Pregnancy Spirit.' It can shorten the human gestation period to three days." He pointed to a row of bubbling pink potions, his tone filled with pride and glory.
"??????"
Gwen's mouth formed an O-shape.
"This is the 'Multi-Child Blessing Customizer.' Want twins? Triplets? Even decuplets? Just adjust the dosage. Verified by three thousand civilizations, safe with no side effects."
"This is the 'Pairing Potion.' After taking it, the body naturally secretes a special pheromone that can travel through the vacuum of space to attract the most genetically compatible partner."
"However, it occasionally attracts some cross-species pursuers, so users must be cautious. And this, our latest product: the Symbiotic Gestation Sac. An implantable external gestation sac. Men can also wear it. Both parties only need to contribute a seed once to cultivate the fetus externally, not affecting daily life at all."
"Whoever gets tired of gestating, or has something busy to do, can swap the capsule to the other person to continue the gestation. Fairness, still fairness. Absolute fairness."
"Of course, if you feel that's too tiring, we also have this Gene-Modification Potion. No need to envy oviparous animals; we can make you oviparous too."
"Lay eggs once, and with our incubator, the children are healthy and the parents are relaxed... The first choice for busy people. Perhaps the child will hatch in the incubator and eat their own eggshell, and you won't even realize they've grown up~" Thanos' passion seemed to ignite here as he crazily promoted his products in his factory.
"What is this?" Ian picked up a potion to ask. There was a huge showroom in the factory displaying countless bottles and jars, each marked with a different function.
"Oh, that is our star product, 'Hymn of Life.' It extends the golden fertility period by 300%, and for men, it increases the duration of seed-sowing by about three thousand percent."
Thanos winked at Ian.
"You really are an expert! An expert among experts!"
Ian was convinced.
Gwen was dumbstruck, Thor gritted his teeth, and Cap stepped forward somewhat modestly. This was Cap—always the first to stand up when something happened.
"Um, I have a friend. Yes, a friend. Bucky Barnes. He might need this. Can I buy it?" Cap's ears turned red as he pulled out his empty wallet. Inside were about a dozen copper coins and only a single ten-dollar bill.
"Of course, no problem." Thanos smiled slightly as he looked at Steve, as if seeing through his soul. "As long as you sign a contract promising to gestate at least ten lives in your lifetime, you can receive this type of general potion for free. If you can promise a hundred, I will give you the Gold Enhanced Version."
As expected of the Overlord of the Universe. He saw the problem at a glance.
Steve Rogers nodded without hesitation.
"Where do I sign? I can do this. I can..." He was so eager to get the potion that he was in a rush, momentarily forgetting logical consistency.
He blurted it out and rushed forward frantically. But upon seeing the strange stares of his companions, he immediately realized his blunder—he seemed to have exposed a fact that shouldn't be exposed.
"It's... it's all the super-soldier serum's fault." Steve realized some conditions couldn't be hidden, so he immediately shifted the blame, his tone stuttering and lacking confidence.
"I understand, I understand. Like the Power of Nine Dragons or fitness steroids—technology damages male charisma. That's common knowledge." Ian looked at Steve with sympathetic eyes.
"Right, right, right!"
Cap felt like he had been granted a general amnesty. "Ian, you really are knowledgeable." He gave a thumbs-up to Ian, who had bailed him out.
"This way."
Thanos had always been invincible, and it was the same now. He had directly conquered the first Earthling. He was in a good mood as he led Cap toward a factory counter.
One Earthling had fallen. Could the others be far behind?
"Damn it!"
Watching Cap's back as he followed Thanos to sign the contract, Thor stamped his feet in anger.
"This is poisoning the universe! Defying nature!" He turned to Gwen for support. "Don't you think so? Gwen, Steve is a traitor, a traitor to natural humanity!"
Gwen didn't give Thor the reaction he wanted. She was staring at those drugs, lost in thought. "Actually... if men can also have children, it sounds pretty fair."
The second human was perhaps about to be conquered by the invincible Titan Legion.
"Have you breathed too much Titan smog and ruined your brain?!" Thor's eyes widened in disbelief. He turned to find Ian for a reasoned argument, only to find the guy had already slipped away to the display cases.
The Evil God was in a heated discussion with a Titan researcher in a white lab coat.
"Can this thing make a human with wings on their back pregnant? Like the kind with twenty-six babies in one birth?" Ian stood at the end of the potion production line, holding a test tube with a pearly luster, looking expectantly at the technician beside him.
The bold idea in his heart was already on the verge of coming out.
The technician pushed his goggles. He clearly misunderstood the race Ian was asking about, so he answered without thinking: "Of course! The Winged Race has been using our products for decades. Everything from single births to decuplets can be customized..."
Before he could finish, Ian's eyes lit up like an explorer who had discovered a new continent. He then threw out a second question.
"What about the guys with horns on their heads? Can they also receive the gospel of life?" Ian still remembered the "fairness" Brother Thanos mentioned.
Seeing such technology, he no longer wanted to doubt whether Brother Thanos had a mental illness; he felt he had found a soulmate.
"Ah? A race with horns on their head?" The technician frowned, thinking about which race in the universe fit that description.
The next moment, Gwen suddenly gasped, her face turning pale instantly.
"Are you crazy?!"
She grabbed Ian by the collar. Although she lowered her voice, it still cracked with terror.
"Are you going to catch angels and demons for ranching?! You want to open a Divine-Demonic Breeding Farm?!" Gwen truly was the person who understood Ian best in the Marvel universe.
"No, why would you think that?" Ian blinked, his tone confused. His reaction finally made Gwen breathe a sigh of relief.
Just as Gwen thought she had overthought things...
"I don't need to catch them. Angels and demons all love me; they'll come to me themselves." Ian's tone was incredibly proud.
"?????"
Gwen's voice rose an octave. "Damn it! You've already caught them?! How many did you catch?! How could you even come into contact with angels!"
She firmly believed Ian was a Evil God. According to TV shows and movies, shouldn't this be a race that angels countered?
"Oh, I might have forgotten to tell you. I'm not just a Evil God; I am also the King of Angels, Ian. So, if you're more filial to me in the future, I'll send you to heaven too." Ian imitated Doctor Strange, slowly holding up an index finger.
Gwen didn't care about Ian's identity; she only cared if Ian had caught angels.
"One... one? Or a whole nest?" Gwen felt this finger of Ian's wasn't simple, but she still harbored a sliver of hope.
Ian's smile was very sunny.
"The whole pot! But don't worry, it won't affect you. I am the King of Angels in High Heaven; it's a different matter from your low-tier heaven."
This was an answer that invited horrifying contemplation.
"!!!!!"
Gwen's eyes widened so much they almost fell out of their sockets. Thor's face turned from pale to ash-gray, as if he had suddenly figured out something terrible.
If even angels couldn't escape, did Asgardians... still have a chance to escape those clutches? At this moment, for the first time, the Prince of Asgard felt the weight of worrying about his country and people. Just then, Cap walked out with a briefcase, looking radiant.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Steve Rogers was looking somewhat rejuvenated.
"It seems you are also very interested in our products." Thanos followed closely behind. He had noticed Ian pestering his technician.
"These are special trial packs. You can take them back for your people to try." Thanos clearly thought Ian was Earth's Allfather.
He was very generous, signaling an attendant to bring over an exquisite metal box. Ian took the box, as happy as a child receiving a Christmas gift.
"I represent God and Satan in thanking you! Big Brother Thanos!"
"Little Brother, you're too kind!"
Thanos hadn't expected Ian to suddenly be so enthusiastic. He looked somewhat surprised as the "short" Ian hugged his waist and patted his back.
Gwen, Thor, and Cap took three steps back in unison.
"I hope next time you come to me with a big contract." After doing his promotional pitch, Thanos didn't break his word and prepared a ship for the group. He personally saw them onto the newly built ship and even thoughtfully provided star map coordinates.
"To save Odin, this stellar path is the shortest." Clearly, while Thanos' ideologies had changed, his wisdom remained extraordinary.
The ship was luxurious. Ian didn't forget to pack the old ship inside; after all, his next appearance would still be randomly within the space cut from the old ship. At least that's what the new Teacher Tony said, though it remained to be seen if his accuracy was up to par.
"See you next time! My dear Big Brother Thanos!"
Ian waved goodbye to Thanos.
Watching the ship take off and leave, Thanos stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep.
"What about the survivors in the other ship?"
He asked without looking back.
A lieutenant wearing a breathing mask knelt on one knee. "They have been sent to the Pain Lab as you ordered. We are currently testing the compatibility of the new fertility potions on non-humanoid and divine lifeforms."
This lieutenant was Corvus Glaive, one of the Black Order.
The Black Order was Thanos' most famous and powerful group of subordinates, each possessing unique abilities. Corvus Glaive was the leader of the Black Order, second in status only to Thanos. He possessed super strength and healing abilities; even the gravest wounds could recover quickly. Furthermore, he owned a warblade that housed his soul. As long as the blade remained, he could continuously resurrect even if his body was destroyed.
"Very good. Give those devotees of Death the most painful package. Since they follow Death... then let them struggle eternally in the pain of life's procreation." The corners of Thanos' mouth slowly curled up, finally revealing the cruel smile an Overlord of the Universe should have.
As always, he was an extremist.
The Guardians of the Galaxy, who had previously exchanged fire with Ian and the others—perhaps in this new Marvel universe, they served some other as-of-yet unknown missions.
Of course, Ian and the heroes of Earth were unaware of this. The ship Thanos gave them was once again piloted by the forgetful Steve into the starry sky—there was no choice; besides Steve, no one present knew how to fly.
Ian had only ever driven a car, and the ending of that car wasn't great.
"By the way, do you think if we fed the fertility potion to Mjolnir, we'd harvest a batch of little Mjolnirs?"
As the ship flew, Ian was leaning over the control console thinking. His world-shaking talent struck again.
"NO!!!" Thor, Gwen, and Cap screamed in unison.
The ship jumped into hyperspace amidst everyone's screams, leaving only Ian's disappointed mutter: "It clearly would have been an interesting research topic..."
The ship sped along the star map provided by Thanos, countless times faster than the old antique of the new Teacher Tony. The space jump engine hummed low, the starlight outside the porthole stretched into thin threads, and in an instant, they arrived in a desolate star region.
"Is this... the former home of the Frost Giants?" Gwen leaned against the window, looking at the dead void outside.
Where a planet's coordinates should have been, there was now only a black hole swallowing all light, floating quietly in the dark like a wound torn into the universe.
"My father and Doctor Strange disappeared in that black hole over there..." Thor gripped Mjolnir, a hint of sorrow flashing in his eyes.
Steve looked around, his brow furrowed. "What do we do next?"
Ian was crouching in a corner studying the manual for the potions Thanos gave him. Without looking up, he replied: "Of course, we plan carefully. My time is almost up. Stay here and don't move; I'm going back to buy some..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the ship's alarm suddenly shrieked sharply!
"Warning! Gravitational anomaly! Warning!"
Outside the porthole, that silent black hole began to rotate without any warning, and a terrifying suction instantly seized the ship.
"Ian!!! Did you do something again?" Gwen screamed while grabbing the armrests of her seat, but it was too late—the entire ship was crushed like a soda can squeezed by an invisible giant hand. Amidst the tooth-aching sound of twisting metal, they were dragged into the depths of the black hole.
Chaos. Inversion. The world spinning.
Ian felt like he had been thrown into a washing machine, his limbs stretching and deforming in the violent gravitational tides. The ship's hull shattered like an eggshell. Amidst the blinding white light, he vaguely saw Thor being thrown into the void and Cap desperately grabbing Gwen.
Several people were swallowed by spatial cracks... then separated. Metal was not allowed entry here, but it seemed to accommodate life.
"Thud!"
Ian wasn't in pain, but he slammed heavily onto a black "ground"—if this ethereal chaos could be called ground.
"Hiss... my kidneys were almost thrown out..." Ian grimaced as he climbed up, finding himself in a bizarre space with no up, down, left, or right. In the distance, a pitch-black longsword was thrust into the "ground." Dark mist swirled around the blade like a living thing, and black flames flickered in the skeletal eye sockets set into the hilt.
"All-Black the Necrosword!" Ian was somewhat surprised, but he still walked up. The moment his finger touched the hilt...
The bell tolled.
The next moment, the feeling of the world spinning returned. When Ian came to his senses, he found himself standing in his room in the DC Hell.
He was still clutching the Necrosword.
Just as Ian was reminiscing, suddenly, the rustling sound of pages turning echoed in his mind like a tide. The original drafts he had created in the DC universe were glowing, and countless words flickered before his eyes like thin threads.
"What's going on!?" Ian was surprised to find that the [Writer] profession experience bar on the system panel was skyrocketing at an alarming speed.
[Writer EXP +70]
[Writer EXP +140]
[Writer EXP +111]
...
[Writer profession reached lv10!]
[New skill [Holding the Pen to Paint the World] loading!]
At the same time, in the Marvel universe, at the spot where the Necrosword had been pulled out, countless images appeared, and scenes of light and shadow erupted frantically.
The things that had been hidden and sealed away—began to manifest!
***
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