Chapter 142: Asgard's Daily Life
It was already the second day back in Asgard when Wanda visited Frigg's palace. Though they were both witches, their specialties differed. As the wisest person in Asgard, Frigg was more helpful to Wanda than Thor could be. Frigg intended to spend some time teaching Wanda how to better harness her powers.
At the very least, Wanda needed to develop a protective shield; being too vulnerable was not ideal.
With nothing pressing to do, Thor took a break. He decided not to intervene immediately in the Ultron situation on Earth.
On one hand, Stark, with his super-genius IQ of 250, was known for his tendency to disregard others' opinions. His reluctance to heed warnings was apparent in his experiments, conducted without consulting anyone else.
Thor harbored doubts about the effectiveness of the Ultron project, even if Ultron itself was well-designed. While arming the world with armor and preventing all space crises sounded appealing, it was not without its issues.
Earth's technological foundation was still quite primitive. Even Stark's brilliance couldn't entirely overcome this limitation. If the Ultron project succeeded, it might handle many minor issues effectively, preventing most villains from entering Earth.
However, when faced with a real supervillain like Thanos or Dormammu, Ultron's defenses would be insufficient. No matter how many battleframes there were, they would be ineffective against such formidable foes.
Moreover, the technology Thanos possessed was equally impressive. The Pym particles, capable of manipulating time and space, remained undeciphered for years after Dr. Pym's disappearance. Thanos used them to create a small vial of reagent that, in turn, was used to teleport an entire sanctuary.
The disparity in technological levels was evident. Iron Man's real strength began with his nano-armor, which was built to withstand energy beams from power gems. However, nano-materials were scarce, and Stark struggled to equip the entire Iron Legion adequately.
While Iron Man's troops could handle lesser foes, the more significant reason for Thor's decision to let the Ultron incident unfold was strategic. The Sokovia incident would act as a catalyst for those in Washington to push for the Sokovia Act. Once the politicians took action, it would be easier to deal with the resulting changes.
"Do you have any plans recently?" Thor asked with a hint of boredom. "Can the space police also take vacations? I thought you'd be rushing back."
Carol glared at him. "Who said space police need to be on call 24/7? Most issues on primitive planets can be handled locally. Why should every minor problem come to me?"
She suddenly remembered something. "Do you recall the promise we made? When we meet again, we would have a proper duel!"
Thor shook his head decisively. "Forget it. Do you really think we can determine a winner or loser now?"
Neither could currently breach the other's defenses, so it would be pointless to fight.
Carol thought about it and was a bit disappointed. She then asked, "By the way, how has Earth progressed over the years? It seems there are many more superpowered individuals now."
"Yes," Thor replied. "After you left, Nick Fury launched the Avengers project, recruiting superheroes from around the world to protect Earth. There are now multiple Avengers, with varying strengths.
Wanda's abilities were only recently discovered, and they are quite formidable. In a sense, she might become the strongest Avenger."
"Really? The strongest Avenger? That's quite a claim," Carol said, intrigued.
"Her powers are extreme," Thor explained. "She has immense offensive capabilities but lacks in defense. Although powerful, she is also vulnerable, which is a significant weakness. Do you think she could be stronger than you?"
Thor shook his head. "In some ways, yes. Do you know what her abilities entail?"
"Um?"
"She can alter anything she desires. For example, she could change your identity so that you become a real Kree, and Yon-Rogg never lied to you. She could even change the flight crew who performed the mission, causing you to lose your superpowers. The identity of Captain Marvel could be transformed into someone else entirely.
If Wanda fully utilizes her power, she could declare Earth the center of the universe, causing everything to revolve around it. She could even prevent the Big Bang from occurring, leading to the universe's collapse."
Carol found Thor's description to be an exaggeration. She laughed and said, "So Wanda's ability is to alter reality?"
"No," Thor replied with a faint smile. "It's the ability to play God."