After returning to Earth, Nolan decided to stop worrying about what was happening in Asgard.
Fortunately, Hela did not come looking for trouble immediately, which allowed him to relax slightly.
With Thanos preparing to descend upon Earth, Nolan also began making his own preparations.
Thanos was different from every enemy they had faced before. Not only was he terrifyingly powerful, but his army was also considered one of the strongest forces in the universe.
On top of that, he possessed terrifying ambition and extraordinary intelligence.
All of those qualities combined to create the being known as Thanos.
Even Nolan did not have complete confidence in fighting someone like that, especially now that Earth also had Hela, an unpredictable variable whose stance remained unclear.
Thankfully, Nolan was almost certain Hela would not attack Earth. She might even stand against Thanos once he invaded.
The reason was simple.
To Hela, Earth was one of the Nine Realms under Asgard's rule.
Internal wars within the Nine Realms were acceptable to her. In her eyes, those were merely rebellions. But she would never allow an outsider like Thanos to seize territory that belonged to Asgard.
After resting for only a few days, Tony Stark arrived at Locke Technology.
"Nolan, I need your help with something."
"What kind of help?"
Nolan looked slightly surprised.
Tony's face reddened faintly. After hesitating for a long while, he finally spoke.
"I need help solving some technical problems."
The moment those words left his mouth, Tony felt utterly miserable inside.
For him, the Iron Man armor had always been the one thing he could still proudly compare against Nolan.
But as time passed, he realized the gap between Nolan's armors and his own Mark series was only growing wider, with no sign of shrinking.
At this rate, forget surpassing Nolan's technology. He might eventually lose even the qualification to fight beside him.
Though his pride still resisted, Tony had ultimately decided to come.
The situation on Earth was becoming increasingly dangerous, and he needed armor powerful enough to survive what was coming.
Nolan himself was stunned.
He never expected Tony Stark to actually say something like this.
Truthfully, Nolan had never been opposed to helping him.
He had never worried that Tony would surpass him after receiving technological support. In fact, Nolan had long wanted to help improve the Mark series.
The current Mark armors were already impressive.
They were powerful enough to rival Nolan's early Thor-class armor.
But for the battles ahead, that was nowhere near enough.
Forget Thanos himself. Even the Black Order was beyond Tony's current ability to handle.
The movies had shown the Avengers defeating Thanos's army.
But this was reality.
And Nolan had personally fought both the Black Order and Thanos before.
The difference in strength was enormous.
At present, even the Hulk could only barely contend with members of the Black Order, let alone Tony.
That did not fit Nolan's preferred role at all.
He was a businessman, not a frontline warrior.
If possible, he would rather sit behind an endless mechanical army, calmly watching steel tides crush his enemies while he enjoyed coffee and fine wine in peace.
Unfortunately, Earth's overall combat capability had long fallen completely out of sync with his own.
Which was why he had already decided to strengthen Earth's military power.
Back then, he had sold the Black Armor series to Steve Rogers and others, greatly improving their strength.
But it still was not enough.
Not even close.
"So what kind of problem are you facing?"
Nolan asked.
"Although I doubt I'll be much help, I'd still be happy to work through it with you."
His modest wording made Tony feel slightly better.
Of course, Tony knew Nolan was simply giving him face.
He was not naive enough to misunderstand that.
"I traded with Wakanda for some vibranium," Tony explained. "I wanted to build an entirely new suit with it. Actually, I already did.
"But after seeing your armor in combat, I realized this vibranium suit still has major flaws.
"It's durable enough, but its speed and mobility are nowhere near your level."
"Speed and maneuverability, huh?"
Nolan nodded.
Now he understood Tony's problem.
It was a very common issue, though solving it was anything but simple.
Over the following days, Nolan and Tony worked together to modify the vibranium armor.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the universe, Thanos had already learned of Ebony Maw's disastrous defeat on the Ravager planet.
His expression darkened considerably.
He never imagined that his elite forces would fail against a group of Ravagers.
"I understand," Thanos said calmly.
After hearing Ebony Maw's explanation of the battle, he realized the defeat was not unjustified.
The Ravagers possessed long-range weapon systems even more advanced than those of the Black Order.
Locke Technology's endless mechanical weapons.
And the Titan-class war machines that had once appeared on the battlefield of Knowhere.
Even if Thanos personally led the attack, achieving victory on that planet would not have been easy.
Still, the matter piqued his interest.
"Locke Technology…"
He muttered thoughtfully.
"Where exactly did this company come from? Why have I never heard of them before?"
He looked down at the Infinity Gauntlet on his hand.
Three Infinity Stones glowed brilliantly within it.
The Space Stone.
The Power Stone.
The Soul Stone.
And according to his information, the remaining three stones were all on Earth.
The Time Stone had always been guarded by the Sorcerer Supreme.
Now that the Ancient One was dead, it was finally time to claim it.
As for the Mind Stone, he had once entrusted it to Loki in order to retrieve the Space Stone from Earth.
Clearly, that plan had failed.
The Mind Stone had remained on Earth instead.
Then there was the final stone.
The Reality Stone.
A uniquely troublesome Infinity Stone.
And if his information was correct, it too was now on Earth.
Everything was prepared.
The time had come to complete his ultimate goal.
"Ebony Maw," Thanos said, "take a force to Earth.
"In the past, Earth was protected by the Ancient One and Odin. But both are dead now.
"I want you to retrieve the Mind Stone left behind on that planet."
"Yes, my lord."
Ebony Maw bowed respectfully before slowly retreating.
As he watched him leave, Thanos's eyes became distant.
He had not told Ebony Maw the full truth about Earth.
This was his final test.
He wanted confirmation that the Ancient One was truly dead.
If she really was gone, then everything on Earth would be his for the taking.
After leaving Thanos's chamber, Ebony Maw quietly let out a breath of relief.
For a moment, he truly thought Thanos might kill him.
Though he worshiped Thanos, he also understood that his master was far from merciful.
Still, his situation now seemed acceptable.
"Earth…"
He repeated the name softly.
Back during the Chitauri invasion, Earth's superheroes had defeated the invaders, making the entire campaign seem almost laughable.
At least in his eyes.
This time, he would show Earth exactly how terrifying Thanos's army truly was.
Not far away, Proxima Midnight approached him.
"So the master didn't kill you," she remarked. "He didn't even punish you. That's surprising."
Ebony Maw smiled faintly.
"Well, the Black Order is already short-handed as it is."
Proxima's expression darkened slightly.
Her husband, Corvus Glaive, was dead.
With a cold snort, she asked,
"What mission did the master give you?"
She did not believe Thanos would simply let Ebony Maw leave without purpose.
"The master ordered me to travel to Earth and retrieve the Mind Stone."
"Earth?"
Proxima looked surprised.
"That place is dangerous."
"No," Ebony Maw replied calmly. "Potentially dangerous."
Of course he knew Earth's history.
There had once been beings on that planet whom even Thanos feared.
Now, he would act as the vanguard to determine whether those terrifying figures were still alive.
There was risk involved, certainly.
But the danger was not as great as it appeared.
And if he succeeded, the reward would be immense.
"Good luck, then," Proxima Midnight replied indifferently.
Soon, an entire fleet departed.
Even if this mission was merely a probe, Ebony Maw had brought substantial forces with him.
If possible, he intended to destroy Earth outright during this campaign.
Back on Earth, Nolan and Tony's research had reached its final stage.
The technology involved was not especially complex.
Given enough time, Tony could have solved the remaining issues himself.
With Nolan's assistance, however, progress accelerated dramatically.
The obstacles that once seemed impossible were resolved with ease.
After all, Tony only needed a few key insights.
"Finally done."
Tony smiled.
Beside them stood a brand-new vibranium armor.
Its performance far exceeded even Tony's expectations.
"How's the Earth Defense Ring coming along?" Nolan asked.
He had been interested in the project for a long time.
After the Chitauri invasion, Earth had finally begun paying attention to extraterrestrial threats.
The Earth Defense Ring was one of those projects.
Because Nolan had left Earth early on, Stark Industries had ended up leading the initiative.
"It's complete," Tony answered proudly.
"Anything entering the solar system can now be detected immediately. If hostile ships approach Earth, we'll know at once and respond accordingly."
"Hopefully," Nolan replied with a nod.
Still, inwardly, he was not very optimistic.
Earth's current technology simply could not produce weapons capable of threatening Thanos.
Besides, the Earth Defense Ring project had begun years ago.
The technology back then had been even more primitive.
Still, at least it was progress.
"You know I spent quite a bit of time wandering the universe," Nolan said.
"Of course."
Tony nodded.
Although Stark Industries now possessed the technology needed for interstellar travel, merely possessing the capability was not the same as freely exploring space.
The risks were enormous.
Yet Nolan Locke had achieved that level of technology years ago.
Every time Tony thought about it, frustration welled up inside him.
Nolan continued,
"To be honest, with Earth's current level of technology, I don't think your defense ring will perform as well as you imagine."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"I can't pretend I didn't hear that.
"Maybe your technology is incredible, but don't underestimate my brain."
This was his pride they were talking about.
There was no way he would admit defeat so easily.
"All right."
Nolan nodded without arguing further.
Once Thanos arrived, reality would speak for itself.
After Tony left, Nolan turned and entered the core facility.
Only there could he fully reveal the things he had been unable to display outside.
After all, the facility housed the true foundation of his system-based technology.
"Red Queen," Nolan said with a smile, "are you ready for the next war?"
"Of course," Red Queen answered immediately. "Always ready."
The previous wars had already tested Locke Technology's current capabilities.
Fighting Hela could barely be considered a high-level battle.
But Thanos was different.
He combined Hela's overwhelming personal strength with the endless military power of the Chitauri.
Even Hela's undead army could not compare to his forces.
Which meant the mechanical tide Nolan had been preparing was finally about to show its true power.
Hopefully Hela would not interfere.
Nolan sighed inwardly.
If she did, things would become very troublesome indeed.
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