PFC Chapter 4223 A Guide to Hitchhiking in the Galaxy (The End)
Chapter 4223 A Guide to Hitchhiking in the Galaxy (The End)
Chapter 4223 A Guide to Hitchhiking in the Galaxy (The End)
The importance of Mars has declined sharply, partly because as humans have studied it, they have discovered that they don't seem to need to develop land-based engineering equipment like other civilizations. Their technological accumulation has already allowed them to skip this stage and go directly to developing space-based equipment.
Normally, a civilization would use a non-home planet to test various land-based devices. They would first need to build an engineering base on another planet, gradually gathering all the necessary components for manufacturing spaceships. Over many years, this base would produce all the spaceships the civilization needed, as well as various machines for use on other planetary surfaces.
But humanity doesn't need that. Starship parts are manufactured on Earth and Mercury. Stark Industries' nanocompression technology allows them to produce the most equipment in the smallest space. They've directly used Mercury, an energy planet, as their production base.
The assembly process, which requires the most space and is the most troublesome, is actually the simplest for humans. This is because they have sorcerers and mutants who can assemble the parts directly while flying in space. They don't need to assemble them under gravity first and then take off.
Then there's engineering equipment. A certain major Eastern power has already maxed out its technology in order to produce faster-than-light engines, to the point that once they leave Earth, they can directly mine Jupiter without needing to find another place to build a base to produce the equipment needed for mining gas giants.
Thus, Mars, once considered the perfect springboard, has become a dilemma—neither useful nor worth abandoning. Using it as an industrial base is largely unnecessary; developing it into a tourist attraction offers little scenery, remaining barren like most planets in the universe, offering little to see. Furthermore, its proximity to Earth makes it somewhat of a hindrance during Earth's initial development. Therefore, the prevailing view is to push Mars outwards, placing it near Neptune. Mars' environment is indeed better than Neptune's, allowing for the construction of another starport.
However, some people think it's better not to damage the natural environment of the solar system. After all, this natural wonder of "dragging eight" is not common, and its uniform balance is also a beautiful sight.
Schiller, however, felt there was no need to destroy Mars. They could simply refer to the methods used in the universe where Pride resided. Since this Mars was useless now, why not just replace it with another one?
Let this one occupy the orbit for now, and when a suitable planet is discovered in the universe, we'll tow it over and make it the new Mars. Just like Krypton has become the new Mercury of our solar system.
If Asgard wanted, they could come and be Mars for a couple of days. It's just that those gods need to be careful when they jump, lest they jump and crash directly into the magical defense network and damage it.
Thor remained noncommittal about Schiller's proposal, but he needed to keep it a secret. He knew that since there hadn't been any wars, the Protoss, who were practically bored out of their minds, would absolutely agree to the suggestion. They hadn't had enough of Earth when it came last time; if they had a legitimate reason to go to the solar system this time, wouldn't they be jumping for joy in agreement?
As for whether Asgard could even be moved, Thor hadn't even considered it. If the planet itself had no power, the gods could just drag it; if that didn't work, he could find some pegasus horses in Vanaheim, which should be able to move it.
Thor's reluctance to let Asgard go to the Solar System stemmed primarily from concerns about interstellar visibility. Once the Interstellar Council was completed, many people would undoubtedly travel to the Solar System, and knowing that the two planets were clustered together, they would likely be deterred from coming. Of course, this didn't mean that their existence alone lacked deterrent power; Thor couldn't imagine what kind of superhuman would dare to visit a nuclear arsenal.
Thor and Loki left quickly. Then Strange came over, sat down, and ordered a large glass of ice-cold beer. He gulped it down as soon as it arrived and said, "God, I'm so fed up with those pretentious scientists! They keep changing positions, one minute to the left, the next to the right. I spent ages adjusting, and they still think the original spot is the best. They said it was God's arrangement, how could it not be good?!"
"You went to help adjust the tracks too?"
“What do you mean by ‘helping’? I’m the one who made the adjustments!” Strange sighed. “Magneto has to take care of the kids. If he brought those little devils to the site, they’d just cause more trouble. I thought I’d just do it myself, but those scientists are all incredibly difficult. They kept saying I didn’t adjust it correctly and made me move it around. It’s so annoying!”
“This is a big deal; even the slightest mistake can be disastrous,” Schiller said, shaking his head. “But you don’t have to do it alone; aren’t there other mages?”
"At least I'm a doctor who received modern higher education, and I understand the importance of precision. Other mages can't stand them even more."
"Besides, don't think I'm just making things up. There's really no need to be so precise," Strange said, shaking his head. "The universe has a certain self-correcting function. Even if it's slightly off-center, the planets will adjust their orbits themselves."
"Really?" Schiller asked, somewhat skeptical.
Strange nodded and said, “I know those scientists will say no, because these things can be calculated. But that’s not the case. In addition to physical trajectories, there are also mystical trajectories, which won’t deviate too much.”
"What if we replace one of the planets?"
“The planet itself isn’t that important; the concepts are more important,” Strange said. “Actually, it doesn’t matter if the physical planet no longer exists, as long as the mystical concepts remain. Besides, these concepts can’t affect higher powers, so there’s no big problem.”
Are you going to court the day after tomorrow?
"I'm the speaker. Do you think I should go or not? Do you think Thor should go?"
"He shouldn't go, since if he goes, the emperors of the other three great empires will also have to go."
"Then how do you know they're not going?"
"I don't know about other things, but the emperor of the Skrull Empire definitely can't go."
Strange's eyes widened slightly as he said, "How do you know he definitely can't go? You wouldn't have...?"
Strange gestured across his neck. Schiller rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not so depraved as to assassinate the emperors of three great empires."
"Hard to say."
"You don't want Thor to go?"
"No, it's just that if he goes, I won't wear a suit. I'll just wear the Sorcerer Supreme's battle robes. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to beat him."
"He wasn't as agitated as you think. He just warned Loki that you wouldn't be a good partner."
Strange paused, sighed softly, and said, "He's right."
I didn't expect you to say that.
"The fact that I have a happy marriage and a fulfilling family life in almost none of these many multiverses speaks volumes."
Schiller neither admitted nor refuted this, he simply said: "We are very similar in some ways, and it was never an accident that shaped us into who we are today. Whether or not there was that accident that caused my tower to collapse and your hand to be injured, we would be the way we are now."
"On the surface, you seem to have more leeway, are less tired, and have changed a lot, but in reality, you are still you, and no one can change that, just like you can't change me."
Strange was somewhat puzzled, wondering why Schiller had suddenly made this remark, but he still nodded and said, "I know my personality might be judged as eccentric, but I'm not a patient, and I don't need any profound changes, do I?"
"Perhaps, but perhaps those counterparts you see are not the real you. If one day you can see your own self through someone who is very much like you, perhaps you will want to make some changes."
These words sent alarm bells ringing in Strange's mind, but for most people, with Schiller, the alarm bells were practically just background noise, doing little to help. After all, even if they heard it, they wouldn't know what was going on, and even if they did know, it was difficult to change anything, so they simply pretended not to hear it.
The court date was fast approaching, and interestingly, Loki's defense attorney was Matt. As everyone knows, while Matt is the righteous Daredevil, almost every lawyer in America is a litigator. The fact that Matt can remain a lawyer, even with a steady stream of cases, shows his high level of litigation skills.
"Why did I dress like this?" Loki straightened her dress and tucked the stray hairs behind her ears. She wore a very artistic white dress, her black hair straightened and smoothed, draped behind her head, making her look ethereal.
“This will highlight your victim image and win the jury’s sympathy.” Matt was clearly an expert as well. He said, “When you go up there, you don’t have to do anything, just keep one expression.”
"what expression?"
"Cry, but not completely."
Loki asked, somewhat puzzled, "What do you mean by 'incomplete crying'?"
"It means you can have tears, but it's best not to let them fall. Having tears is to show that you are very wronged, but not letting them fall is because we can't let the Sorcerer Supreme and His Majesty the God-King smash up the courtroom before we win the case."
Loki sighed and said, "My brother won't come. There's nothing between me and the Sorcerer Supreme."
“Okay, okay,” Matt said somewhat perfunctorily. “By the way, whatever questions they ask you, don’t answer them directly. I know you have plenty of excuses, but… that old bald eagle Kanas is my old rival; he’s a master of trap questions…”
“Wait a minute,” Loki said, “how do you know Skrull’s lawyer?”
"What Skrull lawyer? Canas is human. That guy's a notorious litigator, used to work for Kingpin, and has taken down countless enemies for him. He also won a defamation case for Roxson, he's incredibly difficult to deal with. If your brother hadn't come to me personally, I wouldn't have taken this job..."
How could you so easily succumb to evil?
"Get this straight, we're the evil ones!"
With the judge's order, the plaintiff and defendant both took the stage. Following Matt's advice, Loki sat down on stage, said nothing, and began to feign tears.
All eyes were on Strange.
Strange sat there with a stern face. He had thought this would quell the rumors, but he overheard the new secretary in the propaganda department whispering to his colleague, "I told you so, it really was a secret marriage. Look at our Speaker, he's putting on quite a show..."
Strange was starting to regret not wearing his combat suit today.
The trial began quickly, but the process was actually incredibly tedious and boring, long and drawn-out, with each person reading their own passage. Finally, the debate began, and the opposing lawyer slammed his fist on the table, launching into a tirade of accusations against Loki. Matt, not to be outdone, engaged in a fierce verbal battle with the opposing lawyer, their arguments going back and forth in a truly captivating spectacle.
The two argued for over four hours, each with their own valid points. Loki, however, didn't know what his own points were—he listened to Matt's accusations and thought they all made perfect sense—but Matt was able to refute them point by point. It's clear that raising children is really expensive.
After much arguing, the jury and judge were about to deliver their final verdict when a loud "whoosh" was heard, followed by a crash, and the courtroom windows shattered. A gigantic monster had stormed into the courtroom and swallowed the judge and the entire jury whole in one gulp.
Immediately afterward, Helen shouted to Loki, "Mommy! Run!"
Strange, stunned by the turn of events, stood frozen in place. When he heard his secretaries, who had rushed past him, whisper, "This must be the bastard," his heart finally died.
The next unit will be a suspenseful and thrilling adventure involving a hunter and an agent.
I previously said I would write it as a bonus chapter for all subscribers, but this book is too long, and it would cost a lot of money to resubscribe. After thinking about it, I decided against it and will just post the main text instead.