By passing through the garden of the Palace of Savage Wings and bypassing the west side's administrative hall, one can reach the teleportation station leading to the main portal. We see Loki, bearing her Magic Wand, headed for the teleportation station, seemingly ready to depart.
This visit is nothing more but a signal dispatch, as the rest of the matters will naturally be explained by others. Loki steps through the gate of the teleport station, but paused briefly at the entrance for half a minute before proceeding towards the teleporter.
As expected, the mont she touched the teleporter, a shout ca from behind her, "Your Highness Loki! Your Highness Loki! Wait! The Queen wishes to et you!"
Loki retract her step, turning around with a look of genuine surprise, "The Queen wishes to see ?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I am sorry, but you may have to postpone your upcoming plans. The Queen has so important matters to discuss with you" said Atu, the female diplomat, with an apologetic look.
Loki's brows furrowed slightly, but she turned around to leave the teleportation station, saying,"Regardless, it is an honor for to have an audience with the Queen."
Atu let out a sigh of relief. She thought to herself, Loki must be the most easygoing Asgardian. If it had been an Aesir, they would have huffed coldly and stord out.
Still, on the way to the Throne Hall, Atu tried to make ands,"I am truly sorry, Your Highness Loki. The Queen summons was quite urgent. We received the notice at the last minute. Perhaps there truly is so important matter...."
Loki nodded in acknowledgnt but remained silent. She was well aware of her collusion with Thanos and had been expecting the Queen's summon.
Upon entering the Throne Hall, Loki saw the Queen standing in front of the throne. She curtsied slightly with one hand over her heart. By Asgard standards, this gesture was quite formal, although not the most formal one.
The Queen of the Shi'ar Empire is on par with the Divine King of Asgard. As an honored guest, Loki is permitted to reduce her courtesies by one rank. Although she does not have to kneel on one knee, her curtsy was a tad too small, bordering discourtesy.
The Queen noticed her movent and sighed in her heart. She knew that calling an individual for a private visit, only to summon them abruptly to court, would give people sothing to talk about, putting her at a disadvantage from the very beginning of the negotiations.
The key now was whether Thanos's speculation was correct. The Queen thought, she was reluctant to admit, an outsider seed to have a clearer head than those cabinet mbers and court officials she was fostering within the royal family.
But all monarchies have the sa problem; nobles always prioritize their own interests and tend to be conservative when it cos to national affairs. The advice the Queen could glean from them is to reject all changes and to maintain the status quo.
However, it seems that the Queen of the Shi'ar Empire has more foresight than these nobles. She understood that the struggle in the Interstellar Society is like rowing against the current. If they do not advance, they would retreat. To continue to maintain the status quo would an inevitable decline.
Adjusting her mindset, the Queen spoke first: "It's been a long ti, Your Highness Loki. How is His Majesty Odin?"
"The Father of All Gods is well. I bring greetings from him, Your Majesty the Queen."
After a brief exchange of courtesies, neither party gained an advantage. Loki, albeit slightly aloof, was impeccable while the Queen could find no fault with her conduct.
"I heard from Bore, you are familiar with our dinsion-cut and transport technologies, and believe that the path we took is wrong?" The Queen enquired.
"This technology has beco a popular topic in the Shi'ar Empire recently. Still, it is not a new technology. When I was just a child, I had heard that the Shi'ar Empire was researching this technology. As for whether the route is right or wrong, in my view, it might be hard to solve the defects of the main portal...."
After a mont's hesitation, the Queen decided to state it outright. She paced in front of the throne, saying in a deep voice, "You didn't co here without an agenda, and I didn't summon you for a re exchange of pleasantries..."
"We are both aware of the predicant the Shi'ar Empire and Asgard face. There could be opportunities for mutual benefits. Since you have co here, I take it as a signal of seeking cooperation. It's only natural that I should discuss the current condition of us both... "
Loki hesitated for a mont, before lowering her gaze, saying, "Indeed, Asgard is facing so issues, but compared to the predicant of the Shi'ar Empire, they are but minor inconveniences..."
After weighing the situation in her heart, the Queen finally decided to use the answer Thanos had given her. She said, "Asgard wishes to abandon the conquering of the cosmos, to seize interests no longer through extre violence. Such change can instigate panic among the subjects of the Nine Major Kingdoms."
"They are uncertain whether Asgard can acquire equally bountiful resources using diplomatic ans and whether they can still develop under such conditions... You need to enjoy the confidence of your people."
"Similarly, when you step into the interstellar society, you will no longer be representing Asgard but the Nine Major Kingdoms. The dominant prowess of the God Clan will be overshadowed and more emphasis will be put on the overall strength of the civilization."
"But among the Nine Major Kingdoms, the gap between the highest and the lowest is too significant. Civilizations like the Human race, which has not yet acquired interstellar colonization capabilities, could benefit from having the weaknesses in these areas addressed. Yet, struggling on divine power-based science and technology tree seems less plausible for these physically weaker races."
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