The sun is always bright, even from thousands of miles away, it still provides warmth and vitality when it shines upon Earth.
However, if one observes this vibrant middle-aged star up close, one could feel its raging heat and the awe-inspiring force of nature.
Above the Mercury Base, one could see an even larger sun. This eye-piercing glow becomes faint in front of superhuman capabilities and technology, and from this perspective, one can see even more mysterious and beautiful patterns.
Standing on the rooftop of Mercury Base, watching the surging solar particles, Stark turns to Shiller and asks, "Who do you think is right, the Skrulls or the Kree?"
"The Skrulls say that they only want to develop the universe, that they are the ones who make sacrifices. Yet they get nothing in return. On the contrary, they suffered severe losses in the millennium war. They perceive the Kree as shameful thieves and traitors."
"The Kree believe that the Skrulls' help to other civilizations threatens their living space. They pilfered the Skrulls' technology merely for self-protection. Their so-called grand ideals are merely excuses to satisfy their hegemony."
"Each holds a view, but who do you think is right?"
"Perhaps both are right?" Shiller also looks at the sun and says, "Unpure ideals and impure beings are bound to produce tragedy."
"The greed for technology and resources by the Cotati and the Kree, coupled with the arrogance of the Skrulls believing they can control the direction of the universe, together constitute this tragedy."
Shiller suddenly chuckled, seemingly recalling something interesting. He looks at Stark and says, "Let me ask you, if one day, a civilization as advanced as the Skrulls descended upon Earth presenting their infinite power…"
"They tell humankind that they must participate in a competition. The winners will gain their resources and technology. What do you think would be humanity's response?"
Upon hearing this question, Stark showed a very complicated expression, both helpless and ridiculous, and found it amusing. He says, "Although this has not happened, I can already imagine what it would be like."
"The first to jump out are not those who argue whether or not to take part in the competition, but the skeptics."
"We would question whether the other party's technology is truly that formidable? What's the ultimate purpose of this competition? Is it a conspiracy? Do they have other plans for humans?"
Stark couldn't help but laugh then says, "Though we are very poor, weak and almost worthless, we are constantly suspicious that all intelligent life forms are plotting against us…"
"After a tide of discussions, there would definitely be groups that would choose to participate or not participate, and those who would turn a deaf ear. However, members from these groups would inevitably argue, fight, and bicker in various forms."
"If the deadline given by this powerful civilization is ten years, these groups would argue for ten years. If the deadline is a hundred years, they would squabble for a hundred years."
"Besides, humans are skeptical by nature, not to mention easily forgetful."
"Maybe, when these aliens come to check on the results with high expectations, humans might have already forgotten them."
Shiller, with his arms crossed, says, "Really? Is that all you can think of? From your personal perspective, how would you confront this situation?"
Stark paused for a moment then said, "You've reached the crux of the matter. If a strange alien race really shows up above Earth, asking us to participate in a competition, probably the first thing on my mind wouldn't be how to win the competition, let alone how to participate."
"I would think, since they are already so technologically advanced, if they come here in their spaceships with their equipment, why should we go out of our way to participate in a competition? Why not just keep them here? Wouldn't that allow us to acquire the resources and technology that we want?"
At this moment, as if suddenly snapping to his senses, he added, "If the Kree could get their hands on a Skrull battleship, why didn't they just do that from the start? Why did they choose to participate in the competition?"
After saying this, Stark paused for a moment. He rubs his chin and says, "Of course, I blame my drop in moral standards on staying too long with you. They say 'you are what you eat'. My problem is surely because of you..."
"If these conclusions were influenced by me, shouldn't you ponder deeper and find the answer in your heart?" Shiller said.
Stark frowns and starts to think, he says, "...The answer in my heart? What's still in my heart… Alright, in the beginning when you proposed this scenario, indeed my first reaction wasn't this conclusion."
"When you mentioned that they displayed their limitless power, my first reaction was—Really?"
Stark further explained, "What is this so-called infinite power? Huge spaceships? Advanced navigation technology? Well-equipped star battle weapons?"
"And after pondering over these questions, my first thought was, can't I make them too?"
"Others' resources and technology, after all, belong to others. If they give us a spaceship, when the spaceship breaks down, we must find them to repair it. If they give us energy, when we run out of energy, we must ask them for more."
"I would rather be poor than a beggar."
"The road of exploration never ends. The so-called limitless power is just a small hurdle on the path to scientific exploration. They might be faster than me, but it doesn't mean they will go further than me."
"Back then, if the Kree had thought the same as you, they wouldn't be fighting back and forth without a clear winner against the New Skrull Empire now."
After saying this, Shiller made a conclusion: "In this thought exercise, you should have noticed that greed can only be overcome by deeper greed, and arrogance only by greater arrogance."
"Humans are never satisfied. If you promise us one spaceship, we want ten. If you promise us ten, we want to swallow the whole fleet you dispatched."
"Humans are not concerned with how to win the game, but how to destroy it."
"The moment we sit at the table, there is only one goal, and that is to bring down all opponents, including the dealer. No one should expect to be spared."
"And what makes you refuse the help of advanced civilizations is not restraint or rationality, but the arrogance that one day they will surpass them. As a terrestrial creature, this kind of arrogance has begun to disdain interstellar civilization."
"Alright, I admit it," Stark nodded and said, "I am arrogant. So what about Skrull scientists? Has Arengel achieved any significant results?"
"The so-called top scientist of the Skrull Empire, who has worked in my lab for so long, has only produced one somewhat decent result, which is the application of the Dark Elf light shielding technology."
Caressing the eye section of his face guard, Stark said, "So far, this technology only allows us to look at the sun without too much glare. To achieve instant cooling and heat shielding, there are still several technological obstacles to be overcome."
"Skrull genius scientists are just like this. The so-called Three Great Empires of the Universe are nothing more than developing earlier and moving faster."
"A hundred years' gap is nothing more than me working a little harder; a thousand years' gap is nothing more than the genius scientists of the human race working a little harder; and as for a 10,000 years' gap...I have to say, Peter has done well. In the multiverse, villainous scientists and Spider-Men have made significant contributions."
Stark revealed a hint of a smile beneath his face guard and said, "It sounds absurd. Most humans can't even leave Earth, yet I dare to speak of catching up with and even surpassing the Three Great Empires."
"The firefly dares to contend with the bright moon because it knows not the brightness of the moon. But now, we not only know the brightness of the moon, we have also gotten a spaceship and smashed it directly into the moon."
Shaking his head, Stark looked at Shiller and said, "You are encouraging this greed and arrogance. You have given these little fireflies the means to blow up the moon too soon and allowed us to no longer revere it..."
"But sometimes I wonder, to what extent do you want to go? If you don't have a grand enough goal, what you're doing against these cosmic empires is redundant."
"Looking at the current situation, even without their unexpected windfalls, human progress is steady. One day, we will be able to step into the universe and compete with these behemoths."
"But what I want is not competition." Shiller shook his head. "Defeating them, conquering them, destroying them—that's a road destined for destruction."
"I'm willing to provide more support for Asgard. Not only because they are the rulers of the Nine Major Kingdoms and can provide protection for humanity, but more importantly, they have reached the end of the path of conquest."
"They've already made the mistake on our behalf. This path is not feasible. The arrival of the twilight of the gods may be due to some mysterious entities we don't yet understand or possibly the will of the cosmos."
"Nevertheless, a constant increase in power and continual creation of war and chaos only lead to destruction. With the cautionary example of Asgard, humanity need not walk this path again."
"So what do you want to do?" Stark asked.
"The ideal of the Skrulls is good, but it seems to be a destined tragedy."
"Exporting with finite resources and asking for nothing in return inevitably weakens oneself. But if you seek a return, the human heart will inevitably fall into a judgement of benefit and loss, and the original ideal will be forgotten."
"The more concerned you are with benefits, the more you forget your original intention. In the end, those who stray from the path will inevitably suffer. In order to restore their reputation, they can only walk the path of conquest and destruction."
"It seems that this is a dead-end street, but in fact, it's only based on the premise that resources are limited. What about if there were infinite resources?"
"But the mass of the universe is constant," Stark stressed.
"Right, this brings up another issue. After productivity has reached its limit and all resources in the universe can be maximally utilized, would the resources in the cosmos be sufficient to sustain all civilizations?"
Shaking his head, Stark said, "Civilizations are being born constantly, and the resources they require are also increasing. If all civilizations can develop steadily to their zenith without ever falling, there is surely a day when the cosmos will no longer be able to support them."
"You say the road of conquest and destruction is unworkable, so is this path feasible?"
"Not necessarily." Shiller, to Stark's surprise, gave a straightforward negative answer, and then said, "But if you don't let me walk this path to the end, you will never be able to convince me that this path cannot succeed."
"But then again, if I do reach the summit and bring all the wisdom of life across all universes with me, trying to find an ultimate answer for all civilizations, but still fail, I will have already found a reason to console myself."
"After all, those who walk this path have long understood from the collapse of a colossal entity that it's not about reaching the end, it's about the journey."
"Only by trying will you understand the vastness of the sky and the breadth of the sea. What's important may not necessarily be the result, but the fact that you've been there."