The cosmic boundaries that many people fantasize about do not actually exist, or rather, every spot in the cosmos is a border of its own. This is not something that can be defined by traditional concepts of distance and direction.
In an endless expanse of dark space, a black-haired young girl silver-edged in translucent light holds out her hands radiating brilliant radiance; with a gentle wave in the air, a bright screen materializes before her. On the screen, a figure with purple skin appears.
"Your Majesty Thanos, how have you been? I am here to report on the progress of our work. The mission you proposed to gain profits for the Dark Quadrant in the cosmos has not made much progress yet."
"However, the matter of finding a way for you to return to the cosmos, as you proposed, has finally led us somewhere."
Thanos furrowed his brows on the other end of the screen, "You mean to say, you've found a way for me to return to this universe? What is it?"
Loki conjured a fleeting smile, saying, "Respectful Thanos, please remember I am not subordinated to you, I merely perform duties for you following our trade agreement. Asgard's tradition is 'cash upfront, goods upon payment'. Only after the transaction is complete can we move onto deeper cooperation."
Thanos snorted coldly, "You shouldn't be called the God of Mischief, but rather the God of Greed. You haven't done anything for me yet and you're already asking for a price?"
"Your Majesty, you need to understand the current situation." Loki lifted her voice slightly, an expressionless look on her face. "You are trapped beyond the cosmic barrier, yet your ambition to conquer the cosmos has not faded."
"The cosmic barrier is not something that can be penetrated by simple physical means. Across the entire universe, there are hardly any beings who can communicate with you in such a way. Apart from the Aesir Clan, there are humans. If you do not wish to choose me as your partner, I can help you locate Tony Stark and see if he would be interested in this business proposition…"
The face of Thanos darkened as Loki had pinpointed his weakness. He had set his eyes on Earth and was very much aware of the Avengers' Strength.
The current Thanos, without a glove and without any gemstones, has seen the development of the Dark Quadrant stall at the level of galactic civilizations, not even reaching the stage of colonizing the cosmos.
His own strength is indeed formidable, but whether it can stand against the combined power of Odin and The Ancient One remains to be seen. Even though his civilization is far more advanced than Earth, within the context of interstellar society, it is merely in the middle tier.
The worst part is, currently, whether it's him personally, or his civilization, they are all trapped outside the cosmos. Thanos, yet to acquire the glove and being unable to ascend, lacks the capability of traversing the multiverse. Having left the Dark Quadrant, he cannot move, and is lost as to how to return to the cosmos.
So far, the only person who both desires and possesses the ability to communicate with him is this despicable God of Mischief, Loki. If he wishes to improve the current situation, he can only count on Loki.
Despite knowing her intention to drive a hard bargain, Thanos can only tolerate it for now. He believes that one day, he will reclaim everything, and furthermore, with interest. After all, the Twilight of the Gods in Asgard is not that far ahead.
"What do you want?" Thanos asks.
"Asgard has no interest in the spaceship technology of the Dark Quadrant." Loki sneered dismissively, "That kind of primitive, backward spaceship tech is beneath Asgard. However, your unique chariot tech is somewhat interesting. His Majesty the God King wishes to acquire some research materials. You understand…"
Loki flashes an enticing smile, "I can ascend to the cosmos, and then use magic to transport these materials back. However, as you know, this method doesn't work for anything with a soul and cannot be used on you."
"Then what's the method you mentioned that can allow me to return into the cosmos?", Thanos asks.
"Don't worry, just listen." Loki is indeed quite patient. She speaks unhurriedly, "Although I don't know why exactly you came here, there is a very simple method to return."
"What is it?" Thanos' tones reveal a sense of urgency, he has had enough of being trapped here.
Although previously, he had also stayed in the Dark Quadrant, devoting himself to developing his army. But staying at home willingly and being forced to stay at home bear completely different sentiments.
Moreover, focusing on research without practical application, the technology tree would inevitably go haywire someday, Thanos knows this. Therefore, he is urgently in need of combat to solve some problems that have emerged in his research.
"Death," Loki simply uttering a rather concise word. Seeing Thanos' "Are you mocking me?" expression, she chuckles, "What I meant was, dying, then resurrecting."
"Regardless of whether it's inside the cosmos or outside it, the souls of the dead all return to death. However, if resurrection is possible, then I can first transport your body into the cosmos, and through the process of resurrection, let your soul journey to Valhalla, then from Valhalla to resurrect onto the body in the cosmos. In this way, we can return to the universe."
While Loki had laid out this process quite transparently, Thanos narrowed his eyes, "I know Asgard has Valhalla, but do you think I would entrust my soul to you and let the Asgardians manipulate it at will?"