Loki leaned back in his chair with his arms relaxed, saying, "I know what you're talking about, but at that time we had no recognition of each other..."
"You still don't know much about each other now," Shiller said.
"So what are you going to do if I come to you because I'm worried about what I have and what I have not? Tell me the truth?"
"No, of course, I would guide you to discover it for yourself, or I might suggest you try the Thor from the primary timeline. Without Strange's interference, he would give you the answers you want," Shiller said.
Loki let out a long sigh.
Then he asked with a bit of confusion, "Then why didn't you continue? The plan had already reached your favorite part, the consultation phase, hadn't it?"
"Indeed, it was his favorite consultation phase, which is why it's not him who has come now; otherwise, he would have found it hard to resist carrying on with the plan. The reason he didn't is that he has something he wants to ask of you," Shiller said.
Loki looked at Shiller with some confusion.
"I made up a background story for myself before," Shiller said, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. "It was perfectly concocted, without a single flaw, a character setup filled with tragedy and sentiment, a self-explanatory story sufficient to explain why I have become who I am now."
Loki tilted his head and said, "Isn't that a good thing?"
Shiller shook his head and said, "But it's completely unnecessary. It was due to a sort of hostage complex that I wanted to construct a story that would satisfy everyone, to let them get to know me and to deepen my connection with them."
"And you don't want to do that now?"
"I just find such connections too false," Shiller said, frowning and intertwining his fingers, gently tapping with his index fingers as he spoke. "I've tried telling them multiple times that it wasn't because of what I've experienced that I've become who I am now, but it seems they can't understand."
"Because it is indeed unimaginable," Loki said. "You can't deny that the environment has a strong influence on people; we are essentially a collective of the societies we encounter. No one can be unaffected."
"Being influenced and being entirely shaped into this are two different things," Shiller said. "I have never denied being influenced, but every time I was, I faced more than one path, and the path I took was the one I wanted, not the one I had to."
Shiller lowered his eyelids and said, "This might be beyond your imagination, but there wasn't even a second in my life when I felt forced."
Loki, clearly skeptical, still said, "What do you want me to do?"
"I think my original background story isn't good enough; it makes me look pitiful."
"But you said it was reasonable."
"Yes, it was indeed reasonable, but it's not me, understand?" Shiller said. "That background story crafted a version of me as you see me, one with a tragic past, full of underlying woes, but still trying to heal himself."
"...Aren't you like that?" Loki was even more doubtful as he said, "At least in terms of being an ordinary person, your efforts are evident to us all; isn't this you trying to heal yourself?"
"And from what I can see, you indeed have had some tragic experiences, even if they don't quite match the ones you invented. But the fact that they exist means it's not entirely a lie, so where's the problem?"
"The problem is that the background story, in a bid to please you all, overly beautified me. Everything was made to seem forced by circumstances, my own initiative virtually nil."
"What's wrong with that?"
"False perceptions lead to false connections," Shiller said, seemingly at a loss for further explanations. "I know everyone unconsciously embellishes their image in social interactions, but I've embellished a bit too much, to the extent that you've never realized how dangerous I can be, leading you to actions like throwing pebbles into placid water, or even trying to skip them across."
Loki looked shocked and said, "Aren't you dangerous enough? I mean, don't you seem quite dangerous already?"
Shiller was stunned at his current shock and said, "What have I been saying to you in the past few minutes? Haven't I been emphasizing that the version of me you usually see is already quite stable?"
Loki's hand waved beside his head and he said, "Sorry, I'm a bit confused... I think I'm beginning to understand what you mean."
"We know very little about you, so we respond to you based on the extent of danger you outwardly pose, and usually, we don't perceive you as very dangerous, which is why we might take some aggressive measures to help you control your so-called illness."
"But in fact, you are much more dangerous than you appear, and you think we wouldn't accept the real you beneath the calm surface, so you created a background story to pacify us, to show that you are consistent inside and out."
"But now you feel that letting us let down our guard like this isn't so good..."
"Not exactly," Shiller interrupted. "I've realized that my comforting you all this time was due to a hostage complex of my own making, but continuously soothing you in this way might not be a good thing, because I can't fully guarantee that you'll never see what's beneath the surface."
"So you think your past story is an opportunity," Loki quickly caught on. "You can express the real you in your past story, allowing them to investigate and learn, and in this way, they'll treat you more cautiously, reducing the risk of you losing control."
"Very smart," Shiller complimented.
"But you didn't lose control last time," Loki said. "Even though you seemed in great pain, you didn't do anything extreme."
"That's because I was still indulging in the hostage complex at that time. Some things are like this: If you don't know any better, you can keep playing, but once you do, it's quite hard to stay fully committed," Shiller explained.
Loki nodded his head; he had also realized this point. When he didn't know that Shiller's act was one of retaliation, he'd been constantly agonizing over his relationship with Thor and Thor's with him. But once he knew their behaviors were induced, these emotionally superior tricks became difficult to continue. From the standpoint of Asgardian politics, he could even understand why Thor had imprisoned him for over a thousand years.
"What do you want me to do?"
"First, I need to know how you separated a time branch. Give me a time stream like yours, let me correct the past, and then you help me overlay it onto the current timeline."
"Why not just travel back and change it again?"
"Because it needs repeated modifications and adjustments. I have to find the right degree, to be authentic enough yet not have too much impact on the future. If I meddle with the primary time stream repeatedly, it might cause problems."
"I asked Supreme Kang for it," Loki said. "Basically, only he can seamlessly separate and overlay time streams without causing serious consequences, but I'm not sure he'll give me another one if I ask."
"And most importantly," Loki appeared worried as he looked at Shiller, "Natasha once described to me some of the worlds beneath your High Tower, which sounded quite perilous. I understand you want to show some real self, but don't get too real; superheroes don't have such strong mental endurance."
"Don't worry," Shiller said. "The first to investigate my past will inevitably be Nick Fury. He doesn't have such high moral standards. As long as our interests are bound together, even if I had once destroyed the cosmos, he would cover up my past for me."
After thinking it over, Loki felt that it made sense. If the only one to suffer was Nick, and at most bringing in some agents from S.H.I.E.L.D., then it wouldn't affect the stability of the situation much.
Plainly speaking, the moral bottom line of these people differs drastically from superheroes'. They only look at interests. As long as Shiller is useful, they'll cover up all news unfavorable to Shiller as if they were protecting their underpants.
But at the same time, for the sake of stability and interests, they would warn superheroes, urging them to take Shiller's danger seriously, rather than letting things slide or taking radical measures as usual.
Loki didn't disappoint Shiller. He swiftly convinced Supreme Kang and obtained another time stream to craft a completely new version of Shiller's true backstory.
But before that, Shiller encountered another problem. The call came from Peter.
"There's a problem, Doctor," Peter's voice betrayed urgency, "I took Gwen to the Elders Council Hospital for a check-up, and the doctor there said there's something wrong with the baby."
"What's the problem?"
"You know, the latest technology is to use a kind of radiation to entirely remove the fertilized egg without any side effects. We just had the procedure, but it was completely ineffective; this is the first case in history."
"The doctor said traditional medication could be used, but George and I disagreed. Compared to that technology, medication for abortion is still harmful; it could at least cause Gwen to bleed."
"But considering there might be bigger problems if we delay, Gwen insisted on doing it, but... it was still of no use."
"What do you mean by 'no use'?"
"It means there was no reaction. Gwen took the medication, which should have worked within three hours, but nothing... nothing happened."
"Is she feeling unwell?" Shiller asked.
"No, nothing. She should be feeling nauseous and experiencing some lower abdominal pain by now, but there's nothing. The baby is fine, completely unaffected, and all the indicators from the examinations are normal. It's like the medication just vanished into thin air."
Peter expressed his incomprehension, "Doctor Connors and Dr. Ethan are both here, but they can't find anything wrong either. Anyway, it's just not working."
Shiller was also puzzled and had no choice but to revert his body back to Greed, then said, "Don't panic, Peter. This means the child might be out of the ordinary. Have you called any Asgardian doctors or mages to take a look?"
Peter obviously choked on his words, "You mean the child is because of magic, but I never... I mean, alright, his arrival was indeed a bit bizarre. Gwen and I checked countless times, we are absolutely sure that neither of us... "
"Okay, I understand, Peter," Shiller reassured, "I know you aren't that irresponsible. You both are very cautious; this might indeed not be your fault."
He glanced at Strange next to him, who was looking quite morose, and said, "I'll have Loki and Steven head back. With the two of them there, no matter the problem, it can definitely be solved."
Shiller walked over, tugging Strange away from his argument with Stark, "I know what you're angry about. Loki played with your feelings; this was all his deception. But have you ever thought about why that angers you?"
"Of course, it's because he's just too... "
"Do you remember mocking 'someone in this world who got fooled by a god whose very name is God of Mischief'? Did you not know what his name was?"
Strange's reply was choked off, his face showing a distinct hint of embarrassment. He remembered that he had used that comment to mock Stark initially.
"A con artist can only deceive those who trust them," Shiller spoke meaningfully. "If Loki realized this, do you think he might also realize something else at the same time?"
"What?"
"Are you someone who easily trusts others?"
"Of course not."
"That is much more effective than standing on top of the great hall in Kamar-Taj, staring into the cosmos," Shiller said, pushing Strange towards Loki, "Go."