Fury then began to list the key points.
Assuming Asgard truly exists and the Nine Realms system is established...
Assuming Mavuika's attitude represents Asgard's official stance (verification required)...
Potential risks: Internal changes within Asgard, conflicts with other alien forces spilling over to Earth, foolish provocations by human regimes...
Response strategies: Gather intelligence, establish informal communication channels, enhance Earth's self-defense capabilities (avoid dependency), prepare contingency plans...
He wrote slowly and meticulously.
This was not a report to be handed to anyone, but a record of his personal thoughts.
By the time he finished the third page, the sky outside was already turning white with dawn.
Fury put down his pen and rubbed his aching temples.
Regarding Howard's ideas, he gave verbal consent, but internally he still held reservations.
He would approach with caution, observe with caution, and prepare with caution.
As for how much he actually took to heart, or whether he would truly trust Mavuika from then on...
Only Fury himself would know.
But at the very least, one thing was certain: from this day forward, the way Nick Fury looked at the World changed forever.
The Universe was no longer an infinite darkness and distant points of light, but a vast network full of life, civilizations, conflicts, and secrets.
Earth was merely a node in that network, and Asgard... was the ancient Guardian sitting at the center of the web.
And he himself, a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent from Brooklyn, had just caught a glimpse of a corner of this network.
It was terrifying, and also exhilarating.
Fury turned off the desk lamp and stood up in the morning light.
A new day had begun, and the World he had to protect was larger, more complex, and more dangerous than he had imagined.
But he was ready—or rather, he would be ready.
Because that was his job.
...
After the interstellar turmoil brought by the Skrulls and the Kree concluded, Earth finally returned to a long-awaited peace.
Years passed, seasons changed, and in the blink of an eye, the year 2008 arrived. Over these dozen or so years, the World changed quietly, yet the undercurrents hidden beneath the calm surface never stopped surging.
And everyone once involved in that turmoil also walked their own paths through the baptism of time.
In the top-floor office of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury sat behind a large desk, a document held between his fingertips, his brow slightly furrowed, his expression as steady as ever.
Compared to the sharp young Agent of over a decade ago, he had aged considerably. His skin was darker and rougher, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were deep and pronounced.
Most strikingly, his left eye was covered by a black eyepatch, concealing the scar scratched by the Omnivore Beast, Goose.
After the Skrull incident ended, he ultimately failed to escape the 'cruel hand' of this seemingly cute but fierce alien beast; one eye was permanently blinded, which became a memory that left him caught between laughter and tears.
The current Fury was no longer the young Agent who needed to ask Howard for instructions; he was firmly seated in the position of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, holding great power and strategizing for the future.
The 'Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division' he had talked about for over a decade finally had a concise and memorable official acronym, S.H.I.E.L.D. This name quickly spread across the globe, becoming a symbol of protecting Earth's security and dealing with alien threats.
During these dozen or so years, Fury never stopped his maneuvers against HYDRA.
Under his planning and suppression, HYDRA's tentacles were forced to retract. Many peripheral members lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D. were rooted out, secret bases were destroyed, and their formerly arrogant style of operation became much more restrained.
But Fury knew in his heart that as long as HYDRA was not eliminated, Earth would not know peace for a single day.
And as long as the former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Alexander Pierce, remained unexposed and lurking in the shadows controlling HYDRA's core, this terrorist organization would never be completely extinct.
He proceeded step by step, investigating with extreme caution, yet he still hadn't found information on HYDRA's top brass. This secret war continued silently.
Unlike Fury's exhaustive efforts, Howard and Maria had long since laid down all their burdens and lived a stable and comfortable retirement life.
Over the dozen or so years, following their youthful wishes, they traveled the entire World—from the snowy plains of Northern Europe to the savannas of Africa, from ancient Eastern cities to Western coastlines—their footprints covered every corner of the globe as they saw all the World's beauties.
Howard was now ninety-one years old, but thanks to the divine blessing bestowed by Mavuika, he and Maria remained physically robust, with ruddy complexions and vigorous spirits. They looked nearly twenty years younger than their actual age, appearing like seniors in their seventies.
After finishing their World tour, the two returned to the United States and settled in a pleasant, quiet town on the outskirts of New York, away from the hustle and bustle, where they bought a small Villa with a courtyard.
In their daily lives, they grew flowers and plants, occasionally gathered with old friends, or called Tony and Mavuika to ask how they were doing. Their days were leisurely and carefree.
With Mavuika's blessing, it would be easy for the two elders to live to a hundred without illness or disaster.
Occasionally, Mavuika would find time to visit them and chat. Every time they met, the two elders would hold Mavuika's hand and tell her to take care of herself, with a warmth just like family.
Tony Stark, the flamboyant youth who had taken over the burden of Stark Industries back then, had now also entered middle age.
Over the dozen or so years, bolstered by his era-transcending technological Talents and business acumen, Stark Industries had long since moved beyond simple arms manufacturing. It had leaped to become the World's largest technology and military-industrial conglomerate, involved in new energy, artificial intelligence, aerospace, and many other fields.
Controlling the World's top technological power, and with wealth accumulating continuously, Tony firmly sat on the throne of the World's richest man.
In his middle age, Tony became increasingly busy, shuttling all day between the laboratories and boardrooms of Stark Tower, with very little free time.
His flamboyant and unrestrained personality had never changed; he still loved luxury cars and beautiful women, and enjoyed life. Titles like 'World's Richest Man,' 'Childe,' 'Arms Manufacturer,' and 'Genius Inventor' had long since spread across the globe, known to everyone.
Because of this, the number of times he met with Mavuika became fewer and fewer. The last time the two met was a year ago.
That meeting was because Mavuika's forged identity had expired.
The identity Howard had processed for her back then listed her birth year as 1970. But over a dozen years later, Mavuika still maintained her youthful appearance—fair skin, unchanged features, without a single trace of time. That identity was clearly no longer usable and would draw suspicion wherever she went.