Chương 152: Chapter 152: Aftermath 

Early the next morning, Luke was abruptly awakened by Galacta, eager for her daily breakfast routine. 

As she happily munched on a massive bowl of highly compressed Dark Energy Crystals, Galacta paused, observing Luke's deeply troubled, highly distracted expression. 

"Is something fundamentally wrong? You appear incredibly anxious," she noted, her cheeks stuffed with glowing black rocks. 

Luke rubbed his temples and sighed helplessly. "Well, starting late last night, I've been continuously, faintly perceiving... something. A highly anomalous, incredibly massive cosmic energy signature. And it feels like it's continuously, steadily moving directly toward my localized coordinates." 

"Ooh! Do you want to aggressively investigate it?" Galacta asked eagerly, her cosmic instincts instantly interpreting the anomaly as potential food. 

Luke shook his head firmly. "Given the faintness of the signal, whatever it is, it's currently astronomically far away. It would take a significant amount of localized time and energy to actively track it down. I strongly prefer to simply wait here in a highly fortified position and let it come to me." 

Besides, considering Galactus and the Ancient One are currently both residing on Earth, if whatever is approaching is actually a hostile cosmic threat, dealing with it as a highly coordinated trio will be infinitely easier than flying out to face it alone in deep space. 

"Speaking of your father, where exactly is he currently residing?" Luke asked, curious about the Devourer of Worlds' current localized status. He had initially intended to help Galactus find suitable accommodations, but Tony had eagerly informed him last night that Galactus had simply vanished in his massive world-ship. 

Galacta casual pointed directly upward. "My father simply parked his entire massive cosmic vessel directly on the roof of your mansion last night." 

? 

Wait. Are you actually serious? A colossal, planet-sized cosmic entity casually decided my localized residential roof was an appropriate interstellar parking lot?! Do you have any idea what kind of catastrophic structural damage that causes?! 

Luke genuinely didn't even know where to begin aggressively complaining about the sheer absurdity of the situation. 

Having finished her massive bowl of crystals, Galacta happily bid him farewell. She immediately launched into the sky, aggressively resuming her highly efficient, full-time job of actively hunting down the remaining, localized avatars of minor Dimensional Lords currently prowling Earth. 

Because Stephen hadn't yet fully mastered the highly complex, localized temporal manipulation required to flawlessly rebuild the destroyed Sanctums utilizing the Time Stone, the planetary defense grid remained severely compromised. Consequently, Galacta's 'hunting' schedule was incredibly packed. 

After finishing his own significantly more mundane breakfast, Luke decided to personally inspect the United Earth Federation headquarters. The apocalyptic, reality-shattering events of the past few days were catastrophic on a cosmic scale; he urgently needed to verify if the localized interstellar Trade Hub had been negatively impacted by the chaos. 

Arriving at the massive U.E.F. complex, Luke immediately sensed a profound shift in the localized atmosphere. 

While the highly lucrative interstellar trading was still actively occurring, the overall tension was incredibly high. The diplomatic representatives and alien merchants were all heavily armed, aggressively carrying highly advanced weaponry. Furthermore, every single national and planetary delegation had massively reinforced their localized security details within the central towers. 

Luke nodded slowly, highly satisfied. His primary concern was that the terrifying, apocalyptic dimensional conflict would instantly terrify the alien delegations into permanently abandoning the Trade Hub. However, it appeared they were highly resilient, simply adapting by aggressively increasing their security protocols. 

He immediately deployed several Shadow Ninjas to formally summon all sovereign leaders and primary diplomatic envoys to the central conference hall for an emergency briefing. 

Within minutes, the massive hall was completely packed. Seeing everyone assembled and highly attentive, Luke officially commenced the meeting. 

"Firstly, I must formally, directly address the catastrophic, highly localized cosmic events that occurred over the past three days," Luke began, his tone serious and authoritative. 

He meticulously, precisely briefed the entire assembly regarding Kaecilius's betrayal, Dormammu's apocalyptic invasion attempt, and the massive, subsequent reality-shattering brawl involving numerous minor Dimensional Lords. 

The immediate reaction was intense, aggressive debate, primarily driven by the Earth-based diplomats. Compared to the powerful, highly advanced cosmic races of the Nine Realms—whose homeworlds were significantly further away from the immediate conflict zone—the concept of terrifying, planet-devouring magical entities actively operating on Earth was profoundly terrifying to the human representatives. 

The alien delegations briefly conferred among themselves, nodding grimly, before falling silent, respectfully allowing Luke to finish his report. 

Seeing the assembly relatively calm and attentive, Luke continued smoothly. "However, there is absolutely zero need for localized panic. The fact that I am currently standing before you clearly indicates that the primary hostile threat has been permanently, entirely neutralized." 

The alien delegates exchanged knowing, highly respectful glances. The Asgardian representative stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Lord Luke, we hold absolute, unwavering faith in your supreme capabilities. Therefore, we did not succumb to panic, and we have actively continued our trade operations. However... we must formally report that during the recent chaos, two minor, highly aggressive extra-dimensional entities actively attempted to violently infiltrate our localized sector and plunder our merchandise. Consequently, we were forced to significantly augment our security posture." 

Luke frowned deeply. Those pathetic, opportunistic scavenger Lords actually attempted to casually rob the Trade Hub while I was busy fighting Dormammu?! That's incredibly bold. 

"What exactly was the localized tactical outcome regarding those two entities?" Luke asked. 

The Dwarven representative, who barely reached the height of the conference table, stepped forward with a highly satisfied, booming laugh. "They were relatively weak! Certainly absolutely nothing compared to the apocalyptic entity you engaged! Utilizing our absolute highest-tier, localized heavy artillery—which we merely brought here as display models—we successfully, violently vaporized them into cosmic dust!" 1

Luke nodded, genuinely impressed. "Excellent work. I shall personally reimburse the Dwarven delegation for all localized ammunition expended during the defense." 

"That is entirely unnecessary, Lord Luke!" the Dwarven representative beamed, waving his hand dismissively. "Several highly resourceful, incredibly enthusiastic Earth-based clients were absolutely fascinated by the devastating combat performance of our heavy artillery! They immediately aggressively negotiated highly lucrative trade agreements and completely purchased our entire localized inventory!" 

Luke nodded slowly, amused by the bizarre, highly chaotic chain of events. Who knew an apocalyptic demonic invasion would actually serve as a highly effective, localized live-fire marketing demonstration for alien artillery? 

What Luke was entirely unaware of was the specific, highly chaotic nature of the defense. 

When the two minor Dimensional Lords initially attempted to assault the Dwarven sector, they were immediately aggressively intercepted by dozens of heavily armed, advanced human military gunships patrolling the perimeter. 

Initially, the human commanders confidently assumed their massive, overwhelming kinetic barrages would effortlessly shred the two intruders. However, the Lords' extra-dimensional avatars were functionally composed of highly volatile, semi-ethereal energy, allowing the conventional, physical bullets to pass entirely harmlessly through them! 

Desperate, the gunships rapidly transitioned to deploying highly advanced thermobaric missiles and specialized, high-yield localized explosives. 

While these highly destructive weapons visibly affected the entities, their baseline destructive yield was entirely insufficient to permanently neutralize a Dimensional Lord. Enraged by the annoying attacks, the two Lords aggressively retaliated, casually, violently unleashing devastating magical attacks that instantly swatted two massive human gunships out of the sky! 

Just as the human forces began to panic, a dozen two-meter-tall, heavily muscled Dwarven warriors aggressively stepped out of their storefront. They nonchalantly hefted massive, highly intricate, terrifyingly heavy 'hand-cannons' directly onto their shoulders. 

However, instead of firing primitive kinetic slugs, the Dwarven artillery violently unleashed devastating, blindingly fast, hyper-concentrated beams of pure, highly volatile cosmic energy! The apocalyptic blasts violently slammed directly into the two Dimensional Lords, instantly blasting them completely out of the sky! 

A few devastating follow-up shots completely, permanently vaporized the entities. 

Following this terrifying, highly effective live-fire demonstration, the heavily armed Earth-based delegations—who previously falsely assumed the Dwarves only manufactured primitive melee weapons—finally realized the absolute, terrifying superiority of Dwarven energy-artillery! They immediately aggressively purchased every single available unit. 

Having concluded the specific tactical report, Luke turned his attention back to the increasingly anxious, pale-faced human diplomats. 

"You do not need to constantly obsess over these specific existential threats. These terrifying extra-dimensional entities did not simply spontaneously manifest last week. They have existed for eons. The absolute only reason humanity hasn't been completely consumed is due to a highly specialized, ancient organization dedicated entirely to repelling them." 

"This entire, recent catastrophic incident was fundamentally the result of an internal, highly convoluted succession crisis within that specific organization. Ultimately, while the localized damage was severe, the primary threat is permanently resolved. Humanity has successfully survived for thousands of years completely oblivious to this conflict; you should simply continue operating normally." 

The lead American diplomat immediately stood up, adjusting his glasses nervously. "Lord Luke. Could you please formally disclose the specific name and localized geographic coordinates of this ancient organization?" 

Luke considered the request for a moment. "I am absolutely not authorized to unilaterally disclose that classified information. However, I will formally consult with their leadership and ascertain if they desire to establish formal, diplomatic contact with your governments." 

The American diplomat nodded respectfully and sat down. Sitting nearby, Captain Zhao silently observed the interaction, his expression completely neutral, though he was already actively internally formulating an aggressive logistical plan. 

Since the Hong Kong Sanctum was completely leveled during the conflict, S.P.E.A.R. should immediately proactively offer Kamar-Taj massive, highly generous financial and logistical assistance to rapidly rebuild the facility. Establishing a deeply cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship is an absolute strategic priority. 

Having addressed the crisis, Luke transitioned the meeting to significantly more positive, localized administrative developments. 

Due to the massive, undeniable success of the Trade Hub and the exponentially increasing volume of complex, cross-realm transactions, the previous barter system had become highly inefficient. Therefore, the assembly had formally, democratically established a unified, universally recognized interstellar currency: the 'Yggdrasil Coin.' 

The coins were mathematically precision-forged from incredibly rare, highly durable magical ores provided exclusively by Jotunheim. They were meticulously manufactured by elite Dwarven masters utilizing highly classified, incredibly complex metallurgical techniques designed to completely prevent counterfeiting. Finally, the Vanir actively utilized specialized, localized Light Elf magic to precisely engrave the coins with highly detailed, dual profiles: Lord Luke on one side, and the All-Father Odin on the other. 1

The currency was an absolute, physical representation of the Trade Hub's foundational purpose: promoting peaceful, highly integrated, mutually beneficial economic development across the Nine Realms. 

Having successfully concluded the meeting and stabilized the global economy, Luke finally departed the complex. 

Returning to his Los Angeles mansion, he was genuinely surprised to find a specific, highly imposing individual casually relaxing on his custom Italian leather sofa. 

Well... actually, given the events of the past few days, I suppose nothing should truly surprise me anymore. 

Luke walked over and casually sat down opposite him. "Mr. Galan. To what exactly do I owe the pleasure of this highly unexpected visit?" 

Galactus stared intently at Luke for a long moment, his cosmic eyes analyzing him deeply. "Is there genuinely a logical requirement to address me with such formal, distant titles?" 

"Huh?" Luke blinked, completely caught off guard by the bizarre question. 

Galactus offered a faint, highly amused smile. "You previously aggressively preferred to casually address me as 'Uncle Galactus.' Why exactly have you suddenly transitioned to the highly formal 'Mr. Galan'? Doesn't that create unnecessary, localized social distance between us?" 

Luke exhaled a massive sigh of relief, reaching for the cold Coke a Shadow Ninja had silently placed on the table to calm his nerves. 

However, Galactus's next statement nearly killed him. 

"Of course, if you highly prefer, you are also entirely welcome to formally address me as 'Father'... considering the highly specific, deeply intimate localized relationship you are currently aggressively developing with my daughter." 

COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! 

Luke violently choked on his soda! He rapidly, desperately utilized dark energy to forcefully extract the highly carbonated liquid from his respiratory tract, coughing violently before staring at Galactus in absolute, sheer panic. 

Galactus watched Luke's highly dramatic, panicked reaction and simply shrugged casually. "My apologies. I honestly lack significant, highly developed localized social experience regarding how to properly navigate these specific, highly delicate biological interpersonal dynamics. I sincerely hope I didn't unnecessarily alarm you." 

Without waiting for Luke's response, Galactus casually waved his hand, projecting a highly compressed audio file directly into the air between them. 

"I can clearly perceive that you are currently, genuinely thoroughly enjoying your localized interactions with her..." 

The absolute microsecond the audio began playing, Luke instantly recognized the exact, highly classified conversation! 

Luke violently lunged across the table and aggressively jammed his finger down on the holographic 'pause' button! 

He knew exactly what the rest of the recording contained! He had absolutely, unequivocally zero desire to sit there and awkwardly listen to his own highly private, deeply personal conversation regarding Galacta being played back directly in front of her terrifying, absolute cosmic father! 

Galactus watched Luke frantically pause the recording and made absolutely no effort to stop him. 

Seeing Luke slowly, incredibly awkwardly sit back down on the sofa, radiating profound, intense embarrassment, Galactus offered a highly reassuring, surprisingly gentle smile. "Relax. I am explicitly informing you that I have absolutely zero intention of aggressively actively interfering with your relationship." 

"Well, technically... we haven't actually formally established a defined relationship yet..." Luke muttered defensively. 

"I am completely aware that the relationship status is currently undefined," Galactus nodded knowingly. "Therefore, you can simply perceive my current statement as a highly proactive, localized warning regarding your future conduct. Is that acceptable?" 

Galactus smiled broadly, but his tone completely lacked any actual, localized malice or aggressive threat. 

"Honestly, I spent significant time contemplating exactly how to handle this highly anomalous situation," Galactus admitted thoughtfully, leaning back on the sofa. "Should I aggressively conform to standard, highly primitive human cultural tropes? Should I manifest a primitive, localized kinetic weapon (a shotgun), violently threaten you, and demand you immediately cease contact with her? Or should I simply rationally analyze the absolute reality of the situation?" 

Galactus stared intently at the highly tense, visibly nervous Luke. "Ultimately, I chose the latter option." 

"I will explicitly allow your relationship to organically, naturally develop," Galactus stated formally. "You must fundamentally understand that our specific cosmic species absolutely lacks the primitive, biological concept of 'gender' or 'sex.' While both Galacta and I currently actively utilize physical avatars possessing specific, localized 'gendered' traits, we reproduce entirely asexually. We do not possess biological sexes. Therefore, attempting to aggressively navigate standard, highly gendered human relationship dynamics is entirely alien to me. Consequently, I am simply allowing the two of you to manage it yourselves." 

Luke stared at Galactus, a profound sense of absolute, mind-boggling cognitive dissonance washing over him. 

He had deeply, instinctively assumed that every single father—even terrifying, planet-devouring cosmic entities—would act like incredibly overprotective, highly aggressive tyrants regarding their daughters (exactly like Tony Stark). But Galactus's reaction was completely, bizarrely logical and practically hands-off. 

Galactus noticed Luke's deeply confused, highly conflicted expression and sighed helplessly. "It appears my chosen, highly intimidating physical avatar is currently actively deceiving your perception. Exactly like how you initially instinctively addressed me as 'Sir.'" 

"I will explicitly state this one final time: our species lacks biological sex," Galactus reiterated patiently. "However, if you genuinely, deeply find it impossible to ignore the localized physical traits of my current avatar... I am entirely capable of actively resolving your cognitive dissonance. I could easily acquire a highly realistic localized synthetic hairpiece (a wig), actively wear a traditional human garment (a dress), and formally request that you address me as 'Auntie Galactus' moving forward. Would that facilitate a more comfortable conversation?" 

Galactus casually stood up, acting as if he was fully prepared to immediately teleport to a local mall and purchase a dress. 

"NO! Absolutely not! I am entirely capable of processing the current physical manifestation!" Luke panicked, genuinely terrified by the absolutely horrific, mind-shattering mental image of the Devourer of Worlds wearing a floral sundress. 

Galactus stared at Luke's absolutely resolute, terrified expression for a long moment, then slowly sat back down. 

Luke exhaled a massive sigh of relief. Feeling the intense, unblinking weight of Galactus's cosmic stare, Luke hesitated for a moment before deciding to address the core issue honestly. 

"As the recording clearly indicates... I honestly, genuinely have not yet fully processed or mathematically defined the exact, specific nature of my emotional feelings toward Galacta," Luke admitted slowly. "Therefore, I absolutely cannot formally provide you with any absolute, binding long-term commitments or guarantees at this current moment." 

Galactus nodded slowly, accepting the logical honesty. "If you had not explicitly stated the final few sentences recorded in that specific audio file, I absolutely guarantee you would never have possessed the opportunity to even attempt a commitment." 

Luke chuckled nervously, highly intimidated. He honestly had absolutely no idea how Galactus possessed the terrifying capability to constantly, flawlessly monitor their highly classified, private conversations across localized dimensions. 

Galactus stared at Luke for another moment, then nodded in absolute satisfaction. "Very well. We have successfully concluded our primary agenda for today. As I previously stated, I will allow your localized relationship to develop organically. I have absolutely nothing further to add. I must now return to my highly complex analysis of the AllSpark." 

Watching Galactus stand up and prepare to leave the room, Luke simply collapsed heavily back onto the sofa, profoundly exhausted by the incredibly stressful, highly terrifying 'Meet the Parents' conversation. 

Galactus casually exited Luke's mansion, actively eschewing his massive, planet-sized world-ship in favor of a significantly smaller, highly advanced personal transport vessel, and flew directly toward Stark Tower. 

Inside Tony's primary R&D facility, the room was currently packed with incredibly bizarre, highly advanced, completely alien analytical equipment. Tony and Dr. Bruce Banner were intensely, enthusiastically assisting the cosmic entity with complex data processing. 

Galactus casually strolled into the lab, briefly communicated a highly complex, theoretical directive to the two brilliant scientists, and immediately returned his absolute, unfettered focus entirely to analyzing the AllSpark. 

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