The moment Locke returned to his own universe, he immediately began issuing orders.
Agatha was instructed to start the fusion process for the six Infinity Stones without delay. At the same time, the fleets under his command received new coordinates and marching orders.
The Zeus Galaxy.
According to the information provided by Gamir, Doctor Strange was currently moving through the Zeus System while devouring entire planets to strengthen himself. His power was increasing at an alarming rate.
At the moment, Strange was supposedly located within the Bright Star System of the Zeus Galaxy. Based on his movement pattern, his next destination would most likely be the Kro Star System.
If Locke moved quickly enough, there was a good chance he could intercept him there.
Of course, "good chance" was all it was.
No future prediction was absolute.
Every prophecy and every timeline relied on current circumstances remaining stable. The moment variables changed, the future changed alongside them.
And Locke himself was already the largest variable in existence.
While he was organizing the upcoming campaign, Wanda suddenly arrived.
"Father," she said excitedly, "I found several talented people who should be able to help manage Earth."
Ever since Locke handed control of Earth over to Wanda, he had barely interfered with planetary administration. Aside from military support and artificial intelligence infrastructure, most matters had been left entirely to her.
Unfortunately, Wanda had never studied management or politics.
So after stabilizing Earth, she began searching for individuals with experience in controlling large organizations and public systems.
The moment she heard her father had returned, she immediately brought the candidates over.
Locke smiled faintly and gently stroked Wanda's red hair before turning toward the group standing nearby.
There were six humans total.
Two black-haired men with East Asian features, two dark-skinned women, and one blond man and woman pair. Judging by their appearances and clothing, they were all probably between forty and sixty years old.
Even though they kept their heads lowered respectfully, the expensive suits and subtle confidence in their posture made it obvious they had once belonged to Earth's upper class.
"Tell me," Locke said calmly, "what exactly are your talents?"
The six people immediately felt their hearts tighten.
If they managed to impress the massive purple ruler standing before them, their future would be limitless. Not only would they secure unimaginable status on Earth, but they might even expand their influence across the entire galaxy.
All six were elite businessmen.
Wanda refused to recruit politicians because she despised them completely, so only corporate figures had been selected.
Still, standing before Wanda and standing before Locke were entirely different experiences.
None of them understood his personality.
None of them knew what kind of answers he wanted.
And none of them wanted to become the first person to accidentally say the wrong thing.
Unfortunately for them, Wanda quickly lost patience.
"Why are you all just standing there?" she snapped. "Tell my father about your achievements already. You two, start first."
The two men she pointed at exchanged helpless glances before stepping forward nervously.
"Your Majesty Thanos," one of them said respectfully, "we come from the Korean Peninsula and have worked in the entertainment industry for over thirty years."
"Our understanding of human psychology is definitely among the best on Earth," the second added quickly.
The moment Locke heard "entertainment industry," a trace of displeasure appeared in his eyes.
Entertainment existed under his rule as well, but it operated very differently. Everything was transparent and tightly regulated. There were no endless scandals, no manipulated celebrity culture, and no intentionally manufactured degeneracy designed solely to exploit the population.
"Then explain," Locke said flatly. "How do you manipulate people?"
The two men immediately brightened slightly, sensing interest.
"In entertainment," the first man began carefully, "the core goal is always profit."
"But making money efficiently is difficult," the second continued smoothly. "People under social pressure rarely spend freely on singers or actors without proper stimulation."
"So the first step is identifying the ideal audience," the first said. "Young people naturally become the primary target demographic."
"We originally created both male and female idol groups," the second explained. "Then we spent enormous amounts of money manufacturing popularity, building fan communities, and artificially increasing exposure."
"But eventually we discovered something important," the first added. "Male audiences are usually far more rational consumers."
"So we shifted focus almost entirely toward female fanbases," the second finished.
Locke listened silently.
At first, he found the discussion boring.
In the end, it was just another profit-driven industry. There was some intelligence involved, but nothing particularly impressive yet.
Sensing his growing impatience, the two men quickly moved toward the real point.
"Even then," one of them said carefully, "most female fans still remained relatively rational."
"After all," the other added, "everyone understands celebrities are already wealthy. Fans may spend money, but usually not to the point of madness."
"So we began targeting emotional vulnerabilities instead."
Locke's eyes narrowed slightly.
"We secretly orchestrated scandals and public attacks against our own celebrities," the first admitted proudly. "We intentionally turned them into hated figures."
"Once fans feel their idol is being persecuted," the second continued, "they become emotionally invested. They stop thinking rationally and begin defending them obsessively."
"Especially female fans," the first added. "Protective instincts become extremely profitable."
"And the angry male audience became useful too," the second said with a grin. "The more men hated those celebrities, the harder female fans defended them."
"So we deliberately pushed more feminized male celebrities into public view," the first explained. "That generated even more hostility, which in turn strengthened fan loyalty."
"Eventually," the second laughed softly, "we didn't even need to create controversies ourselves anymore. The public handled it for us."
"It became a perfect cycle," the first concluded proudly. "We earned money, fans satisfied their emotional attachment, and frustrated people gained an outlet for their anger."
The two businessmen looked visibly proud of themselves after finishing the explanation.
They genuinely believed this was brilliance.
Manipulating fans was one thing.
Turning unrelated bystanders into emotional fuel for profit was another entirely.
They had weaponized public psychology itself.
For a moment, Locke genuinely wanted to kill them on the spot.
But then—
A thought suddenly appeared in his mind.
The reason Death dared treat him like a tradable asset was simple.
He wasn't strong enough yet.
His influence still wasn't large enough.
Yes, he had nearly unified the Milky Way. But compared to the scale of the universe itself, the Milky Way was microscopic.
If he could drag countless civilizations, factions, and cosmic forces into chaos simultaneously, would Death still be able to casually "sell" him so easily?
All he truly needed was time.
Time to find Doctor Strange.
Time to acquire the Time Stone.
And after that, time to seize the Reality Stone from Earth.
Once he possessed all six Infinity Stones together, his power would fully ascend to the level of a universal entity. At that point, unless someone destroyed the entire universe itself, neither Death nor any hidden cosmic being would be capable of controlling him so easily.
That was the true path toward escaping his role as a pawn.
Still, Locke remained patient.
He listened quietly while the other four candidates described their own methods of accumulating wealth and controlling markets. None of it was particularly noble. In fact, almost every method involved manipulation, exploitation, or psychological pressure.
By the end, Locke simply nodded thoughtfully.
Then he turned toward Wanda.
"These people are intelligent," he admitted calmly. "Very intelligent."
The six businessmen immediately relaxed slightly.
But then Locke continued.
"Unfortunately, they are not suitable to stay by your side."
The expressions on all six faces changed instantly.
Before they could react, several members of the Dark Order entered the room. Massive alien warriors grabbed the businessmen immediately despite their terrified screams and desperate pleas.
"Please! Your Majesty!"
"We can still be useful!"
"Give us another chance!"
Their cries echoed through the hall as they were dragged away.
Wanda watched the scene with confusion.
"Father," she asked curiously, "if they're smart, then why aren't they suitable?"
Locke gently patted her head.
"You're still too young," he said calmly. "There are some things you shouldn't learn yet."
.....
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