After hearing Lucas's explanation, the Eternals present exchanged uneasy glances.
They had never imagined that the humanity they had protected for thousands of years was nothing more than a sacrifice meant to awaken the Celestial Tiamut.
As for whether Lucas might be lying to them—Ikaris' reaction alone had already proven the truth.
"No. I will never agree to something like this!"
Druig, the most rebellious among the Eternals, spoke up immediately.
When he had first witnessed conflicts between humans, he had already wanted to intervene.
If humanity were wiped out entirely, could he still call himself a lofty god?
"This is madness—tens of billions of lives!"
Kingo, who had lived among humans for years, had long since come to regard them as the meaning of his existence.
"Why would the Celestials do this? Have they gone insane?"
Phastos' expression was grim. Over the years, he had found a partner and even built a family.
If Tiamut were born, his partner and his child would die—something he could never accept.
Lucas continued calmly, "From a strictly macro perspective, the Celestials are not wrong. The destruction of a single planet brings vitality to an entire star sector."
"If new Celestials cannot be born, the dark, dead regions of the universe will continue to expand."
"And eventually, the entire universe will fall into extinction."
Lucas did not say this because he sided with the Celestials—but because he needed the Eternals to understand the cruel reality they were facing.
"No! That's far too cruel!" Sersi stood up.
"The birth of one life should never come at the cost of billions!"
She looked straight at Lucas.
"Mr. Reed, since you know everything, you must also know how to stop this—am I right?"
"He does," Lucas said, turning his gaze to Phastos.
"Me?" Phastos pointed at himself in confusion.
"I'm just an inventor. How could I possibly—"
"Think carefully, Phastos. Don't underestimate yourself," Lucas said slowly, guiding him like a fortune-teller.
If not for the urgency of stopping Tiamut, Lucas truly did not want to play the role of a prophet—it introduced far too many uncontrollable variables.
"It's impossible," Phastos shook his head firmly.
"The Celestials are unfathomably powerful. Even as newborns, they exist on a completely different level from us."
At that moment, Lucas desperately wanted to slap him.
But he couldn't afford to lose Phastos—this man was a key figure in his plans.
Lucas then looked at Sersi, but she too seemed utterly confused by his encouraging gaze.
"Please, just tell us directly, Mr. Reed," Sersi urged.
Lucas sighed inwardly. He had truly run out of patience.
"Sersi," he said, "your ability allows you to transmute all forms of matter, doesn't it?"
She nodded quickly. "Yes—but it cannot be used on humans."
Lucas immediately refuted her.
"Are trees not living beings? At its core, everything in the universe is made of particles."
"If you can transmute matter, then living beings can also be transformed. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Sersi was no fool. She immediately asked,
"You're saying… I should use my power to transmute Tiamut?"
Then she shook her head helplessly.
"But that's impossible. A Celestial's body is far too vast—far beyond what I can transform."
Lucas shook his head.
"What if your power were amplified severalfold?"
He then turned to Phastos.
"You should have an idea now, shouldn't you?"
Phastos' expression grew solemn as he began thinking deeply.
At that moment, Lucas suddenly spoke again:
"Sprite, I advise you not to act rashly—or you'll get hurt."
Everyone except Phastos, who was deep in thought, immediately turned their attention to the small, childlike Eternal.
Sprite looked stunned. "What are you talking about?"
"I know you secretly love Ikaris," Lucas said calmly.
"But I strongly advise you not to let your emotions cloud your judgment at a time like this."
His Ki stirred faintly, ready to erupt at any moment.
"You—you're lying!" Sprite denied it immediately.
Kingo sighed softly.
"Sprite, don't do this. You may be able to hide it from others, but you can't hide it from me."
"I've always known you admired Ikaris. You just never dared to express it because of your body."
Sprite finally snapped.
"I don't need your understanding!" she screamed.
"Or your sympathy! In your eyes, I'll always be nothing more than a child who can never grow up!"
"Enough!"
Lucas shouted sharply.
His voice, infused with Ki, thundered through the room, shaking everyone to their core.
"If this plan succeeds," Lucas said coldly,
"Sersi can transform you into a normal human—one with a body that can grow and mature."
He wasn't being kind—every additional Eternal increased the chances of success.
Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have kicked this immature troublemaker out long ago.
"Is that… true?" Sersi and Sprite asked simultaneously.
Before Lucas could answer, Phastos suddenly shouted:
"I've got it! It's possible—this really is possible!"
He immediately began explaining his theory and design to everyone.
Finally—things were back on track.
Lucas rubbed his temples in relief.
"Mr. Reed," Sersi said seriously,
"I believe we will need your help."
"We've lost Ikaris, one of our key combatants. And the Deviants are still lurking in the shadows."
"We truly need your assistance."
"Well…" Lucas hesitated.
To agree too easily at a moment like this would have been idiotic.
"Don't worry," Sersi said quickly.
"If you help us, the Eternals will never forget this debt."
Just as Lucas was about to respond, Carrie's voice rang out:
"My brother is very busy, you know. He's a security consultant for several major corporations."
"His daily pay is in the millions of dollars."
Lucas froze.
The room fell into awkward silence.
"Well… Mr. Reed," Sersi said hesitantly, twisting her fingers,
"we… don't have that much money."
Though the Eternals had lived on Earth for over seven thousand years—witnessing countless civilizations rise and fall—
They had never really pursued wealth.
And due to their immortality, they had to change identities constantly.
Only Kingo had been clever enough to use generational inheritance—but even he couldn't produce millions in cash on short notice.
Even Sersi, a museum curator, could barely gather less than a hundred thousand dollars.
Lucas cleared his throat.
"Ahem… that's fine. Saving the Earth is what matters most. Money isn't that important to me."
"Thank you so much," Sersi said gratefully.
"It's nothing," Lucas replied with an utterly fake smile.
Behind his back, however, he quietly raised a thumbs-up toward a certain direction.
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T/N:
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