After feeding Thor and getting him some new clothes, they finally got down to business.
"Thor, what happened?" Nick Fury asked, his expression serious. "Why can't you even lift your hammer?"
"I've lost my divine power! My father stripped me of my strength!" Thor said dejectedly. "Now, I'm not worthy to wield the hammer! Why is this happening?"
Nick Fury and the others finally understood why the mighty Thor had fallen so low, even being trapped by a hospital.
They exchanged glances. It seemed their previous deductions based on the quiz were correct.
Thor had been brought to Earth against his will this time.
"Thor, how long will you be staying on Earth this time?" Black Widow asked after a moment of thought.
"I don't know. Once I get my hammer back, I'll return to Asgard," Thor answered truthfully.
"Thor, although the timing isn't ideal, do you mind if we ask you some questions? We have some things we'd like to know," Nick Fury said to Thor after some deliberation.
"Ask away, Nick Fury," Thor didn't refuse.
"Thor, have you heard of Thanos?" Iron Man couldn't wait to ask this question he'd been wanting to ask.
"Thanos?" Thor looked blank, shaking his head. "How would I, a resident of Midgard, know him?"
"Thanos is an interstellar overlord," Black Widow corrected Thor.
"Interstellar overlord?" Thor's face showed disdain. "If he were truly an interstellar overlord, I would have heard his name. Since I haven't, it only proves he's a nobody."
Judging by the look on Thor's face, he really hadn't heard of Thanos. So, they didn't waste any more time on that subject.
Instead, they asked some other important questions.
"So... what are the Infinity Stones?" Iron Man asked again, his voice serious.
"You know about the Infinity Stones?" Thor's face showed surprise. He hadn't expected the people of Midgard to know so much.
"Thor, can you tell us more about the Infinity Stones?"
Seeing that Thor knew about the Infinity Stones, everyone's spirits lifted. Nick Fury immediately said to Thor.
"Of course!"
"The Infinity Stones are six elemental crystals formed during the universe's Big Bang. They are the most powerful things in the entire universe, containing the most powerful forces in the cosmos!"
"There are six Infinity Stones in total, each containing the power of time, space, reality, power, soul, and mind."
As Thor explained, Nick Fury, Iron Man, and Black Widow's expressions became grave.
They had already guessed that the Infinity Stones were definitely not simple objects, but they hadn't expected them to be so incredibly powerful.
Thanos already put a great deal of pressure on them, and now, hearing Thor's words, they felt as if a mountain had been placed on their chests.
"If someone collects all six Infinity Stones, what will happen?" Nick Fury asked again after a moment of thought, his face serious.
"Then they will have the power to destroy the entire universe." Thor replied without hesitation, glancing at Nick Fury. "Why are you asking these strange questions?"
"Just curious." Iron Man shrugged, not telling Thor the truth. "These cosmic legends are quite interesting."
Nick Fury also didn't offer any further explanation to Thor.
Even though they could confirm Thor would be a future ally, and from their current interactions, he didn't seem like a bad person at all. In fact, he seemed like a simple, big, and naive guy.
However, they had only known Thor for a few hours and lacked sufficient understanding. They weren't ready to share such important information with him.
"If you'd like to hear more, I can tell you more," Thor said, taking them seriously.
"That's great, Thor. Do you know about the Chitauri?" Black Widow asked, remaining calm.
"The Chitauri? They don't belong to any specific planet. They're a bit like..." Thor thought carefully, giving a vivid and apt analogy, "Interstellar mercenaries. They've done things for many different factions."
"How strong are they?"
Nick Fury and Iron Man began asking Thor about some interstellar matters.
Still managed to gather quite a bit of intel.
"Nick Fury, where's the item?"
Captain America arrived just as Thor was in the middle of a lively conversation.
"Captain, you're just in time, let me introduce you. This is Thor, the God of Thunder from Asgard," Nick Fury formally introduced him to Captain America.
Over the past few days, Nick Fury had also informed Captain America about the previous two quiz events.
Therefore, Captain America knew about Thor and believed in his existence.
"Welcome to Earth, I'm Steve Rogers!" Captain America greeted Thor politely.
"Thank you!" Thor replied politely, then glanced at Nick Fury. "Is he the one you said could lift my hammer? I'm telling you, that's absolutely impossible!"
"We'll find out when the time comes," Nick Fury said, not elaborating with Thor. He led Captain America and the others forward once more.
Thirty minutes later, they were standing before Mjolnir again.
"Nick Fury, even though you've all told me I lift Mjolnir in the future, I'm not confident right now," Captain America admitted honestly.
"That's alright, Captain. Just give it a try. Don't overthink it," Nick Fury gestured for Captain America to proceed.
Captain America didn't say anything more. He took a deep breath, placed his hand on Mjolnir, and began to exert force.
"This is absurd, utterly absurd!" Thor couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly from the side. "I can't believe I'm even going along with your nonsense. This... no! How is this even possible!"
But before he could finish speaking, Thor was struck as if by lightning, letting out a loud yell.
His face was etched with disbelief.
Because Captain America actually lifted Mjolnir!
(End of Chapter)