The Lord of the Rings, whether as a novel or a franchise holds great influence in the Western world. Even many people who don't read novels are familiar with its story. Plenty of movie worlds even use a "real-world" setting, so a lot of the cultural knowledge is widely shared.
Just like how in the Marvel Universe, Tony Stark enjoys listening to AC/DC and makes Star Wars jokes with Ethan.
In Wolverine's world, The Lord of the Rings is also a well-known literary work, and the name "Legolas" is naturally recognized by many.
"Of course I can. Why not?"
Logan's knowledge and worldview weren't that different from the average person's, but thanks to his longer lifespan, he had accumulated all sorts of scattered information. Being an ordinary person at his core, it was natural for him to have some common assumptions.
"Isn't that a novel?"
As for questions like this, Ethan was more than ready. He'd read plenty of speculative literature in his previous life and picked up a lot of bizarre theories—multiverse theory, fictional worlds being real, and so on. In this life, he'd gained magical knowledge and, more importantly, the actual ability to travel between planes. That kind of "proof" made it hard for someone like Wolverine to argue otherwise plus, Logan wasn't the kind to get hung up on philosophical paradoxes.
"I'm just curious what it would feel like to team up with a 'legendary' character."
Ethan spread his hands. He wasn't especially curious about the experience himself after all, all these characters were technically "legendary" to him. No need to emphasize the obvious.
"If you want, I could take you to meet Arthur."
"Which Arthur?"
"The most famous one."
"King Arthur?"
"Exactly."
Logan shot Ethan a strange look, then shook his head and muttered, "Looks like I've still got a lot to get used to."
Their conversation left Laura confused. Having grown up in a research facility, the books she was most exposed to were X-Men comics. She didn't know much about the Arthur they were talking about, but she didn't ask. After listening for a while, she wandered over to the side of the ship, leaned on the railing, and stared up at the snowflakes falling from the sky, this was the first time she'd ever seen real snow.
"So you're seriously thinking about making Legolas your teammate?"
"Why not?"
"Aren't you worried that once the elven prince joins, you'll never find a girlfriend again?"
"..."
Ethan touched his chin but didn't respond. Of course, he had considered that very practical issue. That's why Legolas was only a candidate, his first choice was Ada. He had no intention of overlooking the world of the Resident Evil games. After harvesting plenty of benefits from the movie version's T-virus, he was determined to get his hands on the various viruses and research from the game version as well.
"Alright, let's set that aside. Any backup options? Or other kinds of talents you're looking for?"
The snowfall was getting heavier, and visibility continued to worsen. It was no longer safe to continue sailing, so Ethan had already brought the ship to a stop. He and Logan stood together, watching the rare sea snow as they chatted about potential future teammates.
"I haven't thought of anyone else for now, just a cook who's good at making knockoff dishes. That guy can even pretend to be an archer."
However, that particular individual came with too much baggage, and it was unlikely Ethan would ever succeed in recruiting him. He wasn't even on the list of backup candidates.
"A cook pretending to be an archer?"
Logan didn't understand who Ethan was referring to, but he didn't care. He was just making conversation.
"So aside from that? A top-notch technician, someone for long-range firepower and intel gathering, and a cook… you don't have any other targets?"
"Not for now." Ethan had considered roping in a few mutants, but setting aside whether they were suitable or not, after visiting the world of Logan (Wolverine 3), he wasn't even sure if he could still access worlds where mutants existed. Could there be other timelines where mutants still thrived?
If Logan was a standalone timeline, then perhaps he could access other parallel worlds. But if it was simply the end of a mainline timeline, he wasn't sure whether he could shift the timeline backward. Maybe if he mastered space-time energy to a certain extent? After all, his dimensional travel wasn't just spatial, it involved time as well.
The Marvel and DC universes were two worlds he could return to repeatedly, both rich in potential talent. But whether those people could be recruited was another matter entirely.
Most superheroes had ties, commitments to their world or people. In fact, many became heroes because of those ties. If they could just walk away from it all, they likely would have chosen quiet, ordinary lives.
"After thinking about it, the most recruitable ones might be Wanda and Daisy Johnson—two unfortunate kids."
Of the two, Scarlet Witch would probably be the easier one to convince. Without intervention from Quake, she would only continue binding herself down more and more as her powers grew, and eventually be unable to leave that world at all.
The DC side was even worse. Almost no superhero would just up and leave their world. They had their own missions. Take Diana, for example. Even if her mother, Hippolyta, desperately wanted her to leave, Diana herself wouldn't. If Darkseid invaded Earth, she'd stay and fight rather than run.
And given their friendship, if Diana fought Darkseid, Ethan would probably have to fight alongside her. Great. A showdown with the Lord of Apokolips.
That was the situation, Ethan had his eye on potential teammates, but they wouldn't necessarily be willing to leave everything behind and follow him. And the ones who were willing to leave... he might not find valuable.
That's why his ship was still mostly empty. In all this time, only two new people had joined him, one grown man and one little girl.
Ethan shared all this with Logan, who wasn't surprised. If not for the desperate situation in his world, where mutants had almost no hope left, Logan wouldn't have stayed either. Even if Charles was the only one left, he would've stayed behind to help him guide the new generation.
"They're all good people."
"The better they are, the harder they are to recruit."
Logan suddenly chuckled and patted Ethan on the shoulder. "That's your problem, Captain. I'm just a crewman now, technically, just your combat guy."
"Don't joke. There are only two and a half people on this boat. What kind of divisions of labor are you talking about? If you want a title, then I hereby officially appoint you First Mate of the Goddess of Dawn."
Logan waved it off, not taking the title seriously.
"I'm not much help unless you can send me to a parallel version of my world, one where mutants haven't been wiped out yet. Then maybe I could convince some good folks to join us."
Having spent years with the X-Men, he knew exactly who might want to escape a world where they were constantly hunted. There were plenty of solid choices with both skill and character. It wouldn't be hard to gather a few companions.
But for now, that was easier said than done.
"It all comes down to luck."
"Hasn't luck always been on your side? Maybe you'll find a suitable companion soon."
Logan already knew the basics of dimensional travel. Aside from the two worlds Ethan had marked, the rest of the destinations were random. Even Ethan had no idea where he might end up next—or whether he'd land in a world where mutants still existed. It really did come down to luck.
"I just remembered someone, someone skilled in medicine, stealth, intelligence gathering, and assassination. A top-tier spy and doctor."
The memory had struck Ethan suddenly. He even slapped his thigh, wondering why he hadn't thought of that person earlier.
"Oh? Sounds like someone pretty hard to define."
How exactly do you combine assassination, stealth, and medicine? Logan thought. Was this guy a doctor or a killer? He was about to ask more when he noticed Ethan's expression suddenly looked... constipated.
"What's wrong?"
"Forget it. That guy's out of the question. With just the two of us right now, going to that world would basically be suicide."
Wolverine's healing ability aside, that world had far too many attacks targeting the mind and soul. And this wasn't the comics, Logan wouldn't be unkillable here.
Ethan had once considered checking out that world, but now he wanted to avoid it entirely. It was simply too dangerous. Until he had enough power to protect himself, he figured he'd better steer clear. Even if he did arrive by accident, his best bet would be to drop an anchor point, record the coordinates, and leave immediately. Come back when he was actually ready.
As they talked, the snow began to fall more lightly. Ethan looked up and noticed the thick clouds had thinned. Faint sunlight filtered through, and the sky was gradually brightening.
"Looks like the snow's about to stop."
Logan glanced up in surprise, then checked his watch. "It's only been three hours?" Judging by the earlier conditions, it wouldn't have been strange if it lasted three days and three nights.
"Let's clear the snow off the deck first."
Ethan shook off the snow covering his body and joined Logan in clearing the deck. Just as they finished, the snow had stopped completely. The clouds had dispersed, and the sun now shone down warmly. It wouldn't be long before the temperature rose back above freezing.
"If this kind of thing happens often, your new ship should probably have an enclosed bridge."
Logan, having shed his heavy clothes, gave his suggestion. Ethan simply responded with a look that said: You don't say.
(To be continued.)
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