Chapter 1081: Father and Daughter (10)

Mobius led Loki to a room at the very end of the corridor. As soon as they entered, Loki saw an old-fashioned projector playing images that looked like a movie.

Loki couldn't be sure if it was really a movie, because this projector had a strange shape and no place to put a videotape. It looked similar to the machine Helen had dismantled in the dressing room, full of the mechanical and rough aesthetic of steampunk.

What was out of place with it was a table and two chairs in front of the wall where the movie was being projected.

That looked like a product of modern industry, even carrying a bit of European-style luxury. In terms of Loki's aesthetic taste, it was not unified with the style of the entire room and building.

But Mobius seemed to like this set of table and chairs very much. He invited Loki to sit opposite him and even brought her a drink, saying quite happily, "The table and chairs in the conversation room broke a while ago. These were custom-made from elsewhere; they are much more comfortable than the cold benches we had before."

After Loki sat down in the chair, she realized that the two of them were blocking the front of the projector. The silhouettes of the two appeared in the projection on the wall, and the light shining from the side was also somewhat blinding.

Loki saw that Mobius, sitting under such light and shadow, had half of his face appearing exceptionally bright, with the contours of his features even blurred, while the other half of his face was submerged in deep darkness.

Loki's intuition stirred. She felt that this might be foreshadowing something.

Loki looked down at the drink in the cup. It wasn't transparent and looked like coffee. She took a sip and found the taste was between coffee and tea, slightly bitter but also fragrant. Loki happened to be a bit thirsty, so she drank the whole cup in one go.

"You are really very different from other Lokis," Mobius said. "They wouldn't drink beverages they don't understand like you do. They always feel that we would poison the drink."

"They are right..." Loki looked at Mobius and said, "But they are also wrong. They are smart, but also stupid."

"You appeared in my life in such a way, suddenly announcing that you were going to arrest and judge me, so I should naturally be on guard against you, suspecting that everything you hand me is a trap."

"But their stupidity lies in the fact that if you needed to use poison to deal with me, there would be no need to go through so many procedures beforehand. The staff you use and that strange machine are enough to set up traps in my daily life that are difficult to detect."

Mobius leaned forward, staring at the black-haired girl's beautiful face. After a while, he said, "You are the most beautiful Loki I have ever seen..."

"This is not flattery or compliment. The temperament you reveal tells me that you are worthy of the status of a god. You have an innate nobility and confidence, which is exactly what other Lokis lack."

"But they act more arrogant than I do, don't they?" Loki stroked her elbow with one hand, leaning back in the chair in a relaxed manner, and said, "Arrogant, aggressive, often saying things like 'lowly and humble humans,' 'weak ants,' 'inflexible fools,' like a complete clown..."

Watching Mobius's expression gradually become surprised, Loki slowly revealed a smile and said, "I guess I said those words you were preparing in your heart just now, those words you wanted me to face the weaknesses in my human nature..."

"But unfortunately, you came too late. A psychologist with a tongue a thousand times sharper than yours has already scolded me." Loki blinked and said, "I can even tell you why I became like this."

"I want to use arrogance to cover up my inferiority, use a sharp shell to protect a fragile heart, and use high self-esteem to cover up low self-acceptance. The more aggressive I act, the easier it is to collapse..."

Loki sighed. Now, her appearance was no longer as elegant and tidy as when she had just changed into a female, but had become somewhat messy and decadent from the struggle with Helen.

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But this was full of another kind of beauty: fragile, distant, yet cold and deadly.

"Do you have a cigarette?" Loki asked, looking at Mobius.

"You are a mother. You wouldn't want to see your daughter smelling of smoke." Mobius shook his head and said, "That might choke her."

"Don't joke. I am a mother, but you are not. You have neither the experience nor the understanding, so don't try to represent me." Loki covered her mouth with her hand and coughed twice. Her hands were as cold as snow under the light.

Mobius sighed helplessly and took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Loki leaned forward, took a cigarette, put it in her mouth, and let Mobius help her light it.

When Loki leaned in, Mobius could even see the shadows cast by her eyelashes and the light from the projector shining in her pupils, a fleeting shimmer.

Taking a puff of the cigarette, Loki leaned back in the chair again, looked up at the ceiling, and asked, "Have you hosted many Lokis here?"

"Yes, and not one of them pleaded guilty like you." Mobius didn't smoke, but put the cigarette pack back into his pocket.

"So, I have to counsel them here, making them repent for their crimes..."

"It seems you are also a priest?" Loki smiled. The madness and flamboyance in her smile made Mobius pause for a moment. She was indeed Loki, but also completely unlike Loki.

"Then, how do you make them repent?" Loki straightened her body and asked with some curiosity, "I don't understand, what do I have to repent for..."

Mobius didn't speak, but took out a small machine and pressed it toward the projector. Images began to play on the wall.

At first, battle scenes appeared. Loki saw herself fighting side by side with Thor, but soon, the scene changed. Frigga fell to the ground, and the murderer was Loki.

When the scene of Frigga's death played, Mobius focused on observing Loki's expression, but did not see any shock or sadness in her demeanor.

"Don't you want to ask something?" Mobius took the initiative to speak. He had never seen a Loki like this, who actually needed him to initiate the topic when facing the scene of her mother's death.

"For those Lokis who have never seen this scene, it is indeed shocking enough to break their psychological defenses. But for me, it's far from enough." Loki tapped the cigarette ash lightly with her fingertips.

She stood up, leaned forward, almost touching Mobius's ear, and said softly to him:

"I have seen it countless times."

Mobius widened his eyes, tilted his head slightly to look at Loki's profile, and said, "This is impossible! This is the future of Asgard on a certain cosmic timeline..."

"Since that's the case, you don't need to project the image." Loki shook her head and said, "You just need to tell me that this is the scene of Ragnarok. We will all die in this disaster, including Frigga."

"Why are you so indifferent?" Mobius looked into her eyes and said, "Every Loki I have met loves his mother deeply. When he learns that he will kill his own mother with his own hands during Ragnarok, he expresses repentance for his crimes..."

"That's because they feel they are powerless to stop Ragnarok from happening." Loki straightened her body, sat back in the chair, turned her head to the side, and looked at the scene on the wall, saying, "Because at that time, I still felt like a helpless little prince, firmly believing that this dark future would definitely happen, and I couldn't save anyone."

Loki closed her eyes, sighed lightly, and said, "I will not feel sad for a future that will never happen. The future you are playing is just a lousy movie to me."

"What is your hope?" Mobius asked. "Iron Man? Do you want to see his ending?"

"I told you, I've seen it." Loki's expression seemed somewhat impatient. She continued, "Every time I ascend above the universe, all the futures related to me are played before my eyes, including how Asgard met Ragnarok, how half of the Avengers were destroyed..."

"You peeked at the timeline?" Mobius narrowed his eyes.

"I just stand higher and see further than other Lokis." Loki also looked at Mobius and said, "Since you are beings in the multiverse, you should understand 'ascension' better than I do..."

"You ascended??" Mobius widened his eyes in shock.

"No, I can only say that I went up and took a look, or maybe more than one look." Loki shook her head and said, "Don't be surprised, I don't have the power to match it, otherwise you wouldn't have the ability to bring me here."

Mobius sighed. He knew that he probably wouldn't be able to get any advantage from Loki today.

Employees of the Time Variance Authority can only view the future of certain timelines within their scope of duty, but according to Loki, she should have seen the future of all timelines in all universes. She was the examiner holding all the answers.

"The part within the scope of duty ends here." Mobius looked into Loki's eyes. A trace of hesitation flashed in his expression, but he still said, "Next, is a question I personally want to ask you. You can choose to answer or not. Regardless, thank you for your cooperation."

"Ask away." Loki lowered her head. The stray hair on her forehead blocked her eyes. When the smoke drifted away, she looked even more decadent.

"When you saw your mother die, do you really not feel any sadness at all?" Mobius straightened his body and said, "This is not a movie, but something that really happened in a certain universe..."

"You have come into contact with so many Lokis and heard so many stories about Asgard, yet you still haven't figured out our relationship?" Loki looked at Mobius through the gaps in her hair. Seeing his blank expression, she could only sigh and say, "Fine, let me start from the beginning."

"Who do you think is Frigga's favorite child?"

"Isn't it you?" Mobius asked with some confusion.

"Perhaps now it is, but once, Frigga's favorite child was Hela, her eldest daughter, the eldest princess of Asgard." Loki slowly closed her eyes. Only then did Mobius see a trace of sadness in her expression.

Loki looked up at the ceiling, as if lost in memory. After a while, he said slowly:

"This is the beginning of the tragedy of that Majesty's life. Only on this matter, what Odin, Thor, and I did was consistent. We all hoped that she could walk out of this painful tragedy."