Chapter 211

Under the night sky, Asgard was a dazzling golden city, its towering buildings bathed in the rainbow glow of the sunset; from above, classical arched gates cast dense, comb-like shadows, and Viking-style patterns and sculptures infused the city with wild, fervent charm.

The tavern owner dozed against a barrel; beside him, a giant removed his horned helmet, and the soft clink as it touched the table jolted the owner awake—he tugged his braided beard, looked up, and saw the sunset's radiance slicing through the narrow doorway like a gleaming blade.

Outside, a chariot glided low through the air; the neighing of the celestial steeds echoed down the streets, and many opened their windows to watch the royal-marked carriage stir up clouds of dust.

At the bridge's entrance to Xiangong, towering guards clad entirely in golden armor held battle-axes taller than the arches; seeing someone approach, the two Xiangong sentries crossed their weapons to block the gate.

Loki stepped out of the chariot, and the two Xiangong guards knelt on one knee, saluting him; the clatter of their armor blended with their deep voices: "Prince, welcome home."

Loki nodded, descended from the chariot, and passed through the archway of the bridge.

The bridge to Xiangong stretched beyond sight; from above, Loki's figure appeared minuscule beside Asgard's towering structures. He walked through one arch after another, their shadows falling across him, until, just before the light faded entirely, he reached the steps of Xiangong.

Ascending the Cengcengdiedie steps, the spray from fountains brushed his cheeks with the coolness of night; spirits emerged from the fountains on the platforms and bowed to Loki.

From afar came the laughter and chatter of goddesses—these warrior goddesses, fierce on the battlefield, now wove wreaths from laurel branches; one spotted Loki approaching, bowed, and said: "Prince, the Allfather requests you proceed directly to the highest reception hall."

The goddess wore a white gown; as she stepped forward, she whispered to Loki: "The Supreme Sorcerer from Earth is also here. The Allfather asks you to change your attire before joining him."

Loki smiled and nodded to her; his handsome face made nearby goddesses blush, and they giggled, darting behind the fountains.

At the entrance to Xiangong, the two armored statues stirred slightly, recognized Loki, then fell still again.

Entering the vast, gilded hall, dozens of pillars stretched forward in sequence; golden grids covered the glass facing the sunset, casting the floor in fractured shards of gold.

Loki crossed the hall, turned right into the corridor, where two rows of emerald plants lined the path; as he passed through, a pointed arch slowly opened, and as he stepped onto it, the floor began to rise.

Standing in the elevator, Loki looked out through its transparent walls: on one side of Xiangong's plaza, many Asgardian warriors were sparring.

As night slowly descended, steaming roasted meats were carried in on trays; goddesses balanced baskets of bread and fresh fruit atop their heads, children carried jugs of spring water; when the bonfires ignited, the noise swelled—even from afar, the warmth and liveliness of the scene could be felt.

This period of busyness had kept Loki away from Asgard for a long time; now back, he felt nothing had changed, yet everything seemed different.

The elevator gave a slight jolt; the door before Loki slowly opened. He stepped out, his boots clicking softly on the polished floor.

At the door to his own chamber, two court guards opened it for him; as Loki entered, he gazed at the unchanged room and felt a surprising sense of ease.

He could not say when he had begun to tire of life here, when he had grown desperate for excitement—but he could not say when he had also begun to miss Asgard's quiet peace.

Emerging from the dressing room, Loki shed his dusty travel garb and donned his robe.

Asgardian attire always retained armor elements—even robes consisted of lightweight armor for top and bottom, adorned only with an outer cloak and mantle embroidered with intricate patterns.

Loki hesitated, took up his staff, but left his helmet behind, then stepped out the door.

He took the elevator again, ascending to the pinnacle of Xiangong—Odin's residence. But first, Loki encountered Frigga.

The goddess-queen wore a blue gown, her long hair bound behind with golden ornaments; Loki approached and bowed; Frigga took his hand and said: "The Supreme Sorcerer from Earth has arrived. Soon, several Dimension Lords will join us."

"Your father will formally introduce you to them. I trust you know what to do. By the way…" Frigga glanced at Loki. "Where is your helmet? Why aren't you wearing it?"

The Splendor of Sun and Moon

"Never mind…" Frigga seemed to recall something and said to Loki: "Your new crown is ready. I'll have it sent to you shortly."

Before Loki could respond, Frigga turned away at the corner, clearly eager to attend to other matters.

Loki considered following her, but glanced toward the reception hall, then turned and headed toward his original destination.

As he entered the reception hall, only Odin and Wong were present; Loki bowed to Odin.

Odin, mid-conversation with Wong, paused as his younger son entered, nodded to Loki—so unexpected that Loki was stunned.

Odin bore the fierce aura of a warrior who had once waged war across the cosmos: a majestic sovereign, a stern father. Thor and Loki rarely received his approval, especially Loki.

Loki was not the kind of battle-hero Asgardians favored; compared to Thor, he lacked strength and grandeur. Though his beauty won him favor among goddesses, in formal settings, he rarely drew the Allfather's attention.

Or rather, when Odin was present, both princes were mere ornaments—when war exploits were mentioned, Thor might get a brief mention, but only as part of a grand backdrop; the gods' focus was always Odin alone.

Loki had long believed Odin unfair, convinced he favored Thor—but when the true Allfather turned his attention upon him, Loki still felt intensely nervous.

"Where is your helmet?"

Loki did not raise his eyes. He maintained his bow, glanced at Odin's expression, then knelt halfway: "Mother sent for the newly forged crown. It has not yet arrived."

"A warrior of Asgard's most vital possession is his helmet—it is the symbol of his honor." Odin gestured to his guards behind him: "Fetch Loki his helmet."

Loki gripped his staff tightly, his heart pounding with both joy and dread—he had never before been called "a warrior of Asgard" by Odin.

At that moment, Wong's voice came: "How is the constellation Andromeda?"

Loki glanced at Odin's face, saw no displeasure, then rose and said to Wong: "I've just returned from there. The planet Clint is strangely structured—it has been transformed by those parasitic beings into a prison."

"Too many symbiotes dwell there. Had I stormed in directly, I would have been detected. So I found an opportunity to infiltrate—and confirmed the prison is indeed unbreakable. The imprisoned Symbiote God, N'al, shows no sign of escape."

"And his power?"

"It has indeed leaked. I tampered with the prison's structure, destabilizing it to allow N'al's power to escape more easily."

"You did well."

Odin's voice came—and Loki felt his heart leap from his chest. He had never been praised so directly by the Allfather.

"When the symbiote carrying N'al's power seed entered the Nine Realms, you noticed, didn't you?" Wong asked Odin.

"When that symbiote brought N'al's power into the Nine Realms, I intended to intercept him outright. But then I realized—if he opened the channel himself and projected power, I would gain more. So I let him be. Later, the Cosmic Agents came to me, requesting entry into the Nine Realms—I knew then a battle between them was inevitable."

"I planned to wait until a portion of N'al's power had projected through, then sever the channel and absorb it for myself. But your student… he devised a grand scheme…"

Odin glanced at Wong. "Merely severing the channel and intercepting the power no longer satisfies our appetite."

"Events have moved faster than I imagined," Wong said with a sigh. "When I sensed power directly assaulting Earth's defenses, I hadn't guessed who would dare such a thing."

"So I called you here," Odin smiled. "Turns out it's an ancient relic, dormant for millennia. But only someone like that would dare lay plans here."

"He picked a good time," Wong smiled back. "Had this happened earlier, I would have followed your plan—waited until he projected part of his power, then severed the channel."

Loki listened below, bewildered, but dared not ask. Then suddenly, Wong moved, pulling a phone from her robe and speaking into it: "Really? … No, I'm fine. I'm at Xiangong in Asgard. Are you coming? … Never mind, come anyway."

After hanging up, Wong said to Odin: "My student Strange is coming. Please use the Rainbow Bridge to fetch him."

A few minutes later, a guard led Strange into the reception hall. Seeing his even more bewildered expression, Loki knew: the automatic question machine had arrived.

"What exactly is going on?" Strange glanced around, sensing the other three all seemed composed and certain.

"Loki, explain it to him," Odin said.

Loki froze. He desperately wanted to say he'd been busy running errands and had no idea what this plan was.

But he had just been praised by Odin—could he really falter now?

So the God of Mischief's mind began to race: the Totem Prosperity Project, N'al's power seed, Odin's mission to Andromeda, Wong's arrival…

All the pieces linked together—and soon, Loki deduced the broad outline.