Chapter 323

Luo Yi had just finished speaking when Shi Ler turned his head and gave Strange a look.

Then Shi Ler turned back and looked at Peter, who sat on the nearby sofa: "Peter, I heard you're good with your hands—can you make us a giant lightning rod to install on the roof?"

"A lightning rod? Why do we need a lightning rod?"

Peter didn't immediately grasp it, but when his gaze swept over Luo Yi and he recalled Norse mythology, it suddenly clicked.

"Oh, right! A lightning rod! She really might need one—but can a human-made lightning rod even withstand Thor's thunder?"

"If you think a regular one won't work, can you figure out how to build one that can withstand the might of the God of Thunder?" Shi Ler patted Peter on the shoulder. "Stark always tells me you have a gift for this kind of thing. I trust you won't let us down, right?"

Peter nodded seriously, stood up, and said: "Alright, I'll look into it. If I get anything, I'll call you."

As he rose, Steve glanced at Shi Ler and Strange's expressions, then stood too: "I still need to deal with the mess those skeletons and undead left behind. I'm going to see Eddie—see if he can write a report to calm the public. You two keep talking…"

With that, he also got up and left.

After Peter and Steve had gone, Luo Yi, who had been sitting upright in her chair, sighed and let her shoulders relax. She pulled up her hood, and once the halo behind her vanished, she leaned back against the seat.

"Alright, everyone who hasn't been tested by morality has left—now it's our turn." Shi Ler stood and fetched a bottle of sherry from the liquor cabinet.

Strange set out clear glasses and said to Luo Yi: "The righteous have departed. You can tell us the other version of the story now."

Most of Luo Yi's face was shadowed by her hood, revealing only a pale chin. She placed her hands on the sofa armrests, exhaled softly, and said: "Honestly, how did you let these two find me first? If they weren't here, I wouldn't have had to waste so much time talking."

"Don't complain. The place you caused that commotion was too close to Peter's home—he'd have investigated anyway. And Steve? Wherever trouble is, there he is. Captain America."

Shi Ler poured wine for everyone. Luo Yi leaned forward, reached under the coffee table, and pulled out a box of cigars. As she snipped one, she said: "Thor, that idiot who only grows stronger but never smarter—if he just returns to Asgard, nothing will change. So what if he's a new god? Isn't Odin powerful enough? Can he stop the Asgardians from marching toward destruction because they love war?"

"So what did you do?"

"I convinced Thor to stay on Sakaar and free its slaves. Funny thing—he actually thought I'd reformed, turned over a new leaf. But I just wanted to keep him there. I still have things to do back here…"

"I knew your story sounded off—how did you end up in Sakaar's mine and suddenly get teleported to Hela's realm of death? You targeted it on purpose, didn't you?" Shi Ler brought over an ice bucket and used tweezers to drop ice into the glasses.

"Correct. But the part about Sakaar was true too. Venom somehow got it into his head to fall in love—even ignoring that Sif might become the future queen, I shouldn't have gotten too close to her, because she represents the warlike faction of Asgard."

Luo Yi leaned back on the sofa and sighed: "I've been on Earth long enough to understand your society. I've realized Asgard and Earth are nearly identical—except that because everyone in Asgard is a soldier, our entire society is mounted on a war chariot, and it can't stop."

"We're getting close too," Strange said, sipping his wine. "War is the best way to divert internal conflicts. While the privileged enjoy their gains, they never consider whether it's driving the whole nation toward ruin."

Luo Yi snapped her fingers. "Exactly. Asgard is the same. Our war machine has been turning too long. Those who profit from war refuse to let it stop. Everything in our society serves conquest. A society like that lasting? That would be the real miracle…"

"The path to destruction always has an end…" Shi Ler raised his glass and clinked it against hers. "Infinite entropy will bring this universe to its end."

"Precisely. So to change Asgard's fate, we must first stop this war chariot that's been rolling too long."

"But it's not easy," Strange frowned. "If the part of your story about Balder is true, who's to say Hela's war of destruction wasn't pushed by those warlike Asgardians?"

"Odin knows this well. Hela's betrayal and Balder's decline were the price the Allfather paid to rein in the warhorses."

"But he failed. The Asgardians still crave a powerful new king who can lead them to keep conquering the cosmos. That's why they rejoiced when they sensed Thor's new divine power." Shi Ler sighed too.

"Thor has figured this out—but you can't expect him to untangle the web of factions in Asgard, especially since his relationship with Sif is so delicate. Clearly, Sif was sent by that group to welcome him back."

"I can tell you don't harbor much ill will toward Sif from an objective standpoint. Why is that?" Strange asked Luo Yi.