Only Rowan knew that Loki was still alive and had been taken in by Thanos, becoming the vanguard for the future invasion of Earth.
But the universe is vast—why did Loki, who fell into the black hole of the universe, happen to be picked up by Thanos?
Isn't it obvious? Thanos had been watching Asgard closely.
Thanos wanted to invade Earth and seize the Space Gem and the Time Gem. So why hadn't he acted yet? Because Earth is incredibly deep and complex. First, there is Asgard, the nominal protector of Earth. Second, there are all the Dimensional Lords that the Ancient One had fought off over the years. Combined, their influence might circle the entire solar system. With such a formidable reputation, Thanos must have at least heard of them.
He simply had to wait for these two forces to move first.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Odin said. "Still don't know how to address you?"
"Rowan, Earthling!" Rowan replied.
"Father, this Rowan is my friend. He once saved me from Loki's hand!" Thor said. "I promised him he could enter our Asgardian library and read some magic books!"
"Rowan, is that so? You want to learn magic?" Odin was a little surprised; he hadn't expected that Rowan had come to Asgard to study magic.
But thinking about it, Asgard was not a civilization of technology but a Divine Grade civilization centered on magic. So it made sense to come here for magical knowledge.
"Yes. I just want to browse the various magic books in Asgard," Rowan said. "It's a humble request!"
"Since it was Thor's promise, it's a promise of Asgard as well. He will be the future king of Asgard, and his word is law in this regard!" Odin said.
In truth, as Rowan suspected, this matter was under Odin's control from start to finish. Otherwise, Thor wouldn't have regained his power at such a critical moment.
Odin hoped to use this opportunity to teach his eldest son—the one full of muscle—about kindness, protection, and the qualities a king should have.
Who could have guessed that while the son had been tested, Loki was left out of the equation?
Actually, Loki had guessed this too—Odin was biased. Odin did love his youngest son, but he still intended to hand over the throne to his eldest.
He even planned to use Loki to train Thor, to accelerate Thor's growth so he could stand a chance when facing the eldest daughter in the future. But he never expected to lose Loki because of it.
So the pain still weighed heavily on Odin.
"Father, I don't think I'm ready to be king yet!" Thor said.
"You will be a wise monarch in the future!" Odin said, looking at his eldest son.
Thor replied, exhausted both physically and mentally, "No one is wiser than you, Father. I still have much to learn. I believe I will be a king who makes you proud—but not yet."
"All right," Odin sighed.
Seeing Thor unwilling to take the throne, Odin could only accept it.
Now, Thor understood what qualities were needed to be king, but he was still far from possessing the absolute tyrannical strength required.
Since childhood, Thor had liked to imitate Odin. This time, too, it was because he wanted to conquer the Nine Realms again in Odin's image. But he hadn't considered that the most crucial weapon to conquer the Nine Realms was fists.
Having the heart of a king wasn't enough without enough strength.
So Thor's training was only just beginning. He had not yet gained the strength he should. He had only just embarked on the path of kingship—and the end was still far away.
"Excuse me for asking, but now that Hongqiao is destroyed, can I return to Earth?" Rowan couldn't help but ask.
He knew that after the Bifrost was repaired, entering and leaving Earth would be possible, but it might take some time.
"Definitely. We don't rely solely on the Bifrost for travel, but other methods are a bit more troublesome," Odin said.
Asgard was a Divine Grade civilization—it certainly had many ways to come and go.
"That's good," Rowan nodded. He didn't want to waste any time in Asgard.
"Thor, since your friend came all this way from Earth, you're responsible for entertaining him!" Odin said wearily. Losing his youngest son still weighed on him heavily. How to explain this to his wife was a painful question.
He knew well how much his wife cared for their youngest son—she treated him as an equal, unlike Odin's own partiality.
"Come on, Rowan, I'll take you to a banquet. Let me tell you—the good wine in Asgard is the real deal. It's been hidden for thousands of years. We only bring it out for the best friends," Thor said, pulling Rowan along.
The Asgardians were much like the Nordic people—or, rather, they were the mythic origin of the Nordic peoples. They were addicted to alcohol. There was nothing they wouldn't do for a good drink and a grand feast.
Rowan went with the flow and quickly enjoyed the fine wines. It must be said—the taste of wines aged thousands of years, or even millions, was far superior to any wine on Earth.
Any jar of such wine placed on Earth would be worth a fortune. Some wealthy collectors would pay handsomely just to taste it.
Combined with all kinds of rare treasures, Asgard was truly rich beyond imagination.
Earth's rich families had histories of a few hundred years—already considered unimaginably wealthy—but Asgard's history spanned tens of thousands, even millions of years. Any object here was an antique.
If Asgard stored some of its wealth on Earth—whether gold, gems, crystals, or other treasures—it would be an unimaginable fortune.
In the end, only a fishing village remained in Asgard, and Thor was crowned king of that village, becoming its ruler.
They saved whatever they could, enough for the remaining Asgardians to live comfortably on Earth.
But who could have imagined that within a few years, all of Asgard would be blasted to slag by the Flame Titan Surtur, and the remnants would be blocked and slaughtered by Thanos?
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