Chương 92: Chapter 92: Two Birds with One Stone? 

As a dazzling pillar of light crashed down, the group on the island vanished instantly. Completely ignoring whatever interesting stories the surrounding fleet of warships might cook up in their wake, Luke and his companions hurtled through the cosmos within the brilliant beam of light. 

"How does it feel?" Luke asked Tony beside him. 

"Uh, it feels like being inside an incredibly fast-moving elevator," Tony replied, while simultaneously instructing Saturday and Sunday to record the surrounding cosmic scenery. 

"A very vivid metaphor, though I feel it's more like a high-speed water slide inside a pipe," Luke added. 

"That's definitely a vivid metaphor. By the way, how long does this journey usually take?" Clairaudient asked from the side. 

"About a minute or so," Luke said, rubbing his chin. Shortly after, the group was pushed forward by a sudden force, stumbling into a magnificent, gleaming hall that looked as if it were cast entirely from solid gold. 

"Asgard welcomes your arrival." Heimdall, clad in golden armor and wielding his greatsword, stood to the side, regarding the group with his piercing orange eyes. 

"Our guards will escort you to the quarters where you will be staying for the next few days," Loki stepped to the front of the group and announced. 

Although the various diplomatic delegations harbored different intentions, they dutifully followed the respective guards to their assigned residences. 

Unlike the other teams beside them, who were holding up cameras and snapping photos non-stop, Captain Zhao pulled out a small sphere. A propeller popped out of its top, and it took flight autonomously. Several camera lenses emerged from its chassis, recording the surrounding scenery in high definition. 

The Asgardian guards made absolutely no move to stop this; in fact, their chests puffed out even further, and their marching steps became even more powerful and resounding. 

It seemed Asgard truly wasn't afraid of them gathering intelligence. 

Captain Zhao gave Captain Yang a nod. Yang, in turn, signaled the two agents behind him to begin their operation. 

Clairaudient tilted his head, listening intently. "Heart rate is very slow, but the beats are incredibly powerful. Blood circulation speed is also vastly superior to that of a normal human." 

Clairvoyant focused his gaze on the guards' equipment. "Their armor is forged from a highly unique metal. A metal with this kind of structure... shouldn't exist on Earth. Furthermore, the armor is etched with intricate patterns that seem to channel flowing energy." 1

Captain Yang jotted down some brief notes regarding the standard Asgardian guards. He then concentrated energy at his glabella, and a third 'Divine Eye' slowly opened on his forehead. "There are indeed traces of energy flowing through their armor. But what truly astonishes me is the bridge beneath our feet. The energy contained within this structure is what I'd call truly powerful..." Captain Yang stared gravely at the bridge they were walking on. Why would Asgard dare let them walk freely on this miraculous bridge? Were they not afraid someone might try to destroy it? 

If Luke had been privy to their thoughts, he probably would have burst out laughing. 

This bridge was nowhere near as fragile as it looked. Even Thor, wielding Mjolnir with all his might, would have to strike it repeatedly just to make a dent. If these diplomats tried anything, long before they could even scratch the bridge, a divine spear would have already pierced through the void to impale them. 

It was exactly like King Laufey of the Frost Giants. Once he lost the Casket of Ancient Winters, he lacked the power to damage the Bifrost bridge. Otherwise, Loki probably wouldn't have sought him out, fearing he might accidentally break Asgard's strategic superweapon. 

"Continue reconnaissance." Having roughly deduced Asgard's mindset, Captain Yang stopped scrutinizing the bridge and turned his gaze toward the distant Asgardian Royal Palace. 

The Asgardian guard leading their group let out a sigh of relief. Why did he feel like the other guards' delegations were nowhere near as difficult to deal with as the one behind him? 

Nick Fury glanced at the Bifrost bridge beneath his feet—a structure capable of destroying planets—without paying it much mind. His single eye focused on the distant Royal Palace. Faint glimmers of light sparkled across his eyepatch. 

Behind him, Natasha and Barton adjusted their walking gait, observing the surrounding scenery with feigned casualness. 

"I am really not used to this," Steve sighed helplessly to Pierce, watching the agents ahead of him seamlessly slip into spy mode. 

Pierce fought down the overwhelming urge to slip away and forced a stiff smile. "You're accustomed to fighting on the front lines. Naturally, you're not used to this kind of covert intelligence gathering. Perhaps you should consider a change of pace... How about joining the Strike Team? You might find that much more to your liking." A new, half-baked idea suddenly sparked in Pierce's mind. 

Steve nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps I will give that a try." He glanced back, noticing that Luke and his group hadn't followed the guards. It was too awkward to turn back and join them now, so he could only turn his head and admire the beautiful scenery of the bridge. 

"The banquet doesn't start until tomorrow. What are we supposed to do until then?" Luke asked Loki as he watched the elite diplomatic teams march away briskly. 

Loki surveyed the remaining group. "First, this gentleman who enjoys flying around in a tin suit needs to accompany me to the Royal Infirmary for a full examination to have the foreign objects removed from his body. As for you, Uncle, and the Sorcerer Supreme, the All-Father and Mother are waiting for you at the palace." 

"Oh? Can I get an advance on my salary? Because I'm actually very eager to get this thing out of my chest. By the way, can your healers patch up this gaping hole while they're at it? Consider it a tip," Tony nodded, snapping his fingers to signal Saturday and the other suits to follow. 

Ever since Luke had exposed his inability to snap his fingers, Tony had developed a habit of snapping his fingers to show off at every opportunity. 

Luke shook his head helplessly and looked at Pepper, who was standing to the side, looking hesitant. 

"Of course, you can go with them. Their surgical procedures should be quite fast. As for his actual 'job,' as long as Tony figures out the principles behind it, he has ten thousand different ways to accelerate the workflow. If you guys finish quickly enough, you might even be able to catch the sunset from the cliffs over there. The view is truly breathtaking." 

As Luke spoke, he had his back to Pepper and was violently winking at Tony. 

"Oh, right," Tony nodded, catching on. "The job isn't actually that difficult. Once I understand the underlying mechanics, Sunday can execute the repairs autonomously, right?" 

Sunday slammed his right fist against his chest, sending a shower of sparks flying. "I shall absolutely not disappoint your expectations, my Lord!" 

"Right. Exactly." Tony smiled awkwardly, turning to Pepper. "So, my dear Pepper, would you care to join me in watching the Asgardian sunset?" 

Watching Tony and Pepper walk away with Loki trailing behind as the ultimate third wheel, and seeing Thor gallantly scoop Jane into his arms and fly off, leaving Erik to shake his head and follow a guard alone, Luke finally turned to the Ancient One. 

"I didn't mean anything by that. I just thought it wouldn't be polite to keep our hosts waiting. Shall we?" Luke said, preparing to take off. 

But the Ancient One shook her head. She took a single step forward, and the surrounding space began to compress. With that one step, she instantly arrived at the far end of the bridge. 

"Uh, I guess they won't have to wait long at all." Luke, who flew over a moment later, shrugged his shoulders. He watched the Ancient One's figure flicker continuously until she quickly vanished into the palace complex. 

Flying high above, Luke finally spotted the Ancient One on a balcony of the palace. She was holding a delicate, unnamed porcelain teacup—which she had pulled out of nowhere—and clinking it against Odin's massive goblet. 

"You finally made it!" Odin laughed as he looked at Luke flying over, his eyes full of amusement. 

"Uh, the scenery over there was pretty nice, so I took a look around. Got a bit delayed," Luke said, landing beside them and taking a seat. Looking at the two of them holding their respective signature beverages, a red wine glass filled with Coca-Cola magically appeared in his hand. 

"Cheers." Luke held his glass out, almost having it shattered by the force of Odin's goblet clinking against it. 

"You need to be more gentle," Luke grumbled, taking a sip of his Coke. He looked at Odin, who was smiling entirely naturally. "So, how have you two been getting along with Sylvie these past few days?" 

"Splendidly. She is an excellent daughter—very considerate and gentle. Just like my sweet little girl," Odin nodded proudly. 

"Whoa!" Luke gave him a shocked look. Even the Ancient One was looking at him with a strange expression. 

"I can't believe you can smile so sweetly and say something like that now." Luke chugged the rest of his Coke in sheer disbelief. 

"He hasn't stopped for two days. He's been smiling non-stop," Frigga emerged from the interior carrying a plate of pastries, setting it down in front of Luke and the Ancient One. "Try these. Your subordinates made them. The royal chefs honestly didn't know what else to teach them, so they taught them how to make pastries." 

Luke picked one up and took a bite. "Oh, did they add something special to this?" Luke felt a refreshing coolness from the pastry, but it wasn't unpleasantly cold. 

"It's a type of frost-grass harvested from Jotunheim. We usually add it to wine to enhance the flavor, but those little black men saw it and decided to use it in the pastries. The taste is actually quite excellent," Frigga explained. 

Luke nodded. "After all, where I come from, it's considered a crime not to turn something like this into food. By the way, did any representatives from Jotunheim come this time?" 

Odin nodded. "Those cunning beasts. Beat them hard enough and they know when to surrender. They sent a new leader this time, and they brought a lot of Jotunheim specialties to Asgard, hoping to establish trade relations." 

"Sounds alright, as long as the prices aren't too outrageous," Luke replied casually, not knowing much about trade or economics. 

"If you want, you can use some of Earth's specialties to trade with them," Odin suggested, taking a sip of his fruit wine. 

"Earth's specialties? Like the Space Stone?" Luke chuckled. He had no idea what those Frost Giants could possibly need. Was he supposed to drag an iceberg from Antarctica and give it to them? Hilarious—he didn't even have enough for himself. 

"Of course you can." Odin produced the Space Stone. Violent, chaotic energies surged within his palm, yet Odin remained completely unharmed. It was just a single stone; Odin could suppress it effortlessly. 

"I originally hid the Space Stone on Earth. I only retrieved it this time to repair the Bifrost. Now that it's fixed, it should be returned. And since Earth belongs to you from now on, it's only natural that I hand it over to you." 

Odin looked at the Space Stone in his hand, recalling his grand ambitions from eons past, and couldn't help but smile faintly, as if looking back at his younger, immature self. 

He had originally wanted to gather all the stones to protect his loved ones. But gathering them was no easy task in a universe hiding countless powerful entities. It would cost him too many precious lives—not to mention that acquiring one of the stones required sacrificing the person he loved most. Because of that, he had long since stopped caring about these stones. 

Luke blankly accepted the gemstone. The violently raging Space Stone instantly quieted down, becoming completely inert, just like an ordinary pebble. 

It's still so incredibly arrogant towards me. It hurts. 

Luke silently stuffed the stone into his pants pocket, his throat burning as he swallowed his Coke. 

Wait a minute... Something doesn't sound right. 

Luke was about to speak, but he still had Coke in his mouth, causing him to cough violently. 

An eerie silence fell over the balcony for a moment, giving Luke time to recover. 

"You don't want Earth anymore?!" Luke stared at Odin in shock. While Earth was indeed dispensable in Odin's eyes, he shouldn't be giving it away just like that! 

Odin shifted his gaze guiltily. He might treat Earth as a safe box and a dumping ground to dispose of unwanted Infinity Stones and disobedient sons, but he actually valued Earth quite a bit. After all, Earth was Midgard, the very center of Yggdrasil, connecting the Nine Realms. 

But alas, he had been chased off by a Celestial thousands of years ago. Normally, he could just ignore Earth to save himself the headache. However, in the last few centuries, a powerhouse like the Ancient One had emerged, making him unsure if he should even still call himself the Lord of the Nine Realms. 

Now that Luke had suddenly appeared on Earth, Odin figured he might as well just dump Earth onto him. After all, Luke was nominally a Prince of Asgard, which meant Asgard still technically held dominion over the Nine Realms. In the eyes of the Celestials, Luke was a native Earthling, so Odin wasn't violating their ancient pact against interfering with Earth's natural development. And the Ancient One couldn't object either, since everyone basically relied on Luke for a living these days. 

Isn't this killing three birds with one stone?! 

For a brief moment, Odin almost felt like Loki was his actual biological son, and Thor was the one he had picked up. 

Luke watched Odin's guilty expression. "Do you need me to run an errand for you or something?" Why else would this guy literally give Earth to him?! 

Could he possibly kill four birds with one stone?! 

Odin's eye widened in sheer disbelief. Is he literally trying to help me pad my stats?! 

Frigga saw Odin's expression and knew exactly what he was thinking. She gently nudged his elbow, shutting down whatever crazy idea he was forming. 

Odin could only helplessly abandon his thought. 

Luke watched Odin's hesitant demeanor and Frigga's subtle intervention. His mind raced through various reasons why Odin would suddenly shower him with gifts, and inexplicably, his thoughts landed on Odin's firstborn daughter, Hela. 

Glancing at the Ancient One, who was calmly sipping her tea beside them, Luke hesitantly probed, "Are you trying to get me to help you convince your daughter Hela to come back?" 

Hmm?! 

Odin stared at Luke in absolute shock. This guy is actively volunteering to help me achieve the impossible?! 

Seeing Odin's stunned reaction, Luke felt confident he had guessed correctly. 

Meanwhile, the Ancient One, still calmly sipping her tea, raised an eyebrow. She recalled the fragmented visions she had seen of the limited future: Hela, desperately and relentlessly following an invisible figure around, constantly trying to drag that person out to conquer the cosmos... while that person stubbornly lay on a sofa, refusing to stop playing video games. 

So, it really was him... 

The future has become even more unpredictable... and incredibly entertaining. 

The Ancient One took a calm sip of her tea, completely ignoring Luke's desperate attempts to hand Odin a free victory, and turned her gaze toward the breathtaking Asgardian sunset. 

Since the future has changed so drastically, perhaps I should just drag Stephen here in a few days and gloriously log off? 

With that thought, the Ancient One finally made her absolute, final decision. 

Read more & support me at patreon(.)com/Lestusk