But the Asgardians were notoriously nonchalant. They believed they had no need for diplomacy in the past, and they saw no need for it in the future. To them, everyone else was either a defeated foe or a future defeated one. Why would they need to put on a pleasant face for them?
This reminded Loki of a saying he once read in the human world: "The real terror is not weakness, but arrogance."
If Asgard were a person, it would be an exceptionally arrogant one, forever adhering to its own ways, unwilling to change. If others fail to follow their way of doing things, they are the ones who are seen as overly dramatic and ddleso.
The more Loki pondered this, the heavier his heart felt. It was as if a huge rock was pressing against his chest. It was a problem he couldn't ignore, but he could not figure out a good solution. After all, wasn't this just Thor's personality?
But when he got to this point, a sudden inspiration struck Loki. If Thor has such a personality, then what about Odin? Would Odin be discontent with this?
As soon as this idea popped up, Loki was startled. Why would he think of Odin? Weren't Odin and Thor cut from the sa cloth?
But reason told him that this was not the case.
When Thor was still a prince, he was rather reckless, charging headlong into situations. It was only after he ascended the throne that he began to learn how to make judicious judgents and act rationally.
Yet, according to Loki's understanding of Odin, the seemingly wild Father of All Gods was definitely not a reckless person. On the contrary, he was more cautious than anyone else.
During the period after Thor's ascension, Odin still remained in the Fairy Palace to handle the handover. Would he not notice the peculiar behavior of the attendants and etiquette officers in the palace?
Loki ca to a surprising and frightening conclusion. He was reluctant to allow his logic to follow this line of thought any further.
After a while, the Etiquette Officer brought him a towel. When Loki took it, he noticed it wasn't properly folded and the two towels were inconsistent in size, which was rather comical and upset him even more.
Returning to his room, Loki picked Helen up from the washstand and used the towel to wipe the foam off her face. But because he was frustrated, his movents were rather rough, causing Helen to sneeze fiercely twice.
Loki picked up the towel he was using to wipe Helen's face and noticed it, clearly over-dried, had begun to lose its fibres. He gave it a slight shake, and the fuzz in the air was clearly visible.
Loki angrily threw the towel aside and crouched down, covering his face with his hands. Helen rubbed her nose and turned to look at him, asking, "What's wrong? You seem really angry ..."
"These damn idiots!" Loki gritted his teeth: "I could do a better job with a couple of pegasi from the post station hoofing it!"
Yet Helen seed unsurprised. She shrugged and said, "It's not like it's a new thing. Last ti, they gave a dress with a pin still attached to the collar. When Pepper picked up, she noticed and complained about it for a couple of days."
Loki looked at her, realizing that his worst fears had co true. Asgard was indeed a public embarrassnt.
But Helen simply smiled and said, "I guess you are troubled because you think they are careless and have offended many people due to their negligence. But honestly, it's not as bad as you think ..."
Helen looked up at Loki and said, "Perhaps you understand Tony and Pepper too. So, why do you think they still want to send here when they realize that these people aren't really concerned about ?"
Loki was a bit taken aback and asked her, "Why?"
He couldn't understand what Helen ant. Pepper seed to have noticed this problem a long ti ago, but afterwards, Helen still continued to commute between Asgard and Earth, without any impact on the relationship between the two sides.
When he was working in The Sanctum, Loki had learned sothing about Pepper. Pepper's nickna, 'Little Pepper', was not given lightly. As a housekeeper, she was strict, efficient and refused to tolerate any flaw.
So why would she still want to send Helen to Asgard, even after realizing that Helen was not being properly taken care of?
Just as he was pondering this question, Helen offered up the answer: "Of course, it's because she believes there's more that I can gain from Asgard than what's lost."
"Here I can learn how to use divine power, hone my martial arts. Besides, I am also very happy here. Frigga and the other goddesses are willing to accompany , and the Asgardian warriors are willing to take out shopping."
"Compared to that, small imperfections in life don't matter. If clothes aren't handled well, I can bring my own. Pepper often says that she shouldn't expect a civilisation like Asgard, which is all brawn and no brains, to take good care of children ..."
Loki stared at Helen, and she shook her head lightly, "Everyone in the cosmos knows Asgard's style. And because you are sufficiently strong, even if others are displeased, they dare not voice it, or they know it's useless to do so. You guys are just like that."
Loki pursed his lips, appearing sowhat unhappy. Helen wiggled his hand and said, "Don't be upset. You have to admit, there is so truth in the saying might makes right. As long as you are strong enough, everyone will forgive you."
"But this can't continue. We are not incapable of doing a good job. I wonder, would it kill them to work a bit more seriously?"
As soon as Loki finished his sentence, his expression beca a bit hesitant. He said, "I want to change, but I know it's no use talking to Thor. He would only persuade not to fret over such things ..."
After saying this, he looked back at the towel he had thrown out, and said, "This has gone beyond what can be explained by personality issues. It's essentially sloppiness and laziness rooted deep within."
"During the days when battles were fought daily, these small issues didn't matter much. All that was needed was martial prowess. But now, Asgard has halted its conquests. If they continue to indulge thus, cracks are bound to appear within our society..."
"So, what do you plan on doing?" Helen asked.
Loki gently bit his thumb and then said, "I have a bold idea, so bold that it's a little scary."
"Good God... how could I have thought of persuading... No, that's definitely not going to work... He would never..."
Just then, a flurry of urgent knocks ca from the door. Helen ran to open it, and Sylvie, her face streaked with tears and looking anxious, stood outside. She cried out!
"We need to leave this place now! If the head of the Ti Managent Bureau finds this place... I can't bring any more trouble to Thor!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers