In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of Arkham Sanatorium, Professor Shiller put on his goggles, gazing at the suddenly shining star in the sky. Strange squinted, also looking up at the sky, and said, "Has she upgraded?"
Shiller shook his head and said, "Not necessarily, it all depends on her own choice."
"This is a kind of opportunistic approach, having the status without power. If there is any special ability, it's probably immortality."
"Actually, I don't understand the principle behind this at all..."
"You don't need to understand. You just need to know that this status can only be maintained for a while. Once any of the relationships vanishes, the status will naturally drop."
"Then why did you let them upgrade this instant?"
"When you can't complete your howork, won't you want to take a peek at the answer?"
Strange couldn't refute it. Shiller sighed, saying, "If we can't take a peek at the solution, the dilemma of Asgard is practically unsolvable. And even after seeing the solution, how to copy it and whether it can be copied without flaws is still a problem."
"Odin is too concerned about many things, Thor is burdened with missions, and the only one who has the ability and spare ti to give the answer is Loki. To what extent can she manage it, and whether she can reverse the unavoidable fate of Asgard... we will know at the mont when the paper is handed in..."
In front of the Gateway of Asgard, Thor was standing amid the Asgardians on the plaza. Beautiful magic sparks floated around the fountain, colourful flowers and sweet, pure spring water were presented and placed in front of Thor.
Odin stood next to him, raising the hand holding his spear. Amidst a bolt of lightning, a crown descended slowly onto Thor's head, and the crowds below erupted into cheers. All of Asgard was boiling, and they were shouting: "The New King!"
At this mont, Thor no longer had the look of self-satisfaction on his face. He turned around, bowed his head, and paid his respects to Odin with a hand on his shoulder. After Odin left in a flash of lightning, Thor turned his head to look at the corridors of the Fairy Palace. It seed he was looking for sothing.
Seeing Loki's figure was not appearing, Thor looked sowhat disappointed. He sighed but didn't say anything.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed across the hallway on the other side. Thor turned his head and saw Loki leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He snapped his fingers at Thor, and then his figure disappeared and reappeared in another hallway.
Loki, who had already turned back into a male, had the mischievous smile typical of the God of Mischief on his face. Just like the pranks he had played before, all this was nothing but a harmless joke at the coronation ceremony. At least that was how Thor saw it.
But quite a few Asgardians were complaining. They thought Loki was a thankless wretch. On such an important day for Thor, his own brother didn't appear, despite all the good Thor had done for Loki.
Standing at the highest place, Thor took in the expressions of everyone. He recalled the conversation between him and Loki on the bell tower under the evening wind of yesterday's sunset.
"Why did you give up on upgrading? Don't you know that this is a golden opportunity? You could beco an entity above the cosmos, practically omniscient and omnipotent!" Thor walked up to Loki with his weapon and said to him in confusion.
Loki shook his head and said, "You always think so simply. If it's able to solve the problem of Asgard, don't you think the Father of All Gods could have done it? By extracting all the energy from the Nine Major Kingdoms and converging them, he could also beco an entity above the cosmos...."
"But for you, this is an opportunity," Thor earnestly advised. "Your physique is not that good, and you have lost your divine power and deity before. If you can upgrade directly, wouldn't it solve those problems?"
"You think that when I was being ostracized for not fitting in, I would try every ans to be the sa as you?" Loki revealed a mocking expression, and he said, "No, I am not like you, I am not a poor guy who can't live without honor and a sense of mission."
"I don't need to live in an environnt where everyone praises . I also don't need people to show fake concern and affection every day. I know they have ulterior motives..."
Thror turned around and looked into the distance through the columns of the bell tower.
Asgard is a sky island floating in the dark universe, and as such, its sunset is exceedingly brief. The brilliant glow itself is the best view. Thor asked, "I guess you saw sothing, that's why you didn't choose to take this path..."
"For once, you've grown a bit smarter."
Loki turned his head and said, "I just went up to take a peek at the solution. If I prove uniqueness via this thod, then I get nothing."
"What on earth is this principle? Why could you upgrade by just changing your gender and asking a few questions?"
"I don't know, because there are no psychologists in Asgard. I suggest you see one, because I think you might be sicker than I am."
Thor was about to refute, but thinking that it was Shiller's thod that let Loki have a glimpse of the sight above the cosmos, he said doubtfully, "Does a psychologist have such ability? Alright, I'll go and see him so day."
"Are you going to be crowned tomorrow?" Loki turned to ask him.
"Yes, it's kind of rushed, right? But the Father of All Gods told that he might be very busy in the future and won't be able to manage Asgard's affairs. So, that's how it is..."
User Comments
0 comments from readers