Resonance

In a majestic, splendid palace, within a banquet hall laden with fine food and wine, a golden-haired, golden-bearded man brimming with masculine vigor lounged boldly in his chair.

He seemed to be savoring the lingering aftertaste of the food when heavy footsteps accompanied by the clatter of armor approached. The burly Volstagg entered the room, then laughed heartily and pointed at Xu Yue behind him.

"Prince, this is that chef. What do you think? These dishes are amazing, aren’t they?"

Only then did Thor open his eyes and look at Xu Yue. Lightning seemed to flicker in his gaze. He rose from his seat and strode over to Xu Yue, pulling him into an embrace before Xu Yue could say a word.

He then vigorously slapped Xu Yue on the back again and again, producing a series of thump, thump sounds.

"Haha, excellent! From now on, we’re brothers! Haha! I hereby declare that you’ll be our team’s exclusive quartermaster from now on! One of the Warriors of the Four Palaces!"

Fortunately, Xu Yue possessed the powerful physique granted by the Perfect Sage Body and perfect Body Mastery.

Otherwise, an ordinary person might have been flattened into a meat patty after being squeezed and slapped like that by Thor.

After Thor made his declaration, Volstagg let out a strange cry as well.

"Oh~ If it were anyone else trying to gain a title equal to mine so easily, I’d roast him into a suckling pig. But if it’s Xu, I have no objections at all."

Fandral, also one of the Warriors of the Three Palaces, merely smiled and shrugged, showing no objection whatsoever.

Even Xu Yue, who had received the space’s acknowledgment prompt, could not help feeling speechless.

As expected of thick-headed Thor. And as expected of the still-immature Thor. This appointment was far too casual. He had been won over by one extravagant meal.

Yet as the Prince of Asgard, he really did have the authority to make such an appointment.

He was practically an easy-to-fool idiot. No wonder he had been deceived so many times by Loki, the brother he truly loved.

"Indeed. Being able to create food of this caliber can be considered a form of combat power. In some ways, it may even be more important than fighting."

However, just as Xu Yue thought of Loki, Loki himself—who had attended the banquet and was even more beautiful and delicate-looking than a woman—smiled and added that remark.

It did not sound like much, but the expressions of the carefree Volstagg, the unconcerned Fandral, and Hogun—the remaining Warrior of the Three Palaces, who had been calm and silent all this time—became somewhat unnatural.

Why did it somehow sound as though cooking had become more important than combat once it came from Loki’s mouth?

They did not mind Xu Yue gaining status equal to theirs, but they absolutely could not agree that cooking was more important than fighting skill.

Before the three could react and say anything, Loki immediately redirected the conversation to something else, burying the issue in everyone’s hearts and letting it accumulate rather than erupt while it was still in its infancy.

Xu Yue was left speechless by the sight.

He casually planted Moles at every opportunity. As expected of Loki.

Still, Xu Yue had no intention of interfering in the brothers’ "emotional exchange." Even if it involved him, it did not matter.

Compared with the favor of the Warriors of the Three Palaces, Xu Yue cared far more about Loki’s favor.

Of course, that had nothing to do with looks, even if Loki was beautiful enough to be usable after changing into women’s clothes.

What Xu Yue cared about more was Loki’s grasp of Asgard’s many hidden passages.

When it came to familiarity with Asgard, Thor and the others could not compare with Loki even if they rode horses.

At the beginning of the Thor I plot, Loki had led the Frost Giants through a "secret passage" to ruin Thor’s banquet.

Even Heimdall, guardian of the Rainbow Bridge who could see through the Nine Realms, often failed to notice some of Loki’s covert actions.

The commotion caused by reaching Earth through the Rainbow Bridge was far too great. It was much better to build a good relationship with Loki.

Fortunately, Loki had yet to discover that he was actually the son of a Frost Giant. Personality-wise, he was mostly just somewhat jealous of Thor, and his actions were more in the nature of pranks than true malice.

Or rather, from beginning to end, Loki behaved like a clever and cunning but immature brat.

Especially with the emptiness in his heart, his jealousy of Thor, and the loneliness of others disliking him and refusing to befriend him, the difficulty of taking advantage of his vulnerability was actually…

After the banquet ended, a somewhat strange scene was unfolding in a room occupied by only Loki and Xu Yue.

"Tell me. What’s your purpose?"

Loki crossed one leg over the other and looked at Xu Yue with a flippant expression, completely unmoved by Xu Yue’s earlier words.

Now that they were alone, and before Xu Yue, Loki no longer maintained the posture of being Thor’s "good brother."

"And that fake smile of yours is even faker than mine. Put it away. It makes me sick."

Those two consecutive critical hits gave Xu Yue a deeper understanding of Loki.

Although Xu Yue had been mentally prepared for his first attempt to fail, this was no longer merely a matter of whether it worked on the first try. This fellow could actually see through his mask and lies so easily, something that had never happened before.

As expected of someone called the God of Trickery. Still, Xu Yue had been somewhat prepared for that. Since it involved a "god," there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

In terms of talent, Loki could be considered outstanding even throughout Marvel, yet he had never put that talent to the right use. Most of the time, in Xu Yue’s eyes, it all looked like "pranks"…

"Lord Loki, I wear a mask because I have always been at the bottom of Asgard. I have no talent for battle, so I could only train hard in cooking and try to make a name for myself in one stroke. But what about you, my lord…?"

Since he had already been seen through, Xu Yue naturally switched to his second plan. Without waiting for Loki’s response, he continued on his own.

"Is it because everyone revolves around Prince Thor? Whether it is the All-Father, the Queen, or Asgard’s ordinary soldiers, they all prefer the sun-like Thor. They think that is the style an Asgardian prince should have, that this is what a true Prince of Asgard should be…"

Every word struck like a critical hit, every word cutting directly into the cracks in Loki’s heart.

Perhaps it would be difficult for Xu Yue to deceive Loki, the God of Trickery. But Xu Yue already knew his personality and experiences. The two had never been standing at the same starting line to begin with…

"Enough!"

Loki, who had been acting so flippantly, could no longer endure the provocation.

In terms of intelligence alone, Loki was among the sharpest in all of Asgard. Yet his mental fortitude and emotional focus were somewhat strange. He would always use his own ability and wisdom to secure a winning hand, only for the other side to somehow play it into a disaster.

"Lord Loki, just think about it. With a personality like mine, with abilities like mine, could I ever rise through Prince Thor’s ranks?"

After provoking Loki to the limit, Xu Yue wore a bitter smile. At last, it resonated with Loki, whose mental defenses had been pierced.

Yes. In a sense, the other man was the same type as him. Both were people who could not thrive in Asgard.

"And Lord Loki, don’t you think that if you truly want the throne, having a suitable subordinate is very important…"

Two updates~ The next one still needs another round of proofreading.

Loki was a very contradictory character, which was perhaps part of his charm. For example, after clearly tricking his way onto the throne, he used the All-Father’s authority to put on a third-rate stage play praising himself… He acted foolish and cute, yet he truly was capable.