Special Training

Facing Odin’s encouragement, Thor gave a bitter smile. "Father, I can’t do it. I really can’t."

Hela looked at the two big bellies pressed together with utter disgust. Fortunately, she had kept herself in shape.

"You must do it, because you are the King of Asgard."

Odin released Thor and said, "This is the Mind Space created by the Blood God. It possesses all sorts of abilities. Next, I’ll create an illusion and put you through special training."

Hela shouted, "Odin, I’m not that free. I still need to collect stinky tofu recipes and try to make the most authentic stinky tofu."

"Is Thor less important than your stinky tofu? He’s your biological younger brother!"

Odin shouted irritably. Though Hela looked unhappy, she did not mention leaving again. The current Hela would not abandon her brother, even if he was only a brother from another universe.

Thor shook his head. "Father, special training is useless because I’m simply not cut out for this."

"That isn’t for you to decide. Also, time in the Mind Space is infinite. Unless you become a qualified king, don’t even think about leaving."

Odin snorted. The surrounding space rapidly changed, while Thor’s consciousness gradually blurred. When he regained clarity, he found himself standing in a blacksmith shop beside a blazing furnace.

"How did I get here?"

Thor was confused at first, but quickly came to his senses. He could not help smacking his forehead. "I’ve been working overtime every day until I’m muddled. I’m rushing to finish the hundred spears the military ordered. The deadline is almost here."

With that thought, Thor swung his heavy hammer and fiercely struck the red-hot pig iron. His craftsmanship was quite good, or the military would never have placed orders with him.

"When it comes to swinging a hammer, I’m still pretty confident."

Thor whistled confidently. Once he finished the last few spears, he would buy a sheep and take it home to give his son a better meal. His son had shown promise since childhood and ate far more than other people’s children.

In Thor’s eyes, the more a child could eat, the more formidable he would become in the future.

In the void, Hela watched Blacksmith Thor and sneered. "He looks pretty content."

"It isn’t contentment. It’s fulfillment. In this illusion, he has a wife, a child, and a happy home."

"Why did you make him a commoner?" Hela asked in confusion. "Shouldn’t you have made him a prince and taught him how to be a king?"

"Thor’s confidence has collapsed too badly. We need to help him rebuild it first."

Odin shook his head. "Besides, I’ve realized that Thor, you, and even Loki are all somewhat ungrounded."

Hela frowned. "Ungrounded?"

"That’s right. Your starting points were too high. From the moment you were born, you got whatever you wanted. That made you ungrounded, unlike ordinary people, who keep their feet on the ground and are resilient."

Odin nodded and said, "Things are fine when all goes well, but once you encounter adversity, you fall apart, just like Thor."

Hela sneered. "You locked me up for thousands of years, and I didn’t fall apart."

"I wish you had fallen apart. Instead, you spent every day thinking about killing me for revenge."

Odin said irritably, "But Thor did fall apart. The blow he suffered was simply too great. So I need to make him grounded and strong."

"It seems this illusion will last a long time."

"At least ten years. Over the past few years, I’ve read a lot of books on Earth. I’m going to use every last one of them to make Thor undergo a transformation."

Odin said, "Not a transformation in strength, but in temperament and spirit. I’m going to make him a man who can stand tall beneath the heavens."

"If I remember correctly, the books you read were all pretty worthless novels, right? Are you sure this will be okay?" Hela looked skeptical. "Thor is just a useless wreck right now. Don’t turn him into a lunatic. If I have a lunatic brother, I’ll never get married."

"If you want to get married, start by washing your hair. Don’t worry, there won’t be any problem. I’ll make him the protagonist of a novel, the kind of protagonist born with a mockery aura and a disaster aura."

Odin said, "He’ll become strong and confident through trial after trial. At the same time, he’ll discover that he’s exceptionally outstanding, better than most people."

Hela sneered. "I seriously doubt that. Thor is indeed brave, but his intelligence is probably worse than even Hulk’s. Uh, I mean the original version of Hulk, not the Hulk who just finished his thesis."

"Hey, that’s too much. He’s your biological younger brother."

Odin was quite dissatisfied. "Thor isn’t stupid. He just never learned how to use his brain."

"Are you sure he has one? Why do I feel like his head is full of muscles?"

Odin could not be bothered to deal with Hela anymore and began focusing on designing the plot. Thus, "Thor’s Fulfilling (Miserable) Life" officially began!…

On the New Sanctuary, Ebony Maw’s holographic projection gave Thanos a detailed report of what he had learned on Earth. Thanos was stunned. "Iron Man actually went dark?"

"Yes. Iron Man is now a dictator, and he plans to abolish the Super Heroes."

Ebony Maw nodded. "In addition, we have found the owners of those Infinity Stones."

Thanos asked in a deep voice, "Who are they?"

"Our old acquaintance, Loki."

Ebony Maw displayed an image. In it, Loki wore a huge number of gems like a nouveau riche. Thanos’s pupils shrank slightly—those gems were all Infinity Stones.

"How can there be so many Infinity Stones? They’re fake, right?"

Thanos could not help asking. He had spent his entire life pursuing the Infinity Stones, only for someone selling them wholesale to suddenly appear. How was he supposed to feel about that?

"Thanos, we cannot confirm whether the gems are real, because we didn’t dare get too close to Iron Man and Loki. They would have discovered us."

Ebony Maw said, "However, the Infinity Stones that sealed this universe should belong to Loki."

"There must be something wrong with these Infinity Stones."

Thanos paced back and forth twice, then asked, "What other intelligence is there?"

Ebony Maw said, "Yes. Iron Man is preparing to declare war on Wakanda. The remaining Super Heroes are basically all in Wakanda. Thanos, should we take advantage of this and do something?"

Thanos was about to answer when Gamora’s holographic projection suddenly appeared. She respectfully said, "Father, Nebula and I have just uncovered shocking intelligence."

Ebony Maw was quite displeased. "Gamora, I’m reporting right now. Don’t steal my credit."

"I have no interest in stealing your credit."

Gamora said disdainfully, "Father, because Iron Man is preparing to go to war with Wakanda, Nebula and I secretly infiltrated Wakanda. As a result, we saw another Iron Man—a younger version of Iron Man."

"What? A younger Iron Man?"

Thanos was greatly shocked. He asked in a deep voice, "Could people from the Main Universe have come to support this timeline?"

Gamora nodded. "Most likely. I strongly suspect that the Blood God has come as well."

"Utter nonsense. If the Blood God had come, Iron Man would have been dealt with long ago."

Ebony Maw snorted. "The Blood God is extremely powerful. Only Thanos can destroy him."

Ebony Maw had never met the Blood God, but Thanos mentioned the Blood God’s name every day, so he knew a great deal about him.

"This…"

Gamora had no response. If the Blood God had truly descended, a mere Iron Man could not possibly have been his opponent.

"The Blood God may have only sent an avatar."

Thanos said, "The Future Universe is sealed off, so his true body cannot enter. Of course, we cannot let down our guard. Ebony Maw, Gamora, monitor this war. I want all the intelligence.

"And make sure they do not discover you. I want to capture them all in one sweep and uncover every secret they possess."

"Yes, Thanos."

Ebony Maw and Gamora answered respectfully at the same time. Before leaving, they exchanged a glance, their eyes brimming with hostility.

"If the Blood God’s avatar is carrying out such an important mission, it definitely isn’t an ordinary avatar."

Thanos thought excitedly, Separated by an entire universe, even the Blood God cannot sense his own avatar. If I can capture this avatar, I can use him to ambush the Blood God.

Thanos did not think there was anything wrong with an ambush. After all, that was the Blood God. To defeat him, he had to use every means available.

"And those Infinity Stones. If I can uncover their secrets, fulfilling destiny will become much easier."

Thanos raised his hand and snapped his fingers with an intoxicated expression. "I am destiny!"

Two days later, the Benatar jumped to the nearest spatial node to the Solar System. Everyone remained on high alert as they cautiously headed toward the Solar System.

"Given Tony Stark’s arrogant personality, there’s an eighty percent chance he’ll attack us outside the Solar System. Rocket, prepare for battle."

Star-Lord reminded them. Everyone nodded. It was worth mentioning that Thor had recovered, but he did not seem much different from before. He was still just as fat and greasy.

In addition, Wang Bert was still aboard the ship in case anything unexpected happened.

To everyone’s surprise, Old Tony did not launch an attack outside the Solar System. The Benatar entered the Solar System smoothly. Just as everyone was wondering why, a massive figure appeared in space.

The figure belonged to a woman in green clothing wearing an Antler Helmet. Her body was covered in Infinity Stones, making her look like the ultimate nouveau riche.

There was no doubt that she was Loki. She laughed loudly. "My brother, you’ve finally returned. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time."

"This guy really knows how to put on an act."

Rocket mocked. Nebula added, "This is the least aristocratic prince I’ve ever seen. Or rather, princess."

"Loki, it’s great that you’re all right."

Thor first sighed in relief, then shouted through the communicator, "Loki, the Blood God said you were working hand in glove with that bastard Tony Stark. Is that true?"

"Working hand in glove? No, I’m saving Asgard."

Loki shook her head. "In the future, not only will Earth constantly suffer disasters, Asgard will as well. As long as you, Thor, remain a Super Hero, Asgard will never know peace.

"So I’m working with Iron Man to end the age of Super Heroes together. Thor, I will lead Asgard to become a race of gods once again. I am Asgard’s true savior."

Loki spread her arms and spoke with a proud expression. Wang Bert took one look and sighed. "What a perfect airport runway."

Everyone burst into laughter. Loki lowered her arms with a dark face. It was not her fault she was so flat, was it? Just like hair loss, it was a racial trait of Frost Giants.

"Shut up."

Thor glared at everyone, then said, "Loki, if you want Asgard, I can give it to you. I’m not cut out to be a king anyway."

This answer did not surprise Loki. She sneered. "Thor, I hate that arrogance of yours most of all. Stop talking nonsense. Today, I officially challenge you. The victor becomes king. The loser dies!"

"You’re challenging me? Loki, don’t joke around. From childhood until now, when have you ever beaten me?"

Thor shook his head and shouted, "I can give you anything you want. Even if we aren’t spouses, we’re still brothers. We shouldn’t kill each other."

Loki shouted impatiently, "Just because I couldn’t before doesn’t mean I can’t now. Thor, stop wasting words. Do you dare fight me?"

Thor hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can fight you, but if you lose, you have to return to our side. Our side, not my side. I think you understand what I mean."

Loki nodded. "Fine. If I lose, I’ll immediately surrender to you all. Thor, I’ll wait for you on the moon."

After saying that, Loki’s massive figure vanished. Rocket shouted, "There must be a conspiracy on the moon. Even the dumbest pig knows Loki isn’t your match."

"Conspiracy or not, I have to go to the moon. I have to bring Loki back."

"Go on. Let’s have some fun with Old Tony."

Wang Bert smiled. Loki challenging Thor to a duel did not surprise him. After all, everyone knew Loki’s personality.

"Okay."

Star-Lord nodded and piloted the ship toward the moon. There, Loki had used the Infinity Stones to construct a gigantic arena. The arena had air, gravity, and spectators—spectators from Asgard.

Of course, they were projections, not real people. They were on Earth, watching this battle through holographic projections.

Thor jumped from the ship and landed in the arena with a boom. Because he was too clumsy, he nearly fell over. Everyone on the ship wanted to cover their faces. It was too embarrassing.

Unlike Star-Lord and the others, the spectators immediately erupted into cheers when they saw Thor appear. Though Thor had become a fat man, though he had not handled affairs for five years, though Valkyrie was now the Queen, Thor was still their king in the hearts of all Asgardians!

I let you down before, but I won’t run away anymore. I’ll restore Asgard’s prosperity. At the very least, we can’t keep being fishermen.

Thor was deeply moved, and a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes before quickly turning cloudy again. To save Loki, he needed to put on an act for a while first.

Father, sister, Asgard, I won’t disappoint you again.

Star-Lord and the others did not leave the ship. They did not even dock on the moon, just in case. Everyone knew there was a trap on the moon.

At this moment, more than ten figures of light appeared in the spectator stands. They were the Super Heroes in Wakanda—Old Tony had not prevented Wakanda from connecting to the arena’s network.

"Valkyrie, do you feel abandoned?"

Listening to the cheers around them, Wang Bert smiled at Valkyrie as his Mental Projection disappeared.