The Timing Had Never Been Right

"Then let’s assume, just assume, that the Valkyrie Legion was wiped out by Goddess of Death Hela."

"Which forced God King Odin to erase every trace of her existence, leaving you unaware that she had ever existed."

"Then that raises a question."

"Lacey was so certain back then that Goddess of Death Hela was your sister."

"But Goddess of Death Hela has also been gone for many years."

"Is Goddess of Death Hela alive now, or did she die along with the traces of her existence being erased?"

"If she is still alive, could she possibly continue contributing to the Nine Realms?"

Tony looked at Thor and Loki as he spoke.

"If Goddess of Death Hela really is our sister…"

"Given Father’s personality, being able to bring himself to erase her existence was already the limit of what he could do."

"It was unlikely that he could bring himself to kill Hela outright."

"So, in all likelihood, Goddess of Death Hela is still alive."

"But no one knows where she is. If we cannot even find her, there is no point discussing whether she would be willing to continue contributing to the Nine Realms."

Thor thought about how Father had treated and punished them in the past before speaking.

He had nearly sparked an ancient war and plunged the Nine Realms back into endless conflict. It could be said that was something utterly intolerable.

Yet Father had only stripped him of his Godly Power and banished him to Midgard.

In the end, once he realized the responsibilities he bore and regained Mjolnir’s recognition, he had been able to return to Asgard.

The same was true for Loki. Although he had committed grave mistakes and caused chaos on Earth, Father had never intended to kill him. Instead, he had hoped Loki could awaken and grow.

Therefore, Thor did not believe Father would kill Hela directly.

"Should we ask Father about this in detail?"

Upon hearing this, Loki looked at Thor and asked for his opinion.

To be honest, he had not expected that he had merely come with Thor to the Void Cult to find Tony Stark, thank him for sparing his life last time, and hopefully build a friendship.

Yet from Tony Stark, he had learned things he had never known before.

"If Hela’s strength truly is second only to Father’s, and she can protect the Nine Realms, then the Nine Realms would indeed become much more secure."

"Even if she is unwilling to protect the Nine Realms, it is still necessary to learn her exact whereabouts."

"Once we return, let’s ask."

Thor did not hesitate long after hearing Loki’s question and made a decision directly.

No one would complain about having too many allies, especially when Thor was about to become Asgard’s king.

Naturally, he hoped that more people could join hands with him to protect Asgard, not to mention that this Hela might truly be his sister.

As fellow Asgardian gods, as long as Hela’s heart was also with Asgard, they could work together.

If Hela hated Asgard, then learning her exact whereabouts would also allow them to prepare for a sudden attack from her.

"It seems we share the same opinion…"

Seeing that Thor had answered without hesitation, Loki smiled.

He had witnessed Thanos’s terror, and based on his own speculation, along with Tony’s earlier hints, Father might truly be nearing the end of his life.

However, even Tyrannosaurus Lacey, whom Tony Stark had mentioned, could not possibly know something like that.

So it was not difficult for Loki to guess where Tony Stark had learned it. Without even thinking, it had to have come from Great God of the Void Kassadin.

It was also because Father’s end was near that he had given the Infinity Stones to Great God of the Void Kassadin.

He hoped to leave the two brothers—or rather, Asgard itself—with a lifeline.

As long as Great God of the Void Kassadin remembered this favor, then even if Asgard encountered disaster in the future and its situation plummeted…

Great God of the Void Kassadin would still preserve some embers for Asgard, allowing it to continue on.

This lifeline might never be needed, but when considering the future, rather than hoping for the best, it was more important to account for every possible terrible circumstance. That was why they had to leave themselves a way out.

He had only formed this suspicion through Father’s heartfelt conversation, where Father had seemed to be arranging his final affairs and hoping Loki and Thor could join hands to protect Asgard. Still, he could not be certain.

Yet Great God of the Void Kassadin seemed to have long since confirmed that Father’s end was approaching.

That was why he had agreed to accept the Reality Stone and promised to protect Asgard after God King Odin’s death.

Thinking of this made Loki’s skin crawl.

He was certain that Father and Great God of the Void Kassadin had never formally met.

Yet Great God of the Void Kassadin seemed extremely familiar with Asgard and understood Father as well.

Father must have been incomparably wary of Great God of the Void Kassadin too.

"If you learn anything afterward, be sure to tell us and satisfy our curiosity."

"We can guarantee that we will never spread it around."

Seeing that Thor and Loki intended to return and ask Odin, Tony spoke.

"Of course. You and Banner have already told us so much."

"And regarding Goddess of Death Hela, we must get to the bottom of this."

Thor nodded and agreed.

"Then it’s settled."

"Let’s stop talking about this for now."

"It’s rare for you brothers to visit Void Island together. We’ll show you around."

"Maybe we’ll have a chance to run into Miss Sonia."

Seeing Thor agree, Tony stood up and changed the subject with a smile.

"Good. I was waiting for you to say that."

Thor picked up Tony’s words and temporarily set Hela’s matter aside. No matter how much they speculated, without confirmation, it would remain nothing more than speculation.

There was little use in overthinking or discussing it further. They might as well set it aside for now and relax a little.

"If I come along, won’t I be met with nothing but cold stares?"

Loki was somewhat tempted when he heard they would be touring Void Island, but he also had some concerns.

After all, when he came last time, he had nearly provoked everyone’s wrath and almost died on Void Island.

Only a little over a year had passed. Those people probably had not forgotten him so quickly.

"It’s fine. They may still have some opinions about you."

"But as long as you mention Great God of the Void Kassadin less often, there should not be a problem."

Tony was not particularly worried.

Since they all possessed overwhelming strength and could freely do whatever they wanted, most Void Cult members were not petty people.

"Should not be? At a time like this, shouldn’t you be saying there definitely won’t be a problem?"

Loki spoke after hearing Tony’s words.

"I want to, but I cannot completely control what other people think."

"The Void Cult advocates equality for everyone. Don’t be fooled by how well I’m doing; in terms of status…"

"I’m not much different from the other Void Cult members. It’s impossible for me to order them around."

Tony looked helpless as he spoke.

"Loki, we came here to clear up the misunderstanding, so we need to show some sincerity."

"Tony would not suddenly try to harm you at a time like this either."

"Just make sure you do not mention Great God of the Void Kassadin later."

Seeing that Loki did not seem to want to go, Thor spoke seriously.

"The timing of you two coming to clear up the misunderstanding is actually quite good."

"The Void Cult members from Mogri left a week ago, so they are not on the island right now."

"Otherwise, once you arrived, they would definitely hear about what you did on the island before."

"Even if you two came to clear up the misunderstanding, you might still run into some trouble."

Tony spoke after hearing this.

Tony was not trying to scare them, because that was simply Lex’s obsessive personality. He treated those he considered companions extremely well, but showed no mercy whatsoever to those he considered enemies.

During the Battle of Xandar, he and Renoli had secretly competed, but neither of them had included Lex.

That was because Lex had led dozens of members from Mogri, and their slaughter had simply been far too fast.

Hearing that he had arrived at just the right time, Loki inwardly grumbled that his timing had never been right.

If Tony had not been there during his last visit, he would have fled long ago after learning a few things.

"Are the Void Cult members from Mogri special in some way?"

Thor became interested when he heard that.

"The members on Void Island are already filled with reverence for Great God of the Void Kassadin. You two should have seen that yourselves before."

Tony spoke.

Thor recalled the situation Loki had been in when he saw it through the Universal Communicator last time, and nodded.

"But compared to those fanatics from Mogri, the members on Void Island are still not nearly as extreme."

"Especially Lex the Yama. He is the most devout and obsessive among them."

"And he is extremely powerful."

Tony spoke.

"Very powerful? Once the misunderstanding is resolved, I hope I will have a chance to meet him."

Thor said with a smile upon hearing Tony’s words.

"Once the misunderstanding is resolved, there will be a chance."

"But before that, Loki needs to earn the forgiveness of the other members on Void Island."

"Only then, when Lex hears about it later, will he not hold it against Loki."

Tony said with a smile.

Afterward, Tony and Banner led Thor and Loki around the island.

"By the way, Tony, where do the Void Cult members usually train and improve their strength?"

Now that he knew they would be touring the island, Thor asked what he was most curious about.

The Void Cult’s members as a whole were all incredibly powerful. Although that had much to do with the blessing, it was certainly inseparable from training as well.

"As for places to train and improve strength, there are generally the training grounds, the sports arena, and the gravity chambers."

"If you want to see them, I can take you there before we go eat."

Tony was not surprised that Thor was interested in the Void Cult members’ training environment, and he answered with a smile.

Other than several villas belonging to Harvey, which were forbidden areas that no one could enter without permission, most places on Void Island were open for visitors to see.

The third update, three thousand words delivered.