Treason

Hall of Governance, Golden Palace.

While Li Feng was still struggling to seal an Eternal Fire, Odin received a report from a guard: the Mage who had saved the Queen had not only accepted a full suit of armor made primarily from Uru Metal, but had also shamelessly extorted a Personal Space spell.

Too greedy. Though his heart ached, Odin showed no displeasure on his face. I am a wise ruler. How can I show resentment at a time like this?

After pondering for a while, Odin ordered, "The Queen has only just recovered from a serious illness. Do not disturb her rest. Have someone copy the Personal Space spell into a book and deliver it to the Mage. I believe a Mage proficient in time can understand the principles of the spell himself."

What Odin meant was that since Li Feng was even proficient in spells involving time, he could surely understand a spell like Personal Space in no time.

As for his true thoughts, Odin did not believe Li Feng could cast Personal Space without guidance in less than three to five years.

By then, would Li Feng strut around in his armor, or leave it gathering dust in a warehouse?

The guard had no idea what Odin was thinking. He merely assumed Odin was worried about Frigga, since she really was very weak at the moment.

After confirming that Odin had agreed to hand over the spell, the guard respectfully bowed and left the Hall of Governance to prepare the Personal Space spell for Li Feng.

Not long after, Odin was discussing with his ministers how to withstand the Dark Elves’ next attack after the Golden Palace’s defense system had been destroyed by the Cursed Warrior when Thor entered the Hall of Governance in high spirits.

Before Thor could speak, Odin dismissed the guards and ministers, then asked, "What treasure did Li Feng choose?"

Thor, who had long been used to calling Li Feng "Austin," froze for a moment. Once he realized that Odin meant Austin, he said casually, "He collected an Eternal Fire."

Odin’s mouth twitched. Damn it.

But allowing Li Feng into the treasury to seek treasure had been Odin’s own decree. What could he do? Tell Li Feng that the Eternal Fire was connected to Asgard’s Ragnarok and make him choose another treasure?

He was a king whose word was law. How could he go back on his word? This was not the battlefield, where deception and intrigue were commonplace.

Fine. This time, he had truly suffered a huge loss.

"I understand," Odin said in a faintly sorrowful tone, though inwardly he wanted nothing more than to turn Li Feng into a specimen and hang him from the Golden Palace roof. "Is there anything else?"

Thor hesitated before asking, "I haven’t seen Jane since Mother was injured yesterday."

Brat, I knew that was what you wanted to ask. Odin said irritably, "I ordered Jane imprisoned."

"Why?" Thor asked in confusion.

"Why?" Leaning on his spear, Odin walked up to Thor and demanded sternly, "Why did the Dark Elves come to Asgard? Why was your mother seriously injured? Now that we have lost our defenses, you are still thinking about that Earth woman?"

Thor, clearly declaring that he wanted the beauty rather than the throne, retorted, "Jane is also a victim. The Aether is not something she can discard whenever she wants. Besides…" Thor lowered his head dejectedly. "Jane does not have much time left. We have to find a way to save her."

Save her? Odin sneered. She was merely an Earth woman. As a wise king, he did not even need to harden his heart or grit his teeth to decide to abandon her.

Besides, as long as Jane remained in his hands, Malekith would come to him himself. Then Odin could avenge Malekith’s destruction of Asgard and the grave injuries he had inflicted on his wife.

If possible, Odin even wanted to turn Malekith into a dried corpse and hang him at the highest point of Asgard, warning every cosmic civilization hostile to Asgard.

I am not someone to be trifled with.

"You have a way to save her?" Odin asked disdainfully.

Clearly, Odin did not believe Thor had a way to remove the Aether from Jane’s body, at least not in Asgard.

Who would have thought that Thor nodded slightly?

Odin froze. What the hell? I, an Asgardian King, just said Jane was beyond saving, and you immediately slap me in the face? Are you really my biological son?

As Odin stood there in bewilderment, Thor explained, "I will take Jane to the Dark World and have Malekith remove the Aether from her body. That will draw the Dark Elves away from Asgard and prevent Asgard from coming under enemy attack."

"Furthermore, once Malekith removes the Aether, its power will be greatly weakened. We can take the opportunity to destroy the Aether and wipe out the Dark Elves once and for all."

Odin could not help rolling his eyes. Speechless, he said, "What if you fail? The Aether will fall into Malekith’s hands, and the Dark Elves will only become stronger—"

Before Odin could finish, Thor interrupted, "But we have lost our defensive capabilities. Sitting here and waiting for death will only leave our people suffering under the flames of war. Malekith’s warship may even be above our heads right now; we simply cannot detect it. Once he launches a surprise attack, our people will be drowned in blood in an instant."

For the people? That sounded nice, but in truth, you only wanted to save your girlfriend. Odin spread his hands and said, "You overestimate Malekith’s strength. You were able to disfigure him with a single blow. I can kill him with one blow as well. So as long as he appears, I will ensure he comes but never leaves, dying without even a burial place."

Seeing that even invoking "the interests of the people" could not convince his father to approve the plan, Thor said excitedly, "But if we do this, many people will die!"

When did war not claim lives? Besides, this concerns my dignity. I must let every civilization in the universe know that Asgard is not a place where one can come and go as they please.

And I am old. Perhaps this will be my final great achievement carved upon my tombstone. I want the people of Asgard to see with their own eyes how their king protects them. Odin said firmly, "Your plan is too risky. I cannot agree to it. We are Asgardians. We must fight, fight until the last person falls, fight until the last drop of blood is shed."

The stubborn Thor could not wrap his head around it. He simply could not understand Odin’s inner thoughts. All he knew was that the Asgardian King who had once taught him to care for the people had changed.

Seeing that Odin insisted on risking the people’s lives to wage war against Malekith in Asgard, Thor fell silent for a moment before saying, "What is the difference between you and that warmonger Malekith?"

After saying that, Thor did not wait for Odin’s answer. He bowed and silently headed out, only to hear several cold laughs behind him.

"The difference is that I won, while Malekith can serve as a warning."

Thor paused, looked back at Odin’s retreating figure, said nothing, and merely quickened his pace as he left the Hall of Governance.

Since Odin had ignored Jane’s life, Thor decided to handle the matter his own way. But that meant defying Odin’s orders and committing treason.

After leaving the Hall of Governance, Thor looked toward the Bifrost. I cannot carry out the plan to save Jane alone. I need help. But it is one thing for me to commit treason. At worst, I can use this chance to be exiled to Earth and spend my days being lovey-dovey with Jane.

But my friends who help me will suffer.

Thinking of this, Thor decided to contact Heimdall first and test the waters. After all, Heimdall could notice everything happening in Asgard at any time. If Heimdall was unwilling to help, Thor felt he might as well go wash up and sleep.

That evening, with Odin having ordered the Bifrost shut down, the idle Heimdall accepted Thor’s invitation and arrived at a tavern.

Heimdall did not think too much about it. Since the Bifrost was closed and he could not find the Dark Elves anyway, he might as well strengthen his relationship with the future Asgardian King.

After all, Odin was old. Who knew when he might kick the bucket? As the still relatively young guardian of the Bifrost, Heimdall was destined to work under Thor in the future.

Building a relationship with one’s future superior was perfectly normal in the workplace, was it not?

Only when Heimdall arrived at the tavern did he realize that this was not about drinking and bonding at all. Thor wanted him to commit treason.

After all, he had sworn an oath to Odin. For as long as Odin remained king, he could not disobey the king’s orders, nor could he conceal anything from him.

But Thor had come prepared today. He had even prepared a whole basketful of speeches.

In the end, after Thor appealed to both emotion and reason, Heimdall, figuring that Odin did not have many years left anyway, chose to side with the future king.

To show his loyalty, Heimdall promised not to report Jane’s whereabouts to Odin immediately.

After that, Thor, pleased with himself, contacted Li Feng, Sif, and four other close companions and summoned them to the tavern.

The moment Li Feng received Thor’s invitation, he guessed what Thor was planning. Damn it, Odin is looking for an excuse to take back the reward. Only an idiot would get mixed up with you.

So at first, Li Feng refused, claiming that he was busy studying the Eternal Fire and learning Personal Space.

Unfortunately, Thor was thinking clearly this time. Using the excuse of thanking Li Feng for saving Frigga, he brought Sif and the other four over with several barrels of liquor. At the door, he signaled to the guards that they were going to drink their fill and had them find some snacks to go with the alcohol.

Once the guards had left, Thor impatiently explained his plan and intentions.

"Malekith can sense where the Aether is. He will certainly return, and with our defenses gone, it will be difficult for us to resist immediately. Asgard will become a battlefield then, so we need to move Jane out of Asgard."

On the surface, Thor’s words sounded righteous and flawless, but everyone present knew what kind of person Thor was. No one believed his nonsense.

Especially Sif, who considered herself Thor’s true match, immediately objected, "But the Bifrost is closed, the Tesseract is locked in the treasury, and most importantly, Heimdall—"

Before Sif could finish, Thor said that he had already won Heimdall over. All that remained was figuring out how to move Jane out of Asgard.

"The way to leave Asgard is right here." As he spoke, Thor looked at Li Feng and said, "Jane’s room has a defensive barrier, so you cannot open a Portal there. You will need to act with Sif. Once Sif destroys the defensive barrier, immediately take Jane out of Asgard. Then come back for the rest of us."

Li Feng blinked, inwardly on the verge of tears. Brother, I have not agreed to join your plan yet. Can you not just drag me into your suicidal scheme so casually?

"Where do you want me to open the Portal? If it is within Asgard, that is fine, but opening a Portal that leaves Asgard is beyond my abilities."

After saying that, Li Feng explained to Thor the conditions required to open a Portal.