"It's fine, Thor. That Midgardian hasn't left yet."
Odin looked at Thor's regretful expression. Though he wanted to scold him, he also didn't want to humiliate him in front of Loki.
Raising Gungnir, he took a few steps forward and gazed toward the area outside the valley—where William's real body remained hidden.
"If you haven't been acknowledged by the stone, then for your own safety, you should entrust it to me for safekeeping.
But if the stone has already accepted you, then even if I wanted to take it back, it would be impossible.
Midgardian child, we should talk."
Talk?
Talk about what? William had no interest in fighting Odin, who only had a few years left to live. If the old man weren't here, he would have already beaten Thor and Loki so badly they'd question their very existence.
No matter how powerful Mjolnir was, it was useless if it couldn't hit its target. Besides, even if it did, it couldn't smash through Iron Man's armor in one strike.
Right now, William was wearing a sentry battlesuit with extraordinary physical defenses.
As for lightning? The more, the better.
"Father?"
After waiting a while with no response from William, Thor frowned and asked Odin, "Could that Midgardian be too scared to come out after I struck him?"
"Hmm?"
Both Odin and Loki turned to Thor in confusion. Was this truly what Thor believed, or was he trying to provoke William?
Loki grew wary—could his seemingly reckless and brute-force brother actually be a master at playing dumb?
Odin, however, quickly realized from Thor's expression that he genuinely believed William was too afraid to engage in close combat.
After waiting a few more seconds with no response, Odin shook his head. He was just about to consider whether to personally visit Earth to meet William when—
The sound of hooves echoed from behind. Turning around, he saw Christine riding her giant elk.
Odin's eyes immediately locked onto the gilded staff in Christine's hands—or rather, the gemstone embedded in it.
He recalled memories from before he ascended the throne.
"Father?"
Seeing Odin staring at the elf, Thor called out in confusion, while Loki followed Odin's gaze and took note of the magical staff Christine was holding.
A thought struck him—was this the so-called treasure of the Light Elves?
Odin snapped out of his thoughts, only to see Loki fixated on the staff.
His heart sank.
He silently regretted focusing too much on William and not entering the magical barrier sooner to speak with Christine.
More importantly, he hadn't expected Christine—who never met with outsiders—to come out on her own accord.
Meanwhile, outside the valley, William, too, was staring intently at Christine's gilded staff—just like Loki.
His eyes were fixed on the bright yellow gemstone.
With a single glance, William immediately identified it—it was the Mind Stone, one of the Infinity Stones.
Now, he understood why Odin had attacked him and his sentry robots so aggressively earlier.
But if the movies were accurate, wasn't the Mind Stone Staff supposed to be in the hands of the Chitauri? How did it end up here—with the Light Elves?
The only explanation was that Loki must have leaked information to the Chitauri or Thanos, prompting them to steal it from the Light Elves before handing it to Loki to cause havoc on Earth.
Since the movies never explained the exact origin of the staff, William didn't dwell on it.
The real question was: how could he obtain the Mind Stone right under the noses of Odin and his sons?
At the same time, he now understood why Christine had sought help from Asgard.
And he was incredibly thankful that he hadn't stormed into the elven town himself.
Instead, he had let his soulless sentry robots take the lead, keeping them between himself and the town at all times.
Otherwise, he might have fallen victim to the Mind Stone's ability to control minds.
As for whether Christine could fully utilize the staff's power, William had no doubts whatsoever.
If the Light Elves had possessed the staff for a long time, they had surely figured out how to use it.
In fact, the staff itself was probably crafted by the Light Elves.
"Good day, mighty Odin," Christine greeted.
Still seated atop her elk, she inclined her head toward Odin, nodded at Thor, and then completely ignored Loki—who had been grinning just moments before.
Loki's expression darkened instantly. He subtly glanced at Christine's staff before falling silent.
But Christine didn't need to look at them directly to know their thoughts.
While she couldn't read their minds, she could clearly sense who harbored ill intentions toward her and who coveted her staff.
That was why she completely disregarded Loki.
Frowning, she turned to Odin and said, "As per our agreement, you should not have brought these two to see me."
"Father?"
Loki merely smirked, but Thor frowned at his father in frustration.
"You two stay here," Odin commanded.
Then, he gave Loki a meaningful warning glance before following Christine into the elven town.
Once inside, Christine dismissed all the magical elves.
After a few pleasantries, Odin got straight to the point.
"Christine, you should return to Asgard with me. This place is no longer safe."
He glanced back toward the valley entrance, where William remained hidden.
"The man outside already possesses the Space Stone.
If he understands the significance of the Infinity Stones, then you are his next target."
Christine hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
"Rather than worrying about that outsider, I am far more concerned about the dark-haired man you brought with you.
He is the real threat."
"Loki?" Odin's expression shifted.
He wanted to refute her words, but he knew better.
Christine, wielding the Mind Stone, could see through a person's true nature.
The fact that she only pointed out Loki—and not the seemingly more aggressive and reckless Thor—aligned with Odin's own thoughts.
When Odin first took Loki from the Frost Giant King Laufey, it was meant to be as a hostage.
But after thousands of years, even a heart as firm as Odin's couldn't avoid developing a fatherly attachment.
Of course, this affection would never outweigh his devotion to his true son, Thor.
If necessary, he would use Loki as a stepping stone for Thor's growth.
Still, as long as Loki did not threaten Asgard's rule or safety, Odin found himself hesitant to outright deny or eliminate him.
"It seems I truly am getting old," Odin murmured.
"I keep hoping that my two sons will one day shoulder my responsibilities together as brothers."
"Ahem."
Before Odin could continue, Christine cleared her throat, interrupting him.
"Odin, you cannot relinquish your responsibilities just yet.
As I—and my mother—have told you for thousands of years, the Dark Elves were never completely eradicated.
When you finally kill Malekith, only then will I plant the Life Tree."
______
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