Folger Castle had long been the ancestral seat of the Burton family, just as the Devonshires had once been hereditary earls.
Among the nobility, such things weren't particularly noteworthy.
But if one mentioned Edmund Burton—
And the four-foot-tall Transformer butler that resided within Folger Castle—
Then William couldn't help but connect the dots.
At the same time, he confirmed what he had suspected all along—
Odin wasn't just some ancient god pulling strings from behind the scenes for over a thousand years.
He had also been personally blending into human society for a long, long time.
After leaving the magical elf town, Odin instructed Thor and Loki to return to Asgard first.
Meanwhile, he transformed his appearance, changing into an elderly English nobleman—
Dressed in a tailored suit, wearing a hat, smoking a pipe, and carrying a walking cane.
"Let's go, Duke Devonshire."
"Don't tell me that even with the Space Stone, you need an old man like me to handle such a simple trip back to England?"
William rolled his eyes.
With a single thought, his Sentry Armor shifted into casual attire.
Placing a hand on Odin's shoulder, they instantly teleported to William's London estate—just a little over a hundred kilometers away from Folger Castle on the coast.
The time was now 4 PM London time.
Lena and Abigail were still at work, while Jesse, in William's absence, had taken bodyguards to France to inspect the Latour and Margaux wineries.
Honestly, William had no intention of introducing Odin to his family.
The last thing he wanted was for this old fox to weave his schemes around Lena and the others.
The two walked into the garage, where an array of sports cars and several Rolls-Royce Phantoms were lined up.
Odin's eyes immediately landed on a stretched Aston Martin Phantom, his lips curving into a smirk.
"Get me one of these, would you?"
"It shouldn't be too difficult for the owner of Aston Martin to arrange that, right?"
With a knowing smile, he added,
"It'd be nice to have a comfortable ride when I take my wife, Frigga, on a road trip in the future."
William scoffed.
"Who the hell takes a long road trip in a stretched luxury sedan?"
But to him, a car was as insignificant as a loaf of bread or a bottle of wine.
"Fine. If you don't mind that this one's been used once, I'll just give it to you."
"And if you're willing to wait a few days, I'll have Sunday design a luxury RV for you—something truly fit for a queen like Frigga."
Odin grinned happily as he got into the car, buckling his seatbelt with practiced ease.
"Thank you. From now on, I am Edmund Burton, the 12th Earl of Burton.
Understood, Duke Devonshire?"
William smirked.
"As you wish, sir."
Seeing how naturally Odin fastened his seatbelt, William rolled his eyes again.
With Odin in the passenger seat, he personally drove the hour-long journey to Folger Castle by the sea.
### A Transformer Tank?!
As they drove through the castle gates, they were immediately greeted by the roaring of an old Mark I tank from World War I.
William initially assumed it was just a scare tactic to intimidate uninvited guests.
But then—
His psychic scan detected the tank actually loading its cannon.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
Not about to let some rusty war machine fire at him, William waved his hand without hesitation.
"Wait—"
Odin tried to stop him, but William's psychic power was faster than his words.
In an instant, the twenty-ton tank spun violently, its turret turning at impossible speeds.
After several rotations, the centrifugal force—combined with a telekinetic push—flipped the tank upside down.
CRASH!
Lying belly-up on the castle lawn, the Transformer tank began to shift and transform.
Unfortunately, the machine was so ancient that its parts were literally falling off mid-transformation.
By the time it had finished morphing, the mechanical warrior had barely stood up before—
WHAM!
William yanked its head backward with three tons of telekinetic force—sending it crashing flat on its back again.
### "NO, NO, NO!"
Just as William was about to toss the scrap heap into the sea, a small Transformer butler—standing barely four feet tall—rushed out of the castle.
"Cease immediately!"
The butler hurried over to the fallen tank, scolding it loudly.
Then, noticing the Rolls-Royce Phantom, he peered through the windshield and spotted Odin.
His expression instantly brightened.
Running over to the car, he eagerly opened the door for Odin.
"Welcome home, my lord, Earl Burton."
Odin chuckled, stepping out with his walking cane.
"Ah, Kourtman, my old friend. It's been a long time."
He gestured toward William.
"Allow me to introduce Duke William Devonshire. I trust I don't need to explain who he is?"
The Transformer butler, Kourtman, gave a polite bow and said in a refined British accent,
"Indeed, my lord. In England, I believe even a three-year-old child knows who Duke Devonshire is."
Turning to William, he said,
"Welcome to Folger Castle, Your Grace. I am Kourtman, the head butler—but you may also call me Elder."
William nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"A pleasure, Mr. Butler."
He lifted his hand in a casual wave—but deliberately refrained from shaking hands.
He had zero interest in shaking hands with a silicon-based lifeform—let alone a butler.
### A Gift from Merlin?
Odin, noting William's subtle aversion, smirked and turned to Kourtman.
"Let's go, Kourtman.
Bring our guest inside and prepare some coffee and pastries—perhaps that will improve his mood."
"As you wish, my lord."
Leading them inside, Kourtman brought them through a long portrait gallery.
Odin was just about to introduce the figures in the paintings when William cut him off.
"Save it.
"I don't need a history lesson.
"These so-called Witwicky ancestors are obviously just you and Frigga using different disguises."
Odin's expression twitched in annoyance, while Kourtman silently left to prepare tea.
With a sigh, Odin said,
"Even if you figured it out, you didn't have to say it so bluntly."
"Do you know how much effort and treasure Frigga and I spent crafting the Witwicky family legend?"
William shrugged.
"Not my problem.
"Besides, it's not like you actually care."
Fixing Odin with a sharp look, he asked directly—
"Alright, enough nonsense.
"Why did you really bring me here?"
Odin hesitated briefly before answering.
"I know you're a powerful sorcerer.
But from the moment I started observing you, I noticed something—
You lack a proper weapon."
William raised an eyebrow—because that was actually true.
Seeing his reaction, Odin grinned.
"In that case—
How about a legendary staff once wielded by the great wizard Merlin?"
______
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