Afterward, Kain listened to Hermione's reforms for the wizarding world.
The direction was good—complacency would likely lead to ruin—but Hermione's methods were a bit too kind. The decision made two years ago was still being opposed today, which showed a lack of internal cleansing and unity.
Ten years ago, Hogwarts students boarded a steam-powered magic train, and ten years later, they still do. Meanwhile, the Muggle world continues to advance, and soon, their trains will become high-speed, with even greater detection capabilities.
If Muggles invent an advanced electromagnetic detection device and discover large numbers of wizards living right under their noses, it could lead to war.
It's wise to establish cooperation early. If it were up to Kain, his methods would likely be more radical than Hermione's.
Still, Hermione had done well—most people wouldn't even dare think about such things. Grindelwald, a century ago, was far more radical than Hermione ever imagined.
The wizarding world now offered little of value to Kain, but goblin craftsmanship remained noteworthy.
If not for suppression by human wizards, goblin craftwork would likely be far more advanced today. Goblins seemed born with talent in this area, and there were very few alchemists who could compare.
In the wizarding world, aside from Nicolas and Kain, goblins were the strongest in alchemy.
However, under increasing wizard oppression, many goblins had turned to Kain's potion material store. Now, numerous goblins had signed cooperative contracts with him and would be working for him going forward.
These were cooperation contracts—not unlike skilled labor agreements in the Muggle world. Goblins had excellent craftsmanship, but at this rate, their skills would eventually become absorbed entirely into Kain's business.
Fleur had played a major role in this. She had joined the potion material store early on and now served as the head store manager for France, Germany, Italy, and Austria. She could mobilize millions of Galleons at any time, and even the Ministers of Magic had to show her respect.
Kain hadn't paid much attention to the wizarding world for a while, but its development had surprised him. This was enough for now. The general direction was sound, and the rest could be left to unfold naturally.
Next, Hermione needed a stable long-term strategy while also cultivating successors.
Though it felt odd to start grooming a successor at the age of twenty, the wizarding world no longer held much value for Kain.
Hermione herself had already surpassed everything else in the wizarding world. Even if her relationship with Kain were set aside, her talent and growth alone were enough to earn his respect.
She had successfully condensed the magic vortex and inherited all of Kain's magic knowledge except alchemy. She was now undoubtedly the most powerful wizard alive.
The magic vortex was the foundation of Kain's vision of becoming a magic god. It allowed wizards to continuously accumulate magical power and break through the previous limits.
Hermione's magical reserves now exceeded those of any other wizard. Kain had assessed her and found that she could shield the entire Hogwarts with a protective spell that would take a whole day to break.
In the following days, Kain projected a Holy Grail into the wizarding world.
This projection served not only as a "portal" but also as a world coordinate linking to the fate world.
The system's world-trading coordinates allowed only Kain to travel freely, but with the Holy Grail projection, there was no need for him to act as the constant "transporter" between worlds.
Though the wizarding world only had Hermione and Fleur, other worlds were far busier, and being the sole travel facilitator would have been too much of a burden.
Creating the Holy Grail projection wasn't difficult. Kain could even recreate the Holy Grail itself.
However, it was necessary to simulate a magic source within the wizarding world. Fortunately, after some effort, Kain successfully designed a magic circle large enough to cover London.
He didn't place it in the city center, though—instead, he set it up on the outskirts of London.
Meanwhile, Hermione was shifting her political strategy. She began selecting individuals who were better suited to the Ministry's new direction. Percy Weasley emerged as a fitting candidate—closely connected to a Muggle-friendly family and hungry for power.
With Hermione's support, Percy would likely carry out her resolutions within the Ministry.
Many Muggle-borns were also being promoted, while many pure-blood wizards were relegated to tedious or idle work, distancing them from the Ministry's power core.
Hermione and Fleur occasionally attended dances that welcomed both wizards and common folk.
Kain was dragged along twice, much to his reluctance. Hermione, however, had a touch of vanity and wanted to introduce Kain to others.
In the end, Kain agreed, moved by Hermione's bashful gestures and expressions.
The Weasleys, however, were unaware of this relationship. Hermione kept it hidden, knowing they might not take it well if they found out.
The days that followed were comfortable for Kain. Aside from accompanying Hermione and Fleur to a few dances, he also completed the setup of the Holy Grail projection's magic circle near London.
During this time, he visited old acquaintances—Dumbledore and Scamander—and spent some time chatting with them.
More than a month passed quickly.
Although arranging the magic circle was tedious, it wasn't difficult for Kain. With the successful placement of the final underground magic connection point, the Holy Grail of the wizarding world was instantly linked to the Holy Grail of the Kamuifate world.
"That should do it," Kain thought.
"The projection Holy Grail can also grant abilities. If Hermione receives a gift, it should be material transformation—something that would complement a wizard's magic well. As for Fleur, a healing or hallucination ability would suit her better."
He knew neither Hermione nor Fleur would be interested in more aggressive or flashy powers. Melee magic was a man's fantasy; most women simply wouldn't understand. What they desired was strength and eternal youth.
Still, Kain hadn't come here for nothing—he collected a batch of mithril, various enchanted metals, and magical creatures crafted by goblins. The Hive Research Laboratory continued its cutting-edge work and had become one of Earth's most advanced scientific institutions.
In the field of biological genetic engineering, it even ranked first across the universe.
After gathering everything he intended to take, Kain brought Hermione and Fleur to the Holy Grail and had them sign a contract with it.
"Success."
The moment the contract was signed, Kain felt Hermione's and Fleur's soul imprints appear on the main Holy Grail in the Kamuifate world.
He then shared the good news with them: as long as they continued to absorb cosmic energy, they would never age.
"Godfather..."
"Mr. Kain..."
Their eyes glistened with tears. They had received many blessings lately, but this was the one that made them happiest of all.
That night, the sound of a shaking and crashing bed echoed for quite a while.
It was nearly noon the next day when Kain finally got out of bed.
With the Holy Grail projection complete, Kain's main purpose in visiting the wizarding world was fulfilled. Still, he lingered at the "Godfather" estate for a few more days before returning to the Marvel world—richer in both resources and satisfaction.
"The wizarding world is settled. The ninja world, pirate world, and Resident Evil world... those don't really matter much anymore."
If not for the world-trading coordinates flashing on his system panel, Kain might've forgotten about the Resident Evil world entirely.
Though Alicia was his goddaughter, back then, Kain had merely wanted to leverage Umbrella's resources. Still, he had taken good care of her, almost becoming the 'son' of the biochemical world.
He had simply stopped visiting over time.
After the Hive Laboratory in New York completed the aircraft carrier project and made significant technological breakthroughs, the Resident Evil world had little left to offer Kain.
It no longer held value—he already had infinite resources from the Infinity Stones, and he'd transferred all useful technology to the Marvel world.
Without supernatural power, the Resident Evil world had little to contribute now.
"Still, I should go. She is my goddaughter. If Alicia's doing fine, I won't bother her again. I've already gained plenty from that world."
Kain decided that this time, he would formally pass all of Umbrella's power to Alicia. There were still some hidden forces lying dormant. Although Kain had mostly contained the bio-crisis back then, there were still small-scale outbreaks.
He had collected those infected zombies and didn't waste them. By enhancing them with the G-virus, he had evolved a number of powerful, yet fully controllable, zombie units.
There were five or six thousand in total—enough to destroy an entire world if unleashed.
Kain intended to give them to Alicia. He no longer had a use for them. In the Marvel world, he had an entire army of biomechanical warriors.
With Umbrella's current military strength, wiping out minor civilizations was no problem.
"Here—this is Asgard. Stay here for now. It's a mess at the moment, so don't wander around!"
Thor had returned via the Rainbow Bridge, and with him came a group of Earthlings, which left Heimdall looking exasperated—though with his dark complexion, it was hard to tell.
"Thor, my duty is to protect Asgard and prevent unauthorized—"
"Hahaha! Heimdall! It's been too long. I'll bring you some good wine later—I got plenty of great stuff from Earth this time! Hahaha! Come on, follow me!"
Heimdall glanced at Thor helplessly, then turned back to gaze at the universe and the starry sky.
"Go quickly. Asgard needs to regain its strength. But make sure you settle those people—you brought with you—properly. The invaders only left a short while ago."
"Invaders? I see. Let's go back and take a look."
Thor immediately grew anxious upon hearing this, and quickly led Steve and the others away.
Bringing so many mortals to Asgard at once was definitely against protocol. If Loki were still acting as king, Heimdall would never have allowed it and might have expelled them on the spot.
But the situation had changed. Loki had left Asgard with a group of followers. Although Odin remained in his enchanted sleep, Queen Frigga now governed the realm. With her in charge, Thor figured bringing a few guests to settle temporarily in Asgard should be acceptable.
As they walked across the Rainbow Bridge, Thor took the time to explain Asgardian customs and rules to Steve and the others. Though he had just regained his divine power through Mjolnir, technically speaking, bringing so many Earthlings here at once was still improper. It wasn't ideal for mortals to reside in Asgard.
However, after spending some time with Steve and his team, Thor found himself admiring them. And as someone who understood the power of the Tesseract, he was uncomfortable with it being in the hands of outsiders—especially someone with ambition.
That wasn't something he had been told by Steve, but something he had sensed himself.
Thor knew that once Earth's civilization expanded into space, it would no longer be under Asgard's rule or protection. Worse, it might send an implicit signal of war to the greater universe.
As they stepped off the Rainbow Bridge and into the ruined streets of Asgard, Thor immediately barked orders.
"Hogun, Fandral—secure the perimeter. Sif, take them to my residence."
With that, he rushed toward Asgard's highest golden palace.
On the way, many Asgardians greeted him cheerfully, relieved at the return of their prince. Others hurried to guide him and explain what had happened in his absence.
After Loki's departure, the Frost Giants had suddenly launched an attack. Though Heimdall had detected the threat, the Frost Giants' long-prepared assault still succeeded in breaching Asgard's defenses.
Not only did they cause significant destruction across the city, but they also staged a feint to assassinate the sleeping Odin. In reality, their true objective was the royal prison, where they broke in and freed all the inmates.
The attack had dealt a heavy blow to Asgard. With Frigga staying by Odin's side, Loki having fled with a group of followers, Thor and the Warriors Three on Earth, and Heimdall bound to the Rainbow Bridge, there had been no one to command the defense.
Now, the damaged parts of Asgard could only be gradually rebuilt.
Thor asked urgently, "Where did Loki go?"
The captain of the Asgardian guard shook his head. "We don't know. They didn't use any of Asgard's ships, and we haven't been able to make contact."
With no way to track Loki, Thor prioritized seeing his mother. After confirming that Frigga and Odin were unharmed, he took responsibility for restoring Asgard and began organizing recovery efforts.
Originally, Thor had hoped to speak with Odin about the Tesseract and Earth's situation, but since Odin showed no signs of waking, he put that aside. For now, his focus had to be on stabilizing the realm—guarding against further Frost Giant attacks, capturing escaped criminals, and retaliating against the Frost Giants when the time came.
It didn't look like he'd get any rest soon.
Just then, Sif arrived at the Golden Palace, her expression serious.
"Thor, I'm going to Earth," she said.
Thor blinked. "What for? Didn't we just return?"
"Lorelai escaped during the prison break. I'm certain she's fled to Earth. If we don't hunt her down quickly, she'll form an army and threaten the Nine Realms all over again."
At the mention of Lorelai's name, Thor paused to think, then nodded.
"Alright. Do you need help?"
"No," Sif said, shaking her head. "I can handle her alone. It wouldn't be good to send others."
She was right. Lorelai possessed a bewitching power over men—anyone male was simply a tool to her. Sif alone would be more than enough.
Thor placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come back soon. And if anything goes wrong, just send a message to Heimdall. I'll come help."
…
patreon.com/Vks_sh