Of course, the person Thor mentioned was not himself, nor was it his brother Loki.
After a period of adjustment and adaptation, Thor and Loki worked together to ensure a smooth transition of power in Asgard after the change in rulers.
During this time, the two also had some minor disagreements, due to certain differences in their philosophies.
But at the same time, they gained a clearer understanding of each other's capabilities and their own shortcomings.
Now, Asgard could not do without Loki, and even Thor had grown accustomed to consulting his brother on many matters. Under these circumstances, how could he possibly push Loki away?
Moreover, Loki himself would not be willing to go back to Ethan's place, he did not mind visiting occasionally for fun, though.
The person Thor mentioned was actually Thanos' adopted daughter, Nebula, who had come to Asgard with Ronan last time and unfortunately became a prisoner during the war.
After a period of imprisonment and interrogation, Thor discovered that although Nebula was Thanos' adopted daughter, she had no gratitude toward her adoptive father and was solely focused on killing Thanos.
Loki was initially skeptical about this, but after repeated tests, it seemed that Nebula's words were her genuine thoughts.
Considering the origins of Thanos' adopted daughters, it was not entirely unreasonable for them to have such feelings.
Furthermore, a large part of Nebula's body had been modified, which suggested her childhood was likely unhappy. It was not surprising that she harbored deep-seated hatred for Thanos.
After confirming this, Nebula's life in Asgard became much easier. No one deliberately made things difficult for her.
After imprisoning her for a while, and given her good behavior, Thor directly released Nebula from the cell.
She no longer had to live in a clean, tidy, well-equipped but small cell. Instead, she was given a house of her own in a somewhat remote area on the outskirts of the town, and she could move freely within the town, living like an ordinary Asgardian civilian.
This seemed like something worth celebrating, and even the surrounding guards were not strict, making it seem like she had many opportunities to escape Asgard.
However, she behaved very obediently, acting as if she intended to settle down in Asgard, which left Loki, who had been watching her and expecting her to make a move, unsure of what to do.
Ethan appeared at this time and said he needed help from an old hand who was skilled in spaceship piloting and had extensive experience in space adventures.
Loki thought he could hand this hot potato to Ethan. After all, Ethan needed such a talent, and Asgard did not want to bother with Nebula anymore. It was impossible for Nebula to settle down permanently. Asgard, in a sense, was a rather conservative realm. It did not welcome any race other than the Asgardians to settle. Even the few realms that had submitted to Asgard still lived on their original planets.
If Ethan had not come, Thor would have released Nebula after a while, letting her go wherever she pleased as long as she did not cause trouble for Asgard again. If there was a next time, Thor likely would not be so lenient and would most likely blast her with Stormbreaker.
"So that's how it is."
As Thor finished explaining Nebula's situation, the person in question was brought into the great hall by Asgardian guards.
Since Odin's abdication and increasing periods of sleep, this place had become Thor's domain. However, unlike Odin who always sat on the throne, Thor preferred to chat with friends on an equal footing.
But this did not mean that just anyone could enjoy such treatment. As an invader who had participated in the attack on Asgard and became a prisoner, Nebula could not enjoy this equal treatment. When Nebula was brought into the hall, Thor had already returned to his seat and, as the All-Father, reprimanded Nebula for her past crimes.
"However, given that you did not cause any real harm to Asgard and have behaved well during this time, Asgard will not pursue your crimes excessively."
Nebula looked up at Thor, who was seated high on the throne, then looked at Loki beside Thor, and finally at Ethan standing not far from her.
Especially Ethan, she had a very deep impression of this man because Ronan had died by his hand, along with countless of Ronan's subordinates and a massive Kree warship.
That was not a small warship, it was a behemoth. Yet such a huge warship could not even withstand a single blow from this person and was directly blasted into cosmic dust. How terrifying was that power? Could a single person truly do that?
She suspected this man possessed the power to contend with Thanos.
While these thoughts ran through her mind, she did not miss a single word Thor said. With almost her entire body modified, processing different information simultaneously was not difficult for Nebula.
She had not paid too much attention when she heard that Asgard was not planning to pursue her crimes further. Although it seemed her period of house arrest was ending, she had no plan whatsoever for what to do next.
When she heard the All-Father on the throne say that she was to follow this man named Ethan and work for him for a period, she suddenly felt that this might not be a punishment for her, but rather an opportunity.
So Thor asked if she agreed to the condition, work for Ethan for a period in exchange for freedom, or continue to serve her sentence in Asgard.
Nebula chose the former without hesitation.
She could vaguely guess that even if she chose to continue serving her sentence and remain imprisoned, Asgard would not keep her for too long and would soon release her.
Because she was useless to Asgard, she had already told the two people on the stage everything she knew about Thanos.
But she still chose to work for Ethan for a period. She wanted to observe Ethan up close and determine if he truly had the strength to oppose Thanos.
If not, she could leave after completing her work. If he did, perhaps she could use his power to deal with Thanos.
Ethan stood there quietly. When Nebula kept looking him over, he knew exactly what the blue-skinned girl was thinking.
The two daughters of Thanos who appeared in the movie universe, both Gamora and Nebula, harbored deep hatred for Thanos, though mixed with some complex emotions, as both were raised by him. They were single-mindedly focused on killing their father. However, compared to Gamora, who often acted like a good child, Nebula was constantly searching for a powerful individual who could stand against Thanos.
She had initially thought Ronan was quite capable and might be able to cause Thanos some trouble, but Ronan was killed by the Asgardians before he even had a chance to confront Thanos. She did not know Ethan's identity at the time.
However, the situation was not too bad. At least she had found an even stronger being.
"What kind of work?"
"Very simple work, with no life-threatening danger. The key is that I need an experienced hand familiar with this type of work."
Ethan did not say too much, simply describing that he needed someone skilled in piloting spaceships and who knew how to determine if a planet was habitable, ensuring there were no hidden dangers that were difficult to detect, and so on.
Nebula was puzzled why Ethan was looking for such a person. After all, the major civilizations in the galaxy had already divided up most of the habitable planets. Had the Asgardians discovered a shortcut to other galaxies and were preparing to explore new areas?
Of course, she would not have guessed that the planets Ethan wanted to explore were not in this world. However, these matters would be decided later based on how things developed.
Nebula was a good talent. She met all of Ethan's requirements, but she was not easy to control.
But Ethan still could not abandon his plan to find Star-Lord, because he needed to borrow Star-Lord's spaceship.
Even if Ethan knew where there was a spaceship waiting for him to pick up, he was not planning to suddenly bring together the Prometheus and Nebula, two completely unrelated entities, and immediately entrust them with important tasks. The result would definitely not be good.
He would first ask Star-Lord to help him explore and assess the situation of the planet next to the training ground, and even a few surrounding planets. Only then would he consider retrieving the Prometheus and having Nebula familiarize herself with this new ship while teaching him and Hill the most basic knowledge of space navigation.
It was foreseeable that learning space navigation and spaceship piloting would not be completed overnight. Nebula would also need time to figure out the Prometheus's various systems. These things would take a lot of time and could not form combat effectiveness in a short period, which was the fundamental reason why Ethan still needed to find Star-Lord.
"When do we start?"
"I need to find someone. We can start after I find him."
Nebula looked at Ethan, then at Thor on the throne and Loki beside him.
"I will go with you. That should be fine, right?"
"No problem at all."
The person who replied to her was Loki. Nebula leaving sooner was good for Asgard. At least he would not have to bother monitoring this person every day, which was not an easy job.
Ethan, of course, had no objection. He simply waved to Nebula, and then the blue-skinned alien girl, who was 1.8 meters tall, left the great hall with Ethan and headed to the Rainbow Bridge to find Heimdall.
With the help of Heimdall's eyes, he quickly found Star-Lord, Peter Quill. However, what Ethan did not expect was that Peter Quill was currently on a planet called Ego, which was the physical manifestation of Star-Lord's biological father.
(To be continued.)
***
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