"Aha! It really is you, Watt! And here you said you weren't a sorcerer, but you can even do spatial magic."
Thor arrived on the scene, Mjolnir in hand.
A simple, honest smile spread across his face when he saw Qingshui.
"Alright, Thor, they're here to see me."
A deep, aged voice sounded as an old man, splendidly clad in golden armor and wielding a long spear that looked like a Scepter, arrived, surrounded by several Asgardian guards.
"Your Majesty Odin."
The Ancient One, looking remarkably composed, gave a slight nod and bow to Odin.
Odin returned the gesture, placing one hand over his chest.
Asgardians, being naturally boisterous, rarely used such formalities in everyday life, but that didn't mean they didn't know how.
"All-Father, he is..."
Even Thor, impulsive as he was, could see the formality in Odin's manner towards the Ancient One.
It was the respect shown to a fellow All-Father level powerful being.
Asgard, being one of the Nine Realms, and Odin, as its nominal ruler, had certainly interacted with the Sorcerer Supreme, who had protected Midgard for thousands of years.
With Odin's presence, Midgard was shielded from much of the galactic gaze. And facing a formidable Sorcerer Supreme who wielded an Infinity Stone, the valiant Odin, in his younger days, had likely suffered setbacks, which was why he had never interfered with Midgard.
"Thor, this is the Sorcerer Supreme from Midgard, the most powerful sorcerer in the Nine Realms."
The strongest sorcerer in the Nine Realms?
But wasn't his own silly brother Loki the greatest sorcerer in the Nine Realms?
Thor scrutinized the Ancient One, his tiger-like eyes filled with interest.
If All-Father treats him with such importance, he must be quite a fighter, right?
"Your Majesty Odin, your divine ravens must have delivered the message by now, yes? Watt requires the use of Yggdrasil's power once, and I am here to introduce you two."
The Ancient One stood upright and addressed Odin.
In this setting, he was putting on an act again.
Qingshui looked at the Ancient One's prim demeanor and scoffed, curling his lips in disdain.
"Introductions, haha, leave the introductions to me! All-Father, this is Watt. He's both a warrior and a wizard. He's as smart as Loki, no, even smarter than Loki! When we were on Midgard, he predicted Loki's every move, just like you, with the wisdom to see the future!"
Thor laughed heartily as he walked towards Qingshui, patting him firmly on the shoulder.
Odin's expression shifted upon hearing this, and he looked at the Ancient One.
The latter simply offered Odin an enigmatic smile.
Odin suddenly spoke:
"Thor, go inform your mother. Have her arrange a banquet. We need to welcome the Sorcerer Supreme and Master Watt."
"Hey! It's just informing her, brother, I'm counting on you. I need to entertain my friends here. Remember to tell Mother to bring out my five-hundred-year-old treasured wine."
Thor didn't catch Odin's intention to dismiss him at all. Instead, he clapped a nearby Asgardian guard on the shoulder and loudly declared.
"This..."
The Asgardian guard glanced at Odin.
Though Thor was the crown prince, Odin was currently Asgard's All-Father.
"Go, let Frigga prepare it. Thor, since that's the case, you entertain Master Watt. The Ancient One and I have matters to discuss."
Odin waved his hand helplessly.
In front of outsiders, it wasn't appropriate for him to scold his foolish son, whose brain seemed to only contain hammers and muscles.
Besides, he had some things he wanted to discuss with the Ancient One.
"Alright! Come on, Watt, let me introduce you to my friends. This is Volstagg the Lion of Asgard. He has the biggest appetite in all of Asgard."
Thor pointed to a stout, obese man over two meters tall, wearing a golden helmet adorned with something resembling cabbage leaves.
"Excellent warriors usually have large appetites. I can tell you're a very excellent warrior."
Qingshui shook Volstagg's hand.
"Aha, Thor, I like this guy."
Volstagg grinned.
"This is Sif, Heimdall's sister."
Thor then pulled over a tall, silver-armored female swordswoman.
"I heard you gave Loki quite a beating. I'd just like to say, well done."
Sif said with a smile.
"Uh... because Loki pranked Sif by cutting her hair when they were kids, their relationship isn't very good. But we often go into battle together; they're trustworthy comrades. It's just that Loki is currently imprisoned, and that place isn't open to outsiders, so I can't conveniently take you to see him."
Thor, slightly embarrassed, leaned close to Qingshui and quietly explained, though he didn't quite understand why Qingshui wanted to meet Loki.
"Oh, and Hogun and Fandral! They, along with Volstagg, are known as the Warriors Three. They're very reliable companions on the battlefield. I'll take you to meet them!"
Thor excitedly pulled Qingshui along again to find Hogun and Fandral.
Meanwhile, Odin and the Ancient One had arrived at a place where they wouldn't be disturbed for a while.
"You've chosen a new successor? He seems more reliable than mine," Odin asked the Ancient One, resting his hands on the white jade railing beside him.
"I'm not sure yet. I can only say that compared to before, he truly has a chance now. The future is always changing, and this change is different from before. You have the ability to foresee the future, so you should feel it too," the Ancient One told Odin.
Odin holds many divine responsibilities, representing kingship, wisdom, poetry, and war, among others, and prophecy is included in his domain.
"Prophecy is different from directly seeing the future. I can only see a part of the future, not like you," Odin said to the Ancient One beside him, holding Gungnir and gazing at the prosperous Asgard. According to his original prophecy, the thriving Asgard before them would eventually be destroyed.
"You haven't prophesied for at least two years," the Ancient One suddenly stated with certainty. This was because if Odin had noticed the changes in the future, his answer wouldn't have been so vague.
"That change, it started two years ago?" Odin realized the Ancient One had been testing him and quickly caught on. He couldn't help it; he was at a disadvantage in terms of information. The Ancient One could observe the future at any time, but he couldn't.
"My divine power has become so potent it's almost uncontrollable. To prevent it from going out of control, for the past two years, I haven't used my divine power unless absolutely necessary. In fact, every winter I undergo the Odin Sleep to suppress it," Odin sighed slightly.
Asgardians grow stronger with age; their divine power grows more immense over time. While even the strongest ordinary Asgardian has limits and won't experience a rampage of power, Odin is the All-Father.
A portion of his divine power was inherited from his father, the previous All-Father Bor. This means that five thousand years ago, Odin's divine power was called Bor's divine power, and five thousand years before that, it was Buri's divine power. Similarly, Odin's divine power will one day be inherited by Thor.
The All-Father's power is the greatest in Asgard. As the crown prince, Thor, even before inheriting Odin's divine power, possesses Skyfather-level strength. Excluding the sealed Hela, his power is second only to Odin's in Asgard.
Odin possesses the divine power of three generations of All-Fathers. In his youth, his body was strong and capable, but now Odin is nearing the end of his lifespan, and his control has begun to decline.
"The boy Watt started changing two years ago, leading to his current achievements. I suspect it's related to some Dimensional Demon God from outside this realm," the Ancient One replied to Odin.
"Then you're still considering it? Are you planning to bring in other demon gods to fight?" Odin continued to ask the Ancient One.
"If it were about bringing in other demon gods, Strange could do it better, even the best," the Ancient One shook his head. Most of a sorcerer's spellcasting relies on external forces and is highly dependent on Dimensional Demon Gods from other realms. Even the neutral, orderly Vishanti require a price to be paid, and the Ancient One usually steals Dormammu's dark energy without any intention of paying.
Because the method of theft was sufficiently clever, and Dormammu couldn't do anything to the Ancient One, he could only let it be, playing along, planning to devour and assimilate the Ancient One into his own dark sorcerer once the dark energy had sufficiently corrupted her. Such a Skyfather-level sorcerer was rare.
The Ancient One was fully aware of Dormammu's intentions, so she had long since prepared a fallback. Even if the Lord of the Dark Dimension was formidable, he wasn't as formidable as the great Eternal.
But if one didn't have this ability, they would have to mortgage their soul and a piece of their liver, as Strange did after taking office, to gain power first and then slowly resolve it later through other means. It was precisely because of this that he was able to acquire the power to serve as Sorcerer Supreme in less than a year of studying magic.
But no matter what methods Strange used or what elaborate maneuvers he employed to avoid paying the price, he ultimately had to pay, and it wasn't as satisfying as the Ancient One's free ride.
"Some time ago, Watt developed a set of methods from who knows where, which looks very similar to the Qigong practitioners of K'un-Lun. It weakens some of the influences on himself. If he can clear these influences before I step down, perhaps he won't be inferior to Strange."
"You can't see if he can clear them?"
"He's constantly changing, as if he's updating and strengthening himself every so often. Every subtle change brings a slight alteration to the world's predetermined infinite possible futures. So every now and then, I have to observe the future to ensure the world's normal progression," the Ancient One emphasized.
Odin understood. In other words, Watt brought too many variables.
"So you've come to me because you've used the Time Stone to see the future, and you're certain I'll help you. And the reason I'll choose to help you must be because the changes Watt brings will also alter Asgard's future, and for the better."
Odin looked at the Ancient One, stating his certainty.
"You know, your Queen doesn't have much time left. She will perish in an accident."
"And one of the futures Watt brings, a changed future, can save Frigga?"
Odin gripped the railing with both hands.
After thousands of years as husband and wife, his feelings for Frigga were still very deep.
"The predetermined future will follow the original inertia of the world. Some fated events are beyond our ability to change. Once we try, we'll be shattered by that inertia, and it won't bring about much change. That's why, in the past, we could only guide this inertia in the direction we desired.
This is what the Eastern magical community often says: the general trend cannot be reversed, but minor details can be changed.
However, when the trajectory deviates slightly, even if the overall direction doesn't change, many things can ultimately be altered."
The Ancient One stood with one hand behind his back, speaking profoundly, appearing as deep as an abyss and as grand as a mountain, truly a master.
Odin asked again, "Does it have to be Watt who acts?"
The Ancient One replied, "He is the core of the change. And letting him leave this world this time is also an experiment, to see how much more he will change after returning from other dimensions.
However, one rule that can be confirmed is that the stronger he becomes, the more things he will change. As the source of change, the more you interact with him, the more changes will happen to you.
To save Frigga, only he can act. No matter how strong you or I are, we could still be shattered by the general trend."
The ancient All-Father pondered for a moment, looking at Frigga below, who was overseeing the banquet preparations.
"I agree. However, as the source of change, wouldn't it be safer to let him directly control the Time Stone to better manage the changes he brings?"
"I know. This experiment is also a test and an assessment—to test the state and intentions of the Dimensional Demon God behind him, to see if he will do anything after leaving this world, and to see if he can withstand the pressure brought by the Dimensional Demon God."
The Ancient One explained with a calm expression, though he sighed inwardly.
He actually wanted to retire early, and either Watt or Strange could take his place.
But the problem was, no matter what changes the future held, this kid Watt wanted to hold some kind of Sorcerer Supreme's 'seventh-day' singing competition.
For the Ancient One, this was beyond frustrating.
Damn it, if I really gave you the title of Sorcerer Supreme, wouldn't I be screwing myself over?!
The banquet arranged by Frigga soon began.
The food in Asgard differed somewhat from Earth's; the varieties of fruits were different, and even the normal alcoholic beverages typically had an alcohol content limit of only one hundred, which wasn't strong enough for some of the physically robust Asgardians. So, they often applied magic during brewing.
Thor even brought out a small bottle of wine aged for a thousand years.
Even though his physical strength surpassed that of ordinary people, Qingshui only dared to take one sip of this wine, which could even fell an Asgardian. After that, he switched to the three-to-five-hundred-year-old aged wines commonly drunk by the Asgardians.
Hmm, still quite potent.
"Aha! Another bottle!"
"Hogun! Put some effort into it! I've bet quite a bit on you!"
"Volstagg, nice! If you win, I'll treat you to the tavern tomorrow!"
Hogun and Volstagg, after drinking for a while, started fighting in the center of the banquet.
This was an Asgardian tradition. Asgardians, who revered bravery, believed that sparring was the most exciting entertainment and, besides good wine, the best way to entertain guests.
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