"Um… High Priest, Teacher, I haven't offended you recently, have I? And the times I offended you before, weren't they already dealt with?"
Loki took a sharp step back, looking at Qingshui's gaze.
"Relax, my good student."
Qingshui smiled and took a step forward.
"Look, look, what an elegant and intelligent student. I just think you're very talented, exceptionally talented, so I thought of some interesting and special teaching methods."
"Talent? Interesting teaching?"
Loki's heart fluttered with panic, yet he feigned interest, his mind calculating escape plans.
I can't stay here. I need to find a way to hide, to last until a month from now.
What if Asgard can't hold out after a month?
Then I'll need to find a fallback, and see if I can become Asgard's last savior, to show them that I can lead Asgard better than Thor, this so-called new king.
"What, you're feigning interest on the surface, but actually thinking about how to escape and screw me over in the process, aren't you?"
Qingshui looked at Loki, a half-smile on his face, the Eye of Watt on his chest glowing faintly yellow.
Loki's mental resistance was indeed very strong. Even with all his might, Qingshui could only vaguely catch fragments of Loki's thoughts and then deduce from them.
If he could undergo specialized training, he might be able to improve even more.
Loki, whose thoughts had been exposed, felt his heart drop, then he reacted.
That's right, I should have figured out how to con this guy before running. Why didn't I think of that just now?
Could it be that this guy is even more Loki than I am?
Damn it, I've fallen into the hands of someone stronger than me, with a dirtier mind than mine, and who seems pretty petty. How am I going to get by now?
"Loki, Loki, I told Odin before that you are very talented. If you had the right experiences and training, your achievements might not be worse than Thor's, and might even be higher, high enough to surpass your father, Odin."
"Sounds like comforting parents, a trick to fool children."
Loki looked at Qingshui and said.
Qingshui replied:
"No, no, if you think that, you're wrong. You have many strengths. Although you're not as strong as Thor, and your power isn't as great as Thor's yet, you're more cunning, more treacherous, smarter, better at deception and disguise, your methods are more despicable, you're skilled in lies, and adept at scheming…"
"Stop!"
Loki raised a hand to interrupt him.
"I know I have many strengths, but you don't need to list them in such detail."
"Hmm, and another strength is that you're thick-skinned enough."
Qingshui added.
Loki's expression was not good.
"So, does that relate to what you said before?"
"That relationship is huge."
Qingshui said with a serious expression:
"For a mage, these are all excellent and rare qualities. But right now, you are merely a crude spellcaster, not a truly excellent mage."
Conning and deceiving are indeed essential skills for most, even the vast majority, of top-tier mages.
If you can't con or deceive, how are you going to siphon energy from the Dimensional Demon God?
Some more playful sorcerers can even outwit and battle demons, who are masters in this field, on equal footing.
And Loki truly had a talent for this.
At least in the field of Genjutsu, Loki's talent was unimaginably high.
Qingshui's research into the Mind Stone was already very deep. He usually used the Mind Stone as an infinite energy source and had also developed many useful skills with it.
These things were all very suitable for Loki.
But he also had many ideas that needed a genius with exceptional talent in Genjutsu and manipulating minds to help perfect them.
"Although Asgard also has magic, almost everyone here is a muscle-head like Thor. Don't worry, I will teach you things that are truly suited for you.
Using illusions to deceive others' eyes is only the most basic Genjutsu. What I want to teach you is to use your eyes to see into others' hearts, to use words to sway others' wills, and to use hypnosis to control people's actions.
I can open the door to the mind for you, to use the mind to achieve everything you desire, including that true power you seek."
A wicked, charming smile appeared on Loki's handsome face.
"My dear teacher, I can't wait to hear your teachings."
…
…
On Earth, at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, in the top-floor conference room.
Steve Rogers, dressed in a blue combat uniform and carrying his star-spangled circular shield, arrived in a hurry.
Behind him were a young man and woman, and a white-haired old man.
"Dr. Pym, Mr. Scott, and Ms. Hope, we've arrived." Captain America extended a hand.
"Your director had better have a good reason, or I'm leaving with my people right now, just because of him." Hank Pym swept his gaze across the conference room, filled with Avengers and some new faces, and pointed at Tony. As one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s earliest members, he and Howard Stark had some disagreements.
"Who invited this old guy? We have plenty of people; we don't need a washed-up old man." Tony propped his chin with one hand and gestured at Hank Pym. Since the man had immediately started pointing fingers at him, there was no need for him to be polite either.
"Hill, where's Watt? He's in such a hurry to gather people and even plans to dispatch most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s elite forces. What's he trying to do? Is it another incident like when the God of Darkness descended?" Black Widow had her long legs, clad in brown boots, propped on the table, and asked Hill, who was seated beside the main chair.
"He'll be here soon." Hill raised a hand, checked the time on her wrist, and said.
A few seconds later, golden sparks flickered at the doorway, opening a teleportation portal.
The Shadow Clone that Qingshui had split off earlier emerged, accompanied by Banner and Wong.
Qingshui scanned the conference room, walked to the main seat, sat down, and spoke. "Excellent, everyone's here. Have the newcomers introduced themselves? If not, save it for later."
The Spider-Boy, about fifteen or sixteen, sitting next to Tony, quietly retracted his half-raised hand upon hearing the latter part of the sentence.
"This is a partial research result, summarized by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s invited scientists Erik Selvig and Jane Foster, regarding the relationship between Asgard's Nine Realms in higher dimensions. Some of you here will understand it, but some won't, so I'll explain it simply." Qingshui snapped his fingers, causing a paper to be projected onto everyone's tables, then continued:
"Although the Nine Realms are physically far apart in the real dimension, from the perspective of higher dimensions, these nine places are closely connected. Under certain specific conditions, for example, if a celestial convergence occurs in a higher dimension, then in the real world, these nine places will connect with each other.
The last time this happened was during the Viking Age, and the connection point on Earth was in what is now Nordic Norway. It was there that the Vikings, as allies, witnessed the war between Odin and the Frost Giants, preventing the Nine Realms from being turned into an ice world by the Frost Giants, and stealing the Casket of Ancient Winters, an artifact they used to modify environments.
The time before that occurred in the BC era, when Odin's father, the former All-Father Bor, led Asgard to defeat the Dark Elves who sought to plunge the Nine Realms into eternal night. He seized the Aether and sealed the region where the Dark Elves resided."
"This time, the connection point on Earth is in Greenwich, UK? Is another war about to break out?" Tony reached out to flip to the last page of the virtual projection, his expression relatively stable. They had survived Dormammu's arrival; surely this time wouldn't be harder to deal with than that?
Qingshui didn't respond directly, but instead said, "And what's worse, Odin's lifespan is nearing its end. The moment the nominal ruler of the Nine Realms dies, threats from both within and outside Asgard will erupt simultaneously, far more dangerous than the previous two times. Just yesterday, my main body met with Odin to discuss an alliance between our two sides, and witnessed Thor's ascension as Asgard's new king. Now, preparations are underway for war."
As soon as Qingshui said this, everyone present immediately felt a sense of impending crisis, a premonition of a storm brewing. Odin was dying!
With the old All-Father's demise, Asgard, as a powerful kingdom in the cosmos, was bound to face turmoil, and there would certainly be no shortage of external forces eyeing it greedily. Coupled with a celestial convergence event, even if the people in the conference room hadn't seen possible futures with the Time Stone like Qingshui, they knew it was highly likely they would face a war that would sweep across Earth.
"Therefore, in the coming period, I will find a way to integrate Earth's forces to safely weather this crisis. Hill, you're responsible for contacting the Security Council for me, telling them to notify their respective countries to prepare defenses in advance, send troops to blockade Greenwich, and construct fortifications as soon as possible. Stark, as a military advisor, provide technological assistance to these armies. Even with Asgard sharing the burden, the enemy's threat is far greater than the Chitauri during the Battle of New York. Wong, you are responsible for serving as the communication bridge between the Kamar-Taj sorcerers and S.H.I.E.L.D., and Coulson will coordinate. Natasha, Steve, you two go to Wakanda in Africa and contact King T'Chaka. Their strength is considerable and can provide significant help."
"Mr. Watt, what about us?" Peter Parker raised his hand and asked.
"You just need to focus on training and improving your strength. As for you, although you're powerful, you're still a minor and lack experience, so you're only a reserve force. Unless absolutely necessary, you won't be on the battlefield." Qingshui said, looking at Peter Parker.
On Earth, after the notification was delivered, the major powers were initially startled. Then, after quickly overcoming the initial wrangling, they united, a rare occurrence. In the shortest time possible, they mobilized troops, deployed them in the UK, and established a military base in Greenwich, temporarily commanded by a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. official. That official was none other than the Black Halogen Egg of a certain heart.
Nick Fury had been removed from his position as S.H.I.E.L.D. director, but his capabilities were undeniable, and the Five Great Powers all knew his abilities. Moreover, besides his strategic planning skills, when it came to battlefield command, the Black Halogen Egg was also excellent. He had a military background, having participated in commanding frontline battles, and when it came to managing armies from multiple nations and cultures, there really was no one more suitable than him. The only slight complaint came from Great Britain, who felt this was their territory and that they should be listened to, but they were quickly pressed down by the other allied parties after a few words.
And then Great Britain quieted down.
On Earth, storm clouds gathered, and Asgard was also preparing for war, with Frigga even running off to Vanaheim for reinforcements.
Nidavellir.
The perpetual clang of hammering was replaced by booming thunder.
Thor possessed immense lightning power, but he wasn't very skilled at using it himself. He relied entirely on Mjolnir's guidance and amplification to achieve Sub-Skyfather Level combat prowess.
Without Mjolnir, Thor was actually only slightly stronger than Loki in his normal state, and a step above the Warriors Three.
If he could properly control the divine power within him now, his strength, though diminished without the amplification of Mjolnir, wouldn't decrease by much.
Only then would Thor be able to significantly boost his strength when wielding Stormbreaker.
It was just a shame that seemed too difficult.
"Oh my god! Thor, you've finally mastered it!"
Qingshui stood with hands on his hips, panting, as he looked at Thor in front of him.
"Uh, sorry, but this way, it should be okay now, right?"
Thor scratched his head, raised his left hand, and unleashed a thick Palm Thunder, obliterating the target.
The power was considerable, but it was the only move he currently knew.
If he could delve deeper, theoretically, he could unlock most of his potential through this recently acquired Lightning Technique.
But Qingshui estimated that it would only be possible if Thor experienced a sufficient number of high-intensity real combat situations, or perhaps tried to make him comprehend it under life-or-death crises.
Although his combat awareness was high, and his judgment and on-the-spot reaction capabilities were excellent, Thor was better at learning through muscle memory than intellectual comprehension, progressing through combat.
So, after explaining the principle of Palm Thunder to Thor, Qingshui grabbed him and forced him into a long sparring session before Thor finally learned the move.
After all, it wasn't real combat, so no matter how much effort was put in, this was as far as it could go.
However, Qingshui was still quite satisfied.
Even if he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, Thor's talent was truly exceptional.
Having just learned to use Palm Thunder, he could already instinctively grasp many practical techniques in combat, and his strength had improved considerably.
"It's decent, should be enough."
Thor gave a simple, honest smile.
Compared to Thor, Loki had made the most significant progress.
That was because Qingshui had led him into something big.
"That's it! Deceiving and tricking a Dimensional Demon God is far more interesting than messing with mortals!"
Loki's eyes gleamed, a wicked smile on his face, as he looked at the Dark Dimension mark appearing on the back of his hand.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------