While Lock was finally enjoying a moment of peace, a new conspiracy theory began quietly spreading in Western society.
Because of the enormous casualties and destruction from the battle, some people began to question everything — saying it was all a plot by the United States, a staged disaster meant to control the world.
They claimed there weren't that many supervillains at all — that SHIELD and other U.S. agencies had just been testing new superweapons, and when they lost control, they shifted all the blame to "villains."
Some even went as far as to call SHIELD nothing more than a government thug organization.
This was as absurd as the people in Lock's past life who said the moon landing was fake. But no matter how ridiculous, there were always people willing to believe it.
And in the shadows, an invisible hand was quietly fanning the flames, using people's grief to spread this belief further.
Lock himself neither knew about these conspiracy theories nor cared.
Not long after, a piece of good news arrived.
Lock received an invitation from Asgard to attend the coronation ceremony of Thor.
In truth, Odin had long planned to pass the throne to Thor, but too many obstacles had delayed it. The first attempt had failed, and after that, the situation kept dragging on.
Now, with peace finally restored after the Aether incident, Odin and Frigga wasted no time arranging the ceremony.
Thor was reluctant at first. After everything that had happened, he realized he was more suited to being a warrior than a king.
Being King of Asgard was not just about being strong in battle — it required wisdom, patience, and endless responsibility.
But with Odin old and weary, and Loki's whereabouts still unknown — even if Loki returned, his previous actions had completely disqualified him — Thor had no choice but to step up.
Thus, Thor ascended the throne.
When Odin saw Thor place the crown upon his head, the All-Father finally let out a deep sigh of relief.
The throne had been passed smoothly. With Lock's help, even Frigga's fate — which once ended in death — had been changed. Odin no longer feared Asgard's future. Whatever was coming, it would never be worse than what he had once seen in the timeline.
At the banquet that followed, Lock saw Daisy again.
He suddenly remembered what he had forgotten — he never took Daisy back to Earth last time.
Fortunately, she didn't suffer in Asgard. Instead, she had been treated kindly, even with respect.
Watching Lock's overwhelming power firsthand had shaken Daisy deeply. The difference between them felt like the gap between heaven and earth. How could a man like Lock — a man who could face down gods — ever look at an ordinary girl like her?
So, Daisy asked Queen Frigga to teach her how to cultivate divine power.
Surprisingly, Frigga did not refuse. She even passed Daisy a set of basic divine power cultivation methods.
For Asgardians, these techniques were simple, barely worth much. But if they could deepen Lock's goodwill toward Asgard — even by a little — Frigga would gladly grant them.
When Lock saw Daisy again, he noticed her figure had taken on a hint of a warrior's poise. Dressed in light armor, with a sword at her hip, she had a different kind of charm from Sif.
"Sorry, I forgot to bring you back to Earth last time," Lock said.
"It's fine," Daisy said softly. "You were saving the world. How could I expect you to be distracted by someone like me?"
Lock almost laughed — those words sounded so familiar. In his past life, he'd seen jokes about this exact situation: if a woman says this, she usually means the opposite.
But Lock wasn't about to play games with her emotions. They weren't in a relationship anyway.
"Ahem… After the coronation, do you want to return to Earth, or stay in Asgard?" he asked.
"Where will you be?" Daisy asked, staring at him seriously.
Lock hesitated — not because he didn't know where he'd be, but because her question wasn't just about geography.
At that moment, Heimdall's voice came through.
"Prince Lock, the man you asked me to find, has been located. He's currently imprisoned on Xandar."
Lock's eyes lit up. Finally!
He had asked Heimdall long ago to help locate Star-Lord, giving a rough description and specifying the Nova Empire's star field near Xandar as the likely area.
Even for Heimdall, searching the entire star field was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
But now there was news.
If Star-Lord were in Xandar's prison right now, it meant it was still the early events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1.
Star-Lord had probably just stolen the Orb containing the Power Stone, tried to sell it, got intercepted by Gamora, fought with Rocket and Groot, and ended up arrested.
Lock had two goals:
First, he wanted the Orb — because it held the Infinity Stone of Power, one of the most destructive forces in existence. Left unsealed, it could wipe out a planet just by sitting on it.
Second, he wanted more of that mysterious "superhero luck."
The system's rewards for saving key people had always been small but critical.
It gave him triple Hulk strength when he first needed power.
It allowed him to refine his divine body to the ninth stage, laying the foundation for his survival against Malekith.
It even helped him regenerate flesh mid-battle so he wouldn't be torn apart by the Aether.
And for his allies — Iron Man, Black Widow, and others — the recovery potions had saved their lives countless times.
So whether or not luck was a real "stat," Lock wanted it.
"I'll be leaving soon," Lock told Daisy. "Not to Earth, not to Asgard — a long trip."
"Can you take me with you?" she asked.
Lock shook his head. "This one's dangerous. I plan to go alone."
"Oh…" Daisy lowered her head slightly. "Then I'll stay here. When you return… promise me the first place you'll go is Asgard?"
"Yeah," Lock nodded.
The Bifrost could take him anywhere, but it always needed Asgard as the anchor point — so coming back here first was inevitable anyway.
When Lock told Thor about his trip, the God of Thunder immediately wanted to join him.
But Odin and Frigga's quiet gazes stopped him.
Running off to another world right after ascending the throne would not be a very kingly thing to do.
"Brother!" Thor clapped Lock's shoulder. "When you return, tell me all about Xandar. I'll go on vacation there someday."
Lock chuckled. "You should probably look at your father first — did he ever leave the throne for a vacation?"
Thor froze, realizing that Odin truly never had. Was he destined to sit on that throne for thousands of years without leaving?
No, he thought, there must be another way.
Then his eyes turned slyly toward Lock.
"Ahem… Lock, when you come back from Xandar, are you interested in becoming a king? I could pass you the throne. The whole of Asgard would be yours."
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Lock rolled his eyes. "I like being a free prince, thanks."
"You're no help at all," Thor groaned. "What, do you expect me to sit here for thousands of years like Father? I'll go mad!"
"Well, you could always ask Jane to help you," Lock teased.
Jane, dressed beautifully for the ceremony, flushed bright red. "Don't listen to him, Thor!" she snapped.
Thor blinked. "Help me? How is that nonsense?"
Frigga sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. When would this boy learn?
"Thor," she explained patiently, "Lock means you should marry Jane and have a child, so one day the throne can be passed down — and you can be free."
Thor's eyes lit up. This was actually a good idea!
When the child turned three, he could abdicate and be free again. That wasn't so long to wait.
He turned to Jane, looking eager.
Jane's face went even redder. "Don't even think about it!"
Thor, however, looked serious. "I think we should try — tonight."
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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