With the return of God-King Odin and the death of Loki, Asgard gradually began to return to normal. The sound of horns, laughter, and roaring feasts echoed from the great halls, a constant carnival that lasted for many days.
After a short period of sadness for the fallen soldiers, the vast majority of the people entered into an endless, joyous celebration. The Asgardians, living far longer than humans, seemed optimistic by nature. But Nolan, standing apart, found it unsettling. He believed this was just a fatal naivety, born from being protected by the strong for too long.
For an individual, that naivety might only cost them their life. For a race with a glorious past, the despair that would come when that innocence was finally shattered would be far more painful than a simple death.
Nolan spent the days in a guest chamber, the distant celebration a dull roar. David and Wong were quiet company. Thor's injuries still needed time to recover. The "small treasury" he had promised, along with the official rewards from Asgard, also required time to select and prepare. Therefore, Nolan stayed in Asgard temporarily with David and Wong.
God-King Odin had not appeared since their encounter on the bridge. Even the funeral ceremony for the fallen soldiers was attended only by Queen Frigga, her face a mask of regal grief, and Thor, who had recovered somewhat from his injuries.
After the ceremony, Thor, whose personality seemed to have returned to normal, insisted on bringing his "brother" to the feast. He introduced Nolan, the great agent from Midgard to his many friends.
Nolan stood three meters tall in the middle of the hall, still wearing the Terminator armor with its broken and scorched ceramite shell. He was unable to remove the equipment by himself. Loud, boisterous Asgardians slapped his armor, their heavy hands clanging on the plasteel. Nolan, his voice a flat, metallic monotone, responded to the compliments. He repeatedly winked at the heartily laughing Thor, a desperate, silent signal.
It wasn't that he disliked the atmosphere. It was just that the eyes of Thor's friends kept blinking, as if they were trying to eat him, making it difficult to bear their intense, celebratory attention.
Finally, taking advantage of a short interval as everyone started a large banquet of drinking and barbecue, the smiling Thor took Nolan to the treasure vaults located inside the Immortal Palace. The air grew cooler as they descended.
"Father said that you can choose one artifact-level treasure from his private treasure house to take away. Of course, everything in my small vault belongs to you, Brother Nolan, as agreed!"
Thor, who had returned to his golden-haired self, put his shoulder to the heavy, golden door. It groaned open, revealing a vast, dimly lit chamber filled with relics. He blinked, turned his head, and said this to the smiling Nolan.
Afterwards, Thor led Nolan into the private treasure house belonging to God-King Odin.
"These are the remaining fragments of the Sphere of Agamotto," Thor said carelessly, pointing at a small pile of dull, gray-purple fragments on a pedestal. "For mages, they still have a lot of value for research and utilization, but you have no use for them, Brother Nolan."
Nolan's eyes turned slightly, falling on an Infinity Gauntlet whose surface reflected a dull, dark golden light..
Noticing Nolan's gaze, Thor stepped forward, picked up the right-handed Infinity Gauntlet, and tossed it to him.
"This? Ah, this. This is the legendary Infinity Gauntlet, which can carry the mysterious power of the infinity stones. But after my father ordered the dwarves to forge it, he found that collecting all six stones was as difficult as conquering the entire universe. The effort and cost are completely out of proportion. Brother Nolan, you can play with it if you like. Anyway, it only cost some rare materials and Uru metal."
Nolan caught the gauntlet. The clang of Uru on ceramite was sharp. He planned to describe the disaster of Thanos to Thor, but he subconsciously shook his head, slowly narrowing his cyan wolf eyes. As long as Odin and the Ancient One were still alive, Thanos probably wouldn't dare to wreak havoc in the nine realms. And by the time that day actually came, his own strength and power might be enough to create a sense of crisis for Thanos.
There was a slight sound of metal on metal. The Infinity Gauntlet slid over the ceramite shell of his armor, fitting the size of the Terminator gauntlet perfectly. Nolan, his eyes excited, raised the gauntlet and observed it repeatedly before driving his armor to keep up with Thor.
"This is the Monument of Life and Time," Thor said, raising his hand to point to a broken ancient stone tablet not far away. It was covered in complex, swirling script. "According to my father, it records a mysterious equation that can allow any life to evolve to its ultimate form. Unfortunately, no one has been able to crack it for thousands of years. The legend has become just a legend. This thing only has historical value."
"This gadget is called a tuning fork. A strange, three-pronged metal rod. It can be used to summon certain extra-dimensional creatures. When my father was young, he would use it to train the legion's combat effectiveness... However, even with the powerful physique of Asgardians, this reckless training method caused a lot of casualties. If you want to train a mortal army, Brother Nolan, I don't recommend you choose this."
The dedicated Thor continued to introduce the treasures. At this moment, Nolan, who had turned to look at the collection, slowly walked to the front of the Casket of Ancient Winters. A faint, cold mist drifted from its surface.
He blinked in confusion, turning to Thor. "Where did you find this? I thought the Casket lost."
Hearing the familiar name, Thor sighed slightly, his good mood fading. He shook his head and said, "This is an artifact we snatched back from the remaining Frost Giants in Jotunheim. Loki promised King Laufey a complete world in exchange for the eternal allegiance of the entire Frost Giant clan. That's why Alfheim suffered such an unreasonable disaster."
Nolan squinted and nodded slightly. He thought for a while and said, "I want to let my technocrats try to extract and use the frost energy in this Casket to create new weapons and equipment. Even if it fails, it's still a special artifact that combines offense and defense. Thor, I'll choose this."
Hearing Nolan's words, Thor was slightly startled. He stared at Nolan with wide eyes. "Brother Nolan, this? This isn't the most precious treasure in my father's private treasury. There is also the core of power of the flame giant Surtur, the Eternal Fire. The Odinsword used by my father before he forged 'Gungnir' is also stored here. If you don't like those, then when my injury is better, let's go to Muspelheim and steal the 'Twilight Sword' left by Surtur!"
"Thor, don't forget," Nolan said, grinning, his voice metallic and amused, "although my C'tan Phase Sword has no special power, I'm afraid all the weapons here together couldn't withstand one slash from it, right? A powerful cold weapon is just icing on the cake for me. If I had a few more hands, I would consider your suggestion in detail."
Nolan looked at Thor, who couldn't help but laugh as well.
Thor spread his hands, picked up the Casket of Ancient Winters. A cloud of cold vapor spilled from it as he lifted it. He handed it to Nolan.
"That's right. I even envy your C'tan Phase Sword."
"In that case, Brother Nolan, the Casket is yours!"