Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]-Chapter 207: Odin’s Painstaking Efforts (BONUS)

Ethan looked at the Cosmic Cube in his hand, silently wondering if he should give it back.

Babysitting a child? Odin in this world only had three children. Thor was the first heir to the throne of Asgard. After his experience of exile, Thor had become more and more aligned with Odin's expectations. Odin was very satisfied with him now, so it was impossible that Odin would suddenly entrust Thor to him for training.

With that possibility ruled out, the only choices left were the eldest daughter, Hela, and the god of mischief, Loki, who had just been taken away.

Neither of these two could be considered well-behaved.

Hela's combat power was terrifying, especially within Asgard, where her strength would continue to grow. Even without returning to Asgard, after merely breaking free from the seal, Hela could easily overpower Thor. Ethan did not believe he could restrain someone like her.

"Don't worry too much. Actually, Loki won't cause you too much trouble, because you are the only one who can bring him back," Odin said calmly.

Ethan withdrew his gaze from the Cosmic Cube and turned to look at Odin, seated on his throne.

By now, he understood Odin's true intention: he wanted to hand Loki over to Ethan. For Loki, this was a form of exile.

At the same time, Odin's words hinted that he had not completely shut the door on Loki's return. It seemed Odin's plan was to send his youngest son away, allowing him to follow Ethan and gain experience, to learn and mature, so that Loki would not always end up causing problems.

In Odin's view, Loki's ambition was not the real issue. What bothered him was that Loki always resorted to tricks and schemes that were unpopular or self-destructive. Even when he finally managed to stir up trouble on a larger scale, it often ended in failure, with Loki himself falling into the pit he had dug.

After everything that had happened, Odin's main conclusion was that Loki was simply not mature enough. In his current state, he was still far from what Odin expected.

"Loki is the best mage of the new generation in Asgard. He knows all of Asgard's magical knowledge..."

"Deal!" Ethan agreed without hesitation.

In fact, he had no real room to refuse.

Odin had willingly handed over the Cosmic Cube and had agreed without conditions to let Ethan study Asgard's knowledge. Compared to that, taking Loki along was not a heavy price at all. Ethan had no reason to refuse.

Moreover, Odin's remark had made it clear that as long as Ethan could learn from Loki, he would gain access to all of Asgard's magical knowledge.

"Although it might be a bit difficult, it doesn't matter."

Now that the deal was made, Ethan began to think more positively.

Would having Loki on board be beneficial? Of course. Besides learning Asgardian magic from him, Loki was also strong in combat.

His close combat skills were no worse than Logan's, who was a battle-hardened expert. Not to mention, Loki's physical durability was far superior to that of ordinary people. If it had been an average person instead of Loki getting smashed around by the Hulk, they wouldn't have just been "injured a little."

In addition, as the god of mischief, Loki often came up with clever schemes that could yield unexpected results. Compared to Logan, Loki was a capable strategist and a useful person to discuss plans with—though Ethan knew he would always have to stay on guard against Loki's antics.

The only problem was Loki's unpredictability.

But Odin had reminded him that Loki would not be content living in Ethan's ocean world surrounded by nothing but seawater. Loki would definitely want to return here, because only in this universe could he see Thor again.

Other than Ethan, no one else could bring Loki back. With Ethan's control over space-time travel, Loki would have no choice but to stick with him. If Loki did try to escape, it would only result in him being pulled back to this universe. Other than that, there was nothing he could do.

Was that really a problem for Ethan? After thinking it over, Ethan realized that he didn't mind at all. In the past, he had been honest simply because he hadn't been strong enough. Maybe Loki would turn out to be a very suitable partner.

As for the ocean world... Ethan figured there wouldn't be much going on there for the time being. Loki wasn't stupid. He wouldn't make any rash moves before understanding the situation. At the very least, it would take him some time to gather information.

Ethan considered the potential advantages of having Loki around as he left the palace with Thor.

As soon as they stepped outside, Thor reached out and patted Ethan on the shoulder.

"I know my brother isn't exactly well-liked, but he is still my brother. I hope you can take good care of him."

Ethan looked at the hand on his shoulder and wanted to say, "Big guy, your brother doesn't need my care. I think you're worrying about the wrong person."

Fortunately, Thor also understood what kind of person his brother was. He added, "If you run into any trouble that's hard to handle, or if Loki causes any issues, just come find me."

Thor's words were a promise. As long as Ethan asked for his help, Thor would never refuse. Even if the trouble wasn't directly caused by Loki, even if the task was dangerous and might cost Thor his life, he wouldn't hesitate.

"Trust me, if I need your help, I won't hold back."

Counting this promise from Thor, Ethan felt like the benefits he was gaining just kept piling up.

To sum it up, this trip to Asgard had earned him custody of the Cosmic Cube (which essentially belonged to him now), the chance to study Asgard's magical knowledge, a mischievous Loki, Asgardian magic (as long as he could extract it from Loki), and even Thor's unconditional support.

The gains were significant. Compared to all that, dealing with Loki's mischief was nothing.

You had to give something to get something in return. Just think of Loki as another Arthur—only a bit more troublesome.

Ethan and Diana stayed in Asgard for the next few days.

Diana would wander around the city every day. When Thor was free, he would accompany her. When he wasn't, he would ask Sif to show her around. Sometimes, Frigga would chat with Diana, treating her as the daughter of another god-king from a different universe.

Perhaps because Diana was a demigod, the Asgardians were more willing to accept her. Compared to Ethan, they were noticeably warmer toward her.

Ethan suspected there was another reason. Not long after arriving in Asgard, Diana had already defeated most of the elite warriors here. Asgardians respected strength above all else, so it wasn't surprising that Diana quickly gained their admiration. The only person she hadn't sparred with yet was Thor—not because Thor didn't want to fight her, but because Odin had specifically forbidden it.

Unlike Thor, who was still youthful and impulsive, Odin had sharp insight. He could see that Diana had already begun to master the divine power within her. Her strength far exceeded Thor's current level. If Thor were to challenge her now, without fully unlocking the divine power hidden in his body beyond what Mjolnir allowed, he would not stand a chance.

Only if Thor could freely release his divine power without relying on Mjolnir would he barely qualify to compete with Diana. But even then, since Diana had been honing her abilities for some time, while Thor would just be starting to tap into his true potential, the odds were still against him.

As the future king of Asgard, Thor was now gradually assuming more responsibilities. If he were to lose to an outsider in front of everyone, it would damage his reputation. Odin couldn't allow that.

"Maybe Thor should go out and gain some experience too," Odin thought for a moment but quickly dismissed the idea.

The reason he sent Loki away was to give him the chance to broaden his horizons, to understand the dangers of the world, and to learn to control his ambition.

The best outcome would be for Loki to return stronger and wiser, realizing that the world was not as easy to conquer as he imagined, and then choosing to work alongside Thor to guard Asgard and help it flourish.

At the same time, keeping Loki at a distance would allow Thor time to build enough prestige, so that when the time came for him to inherit the throne, the people of Asgard would fully support him. Even if Loki still harbored ambition by then, without popular support, his plans would be doomed to fail.

Odin did not want Loki to be Thor's rival. He wanted Loki to become Thor's right hand, helping him instead of competing with him. Odin believed that if the two brothers worked together, Asgard's glory could continue for generations. He also had faith that Thor, staying in Asgard, would steadily grow stronger until he reached the level Odin hoped for.

"The only question is... can the catastrophe be avoided? Can this young man really stop it?"

Odin stood at a high vantage point, gazing out over his kingdom. His words sounded like he was talking to himself, but there was a faint reply.

"His presence has already caused many changes. I can no longer see all of Asgard's future clearly."

Odin nodded. That was good news.

"And what about your own future?" he asked.

"There are many futures I can't see clearly either," the voice replied. The speaker, wearing a yellow robe and hood, slowly appeared behind Odin and walked up to stand beside him, looking out over Asgard.

"You believe that young man is the key?" novelbuddy.cσ๓

"Every change began the moment he entered this world." Lifting the hood, the figure revealed themselves as the Ancient One of Kamar-Taj. "As his strength continues to grow, the parts of the future I can no longer see also continue to increase."

(To be continued.)

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