章 3601: Chapter 2631: Hollywood Rhapsody (54)

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Since ancient times, sentient beings with human nature have generally been much alike; wherever there are people, there is strife. The more power is concentrated at the top, the more it is confined to a few hands, the more intense the struggle becomes.

Because the higher the layer of cake, the more likely they are to win big by risking little. Even if they pay a lot only to scrape off some crumbs in the end, it isn't a loss. What's more, if they succeed, they hit the jackpot. So, why not take the risk?

Countless changes of dynasties throughout history have been like this, proving it's an inevitable law of human nature. No one is an exception, not even the Asgardians, although they are not the human race, they too are beings with human nature.

Some might think that Asgard doesn't have such strife since they have so few people, and the gap in their strengths is substantial. But in reality, a simple family dividing into four or five smaller households can still result in fierce fights. So, no matter how straightforward Asgardian relationships may be, it is, after all, a Star Empire.

The fact is, this kind of risk is not non-existent. Without mentioning anything else, Loki's actions in the original story's plot are undeniably related to the later chaos and destruction of Asgard.

The real gap between his power, Odin's, and Thor's is more than enormous. There were Dark Elves, Thanos, gemstones... Doesn't this show that as long as one has the will, there are plenty of ways?

This proves that the Asgardian Royal Family is not much different from all the royal families in the world, at least in terms of internal crises. Even with a simple population structure and no covetous royal relatives, those two sons alone are enough of a headache.

But now, an exceptionally abnormal situation has arisen; indeed, Loki cannot succeed to the throne, and Odin's tolerance for him might be higher, but not to this extent.

Here is the front line; they are still at war, and Loki's shenanigans have already far exceeded any commander's tolerance. If anyone had common sense, Loki should be in a cell under interrogation, not lying in bed scrolling through his phone as he is doing now.

If nothing else, at the very least, the mysterious figure who suddenly appeared should be questioned—who he is, where he comes from, what his relationship with Thor is, whether he will affect the fleet's advance, or bring danger to Asgard.

It's what any clear-headed, intelligent commander should do. Meanwhile, a scene where no one asks anything, like what's happening now, can only mean that if Odin and the other Generals were so careless and stupid, the Aesir, powerful as they may be, would have been destroyed long ago.

But no one is asking.

It's as if an invisible hand has pressed the skip button, and the matter has simply passed by as if it never happened.

Shiller felt a strong sense of discord. How could it be that Loki is like the invincible hero in the novel, whose every unreasonable action got forcibly smoothed over, and everyone around him got their intelligence nerfed?

He voiced his doubts, and Loki revealed that typical mischievous grin. Bouncing up from the bed, he said, "Let me show you, and you'll understand."

After he spoke, he quietly pushed open the door to his room—he wasn't even locked in, no guards were at the door, and there weren't many people on the ship. It was as if Loki was not a ticking time bomb at all.

After slipping into the hallway, Loki looked left and right, recalled for a moment, then walked towards a certain direction. He knocked on a door, which was answered by Heimdall.

Heimdall looked Loki over and asked, "What is it?"

"I need to talk to you about that mysterious person who appeared earlier, the one who Thor called a remnant of the Star Meteor Spirit Race."

Heimdall's brows furrowed slightly, but he still let Loki in. Watching Loki sit down with composure, he said, "Are your injuries alright? Do you need a Doctor to have another look?"

"I'm not injured... Anyway, didn't Thor want to give you the footage of their fight?"

"Exactly, he insists that he's from the Star Meteor Spirit Race, but I don't think so. Some of the Magic Energy on his Armor smells like Cosmic Sorcerer, I sense a dark presence. That's not at all like the Spiritual Clan."

"I left the squad because I sensed that presence too. You know I have a keen nose for magic. That guy is very strange, having the Energy of four or five Demon Gods..."

Heimdall's vigilance heightened, and he sat opposite Loki, saying, "Did you see what he looks like? Can you roughly tell which Race he belongs to?"

"Hmm..." Loki suddenly fell into thought, dragging out the sound but remaining silent, as if he had an answer, but was reluctant to share it.

Heimdall was impatient, or perhaps there was no one in Asgard who wasn't. He leaned forward, peering into Loki's eyes, and pressed, "If you know, then speak quickly!"

"What is it that you want him to say?" Thor's roar came from behind Heimdall. Heimdall turned and saw Thor's sullen face.

"I told you, it's the remnant of the Star Meteor Spirit Race; he hates that I destroyed their planet, so he came after me. What else do you want to ask?!"

Seeing the vivid warning in Thor's eyes, Heimdall grew angry too. He stood up and said, "You know it's not true; do you realize you're misreporting military intelligence?! If he brings any danger to the fleet..."

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"If he brings any danger to the fleet, I will take full responsibility! That's not the reason you summoned Loki here to ask questions! You know his injuries have not yet healed!"

"He claimed he wasn't injured at all!"

"It was you who said the doctor told you he was injured!"

"I..." Heimdall almost choked, his anger flaring as he turned to glare at Loki, knowing he had been duped again. But still not giving up, he said, "Thor, you are being ridiculous! Do you not realize you are making a mockery of Asgard's honor?! If something goes wrong..."

"Nothing will go wrong," Thor interrupted Heimdall, "I value Asgard's honor more than you do. Loki, go back to your room and don't come out."

Loki then sauntered off slowly again.

Immediately afterwards, the room erupted into a fierce argument. It was mainly Heimdall thinking Thor was unreasonable while Thor believed he could bear any consequences and solve any troubles, adamantly refusing to allow Heimdall to question him further on the matter.

Shiller now understood why the crew had such an attitude. When it came to Loki, Thor was like a mad dog, biting anyone he encountered. No one could reason with Thor under the influence of his biased mindset. The only option was to avoid his sharp edge.

No wonder they say the biggest supporter of the Second Prince is the First Prince himself. If he was an Asgardian, he wouldn't have enquired, only to end up despised by both sides in the end.

Then Shiller had an epiphany and said, "So this is the root of why you are disliked. Relying on Thor's protection, you hop around causing trouble. When they get angry enough to hit you, you just duck behind Thor, watching as he beats them up to their ears in bruises. It'd be strange if you were popular."

Then Shiller asked with some confusion, "Does Thor really not know that actually, you are not as innocent as you appear to be?"

"Of course he knows," Loki said. "The odd thing is that he always thinks of me and him as a community of interests. He thinks protecting my interests is protecting his, so when I make mistakes, he doesn't think of correcting me, but rather how to cover up the incident."

Shiller shook his head and said, "That's a peculiar mindset. I have always believed that in this world one person cannot forever see another as their community of interests, not even the closest of parents and children can manage it. There will always be disagreements."

"Of course," Loki's tone suddenly dropped, and he said, "It's just that Thor and I haven't reached that day yet."

"What are your disagreements about?"

"Obviously, Asgard," Loki said. "Thor is destined to share the fate of Asgard, and I can do anything, but the moment I truly wish to destroy Asgard, there is no way we could stand together again."

Shiller nodded, recalling many comic and movie storylines. The brothers would only fall out at the brink of Asgard's destruction, and as soon as Loki showed a hint of wanting to repent, Thor would forget all his previous faults in an instant, as if eagerly ready to sing "My door is always open, welcoming my brother home."

Shiller couldn't fathom how Thor turned out this way. It wasn't a simple sense of guilt and compensation. It felt more natural for him to consider Loki as a part of himself. Blood relations and family bonds are indeed marvelous.

"However..." Loki smirked again and said, "The me at this point in time could only rely on Thor, but that's not necessarily the case anymore."

"Are you referring to Steven?"

"Steven has always been a very extreme person," Loki said. "Once he is convinced of something, he rarely changes his mind, like now he believes I have been wronged. Then to him, all of Asgard is guilty, and he would do everything in his power to change that."

"Do you think your brother's affection for you has a possessive element?" Shiller pinpointed the crux of the matter, "Are you wanting to test if this affection has an exclusive nature? Because, in reality, you are still conflicted about whose feelings for the other are more noble."

"Shut up, Doctor!" Loki gritted his teeth, "I will never believe you when you say you can't read minds!"

"I really can't," Shiller's tone carried a schadenfreude chuckle, "Actually, I'm curious too. The stronger people's emotions are, the harder it is to avoid becoming extreme. The more extreme it gets, the harder it is to separate from control, possession, and exclusivity."

"Logically, if Thor's affection for you is this intense, it simply can't be without any possessive tendencies. Once there is a rival, things might spiral out of control. Are you sure you want to try this?"

"Don't worry, I've already backed up the original timeline. Now we are essentially in a tributary of time," Loki said with a grin. "Who asked the Supreme Magician to guard his own theft and personally travel through time? If the timeline gets messed up, he's the perfect scapegoat, isn't he?"

Shiller also started laughing, "I can hardly wait to hear that black one-eyed dragon's roar of fury. Giving Steven a lesson isn't a bad idea either, right?"

Stark, having read this far, looked at Strange across from him with a hint of sympathy, now understanding why Strange looked so troubled. Nick Fury, he thought, still hasn't lost his talent for insulting people.

But why, Stark glanced at Loki next to him, as the architect of all this trouble, do you look so troubled too?

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