Loki clenched his fingers together and said, "Am I really satisfied? I feel …"
"What? Feel like you're a bit low-bred? Feel like your goals and ambitions are not far-reaching enough? What then? You want to take out Thor first, then Odin, and unite the Nine Major Kingdoms?"
"That's indeed a good target, and with your abilities, you certainly could achieve it. But if you really want to set this as your goal, you wouldn't be sitting here now, right?"
"The moment you learned the fact that you're not Odin's biological son, that was a crucial turning point in your life. You had two choices, either go back to Asgard through the Rainbow Bridge, pretending you know nothing, or …"
As Shiller looked at Loki, Loki turned to him too, continuing Shiller's words, "Or … go find Thor."
"You want to see him, right?"
"That's unusual," Shiller lifted the pen in his hand and said, "Generally, when people experience pain, they prefer to cry for their mother."
Loki turned his head aside, dismissing the jest in Shiller's tone. Shiller continued, "We've come to the end of the first half, let's have a review."
"The conclusion derived from the assumption of exchanging identities is that all the emotions you're having now are perfectly normal. Anyone would have reacted the same. This led us to the discovery that Thor appears more generous not because he's better than you, but because he was brought up in a different environment."
"Then we discussed how circumstantial changes lead to weakening motivations, which indirectly infers your goal as being stronger than Thor."
"I think you now have some new understandings about your relationship with Thor. Next, we'll approach another question that you're more interested in, which is your relationship with Odin."
Mentioning Odin's name, Loki's expression is still complex, he himself didn't even notice his facial twitching.
"Perhaps you expect detailed theoretical analysis from me. But in actuality, it's difficult," Shiller sighed and continued, "The data you provided is inadequate, too many variables, I won't be able to provide psychological counseling based on these uncertain factors, the errors would be excessive."
"Uncertain... factors?"
"Like, what exactly is your relationship with Odin? Are you really his biological son? If you're not, why did you become his son? What's his real intention for raising you? Such things..."
"Your relationship with Odin is far more complicated. Under these circumstances, some logics don't apply; there are many possible end outcomes. Diving too deep will only confuse you more."
"So, regarding this part, I can only give you two suggestions. First, figure out what actually happened. Second is …"
Shiller drew out the syllables, Loki looked at him, awaiting an answer that was overdue, he asked, "What is it?"
Shiller changed his posture, rested his forearm on the table, lifted his shoulders to look at Loki, and asked, "Have you wreaked havoc when you were little?"
"Of course not," Loki stated firmly, "I'm not Thor, I've completed every task assigned by the Father of All Gods perfectly."
"Since you've never wreaked havoc, how do you know that Odin wouldn't clean up the mess for you?"
Lips pursed, Loki responded in disbelief, "You're not suggesting I... cause trouble, are you?"
"Although I'm not too sure of the type of person Odin is, from some of the stories Strange has narrated, I learned that Odin was quite impulsive in his younger days, much like Thor."
"Generally, parents tend to display higher tolerance for children that resemble them, since they've gone through the same phase, understanding that mistakes are unavoidable for certain personalities."
"Your main insecurity stems from the fact that you always felt Odin wouldn't tolerate your mistakes. Now that you discovered you're not his biological son, you feel he'd be even less tolerant."
"But I think you could give it a try, without testing, you'll never know where his bottom line is, maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised."
Loki found it hard to articulate his feelings, he said, "Are you suggesting… I wreak havoc?"
"I didn't say that, I'm merely conducting a normal psychological counseling." Shiller, still fidgeting with the pen, said, "After achieving psychological goals, falling into a state of gratification and idleness, people instinctively look for entertainment, and so do you."
When Loki returned to the apartment, it wasn't dark yet, so Thor hadn't gone to work. He was unpacking a takeout, fetching fried chicken from the box.
Thor still had his long hair, though the beard was trimmed shorter, wearing a cheap sweater from who knows where, his hands greasy. Seeing him like this, Loki held back what he had wanted to say, thinking that not being so nosy sometimes might be a good thing.
"I've never really understood why you consider such a person as your opponent," Venom chimed inside Loki's head, "Why don't we play on the seesaw downstairs... oh, we're one person, can't play seesaw, that's a pity."
"...That's your relationship with your brother."
Loki ignored him and sat on the sofa opposite Thor, started fiddling with the takeaway box in front of Thor. Thor was surprised by his actions, looked up at him and asked, "I thought you loathe greasy fried chicken?"
Then he voluntarily opened the box, pressed down the already opened lid, revealing the fried chicken inside, and slid the box to the center of the coffee table, saying, "I only had enough money for a small portion, but I can share a few pieces with you if you want."
Loki retracted his hand, resting it on his knee, holding his chin, he noticed there were only about five or six pieces of fried chicken in the box, even considering it was a small portion, it was way too little.
Thor shrugged and said, "It's really quite delicious but a bit pricey, and the portion is small, but no worries, we still have this ..."
He dragged a bag of canned beer out from under the coffee table, holding it up he found only one left, saying, "Alright, better than nothing."
He took out the can, opened the pull-tab, and placed it on the table. Seeing Loki sitting there, motionless, Thor asked puzzledly, "What're you stunned about? Go get a cup."
Then he paused and added, "Fine, I won't make fun of you for drinking beer from a cup, but just this once."
"Do I need to tell you? Actually, you really want to ..."
Right as Venom was about to continue, Loki interrupted him, "That's right, I want to punch him."
"Alright, seems like it's not just humans, the God Clan is the same ..."
As Venom trailed off, the sound of beer pouring into the cup echoed, outside, the sky was starting to darken, the curtains billowing lightly with the breeze, the autumn night air growing chillier as the temperature dipped, the cicadas quietening down, all was serene and tranquil.
"Ah, dammit, test that part again!" Thor stands up from the ground, kicks a tire, and the colleague next to him passes him a wrench. Thor crouches down to continue fiddling with the tire,
After a long time fiddling, he throws the wrench away, pats the top of the car and says, "That should be the last one for today, right?"
"Hey! Benjamin! What's wrong with you? Someone! Quick, we need help!! Benjamin has fainted!!!" A loud shout comes from outside the workspace. Thor turns his head to see one of his colleagues shouting outside, another colleague named Benjamin collapsed on the ground.
Thor walks out quickly and asks, "What's the matter? What happened to Benjamin?"
"Damn it! It seems like he's having a heart attack! Call emergency quickly!"
The colleagues all run out. Some start to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation for Benjamin, and some pull out their mobile phones to call an ambulance, while Thor also helps.
Not long after, the ambulance arrives. A few nurses rush down from the car, see Benjamin lying on the ground, one female nurse says, "Give a hand, let's move him to the car first!"
Thor walks over, picks up Benjamin all by himself. The female nurse glances at him, then points at the stretcher next to him, "Put him on it, hurry up!"
When Thor comes back from the hospital, the boss of the car repair shop doesn't look too well. He says to Thor, "You saw, Benjamin fell by himself, right? It has nothing to do with my car repair shop..."
Thor's expression darkens, he says: "If it wasn't you scheduling him for night shifts for more than ten nights in a row, how would he have died suddenly?"
"What has that got to do with me!" The bearded boss shouts loudly: "He is a poor soul, eats junk food every day, that's why he isn't healthy! He deserved to die, even causing trouble for me by making it hard for me to find workers for tomorrow night!"
Thor stares at him, eyes brimming with anger, like a lion. The boss is shocked by his imposing manner but soon starts waving his fists again, saying: "What are you looking at? You stupid ox! You have to continue working night shifts too, do you know why? Because you're a dumb hick from Texas, you're brainless! You can't even speak properly!"
"I will tell them that if one day you fall to the ground, I will make sure they stay far far away!"
"Why do you have no sympathy for your own colleague?" Thor stands his ground, says solemnly: "He is dead, do you understand?"
"Colleague? Fool!" The boss of the car repair shop spits saliva and says: "He is just a washed-up black boxer, sleeps in garbage piles all day eating leftovers, it's already a favor giving him a job. His death is still causing trouble for my work tomorrow night, he really is a waste of space!"
After saying that, he turns around to leave, perhaps fearing Thor might hit him. Just then, a burly man barges in through the back door of the car repair shop. Armored and wielding a large sword, he delivers a punch to the boss of the car repair shop, and shouts: "You dare disrespect Odin's son!"
"Volstagg, how did you end up here?" Thor rushes over to stop the burly man from continuing to punch the car repair boss, and says: "Stop, don't beat him anymore! He's just an ordinary person!"
"But he insulted you! Thor, how can we stand by while you're being insulted?!"
"Enough, stop!" Thor roars: "This is complicated, but first you guys need to tell me, how did you all end up here??"
"Oh my god, and Sif!" Thor, noticing the figure walking over from behind, says: "How long has it been since we last met?"
Sif walks up to Thor and says: "You've been fighting wars outside for what must be centuries now."
"Let's not talk about that now, Volstagg? Fandral... and Hogun! What brought you guys here?"
"We'll find a safe place to talk." Sif says in a steady tone: "Where's your camp here? We'll go there."
Thor scratches his head and says: "Camp... there is one, but you might... Okay, I'm living with Loki now, I know, the two of you have a grudge."
"Loki?" Sif suddenly becomes serious and says: "We came precisely to talk to you about Loki."
Thor glances at the clock hanging on the wall and says: "Loki should still be at work now, it should be okay for us to go back."
"Also, can you guys use divine power to transform these clothes? It's too conspicuous, we can't take the bus like this."
"Bus? What is that?"
"It's like the public horse-drawn carriage in Asgard."
"What's wrong with how we are dressed then?"
Thor feels a headache coming on, he suddenly realizes the naive feeling he had when he first came to Earth, not knowing what to do, he can only take out his phone to call for help.
After a while, Steve and Hill come over together. Seeing a group of people dressed similarly to Thor, Steve holds his temples and says: "I beg you, why are there four people like this here???"
As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Hill is used to big scenes, she says: "Should I be thankful to you for at least giving Earth a heads up after smuggling your companions over?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know why they would come here either," Thor said somewhat awkwardly, "By right, we're not supposed to just come to Earth like that."
Hill drove these folks to Thor's apartment, then said, "Remember to report to the S.H.I.E.L.D tomorrow, or they'll be deported as illegal immigrants."
Opening the door, taking the elevator up, and entering the apartment, Thor's companions finally began to chatter, saying, "Your place isn't bad at all, even if it's not as grand as Asgard, it's still quite curious."
"What is this? A sofa? It looks a bit different from Asgard's."
"Humans have progressed rather quickly. What is this for? A lamp, huh, the switch is so peculiar?"
Thor, hands on his hips, standing in the center of the room, said, "You guys need to explain why you're here, right?"
Sif sheathed her sword, saying, "We're here to warn you and, at the same time, to warn the people of Earth."
"A warning? What happened?"
"Recently, Heimdall noticed something amiss from Loki. He seems to be shuttling frequently between Asgard's weapon warehouse and the Heavenly Palace Warehouse. According to Heimdall, Loki might be eyeing the Destroyer."
"The Destroyer..." Thor frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Are you talking about that big machine in the Heavenly Palace? What is it for?"
Hogun stepped forward to say, "That's a weapon, the former mount of the Father of Gods, who faced many formidable enemies with it."
"But what does this have to do with Loki and Earth? I'm a bit confused..."
"Actually, we've been suspecting Loki." Sif's voice became heavy as she said, "Thor, sometimes, you're a bit too naive. You're upright and kind, but not everyone is the same. We've always suspected that Loki was behind the troubles you stirred up in Jotunheim."
"I know, you trust your brother, and we don't want to ruin your relationship, so we didn't directly tell you, but while you were exiled, we've been keeping an eye on Loki."
"We did catch him red-handed!" Fandral exclaimed, "We don't have the right to enter the Heavenly Palace's warehouse, but Heimdall, as the Head Steward of Asgard, does. He discovered that Loki's been in and out of the warehouse very often, something he never did before."
"The Destroyer is a weapon of the Father of All Gods, Odin. But as you know, the Father of All Gods had been in a deep sleep a while ago. We suspect that Loki is trying to meddle with the Destroyer."
"Heimdall also has such suspicions, but he can't question a prince of Asgard. Instead, he sent us to the palace to watch Loki."
"We discovered that Loki seems to be preparing a portal to transport the Destroyer to Earth!"
"He wants to kill you, Thor." Sif stepped up to Thor with a serious face, saying, "He knows you're powerless now. Such a formidable weapon of the celestial palace, once it's on Earth, would be a danger to you and ordinary Earthlings."
"Impossible!" Thor immediately denied it, "I've been getting along just fine with him recently. Plus, why would he want to kill me? We're brothers."
Sif helplessly held her forehead, saying, "But you both are princes as well, and there can be only one king in Asgard. To become the king of Asgard, he would have to kill you."
"He wants to be the king of Asgard?" Thor exclaimed shockedly, "Why would he want to be the king of Asgard?"
The others all shot Thor peculiar glances, causing him to be stunned. He then said, "Oh, alright, it's indeed possible that he wants to ascend the throne of Asgard. Everyone wants to, but he wouldn't... No, don't tell me such things, Loki wouldn't do that."
Sif sighed, patted Thor's shoulder, saying, "Like we've said, we had no intention of ruining your relationship with your brother. But this is the reality. Even if you don't care for your own safety, there're so many ordinary people on Earth who would be in danger once the Destroyer arrives."
Thor hesitated, Sif further persuaded him, "This is not just for your own safety, but also for the safety of Earth. The Destroyer is an incredibly powerful magical weapon, and we're not sure we can handle it, so you have to come up with a way to regain your divine power and weapon."
Thor sighed, saying, "I don't have any clue, where is my divine power?"
He turned around, sat down on the sofa, and leaned against it, "Mjölnir is under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance. I've tried to retrieve it once, but couldn't lift it at all."
"Not just me, Loki and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have tried too, all to no avail. The enchantment that the Father of All Gods put on it is immensely strong. No matter applying force or using magic, we couldn't break it."
"And all the clues he left for me, I still haven't figured them out. I asked Loki, but Loki wouldn't tell me either."
"Of course, he wouldn't tell you." Volstagg groaned, saying, "If you regained your divine power and weapon, what would he do? He wants to take your life while you're at your weakest."
"No matter what..." Sif walked to Thor's side, saying, "...We're with you. But you must pull yourself together. You're the future master of Asgard, the successor that the Asgardians recognize. You have the duty to protect all beings from the Nine Major Kingdoms, including Earth."
"Don't let us feel that, in the face of a crisis, you can only run away, Thor."