Chapter: 183
The core of the Palace's energy shield has been damaged and cannot be repaired in a short period of time.
The defense facilities have also suffered significant damage in this confrontation and require manpower and resources for repairs.
Moreover, through this confrontation, it has exposed the inadequacy of Asgard's military capabilities, as their weapons' performance falls behind that of the Dark Elves.
What's more, the Tesseract has been taken by Malekith!
The Tesseract is the key to opening the door to any location in the universe. Once the Dark Elves successfully master its use, they can appear at any location they choose to launch an attack.
Coupled with their excellent stealth capabilities on their warships, it can be said that once such a surprise attack occurs, the success rate is nearly one hundred percent.
If Asgard cannot hold onto the Aether and allows the Dark Elves to gather both the Tesseract and the Aether, then the fate of Asgard and even the Nine Realms is unimaginable.
"Your Majesty, currently our defense facilities cannot be repaired quickly, and Heimdall's super-senses cannot locate the enemy's whereabouts. Furthermore, the enemy has taken the Tesseract. They are in the dark, while we are in the light. It can be said that we have lost all defensive capabilities."
In the central hall of the Palace, Odin gathered the generals and staff of Asgard, reporting the losses caused by the Dark Elves' sudden attack and discussing how to deal with the threats they pose.
The hall still bore the remnants of the battle between the two sides, with the most conspicuous being the destroyed Allfather's throne, destroyed by Malekith himself. Thus, Odin could only stand in front of the hall with the others during this meeting.
Odin furrowed his brow. Based on the information he received so far, Asgard's situation was not optimistic.
Although the Dark Elves failed to obtain the "Aether" in this operation, they managed to take the Tesseract.
Now, the competition between the two sides is not only about the strength of their weapons and armed personnel but also about their research capabilities.
Once the Dark Elves decipher the usage of the Tesseract before Asgard does, then Asgard will be in a passive position.
However, if they can research the utilization of the Aether ahead of the Dark Elves, the situation will be completely reversed. They can use the network of connections established between the Aether and the Dark Elves to trace their whereabouts and launch precise remote attacks using the Bifrost.
As Odin was lost in his thoughts, a messenger entered the hall, kneeling before Odin and reporting, "Your Majesty, the person you asked us to bring have been waiting outside."
"Oh!" Upon hearing this news, Odin's eyebrows raised, revealing a hint of delight. He then earnestly asked the person before him, "You haven't treated him disrespectfully, have you? He is a distinguished guest of Asgard and has saved my queen's life."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty! Lord Mark has rendered great services to Asgard, and the soldiers hold him in high regard. Moreover, you previously ordered us to treat him with utmost respect, and we have followed your instructions and not done anything out of line."
"Very well then, bring him in now!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Hearing that Odin had invited Thor's friend from Midgard to participate in their internal war meeting, the people in the hall couldn't help but feel curious.
Currently, those standing beside Odin were either high-ranking military generals who had achieved great feats for Asgard or individuals of significant influence, including the Warriors Three, who were friends of Thor.
However, Heimdall was absent due to his duty of guarding the gates of Asgard and keeping watch for any enemy attacks. Thor was also absent as he had to take care of the recovering Frigga and Jane Foster. Nonetheless, it was indeed perplexing to have Mark present at such an internal meeting.
Odin, seeing through everyone's thoughts, directly addressed them and explained, "Don't underestimate Thor's friend from Midgard. His willingness to come here without seeking any rewards just to help Thor, as requested by him, demonstrates that he is a noble and loyal individual."
And he has solved the problems of both Jane Foster and Frigga, which proves his intelligence and strength. Moreover, Heimdall even called him the most powerful Sage in the Nine Realms. It can be said that if the people of Midgard thousands of years ago worshiped us as gods, then he, as a mortal, is capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the gods.
After you meet him later, you will understand that our praises and Heimdall's evaluation of him are not empty words. Do not leave a rude and arrogant impression in front of our guest. Understood?"
"Yes!" Hearing that even their Allfather Odin had given him such a high evaluation, everyone dared not underestimate him any longer and responded solemnly.
Soon, Mark, led by the guards, arrived in front of Odin and the Asgardian generals.
In the eyes of the Asgardians, although Mark was tall, even taller than Thor by a fair margin, his muscle definition was not prominent, making him appear somewhat slender. This image was evidently not the preferred type among them.
For them, regardless of height, the most important thing was to have a strong physique with well-developed muscles. After all, why would Asgard, with its advanced civilization, still prefer to use cold weapons? It was because they pursued this primitive and wild beauty.
However, they also understood that since Heimdall referred to Mark as the most powerful Sage, it meant that his strength lay not in combat ability but in his intellect. Coupled with Odin's instructions just now, their behavior remained within the bounds of propriety.
However, judging Mark's combat ability based solely on his appearance would be a misjudgment. Just like when Malekith first saw Frigga and underestimated her due to her delicate appearance, he ended up being beaten by her, teaching him not to judge others based on their appearance.
Through the enhancement of every cell in his body using nanobots and virus modification, the strength of each cell in Mark's seemingly slender body could not be judged by conventional standards. The energy contained within him was absolutely astonishing.
Although it might not compare to the mighty physique of the Asgardian warriors, which was forged over thousands of years and nurtured by magic, it was by no means as weak as it appeared on the surface.
In addition to Mark's terrifying ability to generate temperatures over 3,000 degrees Celsius, his exceptional healing ability, the combat assistance provided by nanobots, and a variety of advanced high-tech weapons, it can be said that even in the face of the God of Thunder, Thor, Mark could battle him and come out unscathed.
"Your Majesty Odin, may I ask what instructions you have for summoning me here?"
Upon arriving before the hall, Mark first performed a ninety-degree bow to express his respect to Odin before inquiring about his purpose.
"Mark, in fact, I summoned you here because I hope to leverage your intelligence to unravel the mysteries of the Aether. Please allow me to explain further—"
Seeing the puzzled expression on Mark's face, Odin smiled slightly, speaking kindly like a gentle old man, "I know you must be curious. Undoubtedly, Asgard's civilization is more advanced than Midgard, which is your Earth civilization.
Given that, why would I still seek your help? I believe this is the point of confusion for you and the others present here.
In fact, from our recent battle with the Dark Elves, I believe you all have realized that despite thousands of years of development, our technological power has still not surpassed that of the stagnant Dark Elves.
In my opinion, it is because Asgard, as the strongest among the Nine Realms for a long time, has been arrogant, suppressing our innovative capabilities to a great extent. Or rather, this unhealthy and previously unnoticed mentality has deprived us of the drive to further advance.
However, Earth's civilization is different. Earth has always been the most backward and weakest existence among the Nine Realms. But precisely because of this sense of crisis brought about by its weakness, Earth has continuously and rapidly developed at a speed unimaginable by the other Nine Realms.
Based on my observations and understanding of Earth, its scientific and technological level has been exponentially advancing for thousands of years. Based on this trend, Earth will soon enter an era of technological explosion. In perhaps less than two hundred years, Midgard might surpass Asgard in technology.
And you, Mark, as one of the most outstanding individuals of this era on Earth and recognized by Heimdall as possessing the most powerful mind in the Nine Realms, your intellect is undoubtedly a formidable weapon.
Perhaps others haven't noticed, but as an old man who has dealt with magic for thousands of years, I can sense the presence of runic magic in you—"
"What!?" Hearing Odin mention the presence of runic magic in Mark, those nearby couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.
It should be noted that although Asgardians are born with the ability to sense the existence of magic and incorporate it into their bodies to strengthen themselves, the usage of runic magic is a much more profound and personalized approach.
Among the Asgardians, there are very few who can utilize it, which is why most warriors enhance their strength by continuously strengthening their physical bodies.
It's not that they don't want to have such abilities; it's simply that they lack the talent for it. Otherwise, if everyone could summon lightning like Thor, would there be any meaning in appointing a God of Thunder?
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