Chapter 242: At the Lake of Daming, Thunder Jinjiang
It turns out the so-called Twilight of the Gods actually stems from the conspiracy of the ancient gods.
These ancient gods are gods of gods, existing entirely beyond celestial beings. Even Odin is like an ant in their presence! They extract life energy from the Twilight of the Gods to sustain themselves, in a cycle that repeats over and over.
To end this, it's necessary to sever the threads spun by the Three Fates.
However, Clark currently lacks the ability to do so.
All he can do now is to address immediate problems - like stopping this upcoming Twilight of the Gods caused by Hela and the Fire Giant.
As for the rest, it will have to wait until later.
To prevent this imminent Twilight of the Gods, there are two completely different choices.
One is like in the movies: to sacrifice the realm of Asgard itself, merely saving its people. This method is simple, but also offers the least reward.
The second, far more challenging option is to save the land of Asgard. The difficulty is more than ten times greater.
The origin of this Twilight of the Gods isn't the Fire Giant Surtur but Odin's daughter, Hela, the Goddess of Death of Asgard, and Clark's great-niece!
As the Goddess of Death of the Aesir in Asgard, Hela has a tenacious trait: her life is bound to Asgard.
Asgard endures, so does Hela.
Moreover, the closer she is to Asgard, the stronger she becomes. If she enters Asgard's Golden Palace, her strength approaches that of a Sky-Father level. Even Thanos in his normal state couldn't defeat her.
To kill Hela, Asgard must be destroyed.
However, to gain a better completion of his tasks and more artifacts, Asgard must be preserved.
This seems like a vicious cycle.
Initially, Clark considered using tricks, like luring Hela to an insignificant place like the Kree's Hala or Thanos's dark lair.
Then, summon the Fire Giant Surtur with the Eternal Flame there, allowing that place to be destroyed instead of Asgard.
However, Clark quickly dismissed this idea as it wouldn't work.
In the movies, although Surtur killed Hela with one strike, it wasn't because he had the power to kill her, but because he could destroy Asgard.
With Asgard destroyed, Hela naturally perishes. Otherwise, even summoning a full-strength Surtur elsewhere would at best severely injure her but not solve the problem.
After much deliberation, Clark decided to seek answers at the Well of Mimir. The Well of Wisdom did not disappoint him.
Not only did he learn the true nature of the Twilight of the Gods, but he also found a perfect solution to the current crisis.
Use absolute power to sever space and alter reality!
Only in this way can the life bond between Hela and Asgard be broken.
To achieve this, Clark's current strength is insufficient; he must rely on external forces, such as the Infinity Stones.
To wield absolute power, altering space and reality, he needs to gather the Power, Space, and Reality Stones.
Although it's not as daunting as collecting all six Infinity Stones, it's far from easy. It looks like he'll be busy for a long time.
But before that, he needs to go to Nidavellir to forge an artifact capable of housing the Infinity Stones.
Once again using the Tesseract, Clark returned to his room in Asgard without lifting a foot, transported by the space energy.
At the Well of Mimir, he learned not only about the Twilight of the Gods but also used his remaining points to obtain knowledge about the three Infinity Stones, including their current locations, usage, and even how to unlock their secrets.
Because he paid the price of an eye and only asked for knowledge about these three stones, his understanding of them now even surpasses that of Thanos, Odin, and the original holders.
Returning to his room, he found Ava still asleep. Shaking his head to dismiss the unhealthy thoughts, Clark tiptoed over and covered her with a blanket again – that mischievous girl had kicked it off.
Not wanting to disturb Ava's rest, Clark stepped out of the room silently.
In Asgard, Clark's identity is beyond question, but in other realms of the Nine Realms, it's not so easily recognized. It's not that Odin's authority becomes null beyond Asgard, but Clark's unfamiliar face makes it hard to believe that such an ordinary-looking young man is Odin's sworn brother and the only prince of Asgard.
Thus, to assert his identity, Clark needs someone to introduce him.
The best candidate for this would, of course, be Odin himself, representing the highest strength of the Aesir and the long-standing culture and traditions of Asgard.
However, it's unreasonable to bother Odin with such trivial matters.
Reluctantly, Clark decides to find Thor, who's off gallivanting on Earth.
With Thor's personality, saying he's gallivanting is hardly an exaggeration.
Clark sent him to Earth to learn imperial tactics to balance the powers in the Nine Realms, preventing endless rebellions. Instead of always suppressing uprisings, they should find a more balanced approach.
Thor, however, went to Earth and immediately found Jane Foster. After explaining his mission, the two – a golden couple in Hollywood's blockbuster "Seahorse King" – decided to travel the world for the peace of the Nine Realms. They started touring Earth's famous sites and listening to legendary stories about kings and emperors.
When Clark found them, they were in the mysterious Eastern country, undetectable by the Tesseract or even Heimdall's sight, dressed in newly bought costumes, posing as Aisin Gioro Hongli and Xia Yuhe, taking photos with fans at the Lake of Daming!
Remember, Thor, now a Hollywood star under the name Thunder Jinjiang, is even more popular in this mysterious Eastern country than in Hollywood.
To avoid being mobbed by fans, Clark, seeing the two enjoying themselves, decides to call Thor.
In this mysterious Eastern country, both Thor and Clark use local phone numbers.
"When the mountains lose their edges, when rivers no longer flow, when time stops day and night…"
Hearing his ringtone, Thor first apologizes to his fans. Seeing an unfamiliar number, he hangs up without hesitation and continues posing for photos.
"That scoundrel dared to hang up on me?" Frustrated, Clark then calls Jane Foster.
"Loving until the heart breaks, don't blame anyone, it's just too beautiful when we met. Even if tears dry up, heartaches, heart turns to ash, it's all okay…"
Their ringtones match perfectly. Does Odin know?
Fortunately, Jane, unlike Thor, hesitates but still answers the call.
Then, she hears a familiar voice speaking perfect Mandarin: "Tell that idiot Thor to answer the phone!"
After Jane hands the phone to Thor, Clark scolds him: "You've got some nerve hanging up on your uncle. I told you to learn imperial tactics on Earth. Is this how you're learning, planning to learn the arts of the imperial chamber?"
Thor, confused at first, then happily asks, "Uncle, where can I learn these… imperial arts?"
Clark, exasperated, sympathizes with Odin. It must be tough having such a wayward son.
"Stop the nonsense. I'm waiting for you in room 233 of the ZhuZhu Teahouse not far from you. You have 10 minutes to get here, or else… figure it out yourself!"
Hanging up, Clark pours himself a cup of freshly brewed Da Hong Pao tea, feeling calmer with each sip.
Looking at the distant scenery, he feels a warmth of reunion, though he had never been to Jinan or seen the Lake of Daming before crossing over.
"Knock, knock, knock…" Minutes later, a knocking sounds. Clark frowns slightly. His senses tell him it's a man and a woman at the door, the woman with strong powers and the man seemingly a regular person.
But he's sure it's not Thor and Jane.
The people at the door are not who he expected – the woman is the strong one, and the man doesn't seem to emanate any energy, like an ordinary person.
With curiosity, Clark responds, "Friends from afar, how delightful. Since you're here, why not come in for a hot cup of tea?"
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