18

Chapter 18: The Plot That Started Early?

A fierce quarrel was erupting in the hall.

"I told you that a wise ruler never provokes war lightly! Five years ago, I foolishly believed you were prepared. Now it seems I was mistaken."

Vanity, greed, cruelty, arrogance, ignorance—none of these traits are worthy of trust from other realms...

This might be the harshest criticism Odin has ever leveled at Thor, and the underlying issue isn't just Thor's troubles, but rather Odin seeing in Thor the reflection of his past self, as well as—himself in his youth.

Odin's scolding of Thor is, in fact, a reflection on the first half of his own life.

In his early years, Odin championed force, and his brutal conquests plunged the Nine Realms into chaos. Hundreds of millions suffered due to the wars instigated by Asgard.

"You also told me that a true king must always be ready to fight! The war has already begun, but you refuse to acknowledge it. They started the war, and I merely chose to engage in it! Without your interference, the war would already be over!"

Thor responded sharply.

In his view, Odin's stance was no different from that of the overly idealistic figures of his previous life, who, having committed many sins, now sought to reflect and atone. He had been extremely lenient toward the suffering rulers of the past, creating a mess...

But it's nothing more than your own overflowing sentimentality, and it's unreasonable to expect others to mirror it!

In his anger, Odin finally decided to strip— or seal—Thor's divine power and sent him to Earth to reflect on his actions.

Thor had anticipated this outcome. Even if this hadn't happened, he had planned to leave for a while.

A few days earlier, Odin and Frigga had grown fed up with Thor's overeating and had ordered him to become a vegetarian and prohibited him from drinking...

As Odin had put it, "You can't lose weight! Do you really think of yourself as a pig?"

Fortunately, Maya Hansen did not have a problem with him, otherwise Thor felt he might have become a monk.

Odin picked up Mjölnir, preparing to send it to Earth along with Thor, but suddenly remembered something and added an extra spell before falling into his Odin's sleep...

…

Outside the atmosphere, Carol Danvers was observing Earth.

For several years, she had been busy finding a new home for the Skrulls.

However, there are very few habitable planets in the universe, and most of them are already inhabited.

This time, she took a break from her busy schedule to check on Earth.

At that moment, a massive figure rapidly descended towards her. Carol immediately threw a punch, and the figure vanished into the sky...

Hmm, why did that figure look familiar?

Two hundred pounds of Thor versus four hundred pounds of Thor are two different things.

He was supposed to land in New Mexico but deviated from his trajectory and began flying north, crossing the North Pole...

As he passed over Norway, a magical circle appeared out of nowhere, and Thor fell into it, vanishing from sight.

In Asgard, Heimdallr suddenly noticed Thor's disappearance. He went to report it to Odin, but Odin had entered Odin's sleep, so Heimdallr had to abandon the search.

In Heimdallr's view, if Thor's life were truly in danger, Odin would not ignore it, so he didn't worry too much.

…

In New Mexico, a hammer fell from the sky and landed in a crater, attracting significant attention. Nick Fury arrived promptly and secured the area. He recognized the hammer.

An up-and-coming Natasha Romanoff attempted to lift the hammer, but found she could not.

"Mjölnir didn't reject me, but I felt another force was preventing me. It seemed... someone blocked me." This was her confused explanation.

S.H.I.E.L.D began searching for Thor in secret, but it appeared he had not come to Earth, and there were no signs of him.

Years later, the crater where Mjölnir landed had become a popular local attraction.