72

Mysterious Forces on the Moon

The azure planet below displayed seven parts water and three parts land, encircled by clouds. Judging by the distribution of land and water, it was unmistakably Earth.

Forseti remained stunned, then a realization dawned on him as he surveyed the gray, lifeless surroundings.

Isn't this... the moon?

Yes, it's close to Earth, devoid of air, and has weak gravity—it must be the moon.

He had considered the possibility of the tetrahedron leading to Earth itself, but landing on the moon, Earth's satellite, was unexpected.

Earth was visible, and Forseti felt an urgent desire to see it, especially in the BC era. He yearned to witness Earth during that time.

However, spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers of space from the moon to Earth posed a challenge—how could he make the journey without a spaceship?

Asgard possessed vessels like the Thunder Ship capable of interstellar travel, but using it to reach Earth seemed as improbable as relying on the Rainbow Bridge.

Without a spaceship, teleportation would be difficult.

I'm not Saitama.

Forseti concluded, realizing he couldn't reach Earth even though the distance had shrunk from light-years to hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

He could only gaze longingly at Earth, watching the ever-shifting patterns of clouds in its atmosphere...

As he stared, the discomfort of exposure to space grew, causing dizziness.

He needed to return quickly; prolonged exposure to space could prove fatal even for an Aesir.

Just as Forseti prepared to retreat, he caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye.

Someone?

Surprised, he scrutinized the area cautiously, retreating into the cave for cover, eyes scanning the vicinity.

Not far off, several humanoid figures in spacesuits approached, appearing no different physically from Asgardians or Earthlings.

Yet, they were neither Asgardian nor Earthling. Earth was still in its feudal era, and Asgardians had no need for spacesuits, at most employing face masks.

As the figures drew nearer, Forseti discerned their blue skin.

They seemed like soldiers, armed and conversing while walking, though their words remained inaudible to Forseti.

While these blue beings might not be formidable individually, their numbers suggested caution to Forseti.

Unexpectedly, on the moon in the BC era, an unknown mysterious force had taken root...

Spotting the blue figures approaching, Forseti wasted no time, swiftly retreating into the cave via the same path.

Upon reaching the narrowest point of the journey, Forseti summoned his staff and gestured towards the adjacent rock, forming a rock puppet.

Positioning the rock golem in the cave, Forseti wielded his staff again.

"Crash..." The rock puppet disintegrated, reverting to a heap of stones that blocked most of the tunnel.

Repeating the process and adjusting accordingly, Forseti used two rock puppets to completely seal the cave.

Despite the tetrahedron's secluded location, the discovery of unknown forces on the moon prompted him to ensure its concealment.

To prevent its discovery by these mysterious forces.

With this precaution taken, Forseti turned and pressed onward. Returning to the tetrahedron, he re-entered through the same side, arriving back on Asgard as anticipated.

Seating himself to catch his breath, he retrieved provisions from Sanctuary space to replenish his strength. After a few hours, the discomfort subsided.

Forseti regarded the tetrahedron thoughtfully.

He had explored one side, the moon. Another side led to magma, posing a significant hazard that he chose not to investigate further.

Two sides remained—one with water, the other with nothing.

After deliberation, Forseti opted to explore the side with water first.

Previously, he had assumed the absence of water was safer. Yet, upon reflection, it seemed the opposite might be true.

Bodies of water offered environments conducive to life, unlike barren regions.

This might not be obvious to Aesir but would be apparent to Earthlings. Where there was water, one could survive for a time, whereas reaching the moon would prove fatal within minutes.

Furthermore, considering the previous side led to the moon, the remaining surface likely belonged to Svartalfheim.

After all, Svartalfheim, home of the Dark Elves, was a dark, cold, life-scarce world where sights like magma and water would be rare.

Entering the side with water, Forseti found himself in an underwater cave upon inspection.

The cave lacked an exit, save for a few apertures through which water flowed.

Forseti identified a sizable gap, breaking it open with his hammer before ascending swiftly through the water.

Emerging from the water's surface, he surveyed his surroundings—a lake within a verdant forest, lush with vegetation.

There were few places in the Nine Realms boasting such scenery. Besides Earth and Asgard, only Nornheim, Alfheim, and Vanaheim came to mind.

Alfheim's frigid climate made such lush greenery unlikely. Hence, this was likely either Nornheim or Vanaheim.

Having visited Vanaheim before, Forseti felt a sense of familiarity in the air—it was likely Vanaheim...

Returning to the underwater cave, he sealed the exit with rocks once more. Passing through the tetrahedron, he returned to Asgard.

Gazing at the tetrahedron before him, a sense of relief washed over Forseti, a smile spreading across his face.

For years, he had grappled with the challenge of accessing and leaving Asgard. Now, with this back door, the issue was resolved.

The four sides—moon, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, and possibly Muspelheim—vastly expanded his range of movement.

Collecting the ingredients for the Talent Mixture would now be considerably easier.

Lost in these thoughts, Forseti realized this opportunity had found him right as he was contemplating his next steps.

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