Chapter 1099: Father and Son (Twenty-Eight)_1

"Greetings, Your Majesty Odin, I would be more than glad to have a conversation with you. However, I just finished a consultation with a patient not long ago. I need to do some summing up on his situation. Possibly, I might also need to follow up with his subsequent treatment. So, can we have this talk tomorrow..."

Just as Shiller was speaking, he heard a thunderclap sound of "ka-cha" from behind him. He put down the phone, let out an exasperated sigh, and said softly as he turned around, "It would be so much better if they had come earlier..."

"Do you think I'm late?" Odin's voice came from behind Shiller. "I thought, for a psychiatrist, any time should be considered the right time."

Shiller turned around and saw Odin, who was robust and full of majesty. However, much to his surprise, Odin was not wearing his usual armor, but instead donned traditional Asgardian attire, the attire of a Viking.

The traditional Viking attire actually looked nothing like that of a pirate, and instead had similarity with the image of traditional Chinese ancient soldiers, with a soft undergarment and a firm mail on the outside, a sword and horn hung from the waist, and a bullhorn helmet worn on the head.

Odin, in this attire, no longer looked as awe-inspiring as he used to be. Instead, he appeared more casual and wild. The way he spoke and behaved mirrored this. Without treating himself as an outsider, he briskly crossed over the office desk, strode to the couch, sat down with ease, patted the couch armrest, and asked, "Do you have any wine?"

"Of course, Your Majesty. However, I'm afraid we don't have great wine like that of Asgard's here, only champagne." Shiller walked over to his liquor cabinet, scanning the bottles of wine inside, seemingly intending to pick a good one to treat Odin. However, Odin didn't care and stroked his beard, saying:

"I have lived on Earth longer than you. I know humans prefer not to make their wine too strong. Get me a glass of champagne. No ice cubes. I hate diluted alcohol."

Odin's voice was always resonating and loud. Whenever he talked, the room would be filled with its echo.

Instead of picking up the slender champagne glasses that he had previously used to serve Howard, Shiller opted for two beer mugs and several bottles of champagne, which he placed on the coffee table within the sofa area on a tray.

Without waiting for anything, Odin poured himself a glass of wine, put the glass heavily on the table, wiped his mouth, adjusted his beard, and said, "I was in a rush when I came, allow me to wet my whistle first."

Just as Shiller was about to speak, Odin stopped him and said, "Stop calling me Your Majesty. Call me Odin."

Odin's series of actions might seem a bit coarse, but they didn't come across as repulsive. Instead, they revealed him to be a robust and straightforward person. One had to admit, this one-time greatest King of Asgard had his unique charm, exuding an inner magnetism.

"No, Your Majesty, I rarely address people by their name during work. During this period, let us avoid establishing relations that deviate from the consultation, which can help me maintain my objectivity. Of course, if you permit, I can omit the formal address," Shiller said, sitting across from Odin.

"Let's go with that." Odin took another sip of his wine, rinsed his mouth with the champagne, and then asked, "Have you lately spent time with Loki?"

"Not really. The last time we met was just before Christmas. He was spending time with his brother. However, I heard that Thor went on a tour after spending Christmas with Steve and any available members from the Avengers. Didn't he take Loki along?"

Odin shook his head and said, "This is the first time Loki didn't accompany his brother on the tour of the Nine Major Kingdoms. Frigga and I initially thought he was overindulging or stayed on Earth to manage the affairs of the Holy Sanctuary. Surprisingly, I heard his vow a few days ago in Asgard. Consequently, I wanted to inquire from you, what exactly happened?"

"Do you presume this to be my plan?" Shiller vocalized the thoughts of Odin. Looking into his eyes, Odin gave an expression as if to say, "Isn't it?"

Shiller shook his head and said, "I was not feeling well recently and didn't take part in any major tasks. I have been recuperating."

"What happened to you?" Odin squinted his only usable eye. He always had a direct approach to issues, without any courtesy or euphemisms. However, he did not seem unreasonable, just straightforward.

"I just had an anxiety attack." Shiller sipped his champagne, gently shook his head. Odin put down his glass of wine and said, "In that case, you should not be drinking alcohol. Remove those glasses, I won't have another drink either."

"Your Majesty Odin, I truly have no idea where Loki has gone off to. Didn't you and Thor try to find him?"

Odin pursed his lips, gulping down the last remaining bit of wine in the glass, and said, "I had instructed Thor to bring his brother back. However, Thor has been persistently reluctant. I didn't want to deploy our fleet without his cooperation. This is why I came to ask for your help to locate Loki."

"To tell you the truth, Frigga and I were shocked when we heard his vow. I pulled out three strands of my beard, and Frigga cried for two hours. The one who seemed to be the least worried turned out to be Thor."

Odin shook his head, appearing somewhat puzzled, "Usually, he has the best relationship with his brother. Yet this time, he doesn't seem too concerned. He also seemed uninterested in Frigga and me mobilizing forces to find Loki."

"This is why I came to you behind his back. Can you explain to me what is going on? For once, I am failing to understand both of them."

"Do you want to talk about the brothers, Thor and Loki?" Shiller asked. Odin seemed somewhat puzzled by his question. Shiller rephrased his question, saying, "We can go from effect to cause, or from cause to effect. But in either way, the logic remains the same. It just depends on which way you are more accustomed to receiving information."

"Let's start with the two brothers then." A rare hint of hesitation appeared on Odin's face as he continued, "Ever since Thor ascended the throne, I have found it increasingly hard to understand the relationship between the two brothers."

"When Thor was still a prince, their relationship wasn't so good. Thor tried his best to fulfil his responsibilities as an older brother, attempting to take care of Loki, but it had little effect. Loki didn't want to act like a younger brother and was desperate to prove that he was the boss, but that, too, had little effect."

"Frigga and I have racked our brains over this issue before. We've tried several methods, hoping to improve their relationship, but they always act perfunctorily."

"Before Thor ascended the throne, they acted courteously towards each other in our presence. But we knew they were just putting on a show."

"But after Thor ascension, they became very strange. They seemed to be at odds with each other on the surface, arguing constantly, not just in front of Frigga and me, but even in the royal court."

"However, Frigga and I both felt that their relationship had improved greatly." Odin clicked his tongue, seemingly unsure how to express himself. He said, "It's intuition, you know? A parent's intuition."

"Just before Loki disappeared, Frigga invited Loki and me to dinner. But Loki acted like he had eaten a few pounds of gunpowder, rarely showing respect to Frigga. We had no idea what was going on."

"If I had to guess, it seemed like he was extremely anxious, restless. He argued with me at the dinner table, seemingly only to cause a conflict with me and then hurry away. Frigga and I had no idea what he intended."

Odin spoke intermittently about Loki's behaviors. He was similar to Howard in some ways, except that Howard, being more of a scholar, always chose his words carefully. In contrast, Odin spoke very plainly, describing his observations about Loki and expressing his opinions on others."

Looking at Odin dressed in plain attire, Shiller couldn't help but marvel. The Father of All in Asgard, indeed, could be called a timeless emperor."

"If one could say that Magneto possessed a charismatic personality but was not adept at expressing it, revealing only a fraction of it, then Odin fully magnified his charisma two or three times through his actions."

"Every move Odin made displayed the most excellent aspect of his character - forthright, magnanimous, bursting with vigor. Although he radiated powerful authority, he did not give others a feeling of superiority. His words were often overly straightforward, but they also implied concern for others. He appeared rough on the surface but was delicate inside, making him worthy of reliance."

Shiller quickly summed up his analysis in his mind. He took a sip of champagne, quickly formed a mental script, and then began to speak:

"The family dynamics of the Asgard royal family cannot be evaluated using ordinary family cases, because you are of royal blood, and thus are exceptionally special."

"One of the most distinct aspects is, while there could be more than one family member per generation, there is only one throne. The alteration of family relationships due to this situation is way more complex than that in an ordinary family."

Odin waved dismissively, as if it was of no importance. He spoke to Shiller: "I know what you want to ask. Many act as though they dare not ask, but in fact, it's nothing taboo. The throne will no doubt be Thor's; he is unquestionably the rightful heir."

"Of course, you might think it's unfair to Loki. But from the moment they were able to understand my words, I have explicitly informed them - the throne belongs to Thor. There is no other possibility."

Odin's frankness surprised Shiller. Seeing Shiller's expression, he shook his head and said:

"Otherwise, what would you have me do? There's only one throne, but two sons. If I didn't announce the answer at the very beginning and allowed them to guess, the current situation would have been a hundred times worse."

"I don't understand who made such a fuss about this," Odin looked helpless.

"I've stated my conclusion both privately and publicly, not only when they were grown-ups but long before. I've told them countless times that the next Divine King will be Thor Odinson."

Odin leaned back on the sofa, his hands resting on the armrests, "Many say I'm biased, but do you think there is a better solution to this?"

"Asgard can only have one Divine King, meaning I must choose only one. No matter whom I choose, it would be unfair to the other."

"What I can do is choose the one that meets my expectations and is more suitable for the position, and tell them the answer before they delve into further consideration."

"I'm not the kind of rotten father who tells his two sons that whoever performs better will inherit my legacy, when in truth, I've had the answer in my heart all along, and then step in when they are fighting each other fiercely."

"When Loki first came of age, I stressed to him that he had no possibility of succession. It wasn't his fault, but because there's only one throne. Even if we follow the principle of first come, first served, it should be Thor."

Staring at Odin's face, Shiller's fingertips trembled for the first time, for he realized that his prepared speech was completely off the mark."

Shiller had never expected that this Divine King would be more wise, visionary, and resolute than he imagined. Moreover, he could also be considered a good father."