Chapter 1373: Aftermath (Middle) _1

"I killed her! I killed the damn whore!" The Queen's husband's voice sounded like a shriek and a sob. he furiously pounded the ground with his hand, saying, "This damned woman, she married me just to curry favor with the nobles, but she doesn't understand loyalty at all, she deserved what she got!!!"

But at this moment, Shiller revealed a surprised expression, lightly touched his lips, and said, "I pointed out the Queen's husband as the murderer just to distract attention. I'm just an ordinary person of the human race; how could I possibly have any evidence? I didn't expect to hit the mark by fluke. It seems my luck isn't too bad."

"You damn human, I will kill you!! I will kill you!!" The Queen's husband had completely lost his sanity. He rushed up from the ground, swinging his sharp claws towards Shiller.

Shiller stood still on the spot, watching him with a smile. The next second, the Divine Power of Asgard, the glove of Iron Armor, Kamar-Taj's Magic, even Thanos's arm and Star Lord's sword, were all launched at the Queen's husband.

The Queen's husband could use the Divine Power of the Twin Gods of Xiea, but in front of such immense powers, it was like pouring a cup of water on a burning cart. With a 'bang', the Queen's husband was knocked far away.

The color of Thor's face darkened. He looked at the Queen's husband with cold eyes, "So you mean, you not only murdered your wife in Asgard, but also dumped her body at my banquet?"

With thunder rumbling loudly over Asgard, all the guests tacitly lowered their heads in silence, fearing that Thor's gaze might fall upon them.

"I never knew that the Shi'ar Empire was so audacious," began Odin, adding fuel to the fire, "When I first met the Shi'ar, they were all very friendly."

Thor's face became even colder. Everyone present could understand Odin's implication. When the Father of All Gods was in power, the Shi'ar Empire didn't dare make a move, but as soon as Thor ascended to the throne, they staged such a drama. Wasn't this openly suggesting that the new king was unfit?

"Calm down, Thor." Loki stepped up at the right time. He glanced at Shiller's face, but truth be told, without needing Shiller's eyes as a reminder, most of those present knew how the situation should be handled.

Thor stood still and silent, like a gathering storm cloud. Meanwhile, there was a tumult at the entrance, and a group of people dressed in Shi'ar Empire's Ferocious Feather Tribe noble clothing rushed in. They were the accompanying ministers.

First, they threw themselves on the ground and cried for a while for the Queen. Then, they rushed forward and beat up the Queen's husband, and finally, they crawled on the ground, trembling and begging Thor for forgiveness.

It was clear to them that their only chance of survival was to quell the God King's anger. They had to make Thor aware of their value, which might only result in their imprisonment rather than execution.

"This act is purely personal to the Queen's husband and just happened to occur in Asgard. Your Majesty, I believe you should immediately contact the Elder Council of the Shi'ar Empire. We are willing to express our deepest apologies for this incident!" The leading Ferocious Feather Tribe nobleman spoke loudly.

He knew that Thor could take advantage of this situation, demanding compensation from the Shi'ar Empire, and even after gaining compensation, he could still declare war and plunder. As the Shi'ar Empire had handed the excuse for starting the war to Asgard, anything more demanded by Thor would not be excessive.

Therefore, it was not that he wanted to betray his country; sooner or later, a severe penalty was inevitable. By calming the God King down sooner, he might be able to save his own life.

The ballroom was starting to fill with whispers among the guests. No matter what, to make such an uproar at the banquet held by the King of Asgard was too outrageous. Regardless of how hot-tempered the Asgardians were, even the most good-natured civilization wouldn't tolerate such behavior from outsiders.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Though this incident is not Asgard's fault, it has occurred and must be resolved." An elderly man, trembling with age, stepped forward from the crowd. Shiller thought he might be a member of the Cosmic Elder Council, but he was not sure who exactly it was.

Once the old man was under Thor's gaze, he shuddered, and another figure, one more familiar to Shiller, stepped forward - it was the High Lord.

The High Lord sighed with his wine glass in hand, pulled the companion next to him, seemingly having no hope of pacifying the Asgardians, and casually said, "Just let us know when the war breaks out. Don't damage my collection like last time."

After speaking, he was about to leave with his companion, but Thor's voice rang out: "Are you planning to replace me and declare war on the Shi'ar Empire on behalf of Asgard?"

The High Lord paused, clenched his teeth, and had a curse on the tip of his tongue but ultimately did not voice it. He knew well that this young King was not the bloodied brute from the gladiator arena anymore.

He was indeed the King of Brightness. And in the face of any God King questioning if anyone was usurping his power, the most appropriate response was to immediately apologize, not giving him too much opportunity to harbor doubts.

"I did not mean it that way at all, Your Majesty. I just felt that such provocation from the Shi'ar Empire is incredibly disrespectful. It would only be justified if you declared war."

"But I don't plan to do so."

After Thor's words fell, everyone looked at him in surprise. Thor gently stroked the pattern on his ceremonial gown and said, "Indeed, this is the height of disrespect, which angers me deeply. No member of Asgard can tolerate such a violation of the banquet."

Everyone kept quiet, waiting for Thor's ensuing words. This King, holding substantial power, would determine the future interstellar situation. To be honest, most civilizations did not want war.

When gods fight, mortals suffer. In the wars between the Three Great Empires, the majority of casualties were not members of the Empires, but the dependent civilizations within their domains. The Kree Empire and Skrull Empire's millennium-long war did not damage their vital interests chiefly because their main races were few. The astounding number of casualties was mostly the cannon fodder from the dependent civilizations.

No one likes to be a pawn, but they are powerless to resist.

Even though they knew it was impossible, some of the civilization leaders present could not help but hold onto a glimmer of hope. What if? What if the battle does not ignite?

Yet another voice deep within told them, stop dreaming. Knowing the temperament of those brutes from Asgard, even without provocation, they fight five battles every three days. If the Shi'ar Empire continues to court death like this, wouldn't the new king want to beat up the three great empires upon his ascension?

"Asgard will not declare war against the Shi'ar Empire."

As these words fell, the silence in the dance floor was deafening. Everyone was stunned, looking at each other as if confirming whether they were hallucinating.

"But this is not due to a lack of anger on my side, nor is it because Asgard can tolerate provocation; it's because I know Asgard has brought about too much death and destruction to the cosmos over the years."

Thor lowered his head slightly and said sorrowfully, "Being powerful is our nature and destruction is our mission. Becoming a disaster is not our intention but an inevitable path."

"But I know that bloodshed and death are not the endpoints of civilization, and tyranny and unnecessary slaughter are neither just nor necessary. Asgard, like other beings in the cosmos, will take the path of civilization. Why can't it start today?"

Thor slapped his chest, saying, "Now, we are going to keep our anger in our hearts, not stir up the waves of war anymore, and take on our responsibilities like every other powerful being in the cosmos."

Everyone present was looking up at Thor, whose speech, although he still appeared young, resonated deeply with all of them.

It was not that they chose peace, but that they were so powerful, able to seize the benefits of victory, yet still chose peace.

At this moment, an inappropriate cold snort came from the crowd. A purple figure standing at the end of the bodies, holding a wine glass, was facing Thor at the front of the bodies, unfazed.

"Your Majesty the God King, allow me to introduce myself. I am a member of the Circumstellar Region Star Security Committee, Mr. Thanos. I must dampen your public speaking enthusiasm, as I have seen two shelves full of reports on Asgard's destruction of certain star zones in the files of interstellar security."

"Your Majesty, do you think your speech can wipe out the catastrophe these races have endured?"

Immediately, the gasping sounds in the banquet hall were louder than the wind outside. Under the dumbfounded expressions of the crowd, the hidden emotion could be summed up in one sentence — "Looking for death?"

"Mr. Thanos, I believe I have something to say about this." Thor lifted his head and looked around, "Asgard admits to bringing disaster to countless civilizations and races. We do not deny the crimes we have committed, nor do we intend to erase this part of our history with our formidable power."

"But precisely because we are formidable, we have the confidence to say to everyone that if we want to take on the responsibility of interstellar security, in the future we will be able to protect more races than those we have destroyed."

"If you dwell on the past and always exclude us from the interstellar society, the scars left by mobile disasters will never be healed, and the possibility of a brighter future for the interstellar society will be erased, right?"

A perfect answer. The intelligent people present thought that instead of dwelling on whether the past was right or wrong, it is better to tell everyone bluntly that the dead can no longer speak, and the destroyed civilizations are worthless. Should we think about the future? Do you want to continue having mobile disasters, or a powerful empire that might protect some civilizations and is considerate?

"Pardon me for being blunt, Your Majesty the God King, but I fear you have oversimplified interstellar security. Even if the three great empires jointly build the Ring Region to address various interstellar affairs, interstellar security still troubles all leaders of powerful civilizations."

"Asgard, the God Clan, with a population less than one-thousandth of the mainstream races of the three major empires, and a territory less than one-ten-thousandth of an empire, how can it contribute to the security of the galaxy?"

"Regarding this point, there has been discussion within Asgard..."

Standing at the head and tail of the bodies, Thanos and Thor, with each having his say, laid bare all the doubts in the hearts of the leaders of the civilizations present, going over every detail.

Although not all answers met expectations, Thor's competence in understanding people and reasoning had everyone pleasantly surprised.

It is not that their demands were low, but that the old Asgard was too outrageous. They are already so strong and love peace so much, what more could be said?

After the Q&A session, all the civilization leaders present could only do one thing: extend their hands, flex their arm muscles, and with the greatest strength and most enthusiastic attitude, give applause.

Meanwhile, Shiller, standing on each side of the bodies, smiled at Stark, and Stark returned the smile. The plan might have changed, but all the expected effects were achieved. A confrontation might have occurred, but in the end, it was still a perfect collaboration where everyone won.