Chapter 167 A Dream
After chatting briefly with Lily via text, Arthur felt his previously full stomach start
grow hungry again. It was as if the substantial meal with Odin and the fast food from
the restaurant had vanished into a bottomless pit.
Sighing in resignation, he turned over and listened to the conversation between Thor
and Jane. The two seemed to be in the process of getting to know each other, speaking
cautiously. Considering Thor's "mad ramblings," it was a wonder Jane even managed to
get involved unless she wasn't quite normal herself.
Shaking his head, unable to sleep, Arthur recalled Odin's words about the future. They
had predicted two possible outcomes: unclear but ever-changing futures.
Now that he knew about this, wouldn't the so-called future change once again? After
all, movies often depict prophecies that change when the protagonist learns about
them— sort of like the butterfly effect?
Would this change be good or bad? Is it something they look forward to or fear?
Perhaps this is a test in itself?
Arthur smirked silently, feeling that he might get the chance to visit Kamar-Taj and
meet the Sorcerer Supreme in person.
He then remembered Odin's words about fate: Rejecting it brings disaster… while
accepting it might bring great favor.
Was this protagonist-like template really talking about him?
No matter how much fate comes, should he just accept it with a smile?
"But what have I been rejecting all along?"
Arthur sighed softly, his eyes reflecting a hint of confusion.
Fate is intangible; it cannot directly show up and tell Arthur what to do or grant him a
power-up. Instead, everything requires Arthur to grasp the meaning of "fate" on his
own.
It's quite perplexing…
Lost in thought, he eventually fell asleep.
…
…
Arthur had a very confusing dream!
In the dream, he wandered through a fog, unable to see any paths in any direction. He
could only stretch out his hands, groping ahead…
When he finally cleared the mist and stumbled out of the confusion, he woke up.
"What the heck?"
Arthur, puzzled, got up to find he was alone in the car.
When had the car stopped? When had Thor and Jane gotten out?
Frowning, Arthur realized that despite it being a small matter, his keen awareness
should have picked up on it.
"Is it because of… this dream?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Is it because I don't know what fate is, so fate gave me a
dream? Can it get any more absurd?"
Getting out of the car, he saw that it had become dark without him noticing.
"Did I sleep that long?"
Arthur rubbed his face, yawned, and then spotted Thor and Jane not far off.
They were hiding behind a dirt mound, with the nearby depression being SHIELD's
facility.
Standing still, Arthur did not approach. Instead, he released a The Eye of Horus and
turned to head in the opposite direction.
The events that followed were not his concern. Thor was looking for Mjölnir, and Jane
was watching Thor's battle with SHIELD. A group of agents had thrown Thor, a mere
mortal, around as he struggled to lift Mjölnir. Thor nearly broke down and was
eventually captured by SHIELD.
He knew the general situation, so he only needed to observe with The Eye of Horus.
As long as SHIELD's people don't shoot him on sight, Arthur had no need to show
himself.
Like them, Arthur also found a dirt mound to lean against. He adjusted his clothes and
casually checked the Disassembler Space… everything seemed normal!
"Not really!"
Arthur quickly refocused on the Disassembler space, searching carefully: "Where's
Jeff??"
Recalling, he remembered that he had left the fat guy in the Spaceship. After
discovering Bifrost and going to Asgard, Odin had unreasonably tried to make him his
son-in-law. Following a series of chaotic events, Arthur used Bifrost to return to Earth,
but he completely forgot about Jeff being left in the Spaceship.
"If I had known, I should have left him in Asgard."
Arthur tapped his head. "But it's okay. I probably need to go to Asgard anyway… wait a
minute!"
He rubbed his head and recalled the plot of Thor 1.
The mischievous Loki, who pretended to ally with the Frost Giants, killed them all once
they arrived in Asgard. He also unleashed the energy of Bifrost, attacking Jotunheim,
trying to obliterate it entirely.
With no other option, Thor had to destroy the bridge, causing the teleportation device
to fall into a deep chasm!
"Hmm… eh?"
Arthur's mouth dropped open: "If I follow this plot, wouldn't I get stuck in Asgard? After
finally coming back from space, I'd end up as a god in Asgard! What am I wandering
around for?"
Hesitating to follow Thor back… he couldn't let go of the idea of the Asgardian treasure
vault.
"It looks like I'll have to stop all this from happening."
Arthur pondered: "If all else fails, I need to grab that sword first; that's crucial!"
After thinking for a while, he still felt it wasn't safe: "Maybe I should draw a
teleportation circle on the ground? But what about the energy supply? I used my own
blood on Star-Lord's Spaceship, and that could only be used once. Do I need to bleed
again?"
Unbeknownst to him, dark clouds gathered overhead, and it started to rain.
Arthur gathered colorless energy above his head, forming a protective shield that
caused raindrops to slide off to the sides when they fell on him.
"Back when I read novels, those top experts always seemed to walk through the rain
without getting wet."
Arthur sighed: "Now I can do it too…"
The rain made Arthur reconsider drawing the teleportation circle on the ground; the
rain would wash it away.
"I need to find a more secure place."
Using The Eye of Horus, he checked on Thor and found that the guy had failed to
infiltrate and had begun a hand-to-hand fiight.
He was wrestling with a large opponent in the heavy rain— quite the spectacle…
Turning his view, he saw a person with a bow and arrow, aiming at Thor from above.
"Is that Hawkeye?"
Arthur touched his chin. Since he used the 'alien transformation' last night, by the time
they noticed, it was too late for Hawkeye to make an appearance.
Now, Arthur's mouth curled into a smile, and he pulled out the sniper rifle Pepper had
given him…