164

Chapter 164: The Essence of Aether

"Is it possible to isolate this substance?"

In a magical tower in Asgard, Jane Foster lay on a large bed while several witches examined her.

Upon hearing Thor's question, the lead witch shook her head.

"Not at the moment, Your Highness. This is a substance we've never encountered before. It doesn't exist in Midgard or even Asgard. It is currently embedded in the host body and resists all attempts at separation. If we attempt to forcibly extract it, I'm afraid..."

Thor couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

Could it really be that only the dark elves could solve this issue?

Or should he go after that rabbit... No, raccoon?

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed through the hall.

"I don't care what you do on Earth, but you shouldn't have brought a mortal to Asgard. Guard, send her back to Midgard."

Odin appeared quite distressed.

In truth, Odin had already overlooked Thor's tendency to involve numerous human women.

At least his most promising warrior, Sif, had successfully landed, and he was willing to let Thor handle the rest. The Odin family was not very large, so having more princesses might provide more choices for heirs...

But allowing Thor to indiscriminately grant divine power to mortals was going too far. Odin had pretended not to notice, as he knew Asgard would eventually belong to Thor. It was acceptable for Thor to exercise his power in advance.

However, bringing Earthlings to Asgard was too much. Odin didn't want to lose face.

Thor smiled faintly: "No, what I brought is not a mortal, but an Aether!"

"What!?" Odin's voice rose in surprise as he quickly moved to check Jane Foster's pulse, his expression changing.

"I didn't expect... the Aether to appear."

Odin muttered to himself.

"Aether? What's that? The red stuff inside me?"

Odin gestured for the witches to step back and said slowly: "Countless years ago, the celestial bodies aligned, and the nine realms converged.

The dark elf Malekith attempted to use the Aether to plunge the universe into darkness, but my Asgardian army, led by my father—Bor—defeated him.

According to records, it was also destroyed..."

"But in reality, it wasn't destroyed and cannot be destroyed."

"Yes," Odin confirmed. "The Aether is actually the Reality Gem among the six Infinity Gems."

"People often say that certain perceptions are real, and using this gem can literally make those perceptions real.

This gem is possibly the most powerful, but also the hardest to wield.

With it, one can realize any dream.

All scientific principles and natural laws become meaningless in its presence, as it can alter them at will.

The Reality Gem not only creates illusions indistinguishable from reality, but if the user desires, it can turn falsehood into truth, making all illusions actual reality."

Odin flipped through an ancient tome as he explained.

Thor hesitated, then asked: "I have a question. If someone possesses the Reality Gem, can they use its power to erase half of all life in the universe at once? After all, this would also be an act of altering reality."

Thor asked this based on his previous experiences.

Odin gave him a deep look, then nodded before shaking his head.

"Theoretically, it's possible.

However, using the Aether is not without cost; it requires a corresponding price.

It could be energy, divine power, or even... life.

If the user cannot pay the price, the effect of the essence is limited and cannot be sustained.

Unless... all six Infinity Gems are gathered and their powers are combined."

Odin waved his hand, and an image of the Infinity Gauntlet appeared in mid-air: "As you mentioned, the Time Gem controls the duration of the spell, the Space Gem determines the spell's range, and the Power Gem provides infinite energy.

The Mind Gem enables the spell to target specific individuals, allowing for real-time effects like erasure, while the Soul Gem ensures compatibility among the other gems.

If someone possesses all six gems simultaneously, it is said that there is nothing they cannot achieve."

"Can you create a rock that you can't lift?"

Odin: "...I don't engage with foolishness!"

Although Odin's response left Thor slightly stunned, he was still very satisfied.

As expected from someone who has lived for so many years, Odin had a wealth of knowledge. Many things not recorded in the oldest texts were known to him.

"Alright, let's set aside the theoretical discussions. What we need to focus on now is how to extract the Aether from her body."

Thor returned to the matter at hand.

Odin shook his head: "No."

Thor looked at him with a hint of disdain.

"You ignorant old man, at your age, you're less capable than a raccoon.!"

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