Odin pondered for a moment before sighing helplessly.
"The Dark Elves haven't appeared in over five thousand years. Svartalfheim has become a wasteland. There is no way they still exist.
If the Life Tree isn't planted soon, I won't last much longer. And once I die, Ragnarok will be inevitable. The Nine Realms will once again plunge into endless war.
Do you not care how many innocent lives will be lost?"
"No," Christine's mind wavered slightly at Odin's words, but she quickly regained her composure.
"No, Odin. Unless you kill Malekith, I will not risk the last seed of the Life Tree for your sake.
Moreover, the Nine Realms' Convergence happens once every five thousand years—it's only a few years away now.
When the time comes, the Dark Elves and the Aether will surely reappear. That is precisely why I cannot plant the seed right now.
Besides, I am but one Light Elf. I cannot possibly accelerate the Life Tree's growth to the point where it can produce the Waters of Life in such a short time."
"Ahh..."
Odin frowned at Christine. But she showed no fear, only firm determination. Seeing this, he could only try to reason with her.
"Then have you considered what will happen if Malekith doesn't appear? How long do you plan to wait?"
"It doesn't matter," Christine said, her face emotionless.
"Light Elves live even longer than Asgardians. I am not yet a thousand years old. I have plenty of time to wait."
"You..."
Odin suppressed the anger rising within him.
If not for the fact that only Christine knew where the Life Tree seed was—and that she was the only one who could plant it—he might have taken it by force already.
After all, a king who had conquered the Nine Realms was not solely a merciful ruler.
Especially now, as he was approaching the end of his life.
Meanwhile, outside the valley, William was contemplating whether to inform Odin that once the seal on the Aether broke, the slumbering Dark Elves would awaken.
Moreover, with his mastery of nature magic, he might be able to accelerate the Life Tree's growth.
If Odin didn't die, then Thanos' invasion of Earth would become significantly harder.
Kamar-Taj's Time Stone, the Space Stone in William's possession, the sealed Aether (which was actually the Reality Stone), and the Mind Stone in Christine's hands—
Wouldn't that make Thanos think twice before attempting to collect the stones?
Wouldn't that prevent him from snapping his fingers?
In just a few seconds, William dismissed the idea.
The only way to stop Thanos from snapping his fingers was to kill him.
Otherwise, anyone who stood in the way of his "population control plan" would either be manipulated or hunted down.
There were definite benefits to saving Odin.
But what about the downsides?
William thought carefully—if Odin survived, then his own ambitions of ruling Earth, or even expanding beyond, would inevitably clash with Asgard.
Furthermore, if Odin no longer faced imminent death, it might rekindle his ambitions.
Even if William had no intention of claiming dominion, Odin might still see him as a threat.
Yet, the Mind and Reality Stones were right in front of him, making it difficult to decide.
Should he wait for the original timeline to play out and seize the stones when the opportunity arose?
If nothing changed, the Mind Stone would be easy to obtain.
The Reality Stone wasn't out of reach either. By the time it resurfaced in Asgard, Odin might already be incapacitated or exiled to Earth due to Loki's schemes.
With Odin gone, obtaining the Reality Stone would be far easier.
As for the Space Stone, he already had it.
If The Avengers never formed, it wouldn't be an issue at all.
At worst, he could keep the Space Stone while returning the Tesseract to Nick Fury.
Then, he could let S.H.I.E.L.D. study it from the shadows, occasionally injecting space energy into it.
He could even intentionally leak some spatial energy during their research, ensuring that an amateur sorcerer like Loki would still be able to find the coordinates to Earth.
But if he did that, he would inevitably become Thanos' next target.
Alternatively, he could use saving Odin as leverage—demanding both the Mind and Reality Stones now.
Then, he could find the Dwarves to forge a gauntlet-like artifact and directly take down Thanos.
But the moment he had that thought, William realized it wouldn't be that simple.
Odin's cautious attitude toward the Infinity Stones, his insistence on never keeping two together, and the fake Infinity Gauntlet in his vault—
All of it suggested that having multiple stones in one place could lead to unpredictable, catastrophic consequences.
Odin's actions made it clear—he didn't even want the stones in Asgard, let alone together.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have hidden the Space Stone on Earth or ignored the Aether's existence.
Of course, there was a chance that Odin didn't know the Aether was actually the Reality Stone.
But that seemed unlikely.
After all, the fake Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's vault was a message to the outside world:
"If you truly dare to provoke me, even if Asgard cannot defeat you, I can have the Dwarves forge the real Gauntlet, equip it with the sealed Reality Stone, the Mind Stone in Christine's hands, and the Space Stone hidden on Earth, and wipe you out."
Of course, now the Space Stone belonged to William.
But this was precisely why he had no intention of provoking Odin—he knew the old man had contingency plans.
Moreover, there was no irreconcilable conflict between William and Asgard.
Perhaps he should first inquire about the Infinity Stones.
If he ever found the Power Stone, it could react unpredictably with the Space Stone in his possession.
If that happened, the one who would suffer the most would be him.
With this in mind, William teleported.
In an instant, he appeared next to Thor and Loki outside the town.
"Hey, guys. Mind stepping aside?"
"Damn it!"
Thor, startled by William's sudden appearance, instinctively swung Mjolnir at him.
But before he could even complete the motion, a sentry robot appeared, gripping Thor's right hand.
At the same time, three additional sentries—now reduced to two meters in height—emerged.
Two of them grabbed Thor's arms and legs, restraining him completely while also absorbing the lightning he had summoned.
Loki barely had time to react before four sentries materialized around him, their palms crackling with bright, menacing electricity.
"I'd suggest surrendering."
William, now floating in the air, clad in golden armor with a massive red cape billowing behind him, smirked.
"Otherwise, you might find out what it feels like to be electrocuted into an afro."
Loki's instincts screamed at him—
The man before him was not just real, but dangerous.
His expression darkened as he slowly raised his hands in surrender.
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