"..."
Casting a glance at Thor not far away, Odin turned his gaze to Tohka. "I have already heard that the Space Stone, one of the Infinity Stones, is in your possession. It seems that after that battle in New York, you obtained the Space Stone."
"Mm, that's right. What, are you thinking of taking back my Space Stone? Don't forget that the Infinity Stones are, in principle, ownerless objects. What—are you planning to rob me?" When she heard Odin's words, Tohka wasn't surprised at all. She figured that basically everyone had tacitly assumed the stone was with her—didn't Thor also show no unusual reaction?
"No need. There's no reason to keep two Stones too close together." When he heard Tohka's reply, Odin merely said this indifferently. But hearing this, Thor showed a strange expression, clearly unaware that they already had an Infinity Stone in their possession. That was probably also why, in the original story, Thor would bring it back. And Odin hadn't wanted others to know Asgard already held one Infinity Stone, so he had accepted it.
"Mm, that's fine then." Hearing Odin's answer, Tohka also relaxed a little. If this old man really did demand the Space Stone, she would definitely have clashed with him, and it would be impossible to use the Bifrost. If that happened, she'd end up blundering around the universe like a headless chicken.
"Right. I'd like to borrow the Bifrost to take a trip to Xandar." Seeing that he wasn't targeting the Space Stone, Tohka went ahead and stated her purpose. After all, she had mainly come here to use the Bifrost to reach Xandar and ideally secure the Power Stone. Although she didn't mind eventually letting the Nova Corps safeguard it, she at least needed to open a spatial passage herself.
"Mm, about that…" Hearing this, Odin's one eye flickered as if he were weighing something. But at that moment, he subconsciously glanced at Thor standing beside the throne.
"You old swindler—if you dare bring up that matter again, believe it or not, I'll tear down your palace." Tohka immediately warned him. Before, she'd held back because of the Kabbalah Tree of Life, but now things were different. If she didn't push back, Odin might try to get more out of her.
"Mm, I don't mean that." Seeing that Tohka was on the verge of exploding, Odin didn't dare provoke her further. Tear down his palace? If it were anyone else, Odin might have laughed it off or just thrown them in prison. But if it was Tohka—heh. He didn't believe any prison could hold her. And Thor had already told him: the Kingdom itself had descended that day. An attack of that level—never mind the palace—if she got serious, Asgard itself would suffer heavy losses.
"Um…" But after all, Odin was an old fox. He quickly changed to a different condition. After all, he did have a troublesome matter on his hands. Tohka happened to have the Kabbalah Tree of Life. While it couldn't activate an Infinity Stone, its rank was even higher—more than enough to suppress that troublesome thing.
"Just recently, Thor brought a woman here who carries the Aether. The Aether Stone is the ancient weapon of the Dark Elves. As long as you help us successfully reclaim this Stone, that will be enough. Besides, even if you're in a hurry, it's no use—the Bifrost still isn't fully repaired. Your destination is too far. At the moment, the farthest it can reach is Earth." Seeing that Tohka seemed annoyed by this proposal, Odin quickly explained. This matter was truly thorny—and since Tohka held the Space Stone—just hearing the name was enough to imagine its power—Odin genuinely feared that if he pressed her too hard, she'd go careening randomly around the cosmos. If that happened, everything could end in disaster. And Tohka was their Guardian. Ragnarok hadn't come yet. If she got lost, he'd have to find a way to retrieve her. One way or another, it would still end up being his problem.
"All right, deal." Though she didn't know whether Odin was telling the truth, Tohka had no way to refuse. After all, she'd already accepted favors here, and she might need to use the Bifrost repeatedly. So, she had no choice but to agree.
"Good. Thor, take them down. They should already be acquainted. And be cautious—since the Aether has reappeared, it's likely the Dark Elf remnants will surface again." Seeing Tohka agree, Odin didn't say more and simply told Thor to lead them away. As for Miku, though she was also a Guardian, she definitely wasn't Asgard's Guardian. And he could tell her strength wasn't particularly great, so he didn't say much to her. After all, not just anyone was qualified to sit there chatting and bargaining with him like Tohka.
"Yes. Miss Tohka, Miss Miku—please follow me." Hearing Odin's words, Thor turned and began leading them out of Odin's great hall.
"So, your little girlfriend is here in the palace too—and Odin actually let her stay here." It had to be said—because Asgardians were born with physical abilities nearly beyond the entire universe, even as children, they were stronger than most adults. Coupled with their advanced technology and powerful magic, Asgardians were naturally arrogant. That arrogance ran in their bones—even if Odin hid it well, it still leaked out occasionally. But when it came to Tohka and Miku, he didn't seem to have that attitude, which was why she couldn't resist teasing him.
"Mm, that's not really… whatever. Let me take you to see her first. After all, you know her. She's not familiar with this place—having someone she recognizes around is probably best." After saying this, Thor abruptly changed direction, leading Tohka and Miku elsewhere.
"So, this is the palace… but why are they still using fire for lighting?" At that moment, Miku couldn't help noticing that even here, all the lighting came from open flames. All along the way, she'd seen it—though Asgard's architecture had an ancient European style, their technology was definitely advanced—far beyond Earth's. She'd clearly seen the hidden turrets along the walls. Just standing there, she could feel the danger radiating from them. She knew that if she were hit by one of those weapons, her barrier wouldn't last long. After all, she wasn't like Tohka, a Spirit with near-limitless energy.