Selvig, who felt as though his worldview had just been shattered, stared speechlessly at the hideous Kreacher before him. "This is an elf?" Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned to Thor. "You're really the God of Thunder?"
Thor patted Selvig's shoulder with a bitter smile. "I was. But now, stripped of my divine power, I'm just an ordinary man living in Midgard."
"Even though Thor has been exiled," Li Feng stepped beside Selvig and smiled politely, "he's still a member of the Asgardian royal family."
As he spoke, Li Feng extended his hand for a handshake. "Hello, Dr. Erik Selvig. My name is Austin, and I'm a mage."
"Hello," Selvig replied, somewhat stiff and uncertain, subtly glancing at Thor as if seeking reassurance. He shook Li Feng's hand. "Nice to meet you, Mage Austin."
Though not particularly skilled in social interactions, Li Feng understood that relationships weren't built overnight. This handshake was just the beginning.
In the future, as long as Selvig developed curiosity about magic, their relationship could evolve—whether into friendship or Selvig becoming a subordinate—depending on how things unfolded.
Li Feng wasn't in a hurry. He had plenty of time to wait for the right opportunity.
"Lord Thor, I'll have Kreacher show you around my home," Li Feng said, smiling at Selvig. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask Kreacher. As long as it doesn't involve personal secrets, he'll answer."
Then, he gestured toward Coulson. "As for me, I still have some matters to discuss with Coulson."
"Just call me Thor," Thor nodded slightly. Right now, all he wanted was to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He didn't care who accompanied him—as long as there was booze, even if Kreacher ignored him, it was fine.
As for Selvig, he still harbored doubts about the magical world. This tour would be a good chance to explore. He gave Li Feng a polite smile. "It's my honor."
Kreacher glanced at Li Feng, confirming there were no further instructions, then respectfully gestured for the two to follow him toward the RV.
Nearby, Coulson, who had been standing silently like a wooden post, watched as Thor and Selvig entered the RV. He approached Li Feng and whispered, "What do you want with Dr. Selvig?"
"Though I'm an academic slacker, I have a heart that yearns for science," Li Feng quipped before dropping a bombshell. "Thor's father isn't dead."
"What?" Coulson froze. They had just been talking about Selvig, and now, after a few random words, the topic suddenly jumped to Odin? Coulson needed a moment to process the abrupt shift.
"Loki lied?" Coulson pulled Li Feng to a secluded corner of the base, ensuring no one was around before narrowing his eyes. "What's your reasoning?"
Li Feng: "It's a long story." Before Li Feng could say "I'll keep it short," Coulson interrupted, "No need, I have plenty of time. My mission involves Mjolnir and Thor, and the more details I understand, the more accurate my judgment will be."
Li Feng scratched his head, organizing his thoughts while grumbling internally: That makes so much sense—should I break down every single letter of what I say to explain its exact meaning too?
"Alright, since you've got time to spare, I'll take my time explaining it to you."
Clearing his throat, Li Feng began:
"First, Thor claims his divine power was stripped by Odin. In reality, that's impossible."
"There are many ways for us mages to cultivate power. Some rely on ambient magical energy to cast spells, but the strength of their spells depends entirely on the environment. If they're in a magic-dead zone, well, those mages become useless."
"Others borrow energy from other dimensions—think of it as drawing power from other worlds. The key word here is 'borrow.' Just like you need collateral to borrow from a bank or face to borrow from a friend, borrowing energy also comes at a cost."
"Then there are those who cultivate and store magic within their own bodies," Li Feng pointed at himself. "I'm that kind of mage."
"And then there's the type of mage born with innate power—power that can't be stripped away by anyone else."
Li Feng glanced at the RV and lowered his voice. "Thor is one of them. Of course, what he has is divine power, not magic, but both are forms of energy. So the idea of it being 'stripped' is nonsense."
"Odin is the Allfather, sure, but at best, he could strip away low-level magical energy. Trying to strip divine power? Impossible."
"So, at most, Odin could only seal Thor's divine power."
"But here's the thing about sealing spells—they require energy to sustain the seal. Otherwise, it's temporary, not permanent." Li Feng rubbed his chin. "Like Thor said, his power was taken by his father, meaning the source of the seal comes from Odin."
"Which brings us to the big question," Li Feng spread his hands. "If Odin is already dead, why did I observe Thor all night and find the seal hasn't weakened at all? Did Odin love his eldest son so much that even in death, he couldn't let go, haunting Thor as a ghost to watch him grow up while powering the seal?"
Coulson tilted his head, digesting Li Feng's explanation. After a long pause, he asked, "Then why did Loki lie?"
"How should I know? I'm not a prophet." Li Feng shrugged. I know the reason, but without proof, how can I say it? Figure it out yourself—I even dropped the hint about 'prophet.' Shouldn't you—
He casually added, "Aren't you a spy? Maybe if you recall what Thor said, you'll find the answer?"
Coulson glanced irritably at Li Feng, who had reminded him, then pulled out a palm-sized notepad and pen from his coat pocket. He began jotting down notes while deep in thought.
Before long, Coulson felt he had grasped something vaguely. He turned to Li Feng and asked solemnly, "Are you certain Odin is still alive?"
You actually figured something out? Li Feng was momentarily stunned before nodding gravely in response.
Rubbing his temples, Coulson stepped aside and closed his eyes to ponder further.
Compared to Loki, Coulson trusted Li Feng's words more, so he chose to believe that Odin was indeed still alive. However, this realization seemed to complicate matters.
From Thor's own account, Coulson understood that the man had already been designated as the next ruler of Asgard.
Thus, for an agent like Coulson, the mystery of why Thor had been exiled from Asgard wasn't difficult to unravel.
Both Li Feng and Thor had mentioned that Odin was advanced in years but not yet senile. This ruled out any arbitrary changes to the heir apparent—after all, given Odin's age, if the next heir also proved unworthy, he likely wouldn't have time to groom another.
If the next heir performed even worse than Thor, Asgard's standing among the Nine Realms would likely crumble the moment Odin passed.
So, after piecing things together, Coulson deduced that Odin was dissatisfied with his heir of countless years for acting without thinking.
If Thor were merely a warrior charging into battle, there'd be no issue—he excelled in that role.
But Thor was destined to be a king, and impulsiveness was no virtue for a ruler.
Thus, if Thor wished to wear the crown, he had to temper his nature and demonstrate the capability worthy of it.
Yet, as things stood, Thor clearly lacked such ability. Odin, intent on molding his successor, would naturally go to great lengths to create opportunities for Thor to shed his reckless tendencies.
This, then, explained Odin's reason for exiling Thor.
Odin sought to cultivate his heir's character, to teach Thor that "heavy is the head that wears the crown." Exile was merely a means of instruction.
However, during Thor's "training," something unforeseen had occurred—something beyond Odin's expectations—preventing him from addressing Loki's lies immediately.
As for what that unforeseen event was, Coulson needed to ponder further, though he suspected it involved the throne. After all, Odin's seat of power was undeniably alluring.
After some thought, Coulson dissected Loki's words to Thor, piecing together why Odin had ignored Loki and why Loki dared to lie to Thor.
First, Loki's claim that war hadn't broken out was false. Perhaps Odin was currently on the battlefield, cutting through enemies, leaving him no time to deal with Loki's taunts about his demise.
As the second prince, Loki would naturally assume the role of heir apparent, managing affairs of state in Odin's absence—akin to the emperor leaving the capital while the crown prince oversees governance. Two. The war Loki mentioned indeed didn't break out, but to prevent it, Odin must have been extremely busy. Combined with his advanced age, he might have overworked himself to the point of illness, now lying in intensive care requiring 24-hour monitoring.
In such a state, Odin naturally couldn't deal with Loki cursing him to drop dead.
Similarly, the responsibility of governing Asgard once again fell into Loki's hands.
This was the so-called "emperor gravely ill, crown prince overseeing the kingdom."
In any case, whether Odin was away at war or seriously ill, the original crown prince Thor was temporarily sidelined.
After all, if Odin couldn't even handle his unfilial son cursing him to die, how could he have the energy to discipline Thor?
Moreover, regardless of Odin's current situation, the power to rule the kingdom ended up in the hands of Loki, who originally had no chance to oversee the realm.
But Loki, experiencing the privileges of the crown prince for the first time, found himself addicted to power. Subconsciously unwilling to let Thor return to Asgard and compete for the throne, he deceived Thor into feeling too ashamed to return, keeping him trapped on Earth living a mundane life filled with guilt.
Thinking this through, Coulson shuddered: If Odin was merely away at war, unless he died on the battlefield, he would surely return to Asgard. When he asked about Thor's whereabouts, how would Loki—now enamored with power—respond?
If Odin was gravely ill, he would certainly announce his successor before passing. How would Loki answer then?
For SHIELD, which was technologically inferior to Asgard, finding someone on Earth with a name, identity and photo wasn't overly difficult. So for Asgard's advanced technology, locating Thor should be even easier.
To secure his position as crown prince, Loki might very well come to Earth to kill Thor.
"A battle of succession between brothers!" Coulson suddenly turned to Li Feng and asked, "Is Loki fighting Thor for the throne?"
"What the hell? I didn't say anything—how did you figure that out?" Li Feng was stunned, looking at Coulson like he'd seen a ghost: "Coulson, you're truly something else."