This brief, accidental conflict ended quickly.
Frowning, Mordo first apologized to Nolan, his voice stiff. He repeatedly emphasized that any consequences from Kaecilius's reckless behavior had nothing to do with Nolan, a guest who had come from afar.
After the conversation, Mordo summoned several unfamiliar sorcerer apprentices using communication spells. The air beside him shimmered and they appeared, bowing. It was not until the seriously injured and unconscious Kaecilius was quickly carried away by the apprentices that Mordo asked Nolan about the results of his meeting with the Ancient One.
Nolan had nothing to hide.
He first asked Mordo to take him to find Thor, the God of Thunder. As for the portal back to his base, that would have to wait until after he and Thor had a friendly exchange between brothers.
Mordo nodded slightly, his expression indifferent. He did not say much. He simply turned, his dark green robes sweeping over the mossy stone, and led Nolan toward the other buildings hidden in the white mist.
A few minutes later, Mordo led Nolan through narrow, damp passages between the ancient buildings. The heavy, metallic clank of Nolan's armored boots was the only sound, muffled slightly by the fog. They came to the edge of a huge courtyard where mages conducted their daily training.
However, before the two of them even stepped onto the steps, a burst of noisy shouting and Thor's deep, booming, undisguised laughter spread out, cutting through the mountain's quiet.
Mordo's shoulders stiffened, and his indifferent expression suddenly turned much uglier.
Nolan, unfazed, simply raised his eyebrows inside his helmet. A playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The two of them walked through an old wooden porch and into the courtyard.
At this moment, dozens of apprentices wearing dark red sorcerer robes were formed in a huge circle. Every one of them, men and women, had red faces, veins visible on their foreheads, as they waved their arms and shouted encouragement.
In the center of the entire circle, Mjolnir, reflecting the dull, misty light, was placed casually on a boulder more than a meter high.
A young male apprentice was bright red, his hands clamped tightly around the hammer's handle, his entire body shaking as he strained to lift the motionless Mjolnir.
At the same time, Thor—wearing a gray sorcerer robe open to reveal his bare chest and muscular arms—had his long golden hair tied in small braids. His familiar golden beard was gone. He held a wine jar, which gave off a strong, sweet aroma, in one hand. His other sturdy arm was wrapped around a female apprentice with a graceful figure. From the intimate glances they occasionally exchanged, it was obvious she was quite taken with him.
"Little apprentice No. 28! You have lost! Mjolnir does not recognize your qualifications to lift it!"
At this moment, Thor, beaming, took a sip of clear wine. He turned and kissed the blushing female apprentice in his arms, then shouted to the male apprentice still straining on the boulder, "Come down! Come down! Who is our next challenger?"
However, Thor's voice had not yet faded.
From behind the noisy crowd, a deep, heavy sound rang out, like rhythmic thunder. Clank. Clank. Clank.
Instantly, the excited apprentices turned, their enthusiastic eyes looking toward the source of the sound.
Accompanied by the heavy footsteps of the Hunting Lord armor, the tall Nolan swaggered through the crowd.
He stared at Thor with a smile on his face, continuing to walk toward the boulder.
At the same time, Mordo's face grew even gloomier. He glanced at the sorcerer apprentices, who now dared not meet his eye, falling silent one by one. But because a guest was present, Mordo took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and remained silent. He just secretly memorized everyone's appearance and name.
"Hahaha! This last sip of wine is for my mortal brother! The great Midgard warrior! The nemesis of the Asgardian Destroyer! My dear brother, Nolan!"
Thor, his smile suddenly a bit stiff, quickly let go of the arm that was hugging the female apprentice.
He raised the wine jar high, shouting to the now-silent apprentices around him.
Then, ignoring their strange reactions, Thor drained the last sip of wine and tossed the jar aside. He immediately opened his arms with great enthusiasm and ran to Nolan.
Nolan, his cyan wolf eyes narrowing, grinned.
He also opened his arms, the electro-fiber bundles within them already tightening with a low whine.
The next moment, the two tall, strong men hugged each other tightly. The CLANG of Thor's body hitting the armor was loud, a violent collision that made the surrounding sorcerer apprentices exclaim and wince.
Accompanied by the high-pitched whine of electro-fiber bundles contracting and exerting force, Nolan, his fangs bared, squeezed Thor's broad back. He smiled, staring at Thor, whose face was gradually turning red from the pressure.
"Well, if it isn't my brother! Thor, God of Thunder from Asgard! It's been a long time!"
Thor, feeling the pressure, let out a pained groan, then gritted his teeth and shouted, "Although we are not true brothers, the friendship between us is better than true brothers!"
His face flushed, he hugged Nolan's Hunting Lord armor tightly in return. Thor used his powerful Asgardian strength, making the armor, which had not activated its Refractor Field, emit a series of loud, creaking friction sounds as metal plates scraped under the strain.
"Brother Nolan! I had no choice!" Thor, being squeezed by the terrifying power of the armor, couldn't help but wince. He quickly lowered his voice, speaking rapidly into Nolan's ear, his breath hot.
"An unknown change has occurred in Asgard! These thin-armed, thin-legged mages are useless! You are the only agent I know in this realm. Considering the friendship from when we fought side-by-side, you must help me! As the heir of Asgard, I will reward you!"
At the same time, Nolan, whose armor was creaking and groaning under great pressure, couldn't help but roll his eyes inside his helmet.
He gritted his teeth and whispered back, his voice a low growl, "For the safety of Midgard, I would help. But you let the magicians of Kamar-Taj find my secret base! Thor, do you even know what a secret base is?!"
Nolan, growing angrier, once again tightened his grip. The servos whined sharply.
In an instant, Thor's face turned bright red, his eyes wide. He tightened his grip on Nolan's armor even more, almost shouting hoarsely in a whisper, "I don't know the territory of Midgard! I couldn't find you! I had to ask the Sorcerer Supreme for help! Brother! After you help me return to Asgard and stop the civil strife, I will give you the small treasury I have accumulated for hundreds of years! You can rebuild a new secret base, okay? Nolan! Brother! Brother!"
The next second, Nolan, laughing heartily, loosened his arms that were holding Thor. He patted the other's broad back several times with his heavy gauntlet.
Thor, completely relieved, also loosened his arms, sucking in a huge gasp of air. He raised one hand and slapped Nolan's shoulder armor. His face broke into a hearty, genuine laugh.
"Haha, brother Nolan! We can fight side by side again!"
Nolan nodded with a smile and stepped past Thor. His heavy boots clanked on the stone.
He continued to walk towards Mjolnir, placed on the boulder.
Thor, blinking his blue eyes desperately, quickly grabbed Nolan's arm as it swung past.
He stared at Nolan with great vigilance and asked cautiously, "Uh... brother, what do you want to do?"
"What else? Of course, I'm going to see if I can pick up Mjolnir."
Nolan turned his head, looking back as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. His cyan wolf eyes were full of eagerness.
"No! It's off work today! Let's talk about it another day!"