Hong Fei suspected Frigga and Thor had conveniently forgotten Odin's Eternal Spear remained in his possession. This expedition hadn't just seen Frigga cheat death—Hong Fei himself had dealt the killing blow to Malekith, ensuring the Dark Elves would never threaten Asgard again.
True, the Dark Elves had grand ambitions about plunging the Nine Realms into eternal darkness, but such boasts were just that—boasts. There's no tax on empty threats.
Regardless, the Dark Elves had always fixated on the Nine Realms, and Asgard bore the brunt of their hostility, especially with that five-thousand-year-old grudge still festering. Hong Fei had profited handsomely from this conflict, but Asgard wasn't far behind in gains. In their euphoria, forgetting a single spear hardly seemed consequential... right?
Not that Hong Fei was particularly thrilled either. The Eternal Spear was Odin's personal weapon—emphasis on personal. Taking it permanently would be near impossible, and Master Hong had only "borrowed" it temporarily. Likely, with Odin still deep in his forced slumber, Frigga and Thor had chosen to overlook its absence.
Asgard fancied itself ruler of the Nine Realms. As a Midgardian, Hong Fei's contributions here should've at least earned him the right to "enter the palace armed, stroll at leisure, and have his name exempt from formal address."
Of course, if Odin felt particularly tyrannical, he might accuse Hong Fei of overshadowing his authority and have Loki serve him poisoned wine. But with Odin still unconscious, the spear's temporary stay in Hong Fei's hands was harmless. Once the Allfather woke, he could recall it effortlessly.
The Eternal Spear was to Odin what the Ten Rings were to Hong Fei—coveted, but nearly impossible to steal. Thor probably noticed Hong Fei's fondness for it and chose not to press the issue. Then again, he might've been too distracted anticipating Loki's inevitable meltdown to remember.
Still, it left Master Hong with an unfamiliar pang of guilt. He had ordered Big Head to fire missiles at them. Sure, he knew it wouldn't kill them, but Jane got hurt anyway. Even with Dr. Cho's treatment, the deed was done. So Hong Fei cracked open his grudge notebook and, for the first time ever, wrote down Thor's name.
Not to nurse a vendetta—but to settle the debt someday. Not that he was worried about repayment opportunities. Thor was a walking disaster magnet, and Asgard itself was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Ragnarok loomed. If that floating kingdom couldn't be saved, Hong Fei would happily carve out a chunk of Earth for him.
One caveat: he'd have to remember which name was which when he reopened that notebook later.
Back to the main issue—the spear was one thing, but how did they forget Sif? Was she still their Goddess of Land and Harvest or not?
"Do you still want your harvest in Asgard next year and beyond?" Hong Fei muttered, then raised his voice.
"Jessica, didn't I tell you to bring Sif? Where is she?"
The other end of the line stayed silent for a beat before Jessica replied, "Boss, where are you? Let's talk face-to-face."
"The bedroom."
"...I'll meet you by the lake."
"Fine."
Minutes later, they stood at the water's edge.
As soon as Hong Fei landed, he said, "Speaking of which, isn't this my territory? Why are we being so secretive?" Jessica giggled like a thief and then whispered, "Boss, you are too careless. If I wasn't sharp, I would have almost brought Sif back!"
Hong Fei instantly realized. He said seriously, "You misunderstood."
"I didn't."
"You really..."
"Oh, I understand."
"You..."
"I get it!"
Hong Fei took a breath: "Can I finish a sentence?"
"Of course, you're the boss!"
"You still know I'm the boss?"
Hong Fei rolled his eyes at her.
"This matter isn't as complicated as you think. We aren't in that kind of relationship for now."
"Na, na, na! You said 'for now,' which means it's possible in the future."
At this time, Hong Fei naturally had to shake his head.
"Boss, seriously, Dr. Helen Cho is great, Mei is not bad either, but Sif is no worse than them."
"Hiss... wait, how do you know about Mei?"
"Everyone knows."
"No, how do you all know?"
"You didn't hide it from us."
Hong Fei felt ruthless and decided to poison them all tonight. Jessica smiled: "Boss, if I were you, I would gather them all together, and then I could hehehe... Ouch!"
She suddenly covered her head and said aggrievedly, "Why did you hit me?"
Hong Fei clapped his hands: "Hitting you is light; I was even planning to silence you."
"Then you can't hide it forever, right?"
"What do you know? This is modern society, not a place where you can do whatever you want!"
Jessica pouted: "But Boss, aren't you doing whatever you want right now?"
Hearing this, Hong Fei suddenly fell silent. After a long while, he sighed and said, "This time, I was wrong... In short, one must be the Master of oneself. One cannot be blinded by temporary interests or the blind pursuit of power, and even more so, one must not lose one's original intention."
One must be the person who controls power, not the person who is driven by power.
One can do bad things to become stronger, but these bad things should be things that one might have done even if they didn't make one stronger, not simply pursuing bad things, or even worse things, solely to become stronger. This was Hong Fei's greatest realization after the Dark Elves war, and perhaps this was the main reason why the Ancient One let him act as he pleased.
Of course, it was unlikely she would care about such things anyway. Restraining oneself when one possesses power is very difficult, but this, in turn, can make one even stronger! This is the inevitable path of cultivating the mind, refining the heart, and clarifying the spirit.
Therefore, Hong Fei now felt extremely clear-headed, and his whole body erupted with a sense of comfort originating from the Soul like never before. Clearly understanding what he wanted, what he didn't want, what to do, and what not to do. This was far more in line with the life pursuits of Master Hong, the Dragon King, and Hong Fei than blindly rushing forward to chase so-called power.
It was a bit pretentious, but very practical. Jessica blinked blankly: "Boss, are we talking about the same thing?"
Hong Fei immediately glared: "Of course it's the same thing. Where is Sif?"
"Outside the Dragon Palace."
"Why didn't you let her in?"
"That's your secret Base, Boss, and she's not your person yet."
"...Get out, get out, get out!"
Jessica giggled and turned back.
Hong Fei looked at her back and suddenly added: "Stop harassing Natasha, Yelena, and Antonia! They've complained to me about you a hundred times already!"
"Okay."
"Shuri is still a child!"
Jessica took off immediately and vanished in a flash. Hong Fei shook his head helplessly and opened a Portal directly to the Dragon Palace.
Outside the Dragon Palace was a bamboo forest formation, and further out were rolling mountains and forests. Because of the construction project of the Dragon Palace, the bamboo forest formation was open for a long time, and among Master Hong's team of one hundred and twenty people, thirty were stationed outside all year round.
Sif sat cross-legged on a patch of grass, her gaze fixed on a swaying foxtail. Lost in thought, she didn't notice Hong Fei's approach until he cleared his throat softly. Startled, she turned and rose to her feet.
"This time, you must have forgotten about me too," she said, her voice calm but edged with certainty.
Hong Fei coughed awkwardly.
"Too busy."
"I saw it," Sif replied. "You used His Majesty's weapon, summoned the Bifrost Bridge, and even summoned His Majesty's shadow."
"Coincidence," Hong Fei muttered. "Just coincidence."
"You're very strong."
"Not bad," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck.
Sif fell silent, and Hong Fei seized the moment.
"Thor and the Queen have returned. Shall I send you back?"
After his recent advancements, he had the mental strength to open a portal to Asgard directly, but barging in unannounced seemed rude. His plan was to use the Eternal Spear to summon the Bifrost Bridge again—and, well, it wouldn't hurt to delay returning the spear a little longer. After all, he couldn't just toss it back immediately, could he? That would be as ridiculous as trying to lift oneself by their own bootstraps. Master Hong's intentions remained as straightforward as ever.
To his surprise, Sif shook her head.
"I'm not going back."
"Hmm?"
"If you don't welcome me, I'll find something to do. I've spoken to Jessica. I could become an actress."
"An actress?"
"Yes. I can fight. Women in Midgard rarely know how, and those who do aren't as skilled as me."
"Fight?"
"Jessica said acting pays better."
Hong Fei smirked. Jessica, your wings are definitely too stiff.
"Actors are constantly in the public eye," he pointed out. "You're a goddess. Is that really… convenient?"
"There's no inconvenience," Sif replied earnestly. "Midgardians love goddesses, and I am a goddess."
If the Asgardian Goddess of Land and Harvest became an actress, Odin would likely come knocking once he woke up. Not that Hong Fei feared him, but upsetting an old man in his twilight years felt wrong—especially after he'd already treated Odin's son rather poorly.
"I have a manor near New York," Hong Fei said seriously. "It wasn't affected by the battle, and the environment is pleasant."
Sif turned to him, her smile radiant.
"Thank you!"
Hong Fei laughed, a deep, genuine laugh. Meanwhile, Jessica lay curled up in bed, lost in a sweet dream, likely murmuring the name of some female teammate. Suddenly, a torrent of lake water cascaded from thin air directly above her, flooding her bedroom and sweeping her out of the house in an instant.