Hong Fei hadn't been eager to visit Asgard. The looming possibility of Thor bringing up Odin's Gungnir made him uneasy. To prepare, he'd devised a plan: if Odin had awoken, Hong Fei would surrender the weapon immediately. Despite his rapid progress, he suspected he still couldn't match the Ancient One or Odin in combat.
He'd likely need to push his Dragon Power fusion to 80% or 90% before standing a chance. Skills, techniques, and tactics mattered, but the decisive factor was the sheer amount of power one could unleash.
Take a simple straight punch—the gap between an ordinary person and a professional boxer was vast, and the gap between Matt Murdock and Hong Fei was even greater. Sometimes, the difference between people was wider than the gap between a human and a dog.
Hong Fei never underestimated seasoned experts like the Ancient One or Odin. Their long-standing reputations, immense prestige, and sharp intuition demanded respect. Until he was absolutely certain of his strength, maintaining friendly relations was the wisest course.
Losing wasn't shameful. Bluffing when you knew you couldn't win, however, would make Master Hong look like a fool. If Odin hadn't awakened, Hong Fei wouldn't mention the Gungnir unless Thor or Frigga brought it up. Borrowing it was one of the reasons for his trip, after all.
But he couldn't keep it forever. At the latest, after hunting the dragon, he'd return it voluntarily—whether Odin was awake or not. Unless, of course, Odin was gone for good.
"Hong, welcome!"
Thor greeted him with a booming voice and a crushing hug. When they separated, Hong Fei turned to Loki.
"Long time no see. How've you been?"
"Just wonderful," Loki said through gritted teeth, forcing a smile.
The three walked side by side, Thor in the middle with Hong Fei and Loki flanking him. This wasn't Thor asserting his status—he was simply trying to prevent Loki from stabbing Hong Fei and Hong Fei from retaliating by killing Loki. At that moment, Thor felt a strange sense of maturity. The two beside him occasionally acted like unruly children.
As they entered the Heavenly Palace, Frigga awaited them. Her face lit up with a warm smile as she saw the trio approaching.
"Come, sit," she urged, her tone kind and welcoming.
After they settled, Frigga turned to Hong Fei.
"Since you're here, don't rush off. Let Thor and Loki show you around Asgard. It's quite different from Midgard, and the myths you've heard don't capture its true essence. Take your time and enjoy yourself."
"Thank you, Queen," Hong Fei replied. "But Midgard has suffered greatly in the recent war. The losses are severe. Moreover, the technology and individual capabilities of Midgard's people pale in comparison to Asgard's. There's still much to handle. Perhaps I'll return to Asgard once I've settled matters on Midgard. It's easy enough to come and go now."
Frigga nodded with a gentle smile.
"Thor's told me about your role on Midgard. You are the Dragon King worshipped by many people on Midgard, and you surely carry many responsibilities. That's good; young people need to go through trials. Thor and Loki lack experience, which is why they are still not steady enough."
Thor laughed foolishly and didn't mind, and Loki also behaved very obediently in front of Frigga. After sitting idly for a while, Frigga got up and left under a pretext. Loki's smile vanished immediately. At this time, Hong Fei took the initiative to say: "Thor, there are two main things I came for this time."
Thor straightened his posture: "Go ahead."
"The first thing is regarding the transaction plan for Vibranium and uru metal that was agreed upon with His Majesty Odin last time. I have brought four tons of Vibranium this time. According to the two-to-one exchange ratio, two tons of uru metal will be enough."
Thor nodded: "I have already prepared the uru metal; it is enough for the exchange. However, is two-to-one too little? Let's make it one-to-one!"
Loki's mouth twitched on the side. Hong Fei shook his head: "That wouldn't be appropriate. Since it has already been discussed, we should follow the agreed-upon rules."
Hong Fei was not short of Vibranium now, and his demand for uru metal was not high either. The two-to-one ratio was completely acceptable. Besides, this was the price agreed upon with Odin, so there was no need to be greedy for such small gains. Upon hearing this, Loki's expression eased slightly, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Thor became even worse.
"And the second thing?"
Hong Fei: "I may be preparing to hunt a dragon next, and I might need your help then."
Thor was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately slapped the table: "No problem, when? Do you need me to lead the Asgardian army to help?"
"No need, you alone are more effective than a powerful army."
Thor was even happier. Loki just thought he was an idiot.
"Hong, don't worry, no matter when, as long as you call me, I will definitely go!" Hong Fei smiled kindly: "Good."
However, at this moment, Loki suddenly spoke: "Can I go?"
Thor immediately turned to look at him: "Don't even think about it. Stay in Asgard properly, you are not allowed to go anywhere. Heimdall is watching you at all times. Once any problems are discovered, I will lock you back in the dungeon."
Loki was about to retort. Hong Fei suddenly spoke: "He can."
Instantly, both Thor and Loki were somewhat surprised. Hong Fei smiled and said: "Brothers fight tigers together, father and son fight in battle. With you both together, I think it will be of greater help to me."
Thor looked a bit hesitant: "Hong, you know that Loki actually..."
"I promise I won't cause any trouble." Loki said first. Thor had a blank expression: "Do you think I would believe your promise?" Loki rolled his eyes and pointed at Hong Fei: "He said it's okay."
Thor looked over again, and Hong Fei reassured him: "It's okay, it's fine, trust me."
Looking at Hong Fei's confident gaze, Thor stopped insisting and nodded. He then said to Loki: "You had better not have any strange thoughts."
Loki nodded with a smile, but his expression looked exceptionally treacherous. Not long after, Hong Fei handed over the four tons of Vibranium from the Dragon Dimension and took away two tons of uru metal. At the time of parting, Thor said enthusiastically again: "You can consider what kind of weapon you need to forge first, and then I will take you to Nidavellir."
"Okay, thank you."
After saying goodbye, Hong Fei opened a portal and returned to Earth, sending the Uru directly back to the Dragon Palace.
The Dragon Palace was still under construction at this time. On the undulating mountains that looked like a dragon soaring, construction sites had been opened everywhere, and large construction machinery could be seen all over the place. After this period of construction on the Dragon Palace, combined with Hong Fei's renowned prestige and the help and coordination of Xu Wenwu's wife, not a single person remained in the original Ta Lo Village.
The houses from the past had all been torn down, and a warehouse had been rebuilt on the ruins to temporarily store Vibranium and uru metal. Hong Fei did not stay long. After taking two tons of Uru out of the Dragon Dimension, he left directly. Everything here was safe and sound; the people he left behind were almost bored to death, and all order was very well controlled by Chen Qi's side.
Returning to Sokovia, Hong Fei observed Antonia's condition again, and only then did he feel relieved. This was the first time he had used the fusion card's granting ability, and he had no idea if any abnormalities would occur. But at least safety could be guaranteed, because he had already used the fusion card for "Qi" and "Dragon Power" himself.
Antonia did indeed adapt well afterward, and her strengthening effect was not bad. It was just that compared to the improvement of her own strength, Antonia seemed to be more concerned about her current physical state, or rather, her skin condition. Considering her feminine nature and her tragic past, Hong Fei had to agree and gave up the proposal to have a fight with her.
The next day, Hong Fei returned to New York. Looking down from above the city, although it was still half a city of ruins, the deep pain and desolation of the previous few days were gone. People who were alive had to continue to survive here.
And the biggest difference between now and then was that, in addition to the aid teams from various countries in the city, there suddenly appeared a group of people dressed in red. Wherever they were, a red flag with a yellow dragon would always be fluttering. Looking around, one could see their figures on almost every street.
These people were, of course, not official members of The Foundation. Over 99% of them were temporary hires or volunteers; otherwise, it would have been impossible to gather such a large number of people in a short time. And their work itself was actually not very difficult. Arthur had long since prepared a strict and meticulous aid plan. Everyone just needed to stay in their position like a screw and do their own job well.
Seventeen billion, with 10.2 billion in New York and 6.8 billion in London. Correspondingly, there must be a large number of Superpower Foundation people stationed in London at this moment. It is believed that dragon flags are fluttering on that land as well.
These funds, in addition to ensuring basic survival, would also provide assistance to key targets such as families who had lost their main breadwinner, orphans, and so on. This money would definitely not be used up. Subsequently, The Foundation would negotiate with the New York City government to prioritize providing a stable residence for these people before the city was rebuilt, and perhaps even provide them with a job.
What kind of work? Construction workers for Superpower Park, and all kinds of positions after the construction was completed would also need corresponding personnel. They, regardless of gender, race, or skin color, would all become the most suitable candidates. This was not done deliberately for political correctness; precisely because there was no such psychological burden, it could appear even fairer.
However, Hong Fei always felt that there would still be people trying to stir up trouble with this, so he had already asked Big Head to pay attention to the trend of public opinion in advance.