The three-story building before him, located right on the plaza, had a single-floor area of over a thousand square meters and was constructed entirely from creamy-white stone. Although William couldn't help but be impressed, he was very aware that there was no such thing as a free lunch falling from the sky—something this good had to come with strings attached.
When Odin saw the gleam in William's eyes, followed by a frown, he cursed him inwardly as a bastard.
Tempted by the benefit, yet habitually suspicious—any time someone showed him kindness, this guy's first thought was that there must be ulterior motives.
But the truth was, Odin did have ulterior motives.
From the moment he witnessed William analyze Asgardian magical artifacts in mere seconds—and even enhance their effects—Odin had started scheming about the things William could craft.
But asking for them outright or offering to buy them would be too direct, too transactional, and would likely provoke rejection from someone as suspicious and defensive as William.
So, instead, Odin decided to lure him into wanting to sell—thus came the gift of a house.
Coincidentally, the woman named Angela—Odin's illegitimate daughter—lived in the building directly behind this one.
Ever since the light elf, Kristin, had once again refused to plant the World Tree under the excuse of the dark elves, Odin, frustrated and helpless, began to prepare for the worst.
That worst-case scenario meant remembering his first daughter, Hela—whom he had personally exiled to Helheim.
If he were to return to the void, there would be no one left in Asgard capable of stopping Hela, whose ambition was so vast it even frightened Odin himself.
Ragnarök would be inevitable.
And so-called Ragnarök, the twilight of the gods, was essentially Odin being a poor father—unable to teach, unable to control, and unwilling to kill his own children.
After his death, the exiled child would return to claim the inheritance known as Asgard.
Eventually, his biological son and adopted son, joined by the gods of Asgard, would all fail to stop their elder sister. In desperation, they would justify the destruction of Asgard under the banner of "peace for the universe."
Thus, the fire giant Surtur, once beaten down by Thor, obtained the Eternal Flame, transformed into a towering behemoth hundreds of meters tall, and not only burned Asgard to the ground but destroyed its very foundations.
That was Ragnarök. Its true origin was Odin himself, and the trigger was the resentful and ambitious Hela.
So, Odin—fully aware of all this—realized that while William's strength wasn't yet at his level, the fact that the Space Stone had accepted him as its master narrowed the gap immensely. And if William were to acquire the Reality Stone as well, overtaking him wouldn't be out of the question.
With such a powerful potential ally, Odin would be a fool not to try and draw him in.
Moreover, if the World Tree were planted, Odin would need William's mastery over natural magic to accelerate its growth—he didn't have centuries to wait for it to mature.
If William couldn't be passed off as a secret son, then marrying him into the family as a son-in-law would also work. As long as Asgard became his home—better yet, if he had a child there—then fighting for Asgard would be inevitable.
Unfortunately, Odin didn't realize that offering William a woman was a huge miscalculation.
William wasn't the type to risk his life for a woman. If it came to it, he'd fight if he could win—and run if he couldn't, even leaving the woman behind if necessary.
On the other hand, if William realized Hela was no match for him, he might just take both sisters.
But none of that had happened yet. For now, William was still just trying to figure out what Odin was really up to.
As he pondered, his spiritual sense suddenly picked up a familiar presence.
Turning around, he saw a woman approaching—hooded, with two short swords on her back and two daggers at her waist.
It only took William a second to recognize her as the assassin who had once destroyed his magical clone in the light elf town.
Even though the clone had been just an illusionary avatar, at the time it had been protected by multiple Sentinel Armors.
Yet the defenses he thought were impenetrable were broken by a single beam of the Bifrost—and this stunning female assassin who followed right after, landing a deadly strike.
The sheer style and uniqueness of the assassination made it unforgettable. So when this woman—Angela, Odin's illegitimate daughter—appeared, William's spiritual sense immediately scanned her.
The results surprised him. He clearly sensed light-attribute energy on her body, which was surprising given her towering figure, at least 1.8 meters tall, and her chiseled six-pack abs.
Intrigued, William stared at her. Odin noticed his interest and tried to shift the topic. "What is it, William?"
But William didn't give the answer Odin had hoped for. "Why does this Asgardian female assassin have light-attribute energy on her?"
"That…" Odin hesitated.
But even that brief pause made William look at him suspiciously. Odin, worried William might misunderstand, had no choice but to explain.
"Angela was taken by the angels of the Tenth Realm when she was just a baby. She grew up there and underwent brutal training, so it's no surprise she carries some light-attribute energy."
The Tenth Realm? Angels?
Weren't there only Nine Realms? Now there was a Tenth?
Curiosity piqued, William quickly noticed the rune etched onto the handle of Angela's dagger—it looked like the Chinese character for "丰" (abundance).
But it wasn't actually that character. He fell deep into thought, trying to decipher what it meant.
"William?"
Nearly a minute passed, and William was still silent, head bowed. Odin had to interrupt him. "What's on your mind? Did you notice something about Angela?"
"No," William said, snapping out of it and looking up quickly. "It's not her. It's just that..."
Before he could finish, he noticed the massive statue standing in the plaza—and suddenly, he remembered the moving stone statue he had seen on top of the church tower at the new Chelsea stadium months ago, during his encounter with the Ancient One.
"Gargoyle. Yes, a gargoyle."
If gargoyles were appearing in London, that meant demons and devil-type creatures had also made appearances.
Thinking this through, William started walking toward Angela, prompting her to instinctively grip her daggers—after all, she had seen firsthand the power of his Sentinel Armor.
But with Odin nearby, William had no concern that this chick would strike first. He got straight to the point: "Are gargoyles a product of the Tenth Realm—Heaven?"
Gargoyles?
Hearing that William wasn't here to settle the score for her previous assassination attempt, Angela relaxed and let go of her daggers. She coldly replied, "You? A mortal like you can see gargoyles?"
"Mortal?"
That irritating word made William frown, but before he could say anything, a stern, anger-tinged voice came from behind:
"Angela, mind your words. The man before you is not only a Grand Mage, but the one who singlehandedly banished the demon god Set from the mortal world back to Hell. William deserves our respect."
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