"You're insane!" Loki stared at William in disbelief, shocked by his wild idea. "Even putting aside whether the dwarves could actually turn the Casket of Ancient Winters into this so-called Ice Hammer… What are you planning to tell my father?
If you just snatch it, you might as well prepare to be hunted across the entire universe by Asgard."
"Huh? And since when are you so kindhearted?" William raised an eyebrow, but quickly saw through the panic in Loki's eyes.
"So it's not kindness—you're just afraid I'll drag you down and cost you your shot at the throne."
Hit right on the mark, Loki didn't even try to deny it. Instead, he scoffed with a look of resignation, "You want Uru? I'll get it for you. I'll even take you to the dwarves.
Anything else—sorry, I'm a Prince of Asgard. I'd rather die than betray the realm."
'Loyal to Asgard?' William's face twisted into a mocking grin, but after a moment's thought, he realized that at this stage, Loki hadn't actually betrayed Asgard. He was still just manipulating Thor and stirring up mischief, not causing real harm.
It was only after discovering he was a Frost Giant and realizing he could never truly inherit the throne that Loki started down a darker path.
This version of Loki, still loyal in his own twisted way, was a bit hard for William to get used to. And if the Ice Hammer crafted from the Casket ended up more powerful than Mjölnir, who knew if Loki might just keep it for himself.
"I want enough Uru to match the weight of the Eternal Spear. That okay?"
"N-No problem…" Loki cursed William in his heart for his shameless greed, but having been caught red-handed and magically restrained, he could only bite the bullet. "It's too much to give all at once. I'll get you a third now, and the rest in a few days."
"A few days will do?" William asked, lifting the magical binding. "Do those little dwarves have that much in stock?"
Rubbing his neck, Loki rolled his eyes. "Uru might be rare, but it's not that scarce—not like outsiders think.
For a prince of Asgard, as long as you're willing to pay the price, it's not hard to get.
Besides, many high-ranking Asgardian weapons already contain some Uru. The biggest difference in weapon quality comes from the blacksmith… and enchantments."
That made sense. Even among master craftsmen, there were huge differences in skill. And an enchantment by the King of Gods would obviously trump anything Thor could do himself.
Understanding that, William asked, "What does it cost to get the Dwarf King to forge a weapon?"
"Cost?" Loki grinned for the first time. Seeing that William now needed him for something, his mood improved. "If you've got no connection to the dwarves, even kneeling won't help. You could slaughter them all, and they still wouldn't forge you a weapon."
Ha, not necessarily. William remembered how those same dwarves had forged the Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos. Clearly, they had their price.
But he wasn't going to share that little tidbit with Loki. Instead, he gave him a cold look and said, "So I have to beg His Royal Highness to show mercy and help me out?"
"No need for that, mate," Loki replied quickly, not wanting to push things too far with someone who never gave him face. He smiled slyly. "You help me, I help you. Deal?"
"Hahaha! You really are the God of Mischief and Lies," William said with a mocking laugh before breaking into a radiant smile. "Why couldn't we have started like this? Who knows—we might've already been friends by now."
Loki chuckled, "Well, it's not too late, is it?"
"Not at all," William said, grinning. "I'm a businessman. As long as the price is right, I'd even help you take over Earth."
Loki froze. He honestly hadn't expected William to say something like that and wasn't sure if he was serious.
Then William continued, "Of course, that's assuming you don't point your gun at me. You're a smart guy. There's no fundamental conflict of interest between us—so I doubt you'd do anything stupid, right?"
"Of course. I want the throne—that's got nothing to do with you…"
"Hold up." William interrupted with a smirk. "Sorry, but who gets the throne—that's up to Odin. I'm just an outsider. I've got no say in that."
Liar. Loki gave him a sideways glare. "Didn't seem like you were 'just an outsider' when you publicly embarrassed me in front of the entire Asgardian court."
"Heh," William chuckled without shame. "Let's be honest. I just sealed a deal with Odin worth two million energy crystals. You think I'd be dumb enough to throw that away just to back you—while he's still alive and kicking?"
Loki's face darkened, his eyes burning with suppressed rage. William just shrugged. "Reality sucks. But the truth is, you're not worth enough yet for me to give up everything just to support you."
That stung. Loki's face turned a shade darker as he growled, "You'll all see—I'll prove I'm the rightful heir. Better than anyone else."
"Well, I can support you... in spirit," William replied casually. "Now leave the Uru and be on your way, Second Prince of Asgard."
"Hmph."
Loki traced a glowing circle in the air, summoning a large lump of shining golden metal, and slammed it down on the floor. Then he gave the clone of William a fierce glare and turned to leave.
But as he reached the doorway, Loki suddenly paused and said, "Next time, don't just talk to me through a clone."
He whipped around and hurled a magic blast at the William sitting in the room. The clone dissolved instantly.
Feeling like he'd finally regained a sliver of pride, Loki turned and hurried off, as if afraid he'd miss his window to escape.
The moment he left, the real William materialized in the room.
He considered going after Loki to press for answers, but the guy was already invisible and fleeing fast.
Not wanting to make a scene and attract the palace guards, William could only frown and let him go.
Then he noticed something strange—faint specks of ice crystals on the floor.
That's when it hit him.
He'd been absorbing the Casket's frost energy. Which meant the temperature in the guest room had definitely dropped below normal.
And as a Frost Giant, Loki would be far more sensitive to cold than anyone else.
The fact that he'd stood there for so long chatting with a fake William and never noticed the abnormal temperature—that would've been the real problem.
Mystery solved, William sent out a pulse of psychic energy that hit Loki—who was nearly a kilometer away—right in the back, knocking the unsuspecting trickster face-first into a fountain.
The splash inevitably drew the attention of nearby guards. When they saw it was Loki, they barely contained their laughter, putting on exaggerated concern as they "helped" the soaking-wet prince out of the water.
By the next morning, news that Loki had drunkenly fallen into a fountain had spread throughout Asgard.
So when Odin saw William at dawn, the first thing he said was:
"I didn't expect you to make a friend on your very first day in Asgard."
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