In all his long life, Odin had never heard of a mage choosing a hammer as a weapon. Sure, there were a few eccentrics who might go for a longsword or spear, but a hammer?
Could it be that William secretly admired Asgard so much, he'd been brainwashed by Mjölnir's image, to the point of insisting on a hammer?
That thought made Odin wonder if he should try to understand William better. If he truly had a heart inclined toward Asgard, that would save him a lot of trouble.
But in William's mind, the Casket of Ancient Winters just didn't lend itself to any other weapon form. Aside from a short-handled hammer, he couldn't think of anything else suitable.
He did have a certain fondness for Mjölnir, but it was more about nostalgia than loyalty to Asgard.
After all, Mjölnir was a symbol from his past—it was natural to have sentimental feelings about it.
"Forge the Casket of Ancient Winters into an Ice Hammer for me, and I'll help you accelerate the growth of the World Tree in record time."
"Are you serious?"
Odin immediately stood up, his smile gone, eyes fixed on William with a solemn expression. "If you can convince Kristin to plant the World Tree, I'll go to Nidavellir myself and ask King Eitri to forge the Ice Hammer for you."
William paused, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Prepare all the materials. Wait for my signal."
"Wait," Odin said quickly, seeing William about to teleport. "I'm going with you."
He locked eyes with William and added, "I have to be there in person."
William smirked and teased, "Kristin's not another daughter of yours, is she? Why so nervous?"
"No," Odin sighed. "The fall of the Elven Kingdom… Asgard bears part of the blame.
But never mind that. Kristin isn't my daughter. Otherwise, she wouldn't look like a pureblood Light Elf."
To avoid alarming Asgard, Odin insisted on traveling via the Bifrost. After giving his orders, the two of them mounted up and rode toward the rainbow bridge.
Along the way, the pitch-black warhorse from the day before seemed excited to see William again.
It didn't take long before it boldly sprinted ahead of Odin's mount, prompting the eight-legged horse Sleipnir to neigh sharply and charge ahead, leaving the black horse in the dust.
William didn't mind. Ever since he gained flight, he'd been indifferent to mounts. And aside from unicorns, no creature could compare to his flame dragon Snug in terms of sheer presence.
Odin waited at the Bifrost for nearly a minute before William caught up. With a grin, he said, "That's not like you. I thought you'd empower that warhorse and try to challenge Sleipnir."
Dismounting, William patted the black horse's neck and rewarded it with a spell of natural magic. He replied, "If I did strengthen it, I'd have to take it back to London.
That'd just make it a target for scheming eyes. Better to let it live quietly here in Asgard."
Odin nodded. That warhorse was top-tier even by Asgardian standards. Taking it to Earth would definitely bring trouble.
After sending the two horses back, Odin took the lead into the Bifrost, and within seconds they reappeared outside the Light Elf village where Kristin resided.
At the sight of William, the little magical elves playing in the valley screamed and fled into their concealed magical barrier—shouting that the monster had returned.
William's face darkened. With a flick of his mind, the annoying little loudmouths were frozen in place by a binding spell.
Soon after, Kristin rode up on her multicolored deer. She glanced at the terrified, immobilized elves, then fixed a cold stare on William without blinking.
Having come to ask a favor, William had no choice but to wave off the spell and release the little blabbermouths. Then he flashed a bright smile and complimented her, "Long time no see, Kristin. You're as beautiful as ever."
"Hmph." Though her expression softened slightly at the flattery, she still asked coldly, "What are you doing here again?"
Odin said nothing. He stood silently, letting William speak.
William smiled and asked, "How many years until the next Convergence of the Nine Realms?"
"Roughly seven and a half," Kristin replied, then impatiently added, "Odin knows this too. Why are you really here?"
"How long does the World Tree need before it's past its most fragile stage?"
Kristin had already guessed the real reason for their visit, but some instinct told her the conversation might turn out better than expected. "At least a hundred years."
William thought for a moment and asked, "What if I told you I'd use natural magic every few days to nurture it until it can protect itself? How long do you think that would take?"
"Seriously?" Kristin looked at William in surprise. "You're sure? This isn't just a few months, it's—"
Under Odin's intense gaze, Kristin finally said after some thought, "Flooding it with energy every day could actually harm its development. But if you use the same level of natural magic you cast on the Forest God last time, and do that once every ten days, then… around a hundred times should be enough."
William muttered, "Once every ten days… each time equals a year of growth… Yeah, daily's too much. Three years total isn't bad."
Odin nodded and chimed in, "The Dark Elves want to plunge the Nine Realms into darkness. The best opportunity for that is the Convergence. So yes, we have time."
Kristin finally hesitated. She understood clearly—Odin's survival was in her best interest. But the safety of the World Tree was even more important to her than her own life. She was about to shake her head when—
William added, "Don't forget, the first thing the Dark Elves will go after is the Aether. To get that, they'll have to attack Asgard.
Kristin, do you really think a healthy Odin couldn't defeat Malekith, the King of the Dark Elves?
And just to be sure, I can stay hidden in Asgard as a backup—waiting for Malekith to appear, then take him out on the spot."
Seeing her confusion, William laughed. "Don't be surprised. Odin has already promised me—if I take out Malekith and protect the World Tree, I get the Aether and the Casket of Ancient Winters.
So you don't need to worry about me slacking off, or switching sides to the broke and beaten Dark Elves."
"Exactly," Odin nodded. But he still frowned. "Three years is still quite long. Can't it be shortened?"
"No need," Kristin replied firmly. "Every hundred years, the World Tree produces a batch of Water of Life—enough to last until the next batch."
Odin's grin widened even more at that.
But William suddenly asked, "Then here's the real question—where are you planning to plant the World Tree?"
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.