A colossal warship docked at the port, and Sean stepped out of the hatch, descending onto the enormous star ring. This was home to the dwarves, masters of forging with skills that rivaled the gods.
Nidavellir was built around a neutron star at its core. The dwarves had poured all their strength into it, supplemented by vast resources from Asgard, to construct the massive outer rings. Layer upon layer, they nested together, forming an immensely vast, yet exquisitely precise grand creation.
Sean entered the interior of the star ring, and what met his eyes was a sprawling city forged of steel, crisscrossed with intricate and precise networks of pipelines for transporting materials and supplying energy, much like a gigantic assembly line factory.
As he ventured deeper toward the center of the star ring, Sean beheld an enormous smelting furnace, "Nidavellir, the legendary forge, the realm of the dwarves..."
The dwarves seemed particularly fond of massive structures; even their pipelines were several times larger than those on Earth.
Approaching the extinguished smelting furnace, a gauntlet mold placed on a high platform caught Sean's eye, "Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet–"
*Whoosh!*
Before he could get closer, a fierce gust of wind whipped up from behind.
Sean whirled around abruptly, his mind stirring as a sturdy force field sprang into existence, blocking the sudden assault!
The attacker was a giant that seemed close to three stories tall (roughly seventeen feet) charging ferociously!
*Bam!*
Sean swung his arm, unleashing a tremendous force that generated a deafening impact.
With just one punch, he sent the raging giant tumbling away.
"Dwarf King Eitri?" he muttered.
The glow of the Mind Stone flared up, like a gentle spring breeze, emanating a serene and calming aura.
*Thud!*
The giant crashed heavily to the ground, his frenzied eyes suddenly glazing over in a daze. An invisible force soothed the anger and pain in his heart.
Eitri, with his disheveled hair, snapped back to clarity, his eyes flickering with uneasy suspicion, "Who are you? An emissary from Asgard?"
He was the leader of the dwarves and a renowned forging master in the universe. Thor's Mjolnir, Odin's Destroyer... these were among Eitri's proudest works.
Nidavellir had remained untouched by interstellar pirates and advanced civilizations' raids not just because of its remote location and obscurity, but crucially due to Asgard's military protection. In return, the dwarves crafted powerful weapons for Odin.
When Thanos led the Black Order to invade, Eitri tried to send a message to Asgard, but it was intercepted by Ebony Maw of the Black Order. Otherwise, Odin wouldn't have been caught unprepared.
Sean met Dwarf King Eitri's grief-stricken gaze and had to deliver yet another cruel piece of news, "Asgard itself is in dire straits. After Thanos obtained the Infinity Gauntlet, he led the Chitauri army to invade Odin's realm. They suffered heavy casualties."
Eitri, who had just kindled a spark of hope in his heart, saw his eyes dim...
*Thud*
He slumped to the ground in despair.
He stared at his own hands. His arms that had once forged countless divine weapons were now encased in solidified molten iron, forever beyond recovery.
"There used to be three hundred dwarves living on this star ring. Thanos forced me to forge the Infinity Gauntlet for him... a terrifying weapon, one capable of harnessing the immense power of six Infinity Stones," Eitri muttered to himself, his tone laced with unspeakable sorrow, "I completed the task, and as a 'reward', he spared my life, but slaughtered everyone else and ruined my hands!"
This so-called dwarf, far from diminutive, raised his hands. Without a doubt, they could no longer forge any weapons.
Sean looked at the despairing Dwarf King and spoke with a smile, "What if I could heal you?"
Thanos had massacred all the dwarves, leaving Eitri on Nidavellir to die. With no other means of travel and the neutron star forge extinguished, no one could survive long.
But that mad Titan could never have anticipated his crushing defeat by an Earthling, forcing the Black Order to retreat in haste and the Chitauri army to return in disgrace.
Sean raised his right hand, and a metal gauntlet materialized out of thin air, then said, "I need an Infinity Gauntlet. In this universe, you're probably the only one who can make it."
Eitri stared at the four glittering Infinity Stones, stunned speechless.
He watched wide-eyed as this human donned the replicated infinity gauntlet and then snapped his fingers lightly.
A emerald glow flashed suddenly, flowing over Eitri like water. Time reversed abruptly, as if propelled backward by an invisible force.
The solidified iron encasing his hands cracked and dissipated bit by bit, restoring sensation to his fingers.
Eitri was overwhelmed with joy and shock, roaring loudly to vent his ecstatic relief.
As a dwarf, his lifelong pursuit was nothing more than forging the perfect supreme artifact. But losing his hands had reduced him to a cripple.
With his kin annihilated and his hands ruined, the crushing blows had plunged Eitri into despair, nearly robbing him of the will to live.
"I need an Infinity Gauntlet better than this one." Sean said softly.
Eitri pointed at the motionless massive star ring and said with difficulty, "I can forge it for you, but... the neutron star forge is extinguished, and the cold has frozen the star ring."
Even the most skilled forging master was limited by materials and tools. The neutron star forge was an essential prerequisite, especially for melting special metals.
"You'll see Nidavellir reignited," Sean declared, seemingly unsurprised.
*Boom!*
With a slight tremor underfoot, his form shot forward, a deafening roar echoing through the star ring's interior.
A golden streak rocketed skyward like lightning. The long-absent Sentinel armor flowed over Sean's body like water.
In an instant, he reached the star ring's periphery and placed his hands on the sturdy, thick structure. His muscles bulged like rising hills, and boundless power surged through him!
Inside the star ring, Eitri gaped in astonishment at the sight, "By the heavens! This..."
All the shocks he'd experienced in his lifetime paled in comparison to today.
'This man... Does he intend to pull the star ring with his bare hands?'
A thunderous rumble rolled like grinding thunder. At the frozen hubs of the star ring, the encrusted frost began to flake off. The immense, motionless rings started to turn bit by bit.
The overwhelming pushing force reignited the extinguished neutron star, blooming with light as warm heat washed over them.
"My Nidavellir! My Nidavellir..." Eitri murmured, tears glistening in his eyes.
He had thought he'd never witness this beautiful sight again in his lifetime.
The dying star erupted with fierce flames. Under the regulation of surface metals, it unleashed surging energy, like a brilliant cloud layer illuminating the dark cosmos.
A thick beam of light shot from the iris, passing through the star ring's aperture. The scorching energy flowed through the pipelines, igniting heater after heater.
But this awe-inspiring spectacle didn't last long before dimming. The iris switch couldn't withstand the overwhelming energy surge and shattered outright.
"Looks like I need to help you out a bit more." Sean said faintly, releasing his hands and charging straight toward the iris at the neutron star's core.
"Are you insane? The entire star's energy will converge on you! The immense pressure would melt and crush even the hardest steel!" Eitri cried out in alarm.
As one of the builders of this neutron star forge, he knew all too well the terrifying power unleashed at the core.
Even the hardy Asgardians couldn't endure such horrific impact.
"I like this feeling... stellar energy, haha." Sean spread his hands, gripping the switch.
Golden torrents surged endlessly through his body.
*Boom!*
The valve behind him burst open, and dazzling flames spewed forth!
Like a dam breaking, the flood crashed in. The violent energy coalesced into a beam, piercing through Sean's body and shooting straight toward the star ring's aperture.
The massive forge boiled like a cauldron. Eitri hurried over, dumping the forging metals inside. The crimson molten iron faintly glowed white, a sign of rising temperature.
Seeing the metal melt, Eitri dragged the mold and shouted, "I need you to hold it longer!"
"I could stand here all day if you need me to." Sean pulled with all his might, the ferocious energy unable to harm him in the slightest. He even had the leisure to joke.
Compared to this level of energy bombardment, he had endured far worse. When that door had opened during his battle against Thanos, it felt like knives scraping him from soul to body...