Sigurd entered the control room to look for detailed information about the material. When he saw the detailed file, he couldn't help but feel surprised, as well as a little scared. After all, the object he had found was very helpful for his present condition, but it belonged to a being he couldn't fight head-on at the present time.
Still, he thought this might be his chance to increase his strength, which could save him a lot of time.
Sigurd exited the spaceship and observed the planet's environment. It was a deserted planet; looking at the current situation, it seemed like one of the nearest planets to the sun. But in the comics, there wasn't any explanation about this object, or at least none that he knew.
Sigurd stood in front of the object. Although it looked like a small mountain, he knew it was the disembodied brain of a Celestial being. He knew this from memories of a timeline where a Celestial's brain was on Mercury, but he didn't know if there was any foul play here.
Anything connected to Celestial beings had its own reason for being in a certain place, but he racked his memory and couldn't find a specific reason for this to be on Mercury. He never would have known it was here.
When he first planned to search for rare material in the solar system, he had tried to remember everything that happened on different planets. The planet Mercury didn't have any significant presence in the comics, but he recalled small details where a Celestial brain was on Mercury in a few multiverses, so he hadn't thought it might be in this one.
Looking at the brain, he was confused about whether he should take the risk of absorbing its cosmic energy. But judging by the brain's condition, the Celestial must have died a long time ago.
He began to think about Celestial powers, and how they could be resurrected if they hadn't been dead for more than four billion years. This was the same reason the Progenitor hadn't been resurrected.
If his guess was correct, this Celestial must have been among those who died during the war against the Aspirants.
As he recalled the scenario, he started to observe Mercury's surroundings more carefully. After all, the Progenitor, who died on Midgard four billion years ago, was said to be the reason for Earth's unusually superpowered inhabitants.
Even if this was only a brain, there should be some creature or minerals that had formed due to the immense cosmic energy.
Sigurd returned to his spaceship to see if it had scanned the whole planet completely. The details showed nothing unusual on the planet. Even the materials found weren't top-notch. After thinking for a while, he gave orders to scan deeper inside the planet.
Then, Sigurd sent a message to his brother that he would be busy for a few years and might not be able to contact him, so Odin shouldn't worry.
Sigurd stood before the brain-mountain, unsure where to start. After a long time, the best solution he came up with was to enter the brain itself.
His talent for absorbing cosmic energy could be used in this situation. If it succeeded, his power would reach the peak of Skyfather, or might even increase beyond it.
Sigurd didn't bother to think more and entered the brain. Inside, it felt more like a huge cave with different tissues linked together. Some were broken; a few still felt warm, but he didn't stop, moving toward the center of the brain.
When he reached the center, he began to use his power, only to feel a terrifying amount of energy rushing toward him at a fast pace. Just as he thought he could absorb it all, he was bombarded with a powerful impact.
Sigurd looked embarrassed as he got up. This time, he sat down again but didn't start absorbing at full capacity. He began to absorb small amounts at a slow pace.
As the Celestial energy entered his body, it began to change. Every organ, which had already been refined by cosmic energy during his divine awakening ceremony, started to transform. Every part of his body craved more energy as it underwent this transformation. Although he felt pain, he endured it.
This process continued, and Sigurd gradually increased the absorption speed. Although he could only absorb cosmic energy through his body's instinct, he felt this absorption power was incredibly potent.
He had never thought of his divine power in this way. He didn't think he could absorb every energy available in the universe; there had to be some kind of limitation. But in his heart, he knew he might be right that he could only absorb cosmic energy. In Asgard, he had come across different energies, but his body hadn't absorbed those.
Sigurd began to feel his power increasing. The way his power grew, he felt greatly relieved for the future.
As time passed, Sigurd's strength deepened. The disembodied brain of the Celestial, once full of cosmic energy, began to look like a dried layer of paper.
Sigurd, who had been in a meditative state for more than three years, opened his eyes to see a dried-up cave. He exited the brain-mountain, which now looked like dried paper that might turn to dust in a simple wind.
Sigurd didn't dwell on its appearance but punched the mountain to completely destroy the object. Although it had no value left for him, he still didn't want others to know about it.
Sigurd returned to where his spaceship was parked. First, he sent a message to his brother to let him know he was alright, though he didn't explain his increase in strength.
After that, he checked the detailed scans of Mercury, which showed a few creatures dwelling underground but no ores worth excavating.
Then Sigurd turned his attention to the only planet he knew contained Vibranium: Tofra, on the outskirts of the Spartax Empire.
Although this planet was near the Spartax Empire, it didn't belong to anyone, as it was a deserted planet like Mercury. However, he didn't know at present if there were any living beings on it.
Sigurd set his destination for a point outside the Spartax Empire. Although he knew the name Tofra, he still had to search for it himself.
As the spaceship moved out at light speed, a huge wave of cosmic energy swept across Mercury, affecting even the creatures living underground. This phenomenon lasted for a few minutes before Mercury returned to its former state. A small stone object now lay where the disembodied brain of the Celestial had been, but Sigurd had no idea about it. Even if he had known, he couldn't have done anything.
Inside the spaceship, Sigurd began to analyze his strength. Although there had been a huge amount of cosmic energy, he didn't think he had consumed all of it. After all, his cosmic energy absorption was a passive superpower, but he still felt very happy, as his strength had increased to the peak of Skyfather. In a few thousand years, he might break through to a level beyond.
He then noticed his height, which was already over 65 feet, had increased to over a hundred feet, putting him on par with Odin, whose divine height was also around 100 feet, though Sigurd had never seen him use it. He might get to see his brother's full power in the future.
He also felt that his space power had increased, and he could now use cosmic energy to strengthen it. His rune magic had undergone changes as well, and the number of patterns in his mind had increased slightly.
The increase in runic patterns surprised him more than anything else. He had always thought magic and cosmic energy were two different sides of a single coin, but now it seemed everything in the world was connected to cosmic energy.
The increase in strength made him feel more relaxed than before. Although he didn't have a weapon like Odin's Gungnir, his strength was now among the top in the nearby galaxy.
Sigurd then checked the time it would take to travel from his present location to his destination: more than six months. He began to practice Asgardian war arts to gain control over his new strength, and he also started to focus his fighting techniques more on killing rather than defeating.
After all, he was in a universe full of space pirates, ravagers, and mercenaries ready to attack. Defeating them wasn't an option; killing them before they could call for backup was the best strategy.
Sigurd, who had lived his whole life in Asgard without killing a single person, knew that this trip might be his first encounter with the cruel world.