Sigurd had been in his spaceship for more than six months. His ship had now almost reached the outskirts of the Spartax Empire, so the most important task was to scan the nearby planets to locate Tofra.
He studied the data on the nearby planetary systems. Life on most planets was in an indigenous phase, with people still a long way from connecting with other empires.
But he continued to sift through the data, searching specifically for planets with sentient beings. According to Tofra's history, an unknown sentient race was supposed to reside there.
A few more months passed, and Sigurd felt a growing frustration. He still hadn't been able to locate Tofra. Finally, he decided to look for any planet where he might find people who could provide information.
But before that, he wanted to check a few remaining planets nearby, after which he planned to find a spaceport—a gathering planet where beings of different origins stopped during long travels.
Sigurd arrived at the last planet on his list, which looked barren. The life forms weren't some kind of alien, but reptiles he had never seen before. He still commanded his AI to scan the planet.
Looking at it, he was sure this couldn't be the planet with Vibranium. After all, it was far smaller than any planet he had visited in the last few years.
Suddenly, a notification came from the AI. Sigurd was surprised. Had he really found it?
His spaceship moved toward the location. When he arrived, it was a hill that looked completely normal.
Sigurd now felt that the hard work he had done for more than four years had finally paid off.
Now, the most important thing was the excavation of Vibranium. The crucial part was not to destroy life on the planet. After all, improper excavation could release poisonous gas.
Because of this, he still needed to contact Asgard for the most advanced excavation machines, which could be run by AI to extract the Vibranium safely.
"AI, formulate the best method to extract the Vibranium and also send the detailed information to Odin about the ore and the planet's location."
At that same moment, Odin was busy with the infrastructure of Valhalla when he suddenly got a message on a communicator he rarely used. He carried it specifically to keep updated on Sigurd's journey.
When Odin saw the detailed information, he was surprised. He didn't waste any time and went to find the dwarven king, Eitri.
"King Eitri, look at the detailed information sent by Sigurd."
Eitri, who was busy building a spectacle for Asgard, was initially angry at the disturbance. But after looking at the details, he was shocked and excited about the prospect of obtaining Vibranium, a metal as rare as Uru.
"So, are you planning to go there? Then I might as well go to look at the mine myself."
Odin then informed his people to prepare for travel. After all, it wouldn't take long with the Bifrost.
Odin, the dwarf king, a few other dwarves, and some Asgardians came to the Bifrost. He ordered Sigrun:
"Transfer us to the following coordinates and mark them. We will return from the same place."
Then, as if remembering something, he added:
"Prepare the Valkyrie warriors and others. If we face any threat, I will contact you for war. Get everyone to stand by."
Odin thought of the Spartax Empire, which was powerful but still not formidable enough to seriously challenge Asgard.
Sigrun inserted the sword to start the Bifrost. Within seconds, everyone disappeared from the bridge.
At the same time, on the Tofra planet...
"Did you analyze how much Vibranium metal can be extracted from it?"
Sigurd thought that, judging by the size of the hill, it might contain about 10,000 tons of metal. After all, even Wakanda had a similar amount in some universes. He still hoped his guess was close, so he could utilize it for future development.
Just as he was waiting for an answer from the AI, a huge amount of energy passed through the planet's atmosphere—a signature of the Bifrost at work.
Then Odin and Eitri appeared, followed by people carrying different equipment, all coming toward him.
"Sigurd, you really found the metal! I thought it would be very difficult to get, but looking at the situation, your efforts have truly uncovered a treasure."
Eitri spoke, his eyes fixed on the mountain. Just as Sigurd was about to speak, the AI's mechanical voice was heard by everyone.
"According to the host's instructions, there is about 50,000 tons of Vibranium in the mine. The safest extraction method will take approximately three years."
Everyone present gasped. 50,000 tons of Vibranium might seem small compared to other ores, but given its rarity, it was enough for Asgard to build its defenses and weapons, and even help their allies—for a certain price.
Among all the people, Eitri's eyes were the brightest. After all, he would be the one to use the Vibranium to build weapons. Now he thought there might be a chance to build the weapon Sigurd had suggested.
Odin looked at the mine, but his focus shifted to his brother. Odin could feel that his brother's strength had increased since their last meeting. He didn't speak of it right away, deciding to wait until they were alone.
Strength was the most important thing. He had thought Sigurd's progress might have halted during this trip, but to his surprise, the energy coming from his brother now felt threatening to him.
So now he wanted to know about his brother's experience more than about the mine. After all, Vibranium was important, but personal strength was paramount.
While the dwarves, with the help of Asgardian warriors, began utilizing different mining tools under King Eitri's supervision, Odin signaled for Sigurd to follow him into the spaceship. When they entered the lounge, Odin sat on a couch and Sigurd sat opposite him.
Sigurd knew his brother had likely sensed his energy level, which was now on par with Odin's, so he expected questions about his newfound strength.
"So, your journey these past few years has been fruitful. Looking at your present strength, it seems to be close to mine."
Odin's curiosity was at its peak to learn about his brother's journey. He knew better than anyone that a sudden increase in strength never came without a cost.
"Oh, you could say that. I kind of had good luck. While searching for new ore, I started from the outer space of Midgard. It was during that process I found a substance containing a depleting source of cosmic energy. Looking at the object, I thought of my passive skill to absorb cosmic energy and wondered if I could absorb it. It took me a few years, but it worked.
I know my strength should be on par with yours in terms of cosmic energy, but I don't know if I can match your full power."
Odin heard his words, but his face was full of seriousness.
"Did you verify everything before absorbing the cosmic energy? You know, beings whose cosmic energy is enough to make you reach the peak of the Skyfather level... they aren't something we can mess with. We can fight, but we still don't have the power to go to a head-on war with them."
Sigurd heard his brother's words and thought to himself. Even though he had his doubts while absorbing it, he later recalled from comic lore that the Celestial had died long ago due to a civil war among them.
The disembodied brain of the Celestial was likely a fragment that had been splattered through a wormhole or something not clearly explained. So he was sure no Celestial would come looking for it.