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While the golden-armored guard at the gate verified their identities, Sif rearranged her silver enchanted armor.
This time, she represented not only Odin but also the entire Asgard, so she absolutely could not let the gods laugh at her.
Soon, the golden-armored guard finished verifying their identities, but ultimately could only allow Sif to enter the Hall of All Gods alone.
The reason was simple: the other accompanying Asgardian warrior was not considered a 'god,' and therefore had no right to enter the Hall of All Gods to meet Zeus.
Although this reason was somewhat infuriating, Sif had no choice but to compromise to complete the mission Odin had assigned.
After taking a deep breath, Sif gripped the runic longsword at her waist with one hand, held her head high, and strode with a heroic gait into this magnificent hall where the gods of Earth gathered.
The interior of the Hall of All Gods was clearly several times more luxurious than Sif had imagined; the huge supporting pillars all around were cast from gold, and even the floor tiles were paved with gold bricks.
In comparison, even the Heavenly Palace of Asgard seemed significantly inferior.
Hundreds of gods were arrayed on the huge circular tiered stands on both sides of the passage.
They varied in appearance; some wore magnificent robes, while others exuded a mysterious glow.
However, apart from a few well-known 'gods' like Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, Ares, the God of War, and Hercules, the God of Strength, Sif could not name most of the other gods... Of course, these individuals were also unfamiliar with Sif, who came from Asgard.
They whispered among themselves, their gazes fixed on Sif, filled with curiosity and scrutiny.
"Welcome to the Hall of All Gods, envoy of Asgard."
A resonant voice rang out from the center of the Hall of All Gods, echoing like a grand bell throughout the hall, "Now, let us, with great anticipation, welcome the King of the Gods—Zeus!!!"
"Zeus!!!"
"Zeus!!!"
The gods in the Hall of All Gods began to shout Zeus's name in unison, their voices deafening.
From their practiced performance, Sif could easily tell that this exaggerated and awkward welcoming method seemed to be a daily routine in the Hall of All Gods.
Rumble—!!!
Amidst the cheers of the gods, a white cloud suddenly appeared in the sky above the hall, churning and surging, with golden lightning constantly flashing within it, accompanied by rumbling thunder.
Immediately after, the cloud began to expand rapidly, and in a dazzling golden light, it officially revealed its true form.
It was a small platform with a hovering function, and a dozen figures dressed in luxurious attire stood upon it.
Sif narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the figure holding a lightning-shaped weapon... Needless to say, that person must be the legendary King of the Gods, Zeus.
Σ (°△°|||)
However, the image of this King of the Gods, who was as famous as Odin, was far from what Sif had imagined...
Uh, in fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was completely off!
Because the figure of this King of the Gods... looked truly quite obese!
Zeus wore luxurious golden armor on his upper body, barely able to contain his round, sagging belly.
If Sif could barely consider this part normal, then Zeus's lower body attire was simply too shocking.
Zeus's lower body was actually wearing a white, knee-length silk skirt, and even from dozens of meters away, Sif's eyesight could clearly see the exposed, hairy, thick legs beneath the skirt...
Yes, you read that right, the dignified King of the Gods was actually wearing a skirt?
Can you believe this?
Even though Sif was trying her best to control her facial expression, the corner of her eye still couldn't help but twitch.
Sif finally understood now why Odin had looked down on Zeus so much back then!
How was this old pervert like a majestic King of the Gods? He clearly looked more like a medieval noble who had become obese due to long-term extravagance and debauchery!
Sif even felt that if she rushed up now and gave this old man a couple of 'bang bang' punches, she might just make him cry on the spot.
"Lightning!!"
"Lightning!!"
Amidst the cheers of the gods, Zeus raised the Lightning Sword in his hand and then threw it out forcefully.
Whoosh—
The Lightning Sword, trailing a golden lightning chain, flew out, then exploded with a "bang" in mid-air, transforming into hundreds of golden phantoms, weaving a magnificent, meteor-like spectacle in the sky, and then converging into a giant golden statue phantom, which was precisely the majestic figure of Zeus in his youth.
Finally, the phantom slowly dissipated, and the Lightning Sword flew back into Zeus's hand.
"Outstandingly brilliant!!"
"Truly worthy of being the King of the Gods..."
"The Lightning Sword is the most powerful artifact in the Universe..."
The gods immediately erupted into enthusiastic applause and cheers, with praises rising one after another.
However, Sif still keenly noticed that a few gods seemed to be rolling their eyes at this flamboyant performance, but no one dared to openly challenge it.
"Everyone, quiet down."
At this moment, Zeus raised his hands and made a downward pressing gesture towards the gods below, and the original noisy sounds in the Hall of All Gods immediately fell silent. Everyone looked up at the platform suspended in mid-air, quietly waiting for Zeus's next words.
Zeus first cleared his throat, then said solemnly, "Today, I have gathered everyone here to specially convene this sacred assembly of deities, to discuss a very important matter..."
Sif immediately straightened her back, already prepared to go on stage and explain the threat of the Warp and the Four Chaotic Gods to the gods, but Zeus's next sentence directly broke her composure.
"Where would be a good place to hold this year's'silver party'? Is it Mount Olympus? Or..."
A burst of ambiguous laughter immediately erupted in the hall, and then the gods began to discuss animatedly, all talking at once.
"No location can compare to the scenery of Mount Olympus; it's the most suitable place to hold a group party!" shouted a tall god from the Olympian Pantheon.
"That's right, I agree!!"
Many gods raised their fists and loudly agreed, but some gods from other pantheons chose to object, so the gods with differing opinions began to argue.
"Ah, this..."
Sif was stunned by the sight.
She simply couldn't believe her ears.
The threats of the Warp and the Four Chaotic Gods were already imminent, yet these shameless gods were here fiercely discussing where to hold a silver party?
This was not the Hall of All Gods at all; it was clearly a 'Den of Debauchery'!
Sif now felt even more strongly how wise and correct Odin's decision was back then not to relocate Asgard into the All-Powerful City.
Otherwise, Asgard would probably have become as disgusting as these gods in the Hall of All Gods.
"Enough!!"
Sif felt a surge of anger burning in her chest, and without regard for whether her actions were impolite, she directly stood up indignantly and walked to the center of the viewing platform, loudly reprimanding Zeus and the hundreds of gods in the Hall of All Gods:
"I came here specifically to represent Asgard, not to listen to you discuss such absurdities..."
Sif's voice echoed through the hall, and the original clamor gradually subsided. The gods all cast strange glances at this unfamiliar Asgardian female warrior.
Zeus was clearly displeased by Sif's rude and disrespectful behavior, but the latter no longer cared about such matters and spoke bluntly:
"King of the Gods Zeus, and all you gods... I am Sif from Asgard, sent by Odin, the Lord of Asgard, to seek aid, hoping to gather a powerful army to help Asgard resolve the crisis brought by the Eye of Fear!"
To prevent her words from overly provoking Zeus, Sif deliberately did not use the title King of the Gods to address Odin, but instead chose Lord of Asgard.
Even in her heart, only Odin truly deserved the title King of the Gods!
"Although the Eye of Fear's outward expansion has been successfully contained by the black stone obelisk at this stage, the chaotic army formed by the Dark Elves is heavily mobilizing on several Planets, including Vanaheim, which have already been transformed into Demon Worlds. I believe it won't be long before they attack the Nine Realms..."
"By then, the chaotic energy released from within the Eye of Fear will once again break through the black stone obelisk's seal, invading and corrupting the Nine Realms... and even the realms and starfields beyond the Nine Realms!!"
Sif's voice was firm and undeniable, "If the gods do not unite, then before long, the entire Universe will fall into an unprecedented catastrophe caused by the Warp and the Four Chaotic Gods..."
"And by then, no god will be able to escape unscathed!"
The hall immediately fell into silence, but it was quickly broken by a chorus of sneers.
"Little girl..."
Zeus leaned lazily on his throne, looking at Sif with contempt, "Odin and Asgard always like to make a big deal out of small things like this. What Warp, what Four Chaotic Gods, and that thing called the Eye of Fear... In my opinion, these are all just excuses you use to cover up how weak Asgard is."
"I have heard about what happened in the Nine Realms before; that Eye of Fear only corrupted a few Planets and killed a group of weak natives... Losses of this magnitude are merely a farcical skirmish for the Hall of All Gods and the All-Powerful City..."
"Moreover, problems that Odin and Asgard cannot solve do not mean that the All-Powerful City, which I represent, cannot either!"
"My Lord Zeus is right."
A god engulfed in flames immediately echoed, "I heard that the Nine Realms suffered this catastrophe entirely because Odin failed to properly manage his adopted son... He can't even manage his own son, yet he wants to command us to attack the Eye of Fear? Isn't he dreaming?!"
The rest of the gods in the hall immediately burst into laughter, casting contemptuous glances at Sif, as if they were looking at an ignorant child.
"You..."
Sif clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white, and her fingernails digging deep into her palms, but now was clearly not the time to lose her temper. So, she patiently explained again:
"Zeus, you simply don't understand the gravity of the situation. We must act before the Dark Elves do... Although the Black Stone obtained from Midgard has the effect of suppressing chaotic energy invasion, the current peace is definitely only temporary..."
"Temporary peace?" Zeus scoffed at the words, "Listen, everyone, how cowardly is that statement?"
"Little girl from Asgard, who do you think we are? Guardians of the divine realm maintaining peace in the Universe?"
"Let me tell you, every god in the Hall of All Gods will only look after their own people, no more, no less, that's all... And the problems of the Asgardian should be solved by the Asgardian themselves!"
"Go back and tell Odin, if he wants reinforcements, then he should personally come to the All-Powerful City and beg me. If he does that, maybe I will agree..."
"Oh, by the way, if you don't want to return to Asgard, you can also stay here with peace of mind... Drink wine, eat grapes, watch plays, and enjoy the unrestrained wonderful life in the All-Powerful City... Of course, you can also participate in the'silver party' I host; we are always very hospitable to newcomers!!"
A burst of unrestrained laughter immediately erupted in the Hall of All Gods.
Sif felt her cheeks burning. She could no longer endure such humiliation, and before turning to leave, she said in a cold voice:
"I never imagined that the once powerful Zeus and the gods would hide in this palace like cowards... If so, I hope that one day, when chaotic energy descends upon the All-Powerful City, you can still maintain today's arrogance and pride!!"
With that, she turned and walked out of the Hall of All Gods without looking back.
"See her out!" Zeus's voice drifted from behind Sif, "Next time, if Odin decides to come in person, remember to make an appointment in advance... After all, we are usually very busy."
Stepping out of the Hall of All Gods, Sif took a deep breath, trying to calm her inner anger.
Just then, an elegant figure quietly emerged from a nearby Shadow.
"Lady Sif, please wait..."