Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
You can also read on my website:
tlmasters.xyz
I'd really appreciate your support. Every membership helps keep me motivated to continue translating and releasing chapters consistently.
*****
Fini looked toward the speaker—a man clad in golden armor, wearing Asgard's distinctive horned helmet and gripping a long sword. A pair of extraordinary golden eyes were fixed directly on him.
Based on those eyes alone, Fini knew exactly who he was. Behind him stood a squad of soldiers, standing guard in silent formation.
"Hello there. I'm Fini Halsey."
Fini stepped forward and extended his hand in greeting. Though he wasn't short by human standards, he still felt rather small compared to the towering physique of an Asgardian.
"Heimdall."
Heimdall reached out and shook Fini's hand, his voice resonant. "The All-Father, Odin, sent us here to receive you."
"Sorry for the trouble," Fini replied.
He wasn't particularly surprised at being discovered; this was Asgard, after all. Ancient One had already sent word ahead, and with Heimdall's unique sight, there was nowhere to hide.
"Think nothing of it," Heimdall countered. He then looked past Fini at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, offering a rare note of praise. "A dragon of such beauty and power is a rare sight, even within the Nine Realms."
"Uh..."
Noticing the faint golden glow in Heimdall's eyes, Fini got the distinct impression that the gatekeeper was quite taken with the dragon.
"Forgive him, he's being a bit rude. He's always had a soft spot for such creatures."
At that moment, a woman stepped out from among the soldiers and addressed Fini. He turned his head to look at her.
"Sif, a friend of Thor's. We've all heard him mention you."
Sif extended her hand and gave Fini a small smile of introduction. "Thor says you are quite formidable. If there's a chance, we should spar."
"No problem at all."
Fini certainly wouldn't turn down free experience points. Asgardians were notoriously bellicose, and part of the reason he wanted to stay for a while was to "farm" some experience.
"The All-Father is waiting for you," Sif said, releasing his hand and glancing at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "If you don't mind, you can leave the beast with us. We will see that it is well-cared for."
"Sure. It likes to eat things with high energy content," Fini noted after a moment's thought.
Instead of turning the dragon back into a card, he gave it a command. He let Sif's people unload the supplies from its back and lead it away. Since Asgard was a civilization where technology and magic flourished together, they certainly wouldn't be short on "energy items." Fini planned to let the dragon freeload here for a while; he had brought plenty of gifts anyway, so it felt like a fair trade.
As Fini prepared to follow Sif to meet Odin, Heimdall looked at him and asked curiously, "How does it turn into a card?"
"Magic!" Fini shrugged. In his view, "magic" was the universal explanation for anything that defied common sense.
Predictably, Heimdall was left speechless by that answer. Sif gave Fini a curious look as well; she had heard bits and pieces about him from Thor, though most of it had been complaining.
Fini was currently on the Bifrost, which was why he had run into Heimdall. As the Gatekeeper, Heimdall rarely left his post unless there was a crisis of monumental proportions. Looking ahead, a magnificent and colossal palace dominated the horizon. Its brilliant, opulent gold finish radiated nobility and luxury.
As Sif led the way, Fini wondered how they would traverse the distance. To his surprise, Sif led over two white horses.
Fini blinked, asking tentatively, "You're not telling me... we have to ride those to get there?"
"Is there a problem?" Sif turned back, looking confused.
"Uh..."
Now it was Fini's turn to be speechless. He looked at the shimmering Bifrost beneath his feet, then back at the white horses. For a civilization with high-tech spatial transportation technology, making a guest ride a horse seemed like a massive contradiction. He eventually chalked it up to "Asgardian charm."
Fini had never formally learned to ride a horse, but he figured if he could ride a dragon, a mere horse shouldn't be an issue.
During the journey, Fini noticed that Thor hadn't come to meet him and asked why.
"He is away quelling riots," Sif explained. "When the Bifrost was destroyed previously, the news reached the Marauders. They took the opportunity to invade the other realms, triggering war and chaos."
Only then did Fini realize Thor wasn't even in Asgard.
"Why didn't they go to Earth? Midgard, I mean."
Fini was curious. Earth was one of the Nine Realms, yet aside from the Chitauri, he hadn't seen any Marauders bothering his home planet.
"Well..." Sif hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Midgard is considered resource-poor. Even Marauders feel there isn't much there worth stealing."
"They think we're too poor to rob!?"
Fini was momentarily stunned, then slightly annoyed. Their intel was clearly centuries out of date. Did they still think humans were living in primitive tribal huts?
"Of course, that's not the only reason," Sif continued, catching Fini's surprise. "It is said that Midgard is protected by a sorcerer of immense power, so few Marauders want to go looking for a fight. Furthermore, now that someone like you is there, they are even more hesitant to trespass."
"Me!?"
"Yes." Sif glanced at him. "The word in the universe is that Midgard has a 'Silver Knight' who rides a massive silver dragon and single-handedly destroyed an entire Chitauri fleet."
"Why is it always 'Knight'!?"
Fini didn't feel proud; he felt indignant. If he ever found out who was spreading these rumors, he'd give them a piece of his mind. It was bad enough being called a knight on Earth, but now it had spread to the stars. He was a bona fide Mage!
"What's wrong?" Sif asked, looking bewildered by his reaction.
"I am a Mage!" Fini explained, his voice full of grievance. "I might have been wearing armor and riding a dragon, but I used magic to wipe out the enemy!"
"..."
Sif was speechless. She looked Fini up and down. From what she could see, his movements and physique suggested he was well-trained; his melee capabilities were definitely not weak.
"I wanted to learn magic once, but I simply couldn't grasp it," Sif admitted, thinking of the boring spellbooks that used to make her fall asleep as a child. Then, thinking of Loki, she asked, "Was Loki in that state because of you?"
"Hmm?" Fini glanced at Sif. Seeing that she didn't look like she was about to demand an apology, he nodded. "Yes. I accidentally went a little too heavy-handed."
"You should have hit him harder!" Sif snapped, before laughing sheepishly. "He was our friend once, but he betrayed us. He even tried to kill Thor."
"How is he now?" Fini was curious about Loki's current status.
"He is imprisoned in the dungeons by the All-Father. To remain there for the rest of his life."
Fini curled his lip inwardly. He didn't believe for a second that a mere dungeon could hold Loki forever. Still, he was quite interested in seeing the God of Mischief again—though he doubted Loki felt the same way.
The distance between the Bifrost and the palace wasn't great. After a bit more small talk, Sif led him to the palace gates. A ceremonial guard was waiting to receive him, indicating that Odin was taking his visit seriously—though Fini suspected that had more to do with the Ancient One's influence than his own reputation.
(End of Chapter)