Odin still rejected Frigga's proposal. "Unsuitable. As a king, I must distinguish between state affairs and family matters."
"Since Thor has been chosen as the successor, his position should not be changed arbitrarily unless he makes a major mistake."
Even if it was just for show.
After a moment of thought, Odin added, "However, I should indeed give Loki a chance to prove himself."
Frigga asked, "What kind of chance? Do you have a plan?"
At this moment, Odin remembered what Loki had said to him.
So, my childhood had to be spent in competitions I could never win. You would only test Thor and my strength, speed, and endurance, but never our intelligence and magic.
'For this test, let the rules favor Loki.'
"I plan to send the two brothers as envoys to Kamar-Taj to strengthen the alliance between Asgard and Kamar-Taj." Odin stated his plan in a deep voice.
As Lucas's power was displayed, Kamar-Taj's position in his heart became increasingly important.
...
Evening arrived, and the celebration began.
The Asgardian royal family also officially announced the theme of the celebration—to commemorate the reconciliation between Asgard and Jotunheim.
What Lucas, Thor, Loki, and the others did in Jotunheim was also announced after being embellished.
For a time, Asgard was in an uproar.
When the news of Lucas's great defeat of Laufey spread wildly, and the Asgardian royal family made no statement, the Asgardians guessed that the news was most likely true.
Without their knowledge, their prince, the future monarch Thor, had led a small team alone to Jotunheim and fought a great battle with the Frost Giants, achieving victory. The greatest contributor was most likely Lucas.
But the news announced by the royal family still made them incredible.
They originally thought that Lucas's achievements were exaggerated, but they never expected that they were all completely true. In fact, it was even more terrifying than the version many people knew.
There are two main versions of Lucas's deeds.
One came from Fandral of The Warriors Three, who said it while enjoying himself.
One came from Lucas himself, who said it while playing a bard.
The second version has higher authenticity and degree of restoration.
"Lucas!"
"Lucas!"
"Lucas!"
When Lucas and Loki entered together, cheers erupted one after another.
Two days ago, Lucas was just an honored guest of the royal family in the eyes of the Asgardians.
Now, he had become a hero in the eyes of the Asgardians, even though he was not an Asgardian himself.
Lucas glanced at Loki beside him, whose face showed undisguised envy, jealousy, and disappointment.
The recognition of the Asgardians that he had sought for a thousand years was obtained by Lucas in just two days. To be precise, it was obtained with just one victory against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim.
At this moment, Loki suddenly felt a strong desire for war. He also wanted to defeat the Frost Giants and even kill Laufey.
Loki's emotions were so strong that Lucas, who did not specifically use his telepathic ability, heard them clearly.
'This won't do. For a sorcerer's training, a stable mind is also very important. Otherwise, it will be eroded by energy from other dimensions, twisting the mind.'
'If one is not careful, one might even become a servant of an Extra-Dimensional Being.'
'If Loki's inner turmoil is not resolved, it will be difficult for him to become a powerful and stable sorcerer.'
Although he was worried, Lucas didn't have a very good solution. Only the heart's cure can heal the heart's illness.
"Thor!"
"Thor!"
"Thor!"
Just then, cheers sounded from another direction.
Lucas looked, and saw that it was Thor, Sif, and The Warriors Three.
Loki also looked over, his expression somewhat unpleasant.
The Asgardians cheered for Lucas. Although he was envious, he could understand. After all, it was Lucas who turned the tide of the battle by himself.
But Thor?
Why!
He was nothing but a brute, rash and impulsive, almost getting everyone killed in Jotunheim.
Looking at Loki's expression, Lucas secretly groaned.
He believed Loki had the potential to become the Sorcerer Supreme, and he had a huge advantage over Wanda, Tony, Stephen, and the others.
Long lifespan, living a long time.
But now it seemed his character flaws were too great.
'I just want to find a successor in advance so that I can seamlessly transition from on-duty to off-duty. Why is it so difficult?'
"Let's go, Loki. Let's go say hello to Thor and the others."
This should have been said by Loki to Lucas, but there was no choice. Loki's state of mind was not very stable right now, so Lucas had to say it.
Thor and the others also walked towards Lucas and Loki.
Seeing Lucas and Loki standing together, a hint of surprise flashed in Sif's eyes.
The group met and greeted each other.
"Brother, why are you with Lucas? Are you discussing magic?"
Before Loki could answer, Thor continued, "Come on, let's go drink. It's a celebration now, let's have some fun."
Saying that, Thor showed his signature smile, motioning for Loki and Lucas to go drink on the side.
In terms of charisma, the cheerful Thor completely overshadowed the melancholic and gloomy Loki.
Having known each other for only a few days, both of them left a deep impression on Lucas. Coincidentally, the impressions were almost completely opposite.
Like motion and stillness, extroversion and introversion.
Perhaps, in a different environment, Loki's problems could be resolved.
"No, this time we'll drink tea." Lucas said.
Mead is good, but one big drink is enough.
Lucas had no interest in 'wiping out' Asgard again.
...
Earth, New York.
Having just finished training, Erin caught her breath and asked Matt, "Matt, how's the investigation into the Hand going? I've noticed you've been distracted during training these past two days."
Matt shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Not very smoothly. Their influence and protection in New York have been almost completely investigated. But a portion of their forces are in Japan, and I can't find any information about that side."
"With incomplete information, the New York Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation also cannot act against their forces in Japan."
Erin then asked, "So, Matt, what are you going to do?"
Matt replied, "I plan to go there myself and dig out the Hand's forces in Japan."
Erin was worried. "Won't that be dangerous?"
They knew nothing about the Hand's situation in Japan. Matt diving in could very likely lead to him getting severely hurt.
"Don't be afraid, I have this." Matt raised his hand.
In his hand was a button custom-made by Lucas.
"If I encounter danger, I can call Lucas."
As long as it wasn't compared to Lucas, Matt was quite confident in his own skills. He didn't believe that anyone in the Hand could instantly kill him, preventing him from pressing the button.