Chapter 127: Not Much Known

Loki opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Gu Zhongyan, who stood to the side.

"That is certainly not the case. Did you not see him carrying Gungnir when he arrived? While I do not know much about your Asgard, I do know that Gungnir is the weapon of the All-Father."

"The weapon of the All-Father is now in his hands, and he has snuck here to manipulate people's hearts. By any measure, he is not here to see you. Something must have happened in Asgard."

"Is that true?"

Recalling the sight of Gungnir in Loki's hands, Thor’s expression shifted. He grabbed Loki by the shoulders and demanded, "Has something truly happened to Asgard? Is it the Frost Giants of Jotunheim?"

"Loki, take me back. Take me to see Father; I will explain everything to him myself."

"Father is dead!"

Loki looked at Thor with an expression of profound grief. Complemented by his disheveled appearance and those innocent, doe-like eyes, anyone would feel the weight of his sorrow.

"That Midgardian mage is right; something has happened to Asgard. Because of your actions and the threat of a new war, Father bore too much weight, and he has passed away."

"With you banished and Asgard in such chaos, the throne naturally fell to me. That is why Gungnir is in my possession. I only came this time to see you in secret and to bid you farewell."

Loki’s face was etched with sadness, and every word he spoke felt as heavy as Mjolnir, striking deep into Thor’s heart. The giant of a man swayed, nearly collapsing on the spot.

"How could this be? How could Father be dead? Take me back..."

In the next moment, Thor gripped Loki in a frenzy, his voice filled with desperate pleas for him to be taken home. However, at that very moment, a firm voice cut through the air, silencing his entreaties.

"You are lying!"

Thor turned around to see Gu Zhongyan staring directly at Loki with eyes as calm as water, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips.

"What do you mean?" Thor could not help but ask.

Glancing at Loki, and ignoring the man's baleful glare, Gu Zhongyan spoke slowly.

"As I said before, I do not know much about Asgard, but Gungnir is the weapon of the All-Father, and only the All-Father can fully unleash its power."

"Although your brother holds Gungnir, it is nothing more than a prop in his hands. If it were truly as he claimed—that he had inherited the throne of Asgard—he should be able to wield the spear with ease."

"If that were the case, he would have used Gungnir to fight me just now, rather than his staff."

Gu Zhongyan turned to Thor and explained, "To my knowledge, the power of the All-Father of Asgard grows stronger with age. This immense power becomes too much for a body as it grows old, so they choose to enter a deep slumber to replenish their essence."

"If I am not mistaken, King Odin has merely fallen into the Odinsleep and is unable to manage the affairs of Asgard. Thus, the Queen has entrusted Gungnir to Loki to oversee things temporarily."

"Because of this, the spear in his hands is merely a symbol of his regency, which is why it has not displayed its true power."

Hearing this, Thor looked at Loki and pressed, "Is this true, Loki? Father is only sleeping, not dead, right?"

Loki looked at Thor with indignation, his fair face flushing red as if he had been deeply insulted. He glared at Thor and shouted, "Thor, what is the meaning of this? Do you think I would curse my own father to die? Or are you saying you would rather believe this lowly mortal than your own brother?"

Perhaps because Loki’s performance was so righteous, the doubt that had just sprouted in Thor’s heart vanished without a trace. He waved his hands in a panic, stammering, "No, Loki, I only meant..."

"And yet, you still haven't answered Thor's question directly: is King Odin still alive?"

Unfortunately, Gu Zhongyan did not give Loki the chance to obfuscate. He cut off Thor’s explanation and spoke before the man could regain his composure.

"I do not know much about Asgard..."

Every time Gu Zhongyan said that, Loki felt his rage boil over. *Damn it all,* he thought, *if you don't know much about Asgard, then keep your mouth shut! With your constant prattling, are you the Asgardian, or am I?*

Regardless of Loki's internal vitriol, Gu Zhongyan continued undeterred.

"But I do understand the position of King Odin and the Nine Realms in the cosmos. The reason Asgard has been able to rule the Nine Realms for so many years is primarily due to the divine power of King Odin."

"If King Odin were truly dead, the entire Nine Realms would descend into chaos. Jotunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim would immediately raise their armies to rebel and attack Asgard."

At this point, Gu Zhongyan couldn't help but reflect privately that Asgard's title as the Lord of the Nine Realms was somewhat hollow. Among the nine worlds, four were bitter enemies, Earth had almost no connection to them, and the Dwarves of Svartalfheim were fence-sitters—they would cling to the strong when Asgard was powerful, but would run faster than anyone at the first sign of trouble. The only ones remotely close were Vanaheim and Alfheim, yet the Vanir gods were essentially equals to the Asgardians, and the Light Elves of Alfheim were closer to the Vanir.

Counting them down, aside from Asgard itself, there was not a single loyal follower. It was no wonder Odin became more merciful as he aged; he was likely worried that if he pushed too hard, the next king would be unable to maintain control after he was gone.

While he ruminated internally, Gu Zhongyan didn't stop talking. "If, as you say, King Odin has passed, Asgard would be engulfed in the flames of war. How would you, the so-called King, have the time to come to Earth to visit a sinner like Thor?"

"Furthermore, the most important point: the divine power within Thor was sealed by King Odin. If the King had passed, that seal should have dissipated along with him."

"But Thor, can you feel your power now?"

"I?" Thor paused, looking down at his arms. He clenched his fists and tried, but there was still no sign of his power returning.

Gu Zhongyan smiled knowingly, turned back to Loki, and offered a grin that made the god's heart sink.

"So, noble God of Mischief, could you elaborate on what exactly has happened in Asgard?"

"I do not know much about Asgard, but I am fairly certain I can tell when someone is lying."