Chapter 164: Royal Vault

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Royal Vault

Thor finally led Daniel into the tavern, and once inside, he let out a long sigh.

"Whew, we’re finally here."

Thor was mentally exhausted.

He regretted offering to give Daniel armor. He had a sneaking suspicion there was something off about this guy, he seemed to take being broke for granted.

"Hey, Thor."

"Hey, Daniel."

Sif, Loki, and the Warriors Three were sitting around a table and greeted the two of them.

Volstagg laughed in his booming voice, "You’re late. Three drinks each."

He was the oldest of the Warriors Three, with a thick beard, a massive belly, and a reputation for being one of Asgard’s strongest warriors.

Though he had gained quite a bit of weight, his strength remained formidable. Aside from being somewhat slow on his feet, he possessed tremendous physical power.

"Fair enough."

Thor laughed heartily, slapped his own chest, and downed three drinks in rapid succession without so much as blinking.

Seeing that, Daniel followed his example and emptied three cups as well.

"Burp."

Thor let out a loud, satisfied belch.

Daniel, meanwhile, didn’t feel a thing. To him, the three drinks might as well have been three glasses of water.

With his current physique, getting drunk was practically impossible. Unless he deliberately allowed himself to become intoxicated, he could drink as much as he wanted without feeling the slightest effect. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

"Now that everyone’s here, can we get started?" Volstagg asked, his voice suddenly taking on a mysterious tone.

"Of course! Hurry up. I can hardly wait." Thor practically bounced in his seat.

Hearing this, Volstagg hauled a cask of liquor out from under the table.

Before even breaking the seal, Volstagg leaned over and took a deep breath.

"Ahhh... Now that’s a smell, it’s incredible."

This was the booze Thor had stolen from his father.

Daniel couldn’t smell much yet. Volstagg was probably getting more of a thrill from anticipation than anything else.

After all, Daniel’s sense of smell was remarkably sharp. If there was even the faintest aroma in the air, he could detect it from a great distance.

Volstagg then cracked open the clay seal. The instant the cask was opened, a rich, fragrant aroma flooded the room. The scent of alcohol mixed with the sweet, earthy smell of wheat, creating an intoxicating fragrance that made everyone’s mouth water.

"Ahhh..."

With the exception of Loki, Thor and the others closed their eyes, savoring the aroma.

The tavern had been filled with lively conversation and laughter, but the moment the cask was opened, the entire room fell strangely quiet.

Then the silence exploded into excitement.

"Thor, what are you guys drinking over there?"

"That smells so good."

Those who knew the truth immediately began joking, "Aren’t you afraid of getting punished? You stole Odin’s booze again."

"Come on, Thor! Let us have a taste!"

Thor had never acted like a prince when he came to the tavern. He was a regular here, and after spending so much time drinking with everyone, he’d become familiar enough with the other drinkers that they didn’t hesitate to joke around with him.

"Go on, beat it."

Thor waved them off. "There’s barely enough for me as it is."

"Cheap bastard!"

The crowd laughed and poked fun at him for a while longer before letting it go.

No matter how friendly they were with Thor, he was still the prince of Asgard. There were some boundaries they had to respect.

Glug... Glug...

Thor tipped the cask and poured liquor into the cups around the table.

"Come on, down it."

With that, he drained his cup in one go. Then he slammed the empty cup onto the floor.

"It’s refreshing."

Daniel followed suit, downing his drink before smashing the cup against the ground. It was an Asgardian custom: breaking the cup was a way of showing that you had enjoyed the drink. Failing to smash it could easily be taken as a sign that you hadn’t.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Daniel actually found the tradition rather satisfying.

"So good!"

Thor and the Warriors Three shouted in delight.

Sif was much more reserved, though she still let out a long breath of satisfaction.

Loki was a mage. Even if he enjoyed playing the assassin from time to time, he was still a gentleman of the mystic arts, with considerably more refined tastes.

Rather than making a spectacle of himself like Thor and the Warriors Three, he simply closed his eyes and quietly savored the flavor.

As for Daniel, he enjoyed smashing the cups far more than he enjoyed the liquor itself. The drink was good, certainly, but his reaction was fairly average.

He wasn’t much of a drinker to begin with, and he already had several rooms packed with fine alcohol back home. Although Odin’s private reserve was indeed top-tier, Daniel couldn’t really tell the difference between this and his own stash.

"Well? What do you think?" Thor grinned. "Got a real kick to it, doesn’t it? Again!"

Another round of cups was filled right up. The servers had only just brought out fresh cups, and before long, those were smashed too, so it didn’t take long for the entire cask to be drained.

By then alcohol was starting to hit Thor, getting to his head and giving him a massive surge of courage.

Throwing an arm around Daniel’s neck, he said, "You didn’t get enough, did you? No problem! Wait here. I’ll go grab a few more casks."

He paused, swaying slightly. "When I snuck out this morning to get this stuff, I couldn’t carry very much. I should’ve taken more."

Loki looked at Thor with undisguised pity.

The idiot was drunk.

That morning, Thor had dragged Loki along to steal the liquor from Odin’s private stores. He’d been extremely cautious at the time. Despite practically drooling over the wine, he hadn’t dared take too much and had only managed to sneak away with a single cask.

Now he was loudly announcing that he was going back for more. Once he sobered up, Odin would probably beat him within an inch of his life.

The thought alone was entertaining enough to Loki. Still, he put on an appropriately concerned expression.

"If Father finds out, you’re going to be in serious trouble."

Thor’s expression immediately changed. "It’s only a few casks of liquor! What’s the big deal?"

He slapped the table and stood up. "I’m going to get them right now!"

Then, as though he’d suddenly remembered something important, he leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Besides, Father is getting old. He might not even remember how many casks he has."

"Hahahaha!" The entire table erupted in laughter.

"Oh, right."

Thor suddenly turned toward Daniel, swaying slightly as he did.

"You! Come with me. While we’re there, I’ll find you a suit of armor."

Noticing everyone’s confused looks, Thor pointed proudly at Daniel.

"His suit is ruined, so I’m going to get him a new set."

Before Daniel could say anything, Thor grabbed him and dragged him out of the tavern.

Sif watched them leave with a worried expression. "Is he going to be all right?"

Fandral, one of the Warriors Three, nodded solemnly, "Probably not."

"Then why didn’t you stop him?" Sif asked.

"Because I want to drink Odin’s booze," Fandral said with a smile.

The others nodded in agreement. Sif could only sigh and press a hand against her forehead.

.....

Outside the tavern.

"Come on, I’ll fly us there." Thor held out his hand, and after a moment, Mjolnir came flying over.

Daniel immediately grabbed Thor’s wrist and pried his hand away. "There is no need for that. I can fly."

"Right, I totally forgot it," Thor said, swaying his head.

"Of course." Thor grinned and motioned for Daniel to follow. The two quickly took to the skies, with Thor leading the way toward the royal palace.

Daniel followed closely behind, curious to see what kind of armor Thor had in mind for him. Before long, they landed in front of a set of enormous doors. Thor stepped forward, pushed them open, and gestured inside.

"We’re here."

Daniel looked beyond the doors and immediately widened his eyes.

A vast vault stretched out before them, filled with weapons, armor, gold, and countless strange artifacts. The sheer scale of the collection was enough to leave anyone speechless.

"This is my father’s vault," Thor said proudly. As the son of Odin, Thor had access to treasures that most Asgardians could only dream of.

"Let’s go inside," Daniel said, unable to hide his curiosity. Thor nodded and walked through the entrance. Daniel followed close behind, and the two stepped into Odin’s vault.

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