Chapter 755

Frigga knew better than anyone how powerful Evenson’s Fel Blood was. She had taken it herself, after all. Through a fortunate accident, it had allowed her to glimpse the future and granted her strength she had never possessed before. More importantly, it had given her a chance to prepare for the calamities she now knew were coming.

Calling it a priceless treasure was hardly an exaggeration.

That was why she had treated Evenson so generously. She wanted more of the medicine, and she was willing to pay handsomely for it.

But now she had stumbled upon an unexpected bonus.

Evenson had just admitted that his medicine wasn’t the best available.

In other words, the man had been selling her the inferior product all along!

Frigga almost felt that learning this information had made the entire trip worthwhile.

Of course, Evenson had warned her that the people who possessed the superior medicine were unreasonable. Presumably, he meant they wouldn’t accept payment and surrender their treasures as readily as he did. But that was only his side of the story, and Frigga had lived long enough to know that one should never trust a single account of a dispute.

"Just how unreasonable are these people?" she asked.

"Your Majesty has treated me with such kindness that I would never dream of misleading you." Evenson adopted an earnest expression. "These medicines are treasures. Naturally, I’m just as interested in acquiring them as anyone else. Unfortunately, their current owners value them above almost everything else. I’ve tried negotiating with them on several occasions, but every attempt has ended in failure."

He paused, lowering his voice as though recalling something particularly unpleasant.

"They’ve even made their position perfectly clear."

"What did they say?"

Evenson looked suitably apprehensive.

"They said that unless they’re dead, no one will ever get their hands on those things."

"Oh."

Frigga nodded thoughtfully.

"Then they really are unreasonable."

"Exactly, Your Majesty."

Evenson nodded with equal solemnity.

"Anyone would want such valuable things. I’m no exception. In fact, I’ve been planning to acquire them for quite some time. Before long, I intend to launch an assault on their territory and force its current occupants to surrender the goods."

He paused, allowing the implications to sink in.

"My preparations are nearly complete, and I’m confident the operation will succeed."

Then he looked directly at Frigga.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will never forget your kindness. Once I’ve obtained those treasures, I’ll make certain to reserve a portion for you."

Frigga clasped her hands behind her back. Her eyes shifted slightly as she considered his offer, and then a smile appeared on her face.

"Wouldn’t that mean I’d be taking advantage of you?"

She let the question hang for a moment before continuing.

"Besides, there’s no need to worry about their unreasonable behavior. I’m sure Asgard can find a way to make them see reason. After all, we’re very good at negotiating."

Her smile widened.

"And if they refuse to listen to reason in conversation, we can always negotiate with our hands. Asgardians have considerable experience with physical persuasion."

The meaning was unmistakable.

If they won’t sell, we’ll take it.

It was the logic of a conqueror, cold and unapologetic. If Frigga wanted something and its owner refused to cooperate, she could simply send in an army, break down the door, and take it without paying a single coin.

It wasn’t exactly a charitable philosophy.

But the universe had never promised to be fair. In the end, the side that remained standing usually got to decide what was reasonable. The side lying on the ground rarely had much left to say.

"That doesn’t seem quite right," Evenson protested, looking deeply troubled. "I can retrieve those things myself. How could I possibly ask Your Majesty to trouble yourself with such a task?"

"Now, now. Don’t say that."

For some reason, the more Evenson tried to dissuade her, the more determined Frigga became.

"At the very least, your efforts would be a way of repaying the kindness I’ve shown you. But more importantly, the outcome of this operation concerns Asgard’s future. How could I allow you to fight on the front lines while I sit comfortably behind you and collect the rewards? That would be a disgraceful breach of honor!"

Evenson had predicted this response.

Of course, honor had very little to do with it.

Frigga understood perfectly well that Evenson would be the one leading the assault and claiming the spoils. And once the battle was over, he would be the only person who knew exactly how much treasure had been recovered.

If he decided to hand over half, she would receive half. If he offered a tenth, she would receive a tenth. If he suddenly developed a peculiar attachment to every last artifact, she would have little recourse beyond arguing with him.

Yes, she had already given Evenson considerable benefits. But did anyone seriously believe he would surrender every prize he won simply because she had treated him generously?

Frigga certainly didn’t.

She had paid him in advance, contributed nothing to the battle, and then expected him to hand over the spoils without reservation? That was the sort of deal one might dream about after drinking too much.

No matter how she looked at it, if she wanted those treasures, she would have to take part in the operation herself.

Even if Evenson had deliberately maneuvered her into volunteering.

Especially if he had.

"Ah, this is all my fault for speaking too freely!" Evenson exclaimed, looking as though he deeply regretted opening his mouth. "If I’d kept quiet and simply completed the operation, I could have presented the treasures to Your Majesty afterward. Instead, I had to go and mention them, and now you’ve decided to put yourself through all this trouble. I really have only myself to blame!"

"Enough of that."

Frigga waved away his protests.

She suspected Evenson had deliberately dangled the opportunity before her for a reason, but she didn’t let the thought show on her face.

"Just tell me where this place is and when you intend to attack."

"The location is a fragment left behind after the destruction of an entire world," Evenson replied. "It’s called the Fel Scar Rift."

He had stopped trying to discourage her. There was little point now.

"As for the timing, I’ll notify you when the moment is right. We can meet up then. I’ll have a portal prepared, so your troops won’t need to waste time marching across the cosmos."

"I see. Very well."

Frigga nodded, though her thoughts had already moved ahead.

Evenson was careful. He had given her the name of the place but refused to reveal when he would attack. Even if she wanted to move ahead of him and seize the territory on her own, she couldn’t do so without knowing when he planned to strike.

It seemed she would have to rely on him as the intermediary after all.

"Then it’s settled. I’ll wait for your news," she said. "Don’t forget our agreement."

"You have my word, Your Majesty."

Evenson bowed respectfully.

"And our earlier arrangement remains unchanged. Within three months, I’ll deliver the first batch of medicine. It may not be the highest-quality version available, but I’ll prepare it with the utmost care. You’ll have it ready when you need it."

"Excellent."

Frigga nodded in satisfaction.

She now knew the medicine wasn’t the best of its kind, but that didn’t make it useless. It would still provide a valuable point of comparison.

Perhaps the coming battle would be the perfect opportunity to test it. She could send the Valkyries transformed using Evenson’s medicine into the operation and observe their performance firsthand.

After all, there was no better way to assess soldiers than to see them fight.

With that, Evenson had achieved his immediate objective.

He had been plotting to conquer the Fel Scar Rift for a long time, but he had never dared to make a move. He was far too fond of staying alive to launch an operation without a reliable plan.

His strategy depended on speed. He needed a decisive strike that would overwhelm the enemy before they could react. The longer a battle dragged on, the more opportunities there would be for something to go wrong.

And the last thing he wanted was to give the ruler of the Fel Scar Rift, Hailmondas, enough time to call for reinforcements.

The Burning Legion had forces stationed nearby. If they arrived before Evenson could finish the operation, a promising raid could turn into a disaster. At best, he would lose the chance to seize the territory. At worst, he would attract the attention of a much larger enemy and find himself fighting for his life.

A short battle was essential.

A short battle also required overwhelming firepower.

Evenson had already secured several advantages. Agatha would serve as an insider, while Gnoros controlled an artillery position capable of providing supporting fire. He had even persuaded a group of Hydra operatives to become demonheart warriors, giving him a substantial force for the main assault.

Yet he still wasn’t entirely confident.

Frigga’s participation changed the equation. Asgardian troops would provide another layer of security, making the operation considerably less risky.

There was another reason Evenson wanted her involved.

Frigga had already been exposed to fel energy, and she was becoming increasingly eager to obtain more of it. Yet even Evenson, a Warlock who had devoted himself to mastering such power, knew his own supply was insignificant compared with that controlled by the Burning Legion.

For now, Frigga had no way to contact the Legion and was forced to rely on him.

But what would happen if she eventually established a connection with them herself?

If her fascination with fel energy continued to grow, she might one day be tempted to throw in her lot with the Burning Legion.

It was impossible to predict what she would do.

Better to give her a reason not to make that choice.

By leading her into a battle against one of the Legion’s territories, Evenson could make her a participant in the conflict. Once she had helped strike at the Legion, defecting to their side would become a far more complicated proposition.

A little insurance now could prevent a catastrophic betrayal later.

With their business concluded, Evenson and Frigga had reached an agreement.

Meanwhile, Odin and Thor had also finished their conversation.

Thor had made his position abundantly clear. He would rather have Jane than a throne, and he had no intention of becoming king. He wanted to return to Earth and spend his life with the woman he loved.

To Thor’s astonishment, Odin had actually agreed.

"Thank you, Father."

For perhaps the first time in his life, Thor felt that his father had been remarkably reasonable.

He offered a heartfelt expression of gratitude, then turned and headed straight for the Bifrost. Earth, and Jane, were waiting.

Seated upon his throne, Odin watched his son depart and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He was just about to speak when he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

In an instant, his weary expression vanished, replaced by the stern majesty expected of the All-Father.

Then he turned.

"Ah! O-old... old..."

Odin’s single eye widened in disbelief. His voice caught in his throat, and he stammered as though he’d seen a ghost.

"W-wife? What are you doing here?"

Frigga stood before him with a goblet of wine in her hand and a pleasant smile on her face.

The strange thing was the way he’d addressed her.

She couldn’t remember the last time Odin had called her wife. He usually used her name or addressed her by her title as queen.

For a moment, she was so surprised that she almost forgot what she had come to do.

"N-nothing," she said, collecting herself.

She arranged her features into a gracious smile.

"Asgard has weathered its latest crisis, so I’ve come to offer a toast to Your Majesty."

As she spoke, she walked over and sat beside Odin.

With one hand holding her goblet, she reached out with the other and gave his beard a playful tug.

Odin’s eye widened further. He shifted uncomfortably, his gaze darting away from hers as though he wanted to escape the gesture but couldn’t find a plausible excuse.

Frigga paid his discomfort no mind.

She raised her goblet toward him.

"Please, Your Majesty. Drink to Asgard’s continued prosperity."

"Right."

Odin shuffled a little farther away from her, then picked up his own cup and drained it in a single gulp.

"Wait."

Frigga suddenly frowned.

She reached out and caught his goblet before he could set it down.

"Hmm..."

Her eyes narrowed.

In the next instant, she knocked the cup from his hand.

The wine splashed across the floor, where it began to hiss. Wisps of purple smoke curled upward from the spilled liquid.

Odin’s beard seemed to bristle.

"The wine of the Lord of Pride?!"

He had barely finished speaking when Frigga’s expression turned murderous.

She raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

Odin spun almost a full turn. Green light shimmered over his body, and his white hair and golden armor dissolved in an instant.

The figure standing before her was no longer the All-Father.

It was Loki.

The same Loki who should have died several days earlier.

...