After Sif left the Agency, she immediately summoned the Bifrost, quickly transporting herself back to Asgard.
At the control center of the Bifrost, the person in charge was no longer Heimdall but someone else who had replaced him.
Upon arriving in Asgard, Sif immediately went to the royal court to report to King Odin about the mission.
However, the figure sitting on the throne was not the real Odin, but Loki disguised as him.
"King Odin, the mission to capture Lorelei has failed," Sif reported.
Upon hearing Sif's words, Loki was slightly surprised. Knowing Sif's usual methods, she would continue to pursue the mission until it was completed, even if it had failed.
Could Lorelei have controlled some powerful individual, causing Sif to return for help?
With this in mind, Loki slowly spoke, "What happened?"
Sif recounted everything that had happened on Earth and then added, "Lorelei was sealed by Supreme Merlin, and he didn't hand her over to me."
When Loki heard that Lorelei had been sealed by Charles Doyle and not handed over to Sif for further processing, he thought for a moment.
This was in line with Charles's character—after all, even Loki, the second prince of Asgard, had once been imprisoned by Charles for a while before Thor came to retrieve him.
With Lorelei's lack of powerful backing, her upcoming days would likely be quite difficult.
As Loki recalled his own imprisonment, the image of Orochimaru appeared in his mind. That was a terrifying and twisted individual.
"Since she has already been sealed by Supreme Merlin, let him handle it," Loki said after a pause.
"I believe with his methods, Lorelei won't have a chance to escape again."
Seeing that the King did not express any anger, Sif sighed in relief and then said, "Supreme Merlin asked me to convey his regards to you and mentioned that the task you entrusted to him has already begun."
Upon hearing Sif's words, Loki was shocked. What exactly had his father entrusted to Charles Doyle? Could it be related to the item he had previously given him?
Loki remained expressionless but nodded, "I see. Understood."
Sif lowered her head and said, "King Odin, if there's nothing else, I will take my leave."
"Sif, with Thor absent, there are still matters in the Nine Realms that require your attention. You'll need to handle them in his stead," Loki instructed.
"Yes, King Odin!" Sif replied before leaving.
As she departed, Loki, still maintaining the guise of Odin, continued to ponder in his mind: What task had his father given to Charles Doyle? Did it have something to do with the departure of his father and mother?
…
Back at Charles Agency-
After Sif and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had left, Tsunade curiously asked, "Charles, what are you planning to do with Lorelei?"
Charles, looking at the matryoshka doll in his hand, replied, "Lorelei is also from Asgard, and every Asgardian has at least a 5,000-year lifespan."
"I think Orochimaru would be quite interested in studying her species."
Upon hearing that Charles intended to let Orochimaru study Lorelei, Tsunade thought for a moment and then asked, "Aren't you worried that Orochimaru might be controlled by her?"
Charles chuckled, "I was concerned before, but not anymore."
"Besides, I trust Orochimaru."
"And I don't want to worry about lifespan. Don't you want to stay by my side forever?"
At the mention of immortality, Tsunade fell silent.
"Yes, I want to stay by your side forever."
Jiraiya, standing nearby, awkwardly touched his nose. If Lorelei were handed over to Orochimaru, he knew exactly what she would face next.
It was a pity for such a beautiful woman, especially considering her body—she was truly stunning…
Charles held Tsunade's hand and said, "Leave the matter of immortality to me."
He then looked toward Michael and the others and said, "For the agency, I'll have the Red Queen deploy a set of early-warning equipment and install a subprogram here. I don't want a similar incident to happen again."
Michael bowed his head, replying, "Yes, Lord Charles."
Charles nodded, then used the Merlin magic circle to transport himself and Tsunade back to the base.
…
At the base-
After bidding Tsunade farewell, Charles gave an order to the Red Queen to install a controlled early-warning system at the agency before entering the summoning realm.
In the summoning realm-
Charles summoned Orochimaru through a summoning beast. Not long after, Orochimaru appeared before him.
"Lord Charles!"
Charles nodded and then spoke, "Orochimaru, I've captured an Asgardian."
Hearing the mention of an Asgardian, Orochimaru licked his lips with his tongue, his eyes gleaming, "Lord Charles, may I research her?"
"She's a woman, but she is a dangerous individual. I want to make sure that you won't be influenced or controlled by her."
Charles then explained Lorelei's background to Orochimaru, and his interest only deepened.
"I didn't expect Asgardians to have such abilities."
"Lord Charles, release the target and let me test if I can resist her powers."
Charles nodded, handing the matryoshka doll to Orochimaru, explaining how to release the seal, and then left, agreeing to meet again in five minutes.
After Charles left, Orochimaru used the method Charles had described to open the seal, and soon, Lorelei was freed.
Lorelei looked at the man before her, "Thank you for releasing me."
As she spoke, she reached out and took Orochimaru's hand.
As soon as she touched him, Lorelei activated her powers.
The throat injury she had suffered from Tsunade's grip was already healed within the seal of the matryoshka doll.
Orochimaru felt a strange shift within himself, a peculiar emotion rising in his mind, but the feeling was suppressed in the next instant.
Lorelei, however, suddenly released Orochimaru's hand and, somewhat surprised, said, "You're not a man?"
In response, Orochimaru immediately used his "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands" technique, binding Lorelei in an instant.
He then extended his tongue and licked his lips, saying, "It seems that besides me, no other men in the base can touch you."