Chapter 188: The Wish Lantern and God Odin
In the magnificent hall of the Immortal Palace, Odin, holding the Eternal Spear, sat on his throne, with Queen Frigga standing beside him.
Below them, Loki, bound and kneeling, was surrounded by two squads of the Asgardian royal guard.
Thor, along with George and the others, entered the hall and addressed Odin:
"Father, George and the others have arrived."
Odin nodded but did not speak to George and the others immediately. Instead, he sighed and looked down at Loki, asking:
"Loki, do you have anything else to say?"
"Father, I could have completely annihilated Jotunheim. I did this all for you, for the entire realm. Why do you only see Thor and never me?" Loki's expression was filled with deep sorrow.
"Loki, I hope you will reflect on your actions in the dungeon and understand the words I just spoke to you."
Odin shook his head and then addressed the royal guard:
"Take him to the dungeon and imprison him for ten years!"
"Ten years, now we don't need to worry about Loki causing trouble."
George nodded silently as he heard the judgment on Loki. Odin still had some feelings for him; otherwise, for a crime like rebellion, a beheading would have been an acceptable sentence.
Ten years for an Asgardian with a lifespan of five thousand years was really quite short.
"Loki, reflect well. If you act like this again when you come out, I will kick your butt."
Thor, hearing the judgment on Loki, raised his hand and gave Loki a slap on the back of the head. Loki, no longer showing sorrow, mocked:
"Dear brother, have you picked up your hammer yet?"
"Don't worry, I will be able to pick it up before you get out."
As the Asgardian guards took Loki away, Thor kicked him in the backside again.
At this moment, Odin looked at Thor:
"Thor, are you still unable to lift Mjolnir?"
"Father, I understand your words now. I will not recklessly wage war on Jotunheim again. I believe you can lift the spell on Mjolnir and end my exile."
Thor glanced at Mjolnir, which Steve was holding, and suggested to Odin.
Odin shook his head again:
"You have not lifted Mjolnir, which means you have not fully understood my words. Therefore, you cannot stay in Asgard. When you can lift Mjolnir, you can return."
"Hahaha, Thor, maybe I will be out of the dungeon before you return!"
Loki, who had already been taken to the entrance of the hall, clearly heard Odin's words.
"Don't worry, I will definitely return before you."
Thor was not too angry. He thought that staying in Midgard with Jane might not be so bad. At this moment, he didn't really want to return to Asgard just yet.
"Alright, your matter is settled."
Odin didn't continue discussing Thor but turned his attention to George and the others.
"Now, let us thank our friends from Midgard. It is thanks to your help that Loki's plans have failed. Therefore, I will grant each of you one wish to the best of my ability."
"Really? Then can I have a box of gold?" Daisy immediately asked with shining eyes.
Her mentor, Jane, quickly tugged at her arm:
"We didn't help much. How can we make such an outrageous request?"
To Jane, just visiting Asgard was already an incredible experience, and they hadn't been of much help, so asking for a box of gold seemed too much.
"I was just saying it casually."
Daisy stuck out her tongue.
Odin smiled kindly:
"It's alright. Gold in Asgard is as abundant as stones. When you leave later, I will have someone prepare a box for you."
Daisy's eyes widened with surprise. She didn't expect Odin to really agree to give her the gold.
"And you?"
Odin turned to Jane, who thought for a moment and said:
"If possible, I would like some knowledge about astrophysics."
"My wish is the same as Jane's," Professor Eric raised his hand.
They were not greedy for wealth. As scientists, they simply could not resist the temptation of knowledge related to their research.
"If it's not too much trouble."
"It's a small matter. When you leave later, I will have some related knowledge prepared for you."
Odin then turned to Banner. Banner hesitated before responding:
"I would like to remove the Hulk from within me and become a normal person again."
"My wish is also for you to help Banner become a normal person."
Betty stepped forward and grabbed Banner's arm.
Banner had to control his emotions all the time, and they couldn't even be affectionate without fearing that he might turn into the Hulk halfway through, which would be disastrous.
Odin stared at Banner for a while before replying:
"I cannot completely remove the Hulk from within you, because he is a part of you, a manifestation of your soul. Removing him would harm your soul. However, if I help you merge with him, you will be able to control the transformation freely."
"If that's the case, I'm fine with it."
Banner thought for a moment, and seeing Betty nod, he agreed. If he could control the transformation and maintain control over his body after transforming, then he wouldn't hurt anyone, which was enough for him.
Odin reached out to Banner, and Banner was immediately pulled in front of him. Odin placed his hand on Banner's forehead and began chanting an ancient spell, his body glowing with golden light.
In less than a minute, Odin released his hand and returned Banner to his original position:
"Done!"
Banner slowly opened his eyes and muttered:
"I feel like something is different... It's... an indescribable feeling."
The consciousness of the Hulk merged with his own, and he felt better than ever, as if the missing part of him had suddenly become whole.
With a thought, his body immediately expanded, rapidly transforming into the Hulk, but his expression did not change, and there was no trace of anger on his face.
"Is this me after transforming? This feels amazing!"
Banner casually jumped, reaching seven or eight meters high, and immediately felt a rush of excitement.
But soon, he realized it wasn't time for experiments, and quickly transformed back into his normal form. He adjusted his clothes and, with Betty, bowed to Odin to express his thanks:
"Thank you, Lord Odin!"
"Restored to its original state."
George waved his hand toward Banner and used a repair spell to fix his stretched clothes, silently marveling:
"Odin's power is truly monstrous!"
Thinking about how Odin had unified the Nine Realms and defeated countless formidable opponents, and considering that Hela, without entering Asgard to absorb power, could crush Mjolnir with her bare hands but was still sealed by Odin, it was clear how terrifying Odin's true strength was.
(End of Chapter)