Thor gritted his teeth and stood up, rubbing his aching lower back.
"What is it with you and Lin Feng having the same hobby?"
"What?"
"Nothing, continue!"
...
Less than half an hour later, Thor was already lying on the ground.
Clearly, it was Hela's victory again.
A cheer erupted from the crowd. Hela pouted, carelessly tossed aside her weapon, and swaggered off, her hips swaying.
A battle of this level didn't even count as a warm-up for her.
"Wait, Hela!"
Thor, after resting for a while, sprang to his feet with a quick flip. He certainly wasn't going to call Hela "sister."
"What? You want to fight another round?"
Thor instinctively touched his lower back.
"That's not it..."
"It's just that today, my friend from Blue Star is coming to visit. Do you want to help welcome them?"
"Your friend? Me, welcoming them?"
Hela looked bewildered. "Did I hit your head just now? Is it broken?"
Thor was speechless. "What are you talking about?"
"It's Tony and his family. They said they're going on a honeymoon in the universe, and their first stop is Asgard."
"Tony? Don't know him." Hela tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then turned and walked away without a second thought.
"Hey! Tony is Iron Man, and his daughter Morgan is Lin Feng's..."
Thor couldn't recall the word.
"I guess like a goddaughter?"
Lin Feng?
Hearing this name, Hela's steps faltered.
Then she walked even faster...
Alright... Thor patted the dust off his clothes and walked in the opposite direction.
It seemed he would have to welcome his Blue Star friend Tony alone.
And what was he thinking, inviting Hela along?
Neither Hela nor Thor realized that their relationship, and Hela's relationship with Asgard, was gradually improving...
When Thor arrived at the Bifrost, his lower back still ached faintly, making him slightly regret challenging Hela today, especially since he had to receive Tony and the others...
"Heimdall, what's the situation?" Thor asked.
The Bifrost was undoubtedly a very convenient and fast way to reach Asgard.
Heimdall's eyes flickered with a faint light.
"They seem ready. Shall I transport them over?"
"Transport them!"
Upon hearing this, Heimdall activated the Bifrost.
He didn't understand why Asgard had to receive natives from Blue Star.
But these were Odin and Thor's orders, so he couldn't do anything about it.
The Bifrost hummed to life, and after a flash of light, Tony, Pepper, Morgan, and the elder Howards arrived in the legendary realm of Asgard.
"Tony!" Thor strode forward and gave Tony a bear hug.
"Welcome to Asgard as our guest!"
"Alright, alright, I get it, old friend. You're a bit too enthusiastic!" Tony tilted his head back, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the big oaf.
He wasn't accustomed to hugging other men.
"Okay, come here, little Morgan, hug!" Thor released Tony and, with his signature goofy grin, set his sights on Morgan.
Little Morgan immediately hid behind Pepper, only peeking out her head.
What a passionate, muscular hunk. Little Morgan wasn't very fond of that.
She preferred Lin Feng's image of a familiar big brother who seemed to have everything under control, always confident.
It had to be said, although Lin Feng was also muscular, his muscle definition was more streamlined compared to the Superman of movies.
And when he wasn't fighting, his muscles didn't bulge as much as Thor's. Instead, he had that lean-but-muscular physique.
"Uh..." Thor stood with his hands raised, feeling a bit awkward.
"Alright, Tony, Father has some matters to attend to. I'll be responsible for your itinerary!"
Since the little cutie didn't seem to favor him, Thor gave up and started chatting with Tony about their upcoming schedule.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "That would be great. After all, I'm not too familiar with Odin... the All-Father."
"Oh right, I almost forgot to introduce these two..."
Tony introduced the elder Howards to Thor.
After exchanging greetings, Thor hopped into a specially prepared open-air flying ship and took the group to their assigned accommodations.
In reality, Odin had no urgent matters to attend to. He simply didn't want to meet the "natives" from Blue Star.
If Lin Feng hadn't given advance notice, Odin wouldn't have agreed to let Tony and the others visit Asgard at all.
But since Lin Feng had made the request, and given the seemingly unusual relationship he had with that little girl, Odin decided to assign Thor, the only one who knew Tony, the task of being Asgard's tour guide...
The family sat on the flying ship, gazing below.
The fairy-tale-like scenery of Asgard, along with its ingenious architecture, immediately captivated everyone's eyes.
Tony kept marveling.
Little Morgan, leaning over the edge of the ship, stared at the sight in a daze.
"Oh my, this is... so beautiful..." Pepper whispered in awe.
Pepper had traveled to many places on Blue Star, but even all the beautiful sights she had seen combined couldn't compare to what she was witnessing here.
As for the Howards, they sat at the stern of the ship, conversing quietly.
However, their occasional laughter at the scenery indicated that they were very pleased with it.
Thor, piloting the ship from the front, had a grin stretching almost to his ears.
If you praise Asgard, we're friends!
No one visiting Asgard for the first time was ever unimpressed by such a spectacle.
Of course, guests in Asgard were also quite rare...
While they were having a blast exploring, in another universe, at the Lost Bookstore, Lin Feng closed the last book...
The white light in front of him vanished, and Lin Feng let out a long sigh of relief.
It was indeed magnificent.
Over the past few days, Lin Feng had read countless books, yet it was still merely a tip of the iceberg of the library.
However, Lin Feng only read books that were useful to him.
This included some theoretical research beyond magic, which also proved beneficial.
The last book he had finished was written by a race that was purely soul, without a physical body.
It meticulously recorded their way of life, combat methods, and how to cultivate their souls...
Lin Feng entertained the thought of taking the book with him, but quickly abandoned it.
It was just an ordinary book, and its contents were already firmly imprinted in his mind.
He had only taken the Book of Radiance earlier because it wasn't an ordinary book.
It stored a vast amount of radiance magic and theories, and it could even act on its own. Lin Feng had no doubt that it might possess a consciousness.
Returning all the books to their places, Lin Feng stood up and brushed off the nonexistent dust from his clothes.
"It's been a week without me realizing it?"
"It's time to leave..."