Lin Huai's question was as direct as a top Wall Street debt-collection Lawyer showing up at your door. Odin's majestic single eye rested on him for a long time.
After a long while, he did not answer immediately, but merely raised his hand. A flash of light appeared in his palm, and a simple yet ancient wooden box carved with intricate purple patterns materialized out of thin air. The box was made of some unknown wood, its texture warm and smooth like jade. What was carved upon it were not the runes common in Asgard, but clusters of purple bauhinia flowers.
"This is your payment," Odin's voice was flat as he handed over the box, "or rather, a... gift for the trial that awaits you."
Lin Huai's heart tightened. He accepted the box, keenly catching the deeper meaning in Odin's words. But he did not press for details, merely raising his eyes to look at this unfathomable God-King. "My trial?"
"Open it, and you will understand," Odin's voice carried an authority that brooked no argument.
Lin Huai hesitated no longer and gently lifted the lid.
Inside the box were not the expected gold, silver, jewels, nor any divine artifact. There was only a yellowed letter and an enormous diamond. The diamond had countless facets reflecting light, and on each facet was reflected a different face. Those faces were densely packed, layer upon layer, dizzying to behold.
It was precisely one of the main ingredients for the [Faceless] potion — [The Trait of the Human Skin Shadow]!
Lin Huai's heart skipped a beat, though his expression remained unchanged on the surface. He picked up the letter. The paper's material was special, a kind of tanned animal skin. Written upon it in an elegant yet frenzied script was the Common Tongue:
"Respected Sir,
Your choice represents the course of the World.
His Holiness the Saint sends you a generous gift; this is one part of it. The other part entered a countdown the moment you opened this box.
We hope, through this trial, to clearly see your inclination.
— The Pilgrim, Kaelan-Blossom"
The Pilgrim? That 'His Holiness'? Kaelan-Blossom?
Lin Huai frantically searched his memory for these unfamiliar terms, but came up blank. Neither his memories as an ordinary reader nor his experiences since crossing over held even a trace of an impression about these people and organizations. The very existence of this letter was the greatest mockery of him, the Soothsayer.
The only thing he cared about was that lofty 'His Holiness'.
'It can't be another Angel from that Pathway coming to up the difficulty for me, can it...' Lin Huai gave a bitter laugh inwardly. He felt like a chess piece simultaneously targeted by two groups of deities.
Last time, he attracted what seemed like an Angel from the God of Death's Pathway, throwing the entire state of Travers into chaos. This 'generous gift'... was probably another deadly performance. To digest this potion, he would have to follow the script and find the other ingredient, [The Mutated Pituitary Gland of the Thousand-Faced Hunter], and this process was likely the so-called trial.
He calmly put away [The Trait of the Human Skin Shadow] and the letter, then looked up again at Odin on the throne, his tone returning to normal.
"God-King, I have received my payment. Now, you should make clear what exactly you want me to come to Asgard for?"
Odin was silent for a moment. His deep single eye swept over Thor and Loki on the bridge, their expressions varied. His voice became unusually low.
"I hope these two children of mine can follow you for a while."
Lin Huai was stunned, not expecting Odin to make such a request. Hearing this, Thor, standing to the side, pointed at himself with a face full of confusion, while a flicker of humiliation and anger at being treated like goods flashed in Loki's eyes.
Odin gave Lin Huai no chance to question him, continuing in that tone that allowed no rebuttal: "The lady who delivered the artifact back then told me that in this Universe, only you can guide them to see the path of the future. She also said that if you agree, you will definitely be able to do it."
Odin's tone suddenly turned severe.
"She also told me that if I find you trustworthy, then during your trial, you will need the power of Asgard to help you achieve rebirth. But... if you are not worthy of trust, then I should use every means possible... to seal you away here forever."
Seal away.
These two words struck like a bolt of lightning, piercing through all of Lin Huai's disguise and composure!
A chill shot from the crown of his head straight down to his tailbone.
He had always thought he was using his foreknowledge and informational advantage to make an equal exchange with the God-King, even showing off a bit and gaining some small advantage in front of this aging deity.
Only at this moment did he truly realize what he was facing!
This was the Conqueror who forged peace across the Nine Realms with bloody wars! The all-father who had lived countless ages, his wisdom as deep as the sea!
It had never occurred to him that this seemingly smooth trip to Asgard had actually, from the very beginning, been walking on the edge of a cliff overlooking total sealing!
"This is a father's request," Odin's face took on a pleading look.
"I..." Lin Huai was just about to decline.
At that moment, a sharp, urgent alarm shattered the Golden Palace's solemnity and tranquility!
"Alarm! The Treasury has been invaded!!" The anxious roar of Heimdall, the Guardian of the Bifrost Bridge, echoed throughout the Heavenly Palace. "Unknown enemies have bypassed my surveillance through a hidden passage!"
A sudden turn of events!
Odin's single eye erupted with towering fury. He rose from his throne, the Eternal Spear Gungnir in his hand emitting a hum.
"Frost Giants!!!"
Extreme cold, visible to the naked eye, spread from the direction of the Treasury. The magnificent Golden Corridor rapidly thickened with frost, and the ornate statues and murals cracked inch by inch in the frigid air!
A dozen tall Frost Giants with icy blue skin and crimson eyes were swinging massive battle axes and maces forged from ice, fiercely battling the Heavenly Palace Guards who had rushed to the scene. Leading them were several even larger Frost Giant Warriors, their bodies covered in scars!
"In the name of Laufey!"
The Frost Giants roared, their target clear — deep within the Treasury, the treasure belonging to their race: the Casket of Ancient Winters!
Odin flew into a rage upon seeing this, but in the very next moment after his fury flared, his tall frame swayed, and his face revealed an unconcealable weariness. His Odinsleep had been interrupted, and he had been holding on until now at his limit.
"Thor!" Odin roared, his voice carrying an irrefutable command. "Go! Guard the Treasury! Smash all these reckless invaders into ice shards!"
"Yes, Father!"
Thor roared, lightning erupting from mjolnir. He transformed into a bolt of thunder and charged into the fray without hesitation!
"Brother! I'll help you!" Loki's face also wore an appropriate look of shock and anger. Two daggers materialized in his hands, and he too threw himself into the fight with seeming abandon.
Only Lin Huai, standing in place, never let his peripheral vision stray from Loki. When the alarm sounded, he had clearly caught the fleeting glimpse of satisfaction and control in Loki's eyes.
'It's you again, causing trouble... Loki, you really are a little bastard who never learns!' Lin Huai sneered inwardly.
The battlefield immediately descended into chaos. The golden spears of the Heavenly Palace Guards and the icy battle axes of the Frost Giants clashed violently, producing deafening metallic clangs. The Frost Giants were born with immense strength, each swing carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks. A Heavenly Palace guard, caught off guard, was sent flying, shield and all, by an ice axe, crashing heavily into a pillar.
Thor's entry immediately turned the tide.
"For Asgard!" He raised mjolnir high, calling down a fierce bolt of lightning that electrocuted the three Frost Giants at the forefront into charcoal. Spinning his hammer, he became an unstoppable meat grinder; each swing could smash a Frost Giant's skull to pieces.
Loki appeared much cleverer. He never engaged the thick-skinned Frost Giants head-on. Instead, he used illusions to create several copies of himself, flitting nimbly across the battlefield, using his daggers to ambush the giants' joints and the backs of their necks. While the damage he inflicted was limited, he greatly disrupted the enemy's formation, creating many opportunities for the guards.
Lin Huai was not idle. He did not charge into the fiercest part of the battle, but instead appeared like a ghost in some secondary corners.
"Flame Leap!"
His figure flashed, appearing behind a Heavenly Palace guard who was being cornered by two Frost Giants and about to be pulverized, pulling him to safety. Immediately, several cards infused with spirituality shot from his hand like throwing knives, accurately slicing the raised ankle of one Frost Giant. The massive impact caused it to stumble, creating the opening for Thor's finishing blow.
His every move was like a performance, yet also incredibly precise and effective, exactly like a Magician moving across a stage of war, arranging props and correcting Errors.
The battle lasted nearly ten minutes. In the face of Thor's mighty divine power, this small raiding force was pushed back step by step. The last Frost Giant Warrior was pinned to the wall by Thor's hammer, the power of thunder utterly purifying him.
"Groan..." He let out a final growl of defiance, turning into a pile of ice shards.
The battle was over. The Golden Palace was in disarray, the smell of cold and blood mingling, a reminder of what had just transpired.
Odin leaned on the Eternal Spear, his already weary face now even paler. He looked at the mess on the ground, glanced at his two sons who had fought bravely, and finally, his single eye returned to Lin Huai, who had been quietly filling gaps all along.
He had seen everything in that brief but intense battle. Thor's valor, Loki's cleverness, and this young man's peculiarities.
It only strengthened his initial conviction.
"Now," Odin's voice was somewhat low due to fatigue, but the authority and resolve within it had only increased, "you see, this is the current state of Asgard. One son is reckless and impulsive, craving war, having learned a little but not enough; the other... in war, still only thinks about performing, immature."
His gaze swept over Thor and Loki, both of whose expressions became somewhat uncomfortable.
"My time is running short, yet the threats to the Nine Realms grow ever more numerous."
The all-father's gaze finally settled on Lin Huai's face.
"If you agree, I will use every method at my disposal before my life ends to help you. If you refuse, then leave Asgard!"