Flora's Specialty

When Lein received the news, Athena was using a downward-facing dog defense pose to fend off the Physics Holy Sword's frenzied Backstab.

The sword suddenly stopped, startling Athena into thinking she'd done something wrong. Only after Lein gave her a pat did she relax and switch to autopilot to take over the second half.

Lein, meanwhile, was like a true sage, pondering this rather stingy bit of intelligence.

Lein wasn't unfamiliar with the Nine Realms of Norse mythology.

Thanks to all kinds of movie "education," people of the Celestial Empire knew the family drama of Odin, Hela, Thor, and Loki very well.

The movies had certainly embellished things, but when it came to the original myths, they'd still toned things down.

At least they hadn't vividly depicted Loki turning into a mare and giving birth to the eight-legged steed Sleipnir with the stallion Svaðilfari.

The many worldview-shattering affairs could give Zeus and Poseidon of Olympus a run for their money.

And in the original Norse myths, Loki, a member of the Giants, fathered the monstrous wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent Jörmungandr, and the goddess of death Hela with his Giant lover, Angrboða.

It was the rebellion Loki sparked that destroyed Odin's Asgard, and Loki himself died in a mutual killing with Heimdall, Asgard's guardian god.

So Lein's most pressing task was to figure out what state this Norse God System, the last one to enter his field of vision, was in. Was it the movie version or the traditional Norse myth version?

And what stage had it reached?

If the Fire Giant had destroyed Asgard, the home of the Norse gods, it would be easy to work out. That would mean Twilight of the Gods had begun, and Lein could even take his time getting there. He'd arrive to pick