Forging Failure

A few days later, New York Sanctum, basement.

Chen Xiao squatted on the floor, turning over a palm-sized fragment in his hand. It had originally been part of the mask, shattered by Chen Xiao during the fight. Instead, it had become the best possible sample for his experiment.

The Destroyer's remains lay in the workshop, where Chen Xiao usually repaired magical artifacts. Under the dim yellow light, the wreckage gleamed coldly.

Daniel stood by the door, still gripping a rag in his hand—he had been upstairs cleaning artifacts when he heard the commotion and came down.

"...Are you building a Gundam again?"

Chen Xiao did not even look up. "Say that again. This is Uru Metal, spoils I captured! I'm going to melt it down and make a stick."

Daniel fell silent for two seconds.

"...You're serious?"

"When have I not been?" Chen Xiao shot him a glance and continued examining the fragment.

Daniel looked at him. His expression did not change, but his eyes clearly said, You're beyond saving.

"A stick," Daniel repeated, his tone as flat as plain water. "A staff?"

"It can extend and retract, fight in close combat, and serve as a wand."

Daniel turned and left. His voice drifted over from the stairs. "Then take your time messing with it. I'm going back to repair artifacts."

Chen Xiao ignored him. He placed the fragment on the workbench, flexed his fingers, and aimed his palm at it.

Blue arcs of electricity leaped from his palm, thick bolts of lightning carrying waves of heat. They struck the fragment with a sizzling sound, and the blue light illuminated the basement until it was dazzling. The fragment began changing color, from gray-white to dark red, then dark red to orange-red.

The electrical arcs continued for half a minute.

The fragment was orange-red, but it had not melted.

Chen Xiao frowned and increased the output. The arcs shifted from blue to bluish-white, glaringly bright, while the smell of ozone became as thick as if lightning had exploded. The fragment changed from orange-red to bright red, and its edges began to glow faintly.

Another minute passed.

At last, a tiny bit of the edge melted. It was the size of a fingernail, like a bite had been taken out of a piece of chocolate. A drop of glowing molten metal trickled down and landed on the workbench with a hiss, scorching a charred pit into it.

Chen Xiao withdrew his hand and took a breath. Looking down, he saw that after ten minutes, he had only melted that tiny corner. The charred pit was still smoking.

At some point, Daniel had reappeared in the doorway, carrying two cups of cola. He placed one on the table, looked at the fragment with only one corner melted, then at the beads of sweat on Chen Xiao's forehead, and took a sip from his own cup.

"...Are you planning to finish that stick next year?"

Chen Xiao took a huge gulp of cola without saying anything. The bubbles burst on his tongue. He stared at the fragment, frowning.

Daniel glanced at the pile of wreckage, his tone impossibly calm. "Why not use another material? The hardware store has ready-made steel pipes."

"Shut up."

Kamar-Taj, tea room.

Before the blue electrical arcs from the portal had even dissipated, Chen Xiao was already seated on a cushion.

Ancient One held a teacup in her hand, steam rising from the tea. She lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, then lowered them again.

"Caused trouble again?"

For once, Chen Xiao was not grinning or joking. He sat upright, his hands resting on his knees, as proper as he had been when he first became her disciple.

"Master, how do I melt Uru Metal?"

Ancient One took a sip of tea without answering immediately.

"Uru Metal comes from Asgard. The dwarves forge it using a neutron star's core." She set down her cup and looked at him. "Do you think your lightning can compare to a star?"

Chen Xiao opened his mouth, then closed it.

The corner of Ancient One's mouth twitched, as though she were mocking him.

"So you came to ask me for help."

Chen Xiao nodded. He did not say anything like "Your disciple is incompetent"—that would have been too affected. If he could not melt it, then he could not melt it.

Ancient One glanced at him, picked up her teacup, and took another sip.

"Wait a moment."

Chen Xiao was stunned.

"I'll contact Odin." Ancient One set down her cup, raised her right hand, pressed her index and middle fingers together, and drew a golden magic circle in the air. The circle began to spin, growing brighter and brighter as all manner of patterns emerged around its edge.

She closed her eyes, her lips moving a few times. Chen Xiao could not make out the words—it was neither English nor Chinese, and it did not even sound human. Every syllable felt heavy.

A voice sounded from the other side of the magic circle.

"Master Ancient One."

It was not loud, but every word sounded like a stone rising from the ocean floor. Heavy, steady, unquestionable. Odin.

Chen Xiao unconsciously straightened his back.

Ancient One spoke as casually as though she were making small talk. "Your Majesty Odin. Your Destroyer was dismantled by my disciple. The remains are currently in his possession."

The other side fell silent for two seconds.

"I know. Heimdall informed me." There was something in Odin's voice, as if he had expected this all along.

Ancient One said, "He wants to use the remains to make a weapon. His abilities are insufficient, and he cannot melt the Uru."

Odin said, "So you came to me."

Ancient One did not respond. She simply held her teacup and waited.

The golden light of the magic circle flickered. Odin spoke again. "That belongs to Asgard. Asgard should have the right to decide how it is handled."

"He says it is payment for his hard work."

Silence lasted two seconds.

Something suddenly entered Odin's voice—a rare tone that was almost humanly warm. "I can have the dwarf king Eitri forge it for him. He can use those remains, along with raw Uru ore from Nidavellir."

Chen Xiao's ears perked up.

Ancient One's brows moved slightly. She set down her teacup, her gaze falling on the magic circle.

"The condition?"

A trace of amusement entered Odin's voice. "As expected of the Sorcerer Supreme. The condition is simple—your disciple will owe Asgard a favor."

Ancient One turned to Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao opened his mouth, wanting to ask, "Why should I?" But Ancient One's gaze forced the words back down. Her look was very calm, and its meaning was clear: Shut up.

Ancient One turned back toward the magic circle. "A favor is acceptable. It cannot violate Kamar-Taj's principles."

"Of course not."

The magic circle spun once, and its golden light began to draw inward. Odin's voice came through one last time. "Tell him to prepare the design drawings. When the time comes, someone will deliver them."

The magic circle dispersed. Golden motes drifted through the tea room like fireflies for a few seconds before fading away.

The tea room fell quiet. Outside the window, the wind rustled through the bamboo grove.

Ancient One lifted her teacup and took a sip, speaking as calmly as though nothing had happened. "The dwarf king will contact you in a few days. Tell him what you have in mind."

Chen Xiao sat on the cushion, opened his mouth, then closed it again. He remained silent for quite a while.

"...I only wanted to make a stick. How did I suddenly end up owing Odin a favor?"

Ancient One did not even look at him. "Thinking about it won't help."

Chen Xiao said, "..."

He wanted to argue a little, but Ancient One had already raised her teacup and lowered her gaze to the tea, clearly meaning, You may leave now. So he swallowed the words.

He stood, gave a bow, and walked to the door. Then he paused and looked back.

Ancient One held her teacup as she looked out the window. The setting sun filtered through the gaps in the lattice, falling across the side of her face.

"Master."

Ancient One did not turn around. "Mm."

"Is the dwarf king... reliable?"

The corner of Ancient One's mouth moved slightly.

"More reliable than you."

Chen Xiao had nothing to say, so he left.

After returning to the Sanctum, Chen Xiao lay on the sofa staring at the ceiling, his eyes vacant and his mind blank.

Daniel came down the stairs holding an ancient book. He looked at Chen Xiao, then looked again—he had not changed that position for three hours.

"You're still lying there?"

"Mm."

Daniel walked to the coffee table, set down the book, and poured himself a glass of water.

"What did Odin say?"

"He agreed. The dwarf king will make my weapon." Chen Xiao's voice was muffled, his face buried in a cushion.

Daniel took a sip of water. "Then why are you still sprawled here?"

Chen Xiao closed his eyes. "I have to draw the plans myself."

Daniel set down his glass, his tone like he was reciting a textbook. "So why aren't you drawing them?"

Chen Xiao lifted his head from the cushion and glared at him.

Daniel's expression did not change.

Chen Xiao stared at him for two seconds, then buried his face again.

"...Can you shut up?"

Daniel turned toward the stairs. After taking two steps, he stopped.

"Oh, right. That man's injuries have healed. What are you planning to do with him?"

Chen Xiao struggled to raise his upper body and rolled his eyes at Daniel.

"Let him decide for himself. I'm not his father."

Chen Xiao then flopped back onto the sofa and stared at the ceiling. There was a thin crack in it, stretching from the light fixture all the way to the corner of the wall. He had never noticed it before.

His mind was a mess—the melting point of Uru Metal, the dwarf king's forging techniques, the design for the stick, the favor owed to Odin, Tony's palladium poisoning, when Thor would next come to Earth, and what Ancient One had meant when she said, "It will come when the time is right"...

He turned over and buried his face in the cushion.

"Annoying."