Resources and Wealth

After sparring with Thor, Chen Xu returned to the residence assigned to him in Asgard and began studying some Asgardian books.

Meanwhile, on Earth, after the Battle of New York, the entire world was shaken. People across the globe realized that extraterrestrial civilizations truly existed, and that they were far more powerful than Earth. This made governments everywhere feel a hidden yet enormous threat.

At S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury brought Dr. Wade back. Since even Loki had captured him to work for him, that indirectly proved Dr. Wade's value. Nick Fury therefore brought him in as well, hoping he could conduct research for S.H.I.E.L.D. and strengthen Earth's armed forces against future alien invasions.

However, Nick Fury was currently staring at Dr. Wade with an incredulous expression.

"Is what you said true? You're not lying to me?"

"It's true. The Nine Realms of Norse mythology are about to converge again. For Earth, it will be a devastating blow. The world is about to be destroyed once more."

"Yes."

"We've only just gone through a major war, and now the world is facing destruction again. Earth really is plagued by disasters."

"Then do you have a solution?"

"Yes, but it will require a great deal of resources and funding."

"No problem. Whatever you need, I'll give it to you."

Asgard

"Hey, Chen Xu."

Early in the morning, Chen Xu heard Thor calling for him outside.

"Thor, what is it? Why are you shouting so early in the morning? Aren't you afraid of disturbing people?"

"No. Everyone has gone to watch the convergence of the nine planets. It's a cosmic spectacle that only appears once every few thousand years. Aren't you going to take a look?"

"What? The Nine Realms are converging again?"

As a transmigrator, Chen Xu knew that the plot of Thor 2 was about to begin. The Dark Elves would awaken, and the Reality Stone would appear. That also meant Thor's mother, Frigga, would die.

At that moment, the system's voice rang out as well.

"Composite mission issued: Change Queen Frigga's fate of death and obtain the Reality Stone."

Chen Xu froze. He had just been thinking that Thor's tragic experiences were about to begin, yet a mission had been issued immediately. Changing Frigga's fate was not much of a problem, but how was he supposed to extract the Reality Stone?

He knew that the weapon of the Dark Elves, the Aether, was the Reality Stone. However, according to the plot he knew, it was a liquid substance, and the Reality Stone should have been contained within it. How was he supposed to take it out?

"Forget it. I'll get the Aether first and worry about the rest later."

"Thor, aren't you planning to look for your old flame on Earth?"

"How do you know I have an old flame? I never told you anything."

Thor stared at Chen Xu in disbelief, while Chen Xu looked back at him awkwardly. Yes, Thor had not told him about this before. He could not tell Thor that he was a transmigrator, so Chen Xu smiled and said,

"When you were stranded on Earth last time, didn't you see me sitting in that café all the time? I often saw you walking around with that girl, so I assumed you two were a couple."

As soon as Thor heard that, the doubts in his heart vanished. Fortunately, when Odin had cast him down to Earth, he had indeed often seen Chen Xu sitting in a café, so he did not question him further.

"Don't you miss her?"

"I do, but after everything that has happened, I've thought about it a lot. She's a mortal, and her lifespan is extremely limited. I'm a god, and my life is far too long. If we were together, the final result would only bring both of us immense pain."

"Then you should at least explain it to her. Disappearing without a word like this is very disrespectful to her."

"You're right."

"My father has some matters on Earth that need to be handled. Why don't you come with me?"

Thor immediately became excited upon hearing that.

"That's great! Let's go now."

"Then you're not going to watch the Nine Realms converge?"

"No, no. They're just a few stars. What's so interesting about that? There are so many stars in the bathroom. Just pick a few and you'll see them."

Chen Xu was speechless.

"Then let's go!"

Before long, the two arrived beside the Bifrost teleportation platform. Heimdall had been guarding the Bifrost there all along.

"Heimdall, we have some matters to attend to on Earth. Can you open the Bifrost for us?"

"Yes, but once you have resolved matters on Earth, call for me to open the bridge again. Ever since it was damaged last time, its energy has been far lower than before. It can no longer be used anytime and anywhere without restraint. The energy will be depleted."

"Alright. We'll return after settling things on Earth."

Heimdall gave Thor a meaningful look, as though he knew what Thor was going there to do. Thor sensed Heimdall's gaze as well and felt somewhat embarrassed.

Not long after, the two arrived directly in New York. Chen Xu immediately brought Thor to the warehouse from the original plot.

"Look. Jane is over there."

Chen Xu spotted Jane as well. Fortunately, they had arrived a step early. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome if Jane absorbed the Aether into her body. Thor flew directly to a spot not far from Jane. Jane, who had been preparing to enter the warehouse, heard Thor's voice and stopped. Her eyes filled with joy, but it quickly turned to anger, and she slapped Thor across the face.

Thor was completely stunned.

"Sorry, I thought I was dreaming."

She slapped him again.

"Didn't you say you would come back for me? This is what you meant by coming back for me? I've waited for more than half a year."

"I'm sorry, Jane. Because of me, the Bifrost was destroyed, so I couldn't come."

"Then how did you come now?"

"My father paid a huge price to repair the Bifrost, so I was able to come."

Watching them display their affection, Chen Xu felt awkward as well, having been force-fed a dose of lovey-dovey romance. However, he had not forgotten the important matter at hand.

"You two catch up first. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving first. I'll come find you after I'm done."

"Alright, go ahead."

Chen Xu directly used a portal to enter the warehouse. Sure enough, the spatial structure around him had been altered by some force, making his portals inaccurate and unstable.

Chen Xu looked at the enormous truck that was floating in the air for some unknown reason, then followed his memories into a dark space.

The pitch-black stones around him exuded an ancient aura. In the center stood a massive stone pillar, and in the middle of the pillar was a mass of dark-red substance.

Chen Xu knew that it was the Aether. The Phoenix Force within his body became active as well. The Aether emitted a dark-red glow, carrying a mysterious and primordial aura. Chen Xu did not reach out to touch it directly. Instead, he pulled it out with magical chains and placed it straight into a magical box.