Ripples in the Golden Palace and the Journey Home

Frigga's courtyard returned once more to the absolute tranquility bathed in Eternal Light.

Princess Angela left quietly, shocked and frustrated, without leaving the slightest ripple in Xiao Han's heart.

Like a greedy sponge, he continued absorbing the crystal-filtered, exceptionally pure Asgardian light energy. The badge on his clothes and the Starlight Tear in his pocket acted like two tiny amplifiers, making the process increasingly comfortable and efficient.

Time passed silently amid the soundless flow of light. No Asgardian servants came to disturb him, nor did any other gods dare intrude upon this forbidden zone marked out by the queen.

Not until the magically simulated daylight above the courtyard gradually softened into the gorgeous hues of an Earthly dusk—apparently Asgard's unique way of marking time.

Xiao Han finally opened his eyes in satisfaction. This "recharge" had far exceeded his expectations. The quality of Asgard's light source truly lived up to the name Eternal, and the two small gifts had been well worth it.

He stretched, his joints giving off faint crackling sounds as he felt the surging, abundant power within him.

It was time to go back. Tony's beach had worse lighting, but there was unlimited ice cream and fewer people to bother him.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, soft footsteps sounded at the entrance to the courtyard.

Frigga had returned. The pallor on her face had faded, and she had regained the regal bearing of Asgard's queen, though there was an indescribable gravity in her eyes now, along with... relief?

Thor followed behind her, looking deeply unwilling and avoiding eye contact.

"Mr. Xiao," Frigga said gently, as though the sinister assault on her soul and Angela's interruption had never happened. "Did Asgard's scenery and light meet with your approval?"

"Not bad." Xiao Han was brief, which counted as praise. His gaze swept over Thor. "Softer than your son the power bank, anyway."

Thor's face darkened at once. His grip on Mjolnir tightened, but under his mother's warning look, he forcibly swallowed his retort and merely let out a displeased snort.

Frigga smiled faintly, seemingly unbothered by the assessment. "As long as you are satisfied.

I heard you intend to return to Midgard, so I have instructed Heimdall to prepare the Bifrost." She paused and took a small token from her wide sleeve. It was carved from some unknown golden wood, with fine threads of light wrapped around it, flowing like living things.

"This is for you." Frigga held out the token. "It possesses no power of its own, but if you carry it and find Asgard's light acceptable, you may have Heimdall bring you here for a rest whenever you wish.

"Of course, everything is according to your will." This was undoubtedly an extremely solemn promise. It was equivalent to giving Xiao Han a VIP pass to come and go from Asgard freely, while fully respecting his freedom to leave or return.

Xiao Han accepted the token. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, while the threads of light wrapped around his fingertips, carrying a faint aura from the same source as Asgard's radiance. It was like a permanent portal summon device—convenient enough.

"Mm." He put the token away, accepting the favor.

Frigga watched him put it away. Something complicated flickered in her eyes, but it eventually turned into a gentle smile. "May the light of the Nine Realms forever bless the road ahead of you."

It was a blessing commonly used by the gods, yet when spoken by her, it seemed to carry another layer of meaning.

She lightly touched Thor, who was still sulking beside her.

Thor took a deep breath as though undertaking an immensely difficult task. He stepped forward, his voice stiff and obviously awkward.

"Strong one of Midgard... Xiao Han. Thank you for visiting Asgard... and... for showing... courtesy to my mother."

The last few words were practically squeezed through his teeth. Thanking someone for not being disrespectful to his mother was even more unpleasant than being embedded in a wall again.

Xiao Han glanced at him, too lazy to respond to such insincere pleasantries. He turned directly to Frigga. "Bridge."

Understanding, Frigga gave a slight nod toward the sky.

The next moment, a gentler and more precise pillar of rainbow light pierced through the magical barrier surrounding Asgard's courtyard. Like tame silk, it softly enveloped Xiao Han. The energy fluctuations were controlled so perfectly that they barely stirred a speck of dust.

With a flash, Xiao Han vanished from the courtyard.

Thor let out a long breath of relief, as though he had just seen off a volcano that could erupt at any moment. Turning to his mother, he asked in confusion and grievance, "Mother, why are you so... indulgent toward him? You even gave him a passage token! He doesn't care about Asgard. He doesn't care about us!"

Frigga did not answer directly. She merely gazed deeply at the spot where Xiao Han had vanished and said softly, "Thor, true power is not always accompanied by thunder and roaring.

Sometimes, it exists within the deepest silence, like... a sleeping star." She withdrew her gaze and looked at her still young and hot-blooded son, her eyes filled with love and a trace of worry.

"Remember how you feel today, my child. Arrogance is the shortest path to destruction. Compared with him, the power we take such pride in... may be the truly 'noisy' thing."

Thor only half understood, but the weight in his mother's words silenced him. He merely tightened his grip on the hammer, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

The terrace of Malibu Villa.

The setting sun was painting the sea gold and crimson. Tony Stark had just finished calibrating the final segment of a newly installed smart shading system. Exhausted, he sprawled in a nearby chair with an ice-cold beer, while Happy counted the latest shipment of ice cream.

A pillar of rainbow light descended without a sound, landing precisely in an empty spot on the terrace. Its energy was restrained so perfectly that it did not even stir a breeze.

Xiao Han appeared.

"Oh, back from your alien vacation?" Tony raised a brow, his tone teasing. "How was the food in Asgard? Did you bring back any local specialties? Like a replica of that Thunder God's hammer or something?"

Xiao Han ignored him and walked straight to the lounge chair. He felt the lingering warmth of the sunset, seemingly compared it, then shook his head in dissatisfaction. He casually took a new flavor of ice cream cone from the freezer, tore open the wrapper, and took a bite.

"The lighting was mediocre, but the noise was considerable." After giving his assessment of Asgard, he looked at Tony. "My lounge chair is off by 0.3 degrees, and the ice cream stock is down by 7 percent. Tony, your housekeeper AI needs an upgrade."

Tony nearly sprayed out his beer. "0.3 degrees?! Seven percent?! Are you a human ruler and electronic scale?! And you went off wandering around another planet—what does my ice cream stock decreasing have to do with me?!"

Xiao Han slowly ate his cone, walked over to the lounge chair, and casually nudged it with the tip of his foot.

Click.

An almost inaudible sound rang out.

The lounge chair's support seemed to shift by mere millimeters, adjusting its angle to face the last rays of the setting sun with perfect precision.

"That's better." He lay down in satisfaction and closed his eyes. "Remember to settle the bill. Interest doubles on overdue payments."

Tony stood there with his mouth open, looking at the lounge chair whose angle had been "corrected," then at the half-finished beer in his hand. Suddenly, he felt exhausted.

Arguing with someone nonhuman was simply asking for trouble. Resigned, he sighed and waved to Happy. "Write it down, write it down! 'Compensation for mental stress caused by alien teleportation,' 'labor fee for precision angle adjustment,' 'mysterious ice cream inventory loss fee'... Damn it, even I'm getting a headache just looking at this bill!"

Happy silently took out a small notebook and began recording the charges with practiced ease.

The sun sank beneath the horizon, and the stars gradually emerged.

On the terrace, Tony drank his beer in frustration, Happy counted ice cream, and Xiao Han basked in the last warmth and light of Earth's sunset. The Asgardian token and the Starlight Tear in his pocket gave off an almost imperceptible warmth.

The ripples in Asgard gradually settled, but a bridge connecting two worlds had quietly been built.

Perhaps future storms were silently brewing alongside that bridge. But to Xiao Han, such things were far too distant. What mattered most now was enjoying this brief moment of peace—and the ice cream cone melting on his tongue.