Farewell

Lin Xiao was sleeping soundly with Sif in his arms when suddenly a "ding" sounded in his mind.

He didn't even bother to open his eyes, subconsciously tightening his grip on the person in his arms and burying his face in Sif's hair. Sif's hair had a faint jasmine scent, which Lin Xiao thought smelled absolutely wonderful.

The ding sounded again.

Lin Xiao frowned, opening his eyelids a crack. Morning light was already streaming into the cocoon-like walls woven from Blue Silver Grass.

The panel in my mind popped up on its own, a flash of blue light, and a line of text appeared.

"Ding--Congratulations, host, you have obtained the hidden title: Young Madam Killer."

Lin Xiao's drowsiness instantly vanished by half.

"What the hell?" he cursed inwardly, as the words on the panel continued to scroll down.

"Title Effect: Consistent with the Family Claiming Specialist' title, automatically triggered, permanently effective, and cannot be removed. Increases attractiveness to older women by 5%."

Lin Xiao's lips began to twitch uncontrollably. But that wasn't all. Another message popped up on the panel, the font even larger than before, and the color changed from blue to a bright, shimmering orange-red, as if the system was afraid he wouldn't see it.

"Hidden trigger condition triggered and exceeded: Trigger condition, unlocked by having negative-distance contact with a woman more than ten times the size of the host. Current target of exceeded target: Sif Sforttier, approximately 1,500 years old. Exceeded target, bonus +5%, Attraction."

Lin Xiao stared at the words "1,500 years old," his mind buzzing.

1500. 1500 years. He knew Sif was Asgardians with a long lifespan, but seeing this number so blatantly displayed in his face by the system was still quite a shock. He looked down at the person in his arms. Sif was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly, a few strands of dark brown hair clinging to her face, her eyelashes incredibly long. When she was asleep, all her sharpness was gone, making her appear quiet and gentle.

Lin Xiao glanced at it for a few seconds, then chuckled, "Not bad at all. If everyone were like Sif, I guess I wouldn't be at a loss."

Sif seemed to hear him, snuggling closer to him, her nose brushing against his collarbone, tilting her head slightly, her eyes still closed, but her lips precisely pressed against his.

Lin Xiao's thoughts vanished instantly. He chuckled softly, cupped the back of her head with his hand, and returned her kiss. The two lingered in the remnants of the Blue Silver Grass cocoon for a while longer, until the sky was fully bright, before reluctantly separating.

Lin Xiao sat up, Blue Silver Grass, as if possessed, automatically retreated and shrank back into his palm. Sif leaned on his shoulder, her eyes half-open and half-closed, her voice still a little hoarse. "What were you muttering to yourself over there just now?"

"Nothing, I just think my little Sif is absolutely gorgeous."

Sif rolled her eyes dramatically and chuckled. She reached out and pinched his waist, "Serves you right for being naughty." Lin Xiao hissed, but pulled her closer, "Gently. Who was grabbing me last night? My back is covered in your nail marks."

"You deserve it." Sif turned her face away, her ear tips turning bright red.

As the two were dawdling while getting dressed, footsteps approached from afar. Lin Xiao, with his sharp ears, heard them first. Looking up, he saw Thor, Jane, and the Warriors Three coming from the other side of the dunes. Jane walked beside Thor, her face still flushed, clearly having experienced some tender moments before arriving. Thor, on the other hand, had a serious expression, clutching Mjolnir in his hand, as if inspecting his army.

Then he saw Lin Xiao and Sif.

To be precise, what he saw was Lin Xiao fastening the straps on the back of Sif's armor. Sif was turned to the side, her chin slightly tilted back, the movement as natural as if she had repeated it hundreds of times. The distance between the two was so close that Thor's pupils contracted.

Thor froze, rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two men three times before finally managing to squeeze out, "You... you people are..."

Lin Xiao fastened his belt, turned around, and smiled broadly, "Good morning, Thor is here too? Did you two have a good chat last night?"

Jane's face flushed instantly. She hadn't expected Lin Xiao to turn on her so directly, and her earlier unease was written all over her face. She coughed lightly, looked away, and pretended to be studying a cactus in the distance.

Sif emerged from behind Lin Xiao, impeccably dressed, except for a slight flush on her ears. Her expression had returned to its usual coldness. She glanced at Thor and said calmly, "Didn't you ask me to stay and take care of him last night? I did it all night. Is there a problem?"

"I—" Thor choked, his chest heaving twice, unable to find a rebuttal. He looked at Sif, then at Lin Xiao, then at Jane, and finally slammed the hammer on the ground with a bang, sending up a spray of sand.

"I didn't ask you to take such good care of me!" Thor's voice rose sharply.

"Then explain more clearly next time," Sif replied without changing her expression. She walked to the side, picked up the spear stuck in the sand, and gently shook it to remove all the sand from the tip.

Thor's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. The Warriors Three had already silently retreated more than ten steps away. Volstagg looked up at the sky, Fandral looked down and counted the sand, Hogun closed his eyes, as if in a meditative state.

Lin Xiao walked over, patted Thor on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Brother, take it easy. Sif isn't a child anymore; she has the right to choose her own life. Besides, I won't mistreat her. As for you, did you say everything you needed to say to Miss Jane last night? Don't go back to Asgard; you're still thinking about a Midgard girl. You can't even fight a war if you're still thinking about her."

Just as Thor was about to explode, Jane pulled him back and whispered, "Alright, didn't you come to say goodbye to Lin Xiao? Don't start arguing as soon as you meet."

Thor then suppressed his anger. He took a deep breath, slapped Lin Xiao's hand off his shoulder, and said seriously, " Lin Xiao, I do have something to tell you."

"Speak." Lin Xiao stopped arguing, pulled over a rock to sit on, and gestured for Thor to continue.

Thor paused for a few seconds, organizing his thoughts, before speaking, "I plan to return to Asgard today. Loki now wields the Gungnir, and my father is still asleep in Odinsleep. Asgard cannot remain without someone in charge; I must return and make Loki pay for his actions."

Lin Xiao nodded. "We should have gone back long ago. The longer we delay dealing with someone like your brother, the more difficult it becomes. Give him time, and he could completely destroy the foundation of the Asgard from his throne."

"I know." Thor gripped the hammer handle, his knuckles turning white. "But there's one more thing I can't let go of, it's Jane."

Jane, standing behind Thor, stiffened upon hearing this; her lips moved, but she remained silent.

"Keep an eye on her in the Midgard while I'm away," Thor said.

Lin Xiao looked at Thor, then at Jane. Jane tilted her head, the sunlight falling on her face, blurring her features slightly. She seemed to want to argue, to say that she didn't need anyone to take care of her, but in the end she just lowered her head and gently kicked the sand at her feet with the tip of her shoe.

"I promise you," Lin Xiao said.

Thor nodded, as if a weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders. He added, "Don't get involved with her."

"What kind of person do you take me for?" Lin Xiao asked, looking hurt. "I, Lin Xiao, am a person of standing in the Midgard, and I have principles."

"You have absolutely no bottom line," Thor and Sif said in unison.

Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then turned to look at Sif. Sif crossed her arms, a faint smile playing on her lips. Thor also froze, seemingly surprised that Sif had thought the same thing as him. The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned their faces away. Lin Xiao was amused by this scene, and the sadness of separation in his heart dissipated considerably.

"Okay, okay, I promise." Lin Xiao held up three fingers, his expression unusually solemn. "I promise to keep an eye on Jane in the Midgard, to make sure she's not bullied, doesn't go hungry or cold, and isn't heartbroken or depressed. And while I'm at it, I'll help her get back that set of celestial research data that S.H.I.E.L.D.. confiscated. Is that alright?"

Thor's eyes lit up. "You can really get it back?"

Lin Xiao patted his chest and said:

Leave it to me.

They chatted for a while longer, and before they knew it, noon had passed. Having said what needed to be said and explained everything, Thor looked up at the sky and said in a deep voice, "It's getting late, Sif, Warriors Three. Let's prepare ourselves and head back to Asgard once the Bifrost opens."

Sif stood still, not responding immediately. She lowered her head, her fingers tracing the spear repeatedly, and after a long while, she softly murmured "Mmm."

Just as Thor raised Mjolnir, preparing to summon the Bifrost, his movement suddenly stopped. The hammer hovered above his head, lightning crackling across its surface, yet he hesitated to strike. Thor's expression became somewhat subtle, as if he had heard something others couldn't.

Lin Xiao noticed his unusual behavior and frowned. "What's wrong?"

Thor put down his hammer, turned to look at Lin Xiao, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Mother... the Queen just contacted me."

"What did she say?" Lin Xiao asked.

Thor took a deep breath, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "She said... she wants to invite you to the Asgard, Lin Xiao. You are the first Midgardian to be personally invited by the Queen of Gods, and the first human to step into the Asgard as a mortal. This is an unparalleled honor!"

Lin Xiao showed no sign of joy. He narrowed his eyes, staring at Thor for several seconds, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

Something's not right. Nine out of ten things are wrong.

He and the Queen of the Gods had never crossed paths, not even exchanged a single word. Why would the Queen of the Gods, who had always remained hidden deep within Asgard and rarely intervened directly in the affairs of the Nine Realms, suddenly want to meet a Midgardian? And why at this crucial juncture, just as Thor was about to return to Asgard and Loki was about to take power?

"Are you sure it's Frigga?" Lin Xiao's voice turned serious.

"How could I have misheard my mother's voice?" Thor asked, puzzled. "Besides, only my mother can Soul Messaging; Loki doesn't have that ability. I'm absolutely certain of that."

Lin Xiao didn't speak. He took a couple of steps with his hands behind his back, then turned back, mentally going over every possible possibility several times. That old schemer Loki was best at disguise and scheming. He'd taken down the Destroyer, only to have Lin Xiao dismantle it himself; Loki had lost both his wife and his army. Knowing his character, he definitely wouldn't let it go so easily. And now, this sudden "invitation from the Queen of Gods" sounded exactly like a trap set by Loki.

"I'm not going." Lin Xiao stood firm, his resolve unwavering.

Thor was stunned. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm not going." Lin Xiao put his hands in his pockets, his expression extremely serious. "Think about it, you just said Loki was in power in Asgard, and now a 'Queen of the Gods' jumps out and invites me up there. Isn't this obviously setting me up in a trap? Me, a Midgardian, going to Asgard empty-handed, isn't that just handing myself over to them? Your brother is probably just looking for an opportunity to kill me right now. If I go, he won't even need to bother making up a reason; he can just slap a Midgard the realm of the gods,' stab him in the back, and you won't even have a place to collect my corpse."

Thor opened his mouth, seemingly swayed by Lin Xiao's analysis, but quickly shook his head. "No, Lin Xiao. Soul Messaging is Mother's unique secret technique; she's the only one in the entire Nine Realms who can use it. Loki's magic hasn't reached that level, and it's impossible for him to impersonate Mother's soul fluctuations. I grew up listening to Mother's soul whispers; that feeling can't be imitated."

"What if Loki gets his hands on some strange magical artifact?" Lin Xiao persisted. "Your brother is a cunning guy; who knows what might happen?"

Thor wore an expression that was both amused and exasperated. " Lin Xiao, I know you have a problem with my brother, but please don't doubt the strongest being in Asgard. Loki is indeed cunning, but his magic comes from his mother's personal instruction. If he could steal the spell of Soul Messaging, he would have already overturned the entire Asgard."

Lin Xiao stared at Thor for several seconds, and seeing that there was indeed no hesitation on his face, his uneasy feeling intensified. Thor couldn't hide anything; if he were lying, his eyes would definitely dart around. But at this moment, Thor's gaze was open and his tone was firm, clearly indicating that he truly believed from the bottom of his heart that this was Frigga's oracle.

Lin Xiao felt an ominous chill creep up his spine, as if a huge, invisible net was slowly closing in from some higher dimension. He subconsciously changed the subject, chuckling, "I was just thinking about my own safety. Since you said only the Empress herself can communicate with me through souls, then I'm relieved."

Thor's expression instantly became extremely strange. He stared at Lin Xiao, as if he had seen something both particularly funny and infuriating. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, finally managing to utter two words:

"It's too late."

Lin Xiao was dumbfounded. "Too late? What do you mean?"

Thor's expression grew even stranger. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "The Queen Mother said that since Agent Lin Xiao has so many doubts, he should stay in the Midgard for now. His destiny with the Asgard has not yet arrived, and we cannot force it."

Lin Xiao's mind went blank for a moment. He clearly felt his heart skip a beat, and then begin to pound wildly at an unprecedented speed.

"Wait a minute." Lin Xiao took a step forward, his voice unconsciously rising. "Didn't she come to invite me? I haven't even answered yet, and she's already turned me down? How did she know I wasn't going? I hadn't even decided yet!"

Thor shrugged, looking completely innocent. "Didn't you just say you weren't going? And you said so much about Loki wanting to harm you. I heard it all clearly, and of course Mother heard it too."

Lin Xiao's face turned pale and then flushed. He then realized that Frigga had been observing his reaction through Thor since the beginning. Every word he uttered, "I won't go," had been clearly heard by the Queen of Gods sitting deep within Asgard. And his speculation that " Loki is going to kill me" had become a joke in the face of the fact that "only Frigga can communicate telepathically."

"I--you--she--" Lin Xiao's lips trembled several times, unable to utter a complete sentence. He turned to look at Sif, Sif was tilting her head, a faint smile playing on her lips, her expression clearly saying: You deserve it. He then looked at Jane, who was covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes curving into crescent moons, obviously suppressing a laugh. Looking at the Warriors Three, Volstagg had buried his face in his axe, Fandral had turned away, his shoulders shaking. Even the most aloof Hogun's lips twitched very slightly.

Lin Xiao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, a fawning smile was on his face. He looked at Thor, his tone so sincere it was almost dripping with sincerity. "Um, Thor, my good brother, could you contact the Empress again and tell her that I, Lin Xiao, was just joking with you. I'm just a bit of a smart aleck sometimes, a habit I've had since I was a child, you know that. The Empress is very magnanimous, she definitely won't hold it against me—or could you ask her for me if that invitation still counts?"

Thor was both amused and exasperated by Lin Xiao's rapid change of expression. He shook his head and said, " Lin Xiao, once Mother makes a decision, she never changes it. She said the time isn't right, and today is not auspicious. But she also said that when the time comes, she will naturally invite you up. Just wait patiently."

Lin Xiao's face fell, his heart filled with mixed feelings. He had tricked many people in his life, but this time he had been outmaneuvered by a goddess he had never met. He even suspected that Frigga had seen through his little scheme all along and deliberately played this trick, both to give Thor a way out and to warn him, the fox from Midgard.

What a formidable empress! She hasn't even met him yet, and Lin Xiao has already suffered a significant loss.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath, suppressing all the turbulent thoughts in his mind. He raised his head and forced a frank smile, "Alright, alright, if we don't want to go, we don't have to. The Immortal Asgard isn't some magical place that can run away; there will be other opportunities sooner or later."

"It's good that you think that way." Thor patted him on the shoulder, clearly relieved.

Lin Xiao thought for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer to Thor and lowered his voice, "What about Sif? Is she going back too?"

" Sif must go back," Thor frowned. "She's one of my most trusted warriors. The situation in Asgard is uncertain, and she must return to help me stabilize morale."

Lin Xiao's face fell again. He turned to look at Sif, Sif was also looking at him. The two stared at each other in the sandstorm, neither speaking first. After a long while, Lin Xiao walked up and, without a word, pulled Sif into his arms. The force was so strong that Sif groaned.

"I don't care about fate or anything like that." Lin Xiao rested his chin on Sif's head, his voice low but firm. "Go back and live well. When I get to Asgard, I want to see a complete Sif, someone who can fight and laugh. If you suffer any injustice in Asgard, come down here. I'll take care of you, understand?"

Sif was almost breathless from his embrace, but she couldn't bear to push him away. She closed her eyes in his arms, pressed her face against his chest, and listened to his heartbeat, as if trying to memorize the sound.

"I'll wait for you," Sif said, her voice as soft as sand in the wind, "But don't keep me waiting too long. Otherwise, I'll just find some Asgard hunk and forget all about you."

Lin Xiao's face instantly darkened. "Say that again."

"Or I'll find Asgard man." Sif looked up, a smile in her eyes, but deliberately kept a straight face. "I mean what I say."

Lin Xiao stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips hard. After the kiss, he bit her lower lip and said fiercely, "You try it. Whoever you go to, I'll break their legs. Even the God King can't do anything about it."

Sif was amused by his fierce yet childish demeanor, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. She stepped away from his embrace, planted the spear in the ground, and gestured with her chin. "Then I'm leaving."

"Let's go." Lin Xiao put his hands in his pockets, feigning indifference. "Don't look back. If you do, I'll assume you want to stay, and then you won't be able to leave."

Sif turned around, and really didn't look back. She walked towards Thor, the wind billowing her cloak and stirring up fine dust. Lin Xiao watched her back, the smile on his face slowly fading, his lips pressed into a very shallow line.

As Thor raised Mjolnir high, a seven-colored beam of light crashed down, engulfing the five figures. After the beam dissipated, only a ring of charred runes remained on the sand, which was gradually covered by sand by the wind.

Lin Xiao stood there, gazing at the sky for a long, long time. Jian walked to his side and softly said, "They're all gone."

"I know." Lin Xiao looked away and smiled. "So now, it's just you and me in the Midgard again, Miss Jian. You're not going to tell me you're going to do something dangerous, are you?"

Jane glared at him. "You're the dangerous one. I'm going back to Puente Antiguo. Erik and Daisy are waiting for me. Do you want to come along?"

Lin Xiao thought for a moment, then followed, "Let's go. I'm thirsty, let's grab a coffee at your place. I'll get your research materials back for you later. Since Thor entrusted you to me, I have to show some sincerity."

Jane walked ahead, and when she heard the words "entrust it to me," she paused slightly, then continued walking as if nothing had happened. Only the corners of her mouth curled up very, very slightly.

The wind blew from the depths of the desert, casting long shadows of the two people. One walked forward, the other half a step behind. The setting sun turned the entire sea of sand golden, like a grand farewell, or the beginning of a story.