After Little Groot absorbed the corpse of the Shiba Inu Thor, it turned into specks of starlight and disappeared.
All that remained was a collar with a recording function.
Old Loki said this was Asgardians ' way of giving back to the universe.
They originate from the universe, and after their power dissipates upon death, they return to the universe.
At Little Groot's insistence, they dug a small hole in the shelter and buried the collar there.
Groot himself drew a dog's head on the tombstone.
As for Little Groot, his potential was already exceptionally strong. If their race were to evolve to the end, they could eventually become a wondrous being like the World Tree.
However, the chances of this happening are extremely low. It's unknown how far the little guy who absorbed Thor's power will ultimately grow.
Qin Xiao was very much looking forward to this. However, judging from the fact that the little guy's size hadn't changed at all, his origin should be much stronger than before, in other words, his future potential should be even higher.
One absorbed the power of Thor, another possessed the origins of the Asgard god of fire, and Loki, though of Frost Giants blood, also derived his divine status and magical power from Asgard.
This connection fostered a strange sense of closeness and trust among the three of them.
Unfortunately, Old Loki's body was already beyond saving.
I couldn't hold on for more than ten days before I completely gave up.
Before he died, Old Loki held Qin Xiao and Groot's hands and said...
"I'm so lucky. My whole life has been a mix of running away and destruction, but I finally mustered the courage to fight back, and then, before I died, I was able to meet you all and experience what it's like to be at home. That's wonderful!"
"So this is what I've always longed for, what I've longed for since I was very young!"
"I don't know if the first two Loki succeeded or not, but you two can't spend your whole lives here. Find a way out, go into the Red Cloud and see what's inside. See which damned bastard is hiding in there."
"Father, Mother? Thor... I long to return to Asgard one more time, I long to see you all again..."
This time, Qin Xiao wrote the tombstone inscription. He wrote Loki's name on it, and after thinking for a moment, he added the word "old" after it.
"Don't worry, Loki, if I met your younger self, I'd give him a good beating, even if we weren't from the same universe."
Qin Xiao stood in front of the tombstone and said.
"Me too!"
The little guy standing to the side also spoke softly.
" Groot? When did you learn to say other words?"
Qin Xiao was quite surprised. The little guy hadn't shown any signs of anything before, so how could he suddenly start talking?
"Yes, I don't know. I've had it ever since I absorbed it, but... I'm just not used to it."
Groot speaks a little slowly, and may need to mentally review some words beforehand, but in any case, he can now communicate normally.
God knows how difficult Groot language. To use just one "I am Groot" to express thousands of different meanings is incredibly difficult.
Even after Old Loki had been teaching Qin Xiao for a few days, Qin Xiao could still only guess at the little guy's meaning based on his expressions and demeanor.
After absorbing that Shiba Inu Thor?
Qin Xiao was somewhat confused. Judging from the function of that collar, this Shiba Inu Thor shouldn't be able to speak either.
But why did he start speaking normally after being absorbed by Groot, who had a speech impediment? What does this mean? Is it a case of two negatives making a positive?
"Stop dwelling on this question that I'll never understand," Qin Xiao said to the little guy.
" Groot, I'll find a way to leave here in a few days, but I might not be able to take you with me. The old man said he hopes you can leave too and live your own life. So there's only one way: go see what's in that red cloud."
"Do you want to leave here? I can help you; we can go take a look at that cloud."
Little Groot glanced at Qin Xiao with some reluctance, then looked back at Old Loki's grave, and nodded firmly.
Knowhere, wilderness, coordinates unknown...
Qin Xiao stood on a small hillside. This side of the sky was normal, unlike the perpetually gray sky of the Knowhere.
In the distance, directly in front of Qin Xiao, a cloud radiating red light filled the entire sky, slowly and spectacularly advancing towards them.
At the edge of the clouds, Alioth conjured ferocious monster heads, symbolizing his primal power to devour all things.
As Alioth drew closer, the illusory head let out a thunderous roar at Qin Xiao.
It seemed that Qin Xiao's behavior of standing alone on the hillside and ignoring it had angered it, and it was now roaring at Qin Xiao.
How could Qin Xiao possibly ignore it? It was necessary to adopt a pretentious stance. In reality, Qin Xiao had no confidence whatsoever in his ability to deal with this cloud that could devour everything.
This was evident from the fact that he chose to come alone from the very first contact, without bringing Little Groot with him.
The only thing that gave him confidence was Old Loki's experience with Alioth; according to him, Alioth couldn't directly devour all the energy in your body.
He used his magically conjured Asgard to entangle with Alioth for a while, buying the pair of lovers Loki, a considerable amount of time.
This very statement gave Qin Xiao the courage to investigate. After all, his speed far surpassed Alioth's; if all else failed, he could simply turn around and run away.
As they spoke, the clouds had already pressed down to within ten meters of Qin Xiao, and the swirling, red-glowing clouds transformed into a giant skull.
It took a big bite out of Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao had already prepared to enter the clouds to investigate, but this seemed more like a charged attack. Qin Xiao subconsciously raised his hand and unleashed a burst of flames towards Alioth.
Qin Xiao regretted it as soon as he made the move. Wasn't he just giving away energy for nothing? He should have just let it devour him.
Regret is regret, but the attack has already been launched, and he doesn't lack that little bit of energy.
Next, just hold back and let the clouds come and see for themselves.
But when the flames and clouds came into contact, the result was completely unexpected for Qin Xiao.
The moment the flames touched the red cloud, it was as if they had come into contact with fuel, like trying to burn a corner of a large wad of cotton with a lighter.
The flames quickly spread backward, and in the time it took Qin Xiao to Kung Fu Hustle, they not only burned the skull but also spread for at least several tens of meters.
Moreover, the flames showed no sign of stopping, spreading wildly backward.
The thunderous sounds within Alioth disappeared, replaced by a dull, low, eerie noise, like a grown man sobbing under the covers.
"Holy crap! I had no idea my flames were this powerful!"
Qin Xiao looked down at his hands and murmured.