Thor casually turned off the tablet, the screen went dark, and the only sound in the room was the crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace.
He tossed the tablet back to Anna, his gaze sweeping over the girls' faces before finally settling on the small screen.
"Who gave you this thing?" he asked. " Stark's internal livestreams aren't something just anyone can watch."
The girls exchanged glances, and finally Li Qianhuan answered quickly, " Valeria gave them to us! She said Mr. Stark is planning something big and wants us to watch the show!"
Thor's expression turned somewhat strange.
Valeria...
When did this little rascal develop a hobby of peeping?
Moreover, it was happening in the Knowhere, spying on events in the Prime Universe across countless dimensions.
What is she trying to do? It's not like she doesn't have her own teleportation portal; if she wants to watch the show, she can just go directly there. Why does she have to make it so mysterious?
Thor shook his head, too lazy to guess what the little girl was thinking. He looked at Li Qianhuan and the others, changing the subject. "Is this your first time here?"
"No," Li Qianhuan immediately shook her head, like a rattle-drum, "Sister Betsy has brought us here several times, when you weren't here."
Thor's puzzled gaze turned to the long, dark purple-haired woman beside him who hadn't said much.
Betsy met his gaze, her expression as aloof as ever, and simply explained, "They're quite attached to me. I stay here most of the time, so I brought them along."
Her tone was as natural as if she were saying, "The weather is nice today."
Thor understood. So, his little cabin had practically become a branch of the X-Men's girls' dormitory while he was away.
He looked out the window; it was completely dark.
"Alright, alright," Thor waved his hand, shooing everyone away, "It's getting dark, everyone go home and find your mothers. Don't stand around here."
The girls were all shrewd; they immediately understood the meaning behind Thor's words.
Li Qianhuan winked and smiled at Betsy, while Kitty and Anna pulled Illyana was still somewhat reluctant to leave, to their feet, ready to say goodbye.
They knew very well that being a third wheel for too long would make them unpopular.
"Then we're off, Thor! Sister Betsy!" Li Qianhuan waved with a grin.
Just as they reached the door and were about to leave, Thor's gaze fell on Alison Blair at the very back.
" Alison," he called out to her, "Are you settling in well here?"
Alison Blair, codenamed "Dazzler," is a Mutants from a post-apocalyptic Zombie Universe.
Thor was deeply impressed by her, not only because of her extraordinary ability to convert sound into light and energy, but also because of her unwavering dedication to music, which remained even after all the glamour had faded.
The blonde woman in the white bodysuit turned around at the sound, but before she could answer, Li Qianhuan, like a little assistant eager for praise, blurted out:
"Habit? It's more than just a habit! Alison is the hottest singer in Frost City right now, bar none! Every time she holds a concert, tickets are in high demand! Even Domino can't always get front-row tickets!"
Thor's gaze fell on Alison again, with a hint of scrutiny.
This guy...
He sighed inwardly.
Her mutant abilities are indeed abnormal, capable of directly affecting the physical realm, but Thor knows even better that what drives millions of Mutants mad is far more than just superpowers.
It is her professional competence, her understanding and love for music that have reached a top level.
If it weren't for the extreme rejection and discrimination against Mutants in her original world, she would probably have become a top superstar in that world long ago, instead of being forced to become a warrior struggling to survive in the apocalypse.
Thor remembered that when he first established Frost City, he only gathered around ten thousand displaced and unfortunate people.
Later, it was Magneto, that old guy, who packed up all three million surviving Mutants from his Genosha country and sent them over, which brought the population to its current size of nearly four million.
To stand out from four million people and become the most dazzling star is itself a testament to one's abilities.
Thor reached out and gently patted Alison on the shoulder.
"That's really impressive," he exclaimed sincerely. "If I had the time, I'd definitely go to your concert."
A glint flashed in Alison's eyes, and she nodded solemnly. "You're welcome anytime."
After the chattering girls left, the cabin finally quieted down.
The fire in the fireplace burned quietly, illuminating Betsy's sharply defined profile. She didn't speak, but simply walked to the window and looked at the clean night outside.
Thor walked up behind her and took a deep breath of the air, which carried her faint fragrance.
" Betsy," he said, his tone becoming somewhat serious.
"I have a huge business deal that concerns the life and death of humanity... no, it concerns the survival of all species in the universe, and I want to talk to you about it."
However, before he could finish speaking, Betsy turned around.
She just watched him quietly, her purple eyes, illuminated by the firelight, like two bottomless lakes.
" Thor," she interrupted him, her voice cool yet carrying a barely perceptible undertone, "How much longer are you going to stay here?"
"Huh?" Thor was taken aback, not expecting her to ask that. "A few days... it should be about that, right? What's wrong?"
Upon hearing this answer, a faint yet incredibly moving smile suddenly bloomed on Betsy's perpetually icy face.
"I also have a business deal to discuss with you."
She took a step forward, and the distance between them instantly closed to the point where they could hear each other's breaths.
"Imported seafood, or exported seafood?" Her voice was low, with a strange huskiness and allure, "Which do you... prefer?"
"..."
Thor's brain has crashed.
He froze on the spot, his eyes wide open like saucers.
Imported seafood?
Exporting... seafood?
What... what kind of outrageous and inappropriate language is this?!
He was completely stunned.
No way, you, Betsy Braddock with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, a cold and straightforward psionic assassin who never beats around the bush, when did you start making such risqué jokes?!
This character design doesn't make sense!
However, the next second, all his thoughts were blocked.
Soft lips, slightly cool, sealed his mouth precisely.
Betsy stood on tiptoe, hooked one arm around his neck, and placed the other hand on his chest, pushing him backward without any room for argument.
Thor felt a sudden dizziness, lost his balance, and fell heavily backward.