Hela's gaze almost burned through Thor's back, and the sour smell of embarrassment and jealousy in the air was so thick it was almost palpable.
However, Thor, at the eye of the storm, was completely unaware of this.
Or rather, he simply couldn't be bothered to pay attention.
Holding this sweet and soft little one in his arms, he felt like he was soaking in honey all day.
The northern part of Frost City is the Eco-District, a miraculous land created by Valeria herself.
Thor carried Rachel and explored almost the entire place.
At the ice sculpture park, little Rachel saw the crystal-clear and lifelike ice sculptures for the first time. Her mouth opened into an "O" shape, and she stretched out her chubby little hand to carefully poke the wings of the ice phoenix. Then she quickly withdrew her hand, feeling the coolness on her fingertips, and giggled.
At Ocean Park, beneath the enormous glass dome, schools of colorful fish and bizarrely shaped marine creatures swim overhead.
The little guy clapped his hands excitedly, his spiritual energy unconsciously radiating outwards, attracting a group of glowing jellyfish to dance around them.
When they arrived at Jurassic Park, most children would have been terrified and cried at the sight of those enormous Tyrannosaurus Rex and Brachiosaurus whose roars could shake the ground.
But Rachel wasn't afraid at all. She even pointed at a Triceratops munching on ferns and called out in a childish voice, "Dragon! Home!"
She was clearly thinking of the miniature pet she had heartlessly abandoned in the square.
Finally, in the singing flower field of the botanical garden, the little one, who had been playing all day, couldn't take it anymore. She nestled on Thor's broad shoulders, sucking her fingers, and fell into a deep sleep.
Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Thor's heart melted completely.
He carefully adjusted his position to make the little one more comfortable.
He extended a finger, and a soft golden light swirled around its tip.
As light swirled and laws intertwined, a small, exquisite pendant, smooth and warm to the touch like jade, slowly took shape at his fingertips.
The entire pendant is composed of the purest life energy, without any hard edges or corners, and has a soft, smooth texture, like a piece of candy.
Its function is simple: to help the wearer manage and control their overflowing spiritual energy to the greatest extent possible.
For Rachel, who is currently unable to control her abilities, this is undoubtedly the best gift.
He gently hung the pendant around the little guy's neck.
Perhaps sensing that warm and comforting energy, Rachel smacked her lips in her sleep, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
When Scott and Jean arrived, this was the heartwarming scene they found.
"She... is asleep." Qin's voice was very low, afraid of waking her daughter.
"I'm tired of playing." Thor smiled and carefully placed Rachel into Jean's arms.
The little one seemed to sense something, snuggled against his mother, and groggily opened his eyes, immediately spotting Thor.
She immediately reached out her little hand, muttering, "Xiangxiang... hug..."
Thor leaned in, and little Rachel unceremoniously planted several wet drool marks on his face before finally being held contentedly in Jean's arms, waving her little hand at Thor.
"Delicious... so... good..." The mumbled words left Scott and Jean both shocked and helpless.
Their daughter seemed closer to this city lord than to them.
Thor's smile slowly faded as he watched the family of three disappear into the crowd.
"Do you like children, Thor?"
A cold, clear voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
Thor didn't even turn his head; he was long used to Betsy's silent entrance. "Not really."
He shook his head, his tone returning to its usual calm, "Some kids are quite likable, some are quite annoying; it depends on the type of kid."
Betsy's figure materialized around him, her long, deep purple hair swaying in the breeze.
"Oh, by the way," she cut to the chase, "That chubby version of you from Universe 199999 came by once. He said his mother wanted to see Classic Loki, and you too."
She paused for a moment, then added, "I'm asking when you'd have time to go to Asgard."
Thor then remembered that Classic Loki, ever since he said he was going to the multiverse to save Asgard from the brink of destruction, had completely disappeared, and no one knew where he had gone off to have some fun.
"I understand," Thor replied casually. "I'll go see him once I find him."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and turned to Betsy, asking, "Have you seen a girl recently... with skin as white as Deadman, who likes to dress in gothic style?"
Betsy tilted her head and thought for a moment, a hint of doubt flashing in her sharp eyes. "Is it the woman who was following you the whole time?"
"Yes." Thor nodded.
Betsy shook her head decisively. "I didn't see it."
Thor muttered to himself.
This Miss Death has vanished into thin air since arriving in Frost City; who knows what she's up to.
He suppressed his thoughts and asked again, "What about that brat Valeria? Has she been researching anything dangerous lately?"
Betsy's expression subtly changed when Valeria was mentioned.
"No. She's probably genuinely afraid you'll cut off her research again. She's been quite well-behaved for the past six months and hasn't done anything out of line."
She added, "And that Kryptonian Kara you brought back has been watching over her in the lab."
"That's good." Thor was relieved.
Since we're going to Asgard, let's find Classic Loki first.
He raised his hand, and space began to distort before him, tearing open a portal to an unknown universe.
However, just as he was about to step into the spatial barrier, a soft, weightless voice rang in his heart.
"My personal advice is that you'd better not go, Thor."
Thor abruptly stopped, slowly turning around to look at the void beside him.
The space rippled like water, and a figure emerged from it.
Dressed in classic gothic attire, with skin so pale it was almost transparent, and the signature teardrop lines under his eyes, he was none other than Death, who had vanished long ago.
Thor frowned. He could sense that something was wrong with Death. Although her aura was still ethereal, it contained a hint of solemnity he had never felt before.
"What's wrong?" Thor asked in a deep voice, "Is the other universe very strong?"
That was the only explanation he could think of.
For death to personally intervene, the strength of the opposing universe must be extraordinary.
Death looked at him and gently shook her head. Her voice was still gentle, but the content made Thor's heart sink.
"The person you're looking for is in that universe," she said, carefully choosing her words, as if searching for the most fitting metaphor.
"It's equivalent to... a relatively large ant."
"What?"
Thor's pupils contracted in an instant.
What level of power does the Classic Loki possess?
The number one mage in the Nine Realms, having lived for thousands of years, has steadily reached the Universe Level.
In a certain universe, an existence of this caliber is merely considered a "relatively large ant"?
What the hell is this universe?
"Could he have gone to the Prime Universe?!" Thor's mind flashed with the most outrageous, yet most likely, guess.
Only in places where narrative and authorial giants abound can a Universe Level being be called an "ant."
But death shook its head again.
"No."
She looked at Thor's face, which was filled with surprise and doubt, and for the first time, a complex and inscrutable emotion appeared in his obsidian eyes, like pity, or perhaps some kind of premonition.
"You're probably quite familiar with everything that happened in that universe."
Thor was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Death offered no direct answer; her gaze seemed to pierce through endless time and space, landing on a world being swallowed by darkness and despair.
She spoke slowly, her voice as soft as a sigh.
"It was a universe filled with despair; in your words, it was a Zombie Universe."