Su Ming signaled for the Celestial Horse to follow; he no longer needed to ride, as moving alone was more flexible.
Warnerheim now felt truly empty; on one hand, the land was vast and sparsely populated, and on the other, most people were currently taking refuge in Asgard.
He took a liking to the geographical location here. In a physical sense, it's the closest planet to Asgard, and the mystical links between the Nine Realms also make it closely connected to Earth.
Being close to Asgard means it's not far from the capital Nova of the Sandaar Empire, the Collector's 'Land of Nothingness,' and the Cosmos' largest red-light district—the Ice and Snow Planet Contraxia.
Su Ming's plan was to set up a branch here.
Transnational trade on Earth could only yield money, and the US Dollar was not universally accepted in the Cosmos. The baseline equivalent in the Cosmos was energy, which could be obtained from Warnerheim and Asgard.
Their resources and technology are interconnected; although this place seems rural, it's merely their lifestyle habits that appear primitive. Their technological level is much higher than Earth's.
Although Asgard is more prosperous than Warnerheim and seems better for business, as a large tree attracts the wind, Odin and Loki are formidable figures, and the Immortal Palace is highly exclusive, limiting personnel mobility.
Gullveig is different. She is the eternal and undying ruler, and with the government's help, commercial activities become much easier.
The true aim for advocating equality and autonomy for the Vanir Race lies here. Once Warnerheim can make autonomous decisions, no one can hinder Su Ming's space activities.
He planned to absorb some Asgardian technology and knowledge here, allowing the Adjutant and Cybertron technology to merge a bit, constructing a star port, and then building extensively on the synchronous orbital space station here.
To build ships, one must build extensively. Small ships are uninteresting, while giant warships need to be built in a zero-gravity environment to escape the planet's gravity, which is space shipbuilding technology.
Of course, this is a compromise for early space exploration, suitable for when technological levels are not high.
On Thanos's home planet, Titan, anti-gravity technology is highly developed. They can construct massive warships on the ground and launch them out of the planet.
With a star port, trade and shipbuilding can be completed, and an eye can be set in the Cosmos to collect intelligence. After helping Odin handle the Great Serpent, the materials for building space stations and ships can be obtained from him.
Zhongci Academy is effectively a fleet academy. Besides Natasha and the already trained little spies, the orphans added later are mainly used to expand cosmic forces.
With no parents, absolute loyalty, they are the perfect candidates for space missions.
Building an orbital space station on Earth is too conspicuous, and there would be too much trouble in the future, so it's better to do it in Warnerheim. Connecting Earth and here through the World Tree, Odin's name can provide shelter for decades, considering the Nine Realms.
Even during the Twilight of the Gods, only Asgard would be destroyed.
Su Ming already considered Warnerheim a part of his domain. The more Gullveig trusted him, the higher his influence here would be, even gaining many privileges.
He's not a Demon; this isn't exploitative development. Su Ming would even bring Earth's specialties to the Vanir Race, such as spicy strips, hot pot, stockings, cosmetics, and more.
Both Divine Races enjoy drinking, but just drinking isn't fun; wouldn't they want to eat something?
Exchanging daily necessities for magic props and high-tech products would be a win-win.
Just now, he unhesitatingly used his lifespan at the cost of preserving Warnerheim and fought bravely with Surtur. Hamdar probably saw it, and later, he should signal him to spread the word...
The main point is to let Gullveig and Frigga, the two Vanir goddesses, hear about it. They know the current Odin is fake, but wouldn't they be very moved by an outsider working so diligently?
Efforts shouldn't be in vain. Although rescuing Gin at the Immortal Palace was the reason, since they're here and there's a chance, why not make the most of it?
The plan slightly altered; originally, Su Ming's preferred place was indeed the planet Contraxia.
Within the star system where Contraxia was located, the fixed star was nearing death; planetary rotations were decelerating, making the cosmic environment simpler, and nearly all life had abandoned it.
But in a decade or so, Jack of Hearts would save that planet. The expanding fixed star at life's end was relocated, replaced with a primordial fixed star from an uninhabited star system, preserving the star system.
Then the snow-covered Contraxia welcomed immigrants, heavily developing tourism. The entire planet became filled with bars and brothels, turning it into a place known for the most well-informed news in the Cosmos.
Cosmic Mercenaries and raiders frequently visited there, with Star-Lord's adoptive father Yondu especially enjoying the robotic prostitutes.
As a Mercenary, Deathstroke knew how to interact with other mercenaries and enjoyed lively areas.
Even though the person who fought alongside him in the last mission might be on the opposing side next time, that's typical for mercenaries.
Many would die, but there were always newcomers. In their downtime, if they had money in hand, they were willing to spend and dared to talk about any topic.
...........
"Arrived, Nuotong, City of Long Ships."
Here was the capital of Warnerheim. Looking down from the clouds, you could see the giant white city built along the coastline.
The city resembled a longship in shape, and its fishing industry was very developed, the harbor densely packed with various small boats, thus its name.
Unlike the style of the Immortal Palace, the Vanir Race liked to integrate with nature, with tall trees standing around the buildings.
These trees looked somewhat like Earth's palm trees but much taller, with smooth trunks topped with fluffy leaves, resembling big green umbrellas.
Most buildings here were square and rarely tower-shaped, with sheets of white buildings rising and falling like sails in the azure waves.
"I can't even recall when I last came here."
Gin sighed, shaking her head slightly as she gazed at the scenery below.
Her time on Earth wasn't actually longer than her time in Asgard, but returning here felt utterly unfamiliar to her.
Speaking wasn't convenient just now, so Su Ming merely nodded to show he understood.
If she liked it here, asking Gullveig for a vacation villa wouldn't be difficult. However, the journey had already been unexpectedly delayed, so finding Zemo was more important.
"Do you know where the craftsman district is? I can hardly tell the purpose of buildings from their architecture." Monac sensed Su Ming's intention, asking the inconvenient question for him.
Gin exhaled, restoring her shrewd and capable demeanor. She pressed one side of the Celestial Horse's ear, scrutinizing the scene below.
"Over there, can you see those colorful canopies? That's the market area, where the craftsmen are most concentrated."
Su Ming squinted and indeed saw some edges of colorful fabrics amongst the green foliage, though no figures were visible in the city.
He gripped the Godslayer, which had transformed into the Eternal Spear: "Let's go down."