Facing the expressionless Immortal Palace Lion, Deathstroke merely patted him on the shoulder, estimating that he'd only be busy for this period of time.
Once this wave of Hydra's counterattack is settled, there shouldn't be much happening for a long time.
You could say Odin is truly stingy, using just a bit of the World Tree's energy, it's as if he ate up all his family's rice. That tree is like a Demon God there, the energy comes from photosynthesis, what's the point of saving it?
But that's just as well, Odin and Heimdall think Deathstroke is interested in the Rainbow Bridge's teleportation abilities.
But in fact, if you want to teleport, the Supreme Mage has plenty of ways, like teaming up with a Mage, or borrowing a path from Secret Guest's Hell Border, or even flying on his own is fine.
He's mainly interested in Heimdall's surveillance capability, those eyes that can see across the Nine Realms, and Odin's elusive two crows, which are indeed great tools for monitoring.
Deathstroke holds an 'Eye of Ra', but ever since Strangulation replaced the Armor, this device hasn't been used. He considered integrating it into the Earth 40K protection array to achieve global monitoring.
The idea is good, and there's no problem logically, but the key is that Kama Taiji's current people lack the ability, neither Monac nor Hamill can do it, and The Ancient One didn't teach them the Earth Protection Array's principles.
And now, having learned that the Master of Mischief is Merlin, this divine artifact from the DC Universe is even more untouchable.
Previously, Merlin had shown special interest in Deathstroke's Nightfall Greatsword; it seems N Metal is quite attractive to him. You can't blame Deathstroke for being petty, but facing the potential existence of the Otherworld Merlyn, it's necessary to be cautious, and do so discreetly.
This issue ultimately requires finding The Ancient One to solve it, but she claimed to seek trouble with Kalu, yet there's no news from other dimensions; where could she have gone?
If all else fails, why not consult with Elminster? The Great Sage of Shadow Valley, backed by Mistral, should have no problem identifying a divine artifact.
And with Merlin's existence, each world's Merlin seems like a terminal under the Hive's will, so this situation requires consulting a Mage of a high enough level for answers, or perhaps the Inverted Man might understand such an existence?
Moreover, these two targets are easy to find, unlike The Ancient One, whose whereabouts are unknown even to her own world's people.
"Where to?"
Heimdall powerlessly leaned on his Treasure Sword, inserted in the control pedestal, his face even paler against the golden, splendid walls of the Observatory around him.
"Oh, help me find where the traitor Jibo of Kama Taiji is, and teleport us three and this horse to them smoothly without bumps, thank you," Deathstroke thanked politely.
"..."
Heimdall unemotionally pulled the lever of the Giant Sword in his hand, watching as Deathstroke and his group disappeared before him, he dejectedly withdrew his weapon, sitting on the steps of the Observatory.
Removing his bull-like horned helmet, he vigorously rubbed his face.
The dark and deep starry sea beyond the Observatory seemed to mirror his current mood—under Odin's indulgence, Deathstroke appeared more and more frequently in the Immortal Palace.
"Heimdall!"
Before he could catch his breath and lament the difficulty of his work, the empty-headed prince called for him again.
Heimdall focused his gaze and saw Thor taking Loki and the Three Warriors shopping in Warnerheim, with his silly sister Sif tagging along as well.
Now, each of them carried a large haul of fast food, waiting happily for Heimdall's assistance.
Thor carried dozens of hamburgers, Loki held a plastic bag of hot dogs, the other Three Warriors clutched various bottles of alcohol, and even Sif held a big watermelon.
Seeing the black-and-yellow half W logo on those bags made Heimdall feel piqued.
How could he not know that this was Deathstroke and Gullveig's reform product in Warnerheim? Some authorized franchise store, industrial assembly line modification, agricultural product industrialization and scaling—what are those things?
But there's nothing he can do about it; young people just like that stuff, knowing well that a hamburger is just a chicken leg battered with some powder, fried in oil, and sandwiched with lettuce and bread, yet Thor keeps taking people to Warnerheim to eat.
Thor has changed, and Heimdall cannot decide if it's for the foolish or the better.
Last time after getting out of confinement, he heard his mother say that in Warnerheim, Aunt Gullveig's territory, appeared new and curious foods called hamburgers, instant noodles, and so on, along with beverages like 'Feed Dead Chicken' and 'White Blue', and he immediately wanted to taste them.
The food was delicious, the drinks were tasty, but because he couldn't pay the bill and even broke a glass, he ended up creating a scene at Gullveig's place.
No one knew what his aunt told him, but after coming out of Gullveig's palace, Thor kept muttering about things like 'fair trade', 'negotiation', 'mutual consent', and other unfamiliar terms.
Exactly what was said, Thor's brain couldn't recall, he only remembered his little aunt reclined on the throne eating grapes and spitting the skin, watching a drama on a black box, and nonchalantly saying:
"You've grown up, relying on your father Odin to support you, just settle down a bit and let him sleep well."
There's no circulating currency in Asgard; food, clothing, housing, and transportation are all on Odin's tab, everyone essentially relies on Odin for sustenance, resources, and work are uniformly distributed.
After all, from the time of the Aesir Race's tribal system, keeping everyone fed was the chieftain's responsibility; each Divine King has been a practitioner of this theory, and governance authority stems from this.
Meanwhile, in the reformed Warnerheim, food and various supplies must be exchanged for other items, aiming for an economic system separate from Asgard, implementing a new set of rules.
You can't really say which is better, but the fresh, fun, delicious, and tasty things can only be found in Warnerheim.
So Thor became a hunter, every day either hunting across realms or indulging in Warnerheim.
After that, in Thor's view, even if the Golden Palace's chefs could make hamburgers, it wouldn't mean the same.
The food obtained in exchange for hunted prey is his own labor's reward, fair trade tastes better; he doesn't want to eat Odin's food.
Just as Odin feeds all Asgardians, Thor also wants to prove he can feed his own companions and brother through hunting and combat, he finds this meaningful.
As long as he can feed enough people, it proves he's qualified to inherit Asgard, doesn't it? Isn't this a demonstration of a chieftain's abilities? Odin loves to sleep, let him sleep all he wants, overseeing Asgard is in capable hands.
Odin naturally noticed this situation, but for some reason, he didn't stop it, letting Thor run wild; maybe he thinks it's better for Thor to be a hunter than to constantly cause trouble?
Loki naturally knew this behavior wouldn't earn Thor any favor, so he was even happier to have his foolish brother waste time, plus he got to enjoy free food, with no need for him to hunt or trade; mocking Thor made it all the better.
The Three Warriors went without saying; where Thor went, they went, whatever the prince said to do, they would do, it was that simple.
As for Sif, she needed to guard Frigga, so she didn't have much free time; naturally, she followed around to spend time with Thor.
Thor didn't know the details, but Heimdall, who could see the Nine Realms, did see it—a beautiful pure white coat of wolf fur exchanged for a hamburger?
Not just a bit too much...
But the profit from these transactions is split between Warnerheim and Deathstroke, with Odin, Frigga, and Thor himself having no objections; he, just a gatekeeper, knows something's a little off but can't articulate it.
For some reason, he feels like he's in a bustling market, yet extraordinarily lonely.
If Deathstroke, who left a few minutes ago, knew about Heimdall's thoughts, he would surely paint a masterpiece caligraphy piece for him on the spot, writing four words—'Rarely Clueless'.
Does it seem like Odin is at a loss?
Not really, because Deathstroke sold information on the Tenth Realm to him; what he needs now is to unite any forces he can, preparing for the Great Serpent, Tenth Realm War, Twilight of the Gods, and a series of other issues.
He's not worried about Thor suffering in Warnerheim but concerned that Gullveig would still harbor old hatred and not give Thor a chance to suffer, as that would be the biggest hidden danger.
The last time Warnerheim attacked Asgard, though both leaders found excuses to gloss over it afterward, Odin and Gullveig knew exactly where the issue lay.
The hatred born of inequality must be eradicated.
Now like this should be enough, it seems Asgard is suffering a loss, Odin himself is at a loss, even the eldest son Thor, the future Divine King, is sent to suffer in Warnerheim, this should be enough sincerity, right?
Only with peaceful coexistence and the two divine races standing from the same perspective can Warnerheim continually draw benefits from Asgard's losses, this is Odin's way of control.
With Gullveig's attention now focused on developing the economy, and Thor's activities in Warnerheim not much different from before, it indicates that the kinship ties between the two divine races are still effective, so the future remains in Odin's hands.