Jotunheim.
Perennial glaciers cover it, with snowstorms filling the sky.
Where there are people, there are conflicts, and where there are conflicts, there is strife.
King Laufey's dying will gave Rimuru the legitimacy to ascend as King of Jötunheimr.
But the will is dead, and people are alive.
Even though Rimuru doesn't seem to care much about the throne of Jotunheim, there are countless people in Jotunheim who do care about the throne.
At this moment, a large number of bloodline nobles had gathered together.
The leading Frost Giant declared loudly, "We, the people of Jotunheimr, are descendants of the ancestor Giant Ymir, and our bloodline is so noble. How can we allow an outsider who doesn't even have Jotunheimr blood to become our King?"
As soon as these words fell, they immediately gained the approval of countless Giants.
"Well said! Prince Helblindi and Prince Belest are still alive, so how can the crown be allowed to fall into the hands of outsiders?"
"Even Odin, the current Lord of the Nine Realms, has our Jotunheimr blood flowing within him. Submitting to Asgard is not an insult to our ancestor, so what virtue or ability does Rimuru have?"
"Before the King's death, he must have been mentally enchanted by that thief Rimuru!"
Everyone spoke one after another, fully envisioning the glory of Ymir's descendants.
Odin's mother, Bestla, was a legitimate Jotunheimr Giantess.
Bestla's father, Borr, was a son of Ymir; strictly speaking, Odin was Ymir's great-grandson.
Recalling the glorious years of the past, the ancestors of Jotunheim were not only prosperous, but exceedingly so.
The Jotunheimr people's attitude toward Rimuru was essentially—are you even worthy of the surname Zhao?
But after all the shouting, it still came down to one core issue.
"Rimuru Tempest is too powerful. In the battle in Asgard, she transformed into a three-hundred-meter-tall Fire Giant Surtur and even defeated King Laufey, who wielded the Casket of Ancient Winters. All of us combined are not her match!"
"Moreover, she has the legal right to ascend to the throne. What can we do about her?"
Yes?
What can we do about her?
The bloodline nobles among the Frost Giants, Mountain Giants, Wind Giants, and Ice Giants all fell silent.
Rimuru was too strong!
Didn't they see that the two princes didn't even dare show their faces?
This gathering might very well have been orchestrated by the two princes from behind the scenes, but not a single one of them dared to appear directly.
Everyone sadly realized that even if they were a million times unwilling, Rimuru's ascension to the throne seemed to be an unstoppable, overwhelming trend.
It wasn't that they didn't want to scheme, but any scheme was useless in the face of absolute strength.
After enduring numerous trials and tribulations, Loki—having deceived one guard after another—finally managed to infiltrate this extremely secret prison.
Rather than a prison, it was more like a specially and meticulously crafted Underground City.
Every brick and stone of the Underground City was made of special materials, completely isolated from the outside world, to the point that even mental power could not penetrate it.
It was hard to imagine how the being imprisoned here managed to send its mental power outward, guiding him step by step to this place.
After a brief conversation, Loki's mind was in turmoil.
Even as the God of Mischief, he still felt his worldview had been overturned.
"Child, although you have the appearance of an Asgardian, I can feel my blood flowing within you. As long as you are willing to release me, I will support you as the King of Jötunheimr!"
Seeing the enormous being bound by thousands of god-binding chains, Loki was horrified, his eyes flickering nonstop.
He never expected that King Laufey, his cheap father, would commit such a cruel and bloody act.
Loki couldn't help but confirm again, "Are you truly the ancestor Giant Ymir?"
Ymir smiled sadly. "That's right. I am the ancestor in the hearts of all Jotunheimr people, the ancestor Giant who embodies a myriad of glories!"
The ancestor Giant Ymir was an absolute legend in the Nine Realms.
Through generations of intermarriage, the Aesir, Vanir, and the Giants of Jotunheimr all had His blood flowing within them.
In a sense, the Nine Realms' mutual conquests were similar to medieval Europe—internal wars between relatives.
Loki couldn't help but ask, "If you are the ancestor Giant, then how could you…"
Unlike the muscular Thor, Loki was well-read and had learned from fragmented ancient texts about the distinction between New Gods and Old Gods.
Both the Aesir and the Vanir could only be considered New Gods.
And before the New Gods, there were even more powerful Old Gods—but the Old Gods slaughtered each other and gradually fell.
Eventually, only the Earth Goddess Gaea, the God of Dark Magic Chthon, the Serpent God Set, and the God of White Magic Oshtur remained.
All remaining Old Gods were killed by the God-Eater Atum; the God-Eater then became the Devourer, and later turned dark, ultimately being defeated and killed by his own mother Gaea and Gaea's father.
The first-generation God Kings of various pantheons were basically born from the corpse of the Devourer, inheriting at least some of the Devourer's evil attributes.
Therefore, most first-generation God Kings were very bloody and violent!
And the ancestor Giant Ymir was an existence even older than Buri, the first-generation God King of Asgard.
He was one of the earliest born New Gods, inheriting almost all of the Devourer's evil.
Ymir smiled bitterly. "The most painful knife often comes from behind. That wicked Laufey…"
As Ymir explained, Loki slowly understood everything.
The birth rate of the Giant race was too low, even lower than that of Asgardians—and not only that, their growth cycle was extraordinarily long.
This obviously couldn't satisfy Laufey's ambition to conquer the Nine Realms. In order to obtain more warriors, Laufey ambushed Ymir, imprisoned Him here, and for years harvested His body, using it to forge Frost Giant warriors.
He had been harvested for thousands of years!
"Good child, I am tired. I no longer want to concern myself with the troubles of Jotunheim. As long as you release me, I will support you as the new King of Jotunheim. I am the ancestor Giant—my legitimacy and prestige will help you. This is far better than striving for a throne in Asgard that you will never obtain!"
Loki swallowed, his eyes flickering with light as he weighed the pros and cons.
Loki seemed to have made up his mind but still hesitated. "Laufey has the Casket of Ancient Winters. In Jotunheim, no one is his match!"
The ancestor Giant Ymir said sadly, "The Casket of Ancient Winters is essentially concentrated ice essence, and it has another name—the Casket of Ancient Winters. Since it is a casket, what do you think is buried inside?"
Loki was astonished. "Buried inside the Casket of Ancient Winters is your…"
Since Ymir could be imprisoned and harvested here, it was natural that Ymir's remains could be buried within the Casket of Ancient Winters.
Ymir said faintly, "In the Universe, except for a few ultimate treasures, most are forged later. The Casket of Ancient Winters is no exception."
"Child, your worries are resolved. Can you help me escape now?"
Loki suddenly smiled wickedly. "My Lord Ancestor Giant, thank you for your protection and your story. This junior will take his leave now!"
Ymir: "???"
Loki: "Because of intermarriage, your blood certainly flows within the Vanir and Aesir, but every God race will inevitably become enemies of the Giant race. Why? Because your blood is inherently a sin!"
Ymir was furious. "Wicked creature, you are a Frost Giant, not an Asgardian!"
Terrifying divine power surged forth, but Loki's shadow suddenly became ethereal and vanished.
The one who had been speaking to the ancestor Giant for so long was merely Loki's ethereal clone, nothing more!
"Wicked creature! Oh, wicked creature!"
Ymir roared, his voice filled with endless sorrow.
Outside the door—
Loki was silent, but ultimately chose to leave.
The throne of Jotunheim was good, but it was not suitable for him.
A throne not won from Thor's hands—even if he were crowned King—would hold no meaning.
Moreover, he dared not trust Ymir's promise!
How could the ancestor Giant be a benevolent being?
Mythological legends are not just legends; the ancestor Ymir was truly synonymous with brutality.
If he had been imprisoned and harvested, once freed, he would definitely seek revenge.
Putting himself in Ymir's shoes, Loki did not believe that the brutal Ymir would suddenly change his ways after escaping.
...
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