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*****
Thor finally seemed to grasp the gravity of Fenyx's words. To him, it felt as though he had only been gone for a brief moment, but he had forgotten that for a human on Earth, that same stretch of time felt like an eternity.
"But..."
Thor still couldn't find the resolve to go back and face Jane.
Seeing this, Fenyx didn't push further. He was no romance expert; after all, he hadn't even had a serious girlfriend of his own yet.
Thor hadn't arrived empty-handed; he had brought several bottles of Asgardian liquor. With good company, strong drinks, and plenty of stories, the usually serene and quiet atmosphere of the Bifrost observatory grew quite rowdy.
The revelry lasted the entire night.
Fenyx had originally brought the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to fulfill his promise to Heimdall, but he ended up spending the night drinking with Thor. When he woke up on the observatory floor the next morning, it took him a moment to realize where he was.
"I'm quitting. I'm definitely quitting drinking," Fenyx muttered as he scrambled up from the floor. He had been in Asgard for weeks now, and while his combat power hadn't seen a massive jump yet, his alcohol tolerance was improving by the day.
"Where's Thor!?"
Stepping outside the observatory, he found Heimdall already at his post, soaking in the morning Asgardian sun alongside the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It occurred to Fenyx that Heimdall hadn't even bothered to find someone to carry him back to his room the previous night.
"He woke early and went back to sleep," Heimdall said without turning around, though the content of his answer nearly made Fenyx's blood boil.
"And he didn't wake me?"
"He tried. You didn't react."
Fenyx was speechless. He wasn't sure what kind of brew Thor had brought last night, but his head was still spinning. He casually summoned a 'Sumire Hara Fried Chicken Roll' to eat. "Want some?" he asked Heimdall.
Heimdall didn't stand on ceremony and nodded.
After summoning a few for the Gatekeeper, Fenyx also took the opportunity to feed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon her breakfast. Since its evolution, the summoning speed for the rolls had reached six per second. Despite the dragon's massive size, Fenyx could fill her mouth in just a few seconds.
Even though it wasn't the first time Heimdall had seen Fenyx summon food with such terrifying efficiency, he still looked on with a hint of amazement.
Once breakfast was finished, Fenyx returned the dragon to her card and bid Heimdall farewell. Though he still owed the Gatekeeper one more day of "dragon-watching," he wasn't leaving Asgard immediately, so there was no rush. Besides, the Asgardian soldiers who had been sent to Vanaheim were starting to return in waves, leaving Heimdall with plenty of work to do.
Back at the palace, Fenyx resumed his routine: either studying in the library or finding someone to spar with to earn a bit of experience. It was a productive existence.
This lifestyle continued for over a week. On the day after completing his final promise to Heimdall, Fenyx decided it was time to move on to the next destination. During this time, he had used the library and Heimdall's knowledge to further research the other realms.
Alfheim was the home of the Light Elves. According to Heimdall, it was a world of magical forests and fertile lands ruled by Queen Elsa. However, the Light Elves were notoriously xenophobic, so Fenyx decided to save that realm for last.
Nidavellir was the realm of the Dwarves—Asgard's close partners and weapon suppliers. Almost all of Asgard's legendary gear was forged there. It was a small, remote world ruled by the Dwarf King. They were friendly and, unlike the Light Elves, very welcoming—provided you could hold your liquor.
Thinking of the Dwarves' massive physical frames and his own recent "vow" to quit drinking, Fenyx moved this location to the bottom of the list.
Svartalfheim was the ancestral home of the Dark Elves. After the wars fought by Odin's father, Bor, the race was near extinction and currently wandered the stars. Until the Reality Stone surfaced, they would remain in a deep slumber. The planet was a desolate wasteland. Fenyx only wanted to go there to leave a teleportation coordinate and perhaps look for traces of the Aether, but it wasn't an urgent priority.
He had actually spent days in the library specifically looking for books on the Dark Elves and the Aether. However, perhaps due to how long ago the events occurred or the high level of secrecy involved, there were almost no records beyond a simple introduction stating the race was extinct.
Helheim was the only place Fenyx truly couldn't visit easily. Though part of the Nine Realms, it was a land of the dead that caused harm to most living beings. Fenyx already had the coordinates for this place—it was the very portal he had accidentally opened before. Since the dimension where Odin imprisoned Hela was derived from the power of Helheim, Fenyx had crossed it off his list for now. He wasn't suicidal enough to go looking for Hela without being fully prepared.
Muspelheim, the Land of Fire, was Surtur's domain. It was filled with Fire Giants and countless Fire Demons. But due to their high fire resistance, Fenyx still didn't make it his first choice.
With Midgard (Earth) being home, that left only Jotunheim.
After weighing his options, Fenyx felt Jotunheim was the safest bet. Laufey was dead, the individual strength of the Frost Giants wasn't overwhelming, and his 'Explosion Magic' would receive a significant damage bonus there.
"You want to go to Jotunheim?"
When Fenyx mentioned the idea to Thor, the God of Thunder was visibly shocked. Due to the previous incidents involving Thor and Loki, the relationship between Asgard and Jotunheim was at an all-time low. If it weren't for the fact that Jotunheim couldn't win, they likely would have declared war long ago.
"What do you want to go there for?"
Thor remembered his past mistakes vividly. If he hadn't gone to Jotunheim to cause a scene, he wouldn't have been exiled, the Bifrost wouldn't have broken, and Loki wouldn't have become who he was today.
"Just for a look," Fenyx said, unable to find a better excuse. "I plan to visit all the realms eventually; it's just a matter of when."
Thor frowned, looking at Fenyx with concern. "But the situation in Jotunheim is quite volatile. If you go now, I fear..."
"It's fine. I'm confident I can protect myself," Fenyx said, patting his chest.
"I'm worried about the Frost Giants!" Thor blurted out. He was well aware of Fenyx's power, especially after seeing the 'Explosion' in Vanaheim. He was genuinely afraid that if the Frost Giants provoked Fenyx, he might accidentally commit genocide.
"Uh..." Fenyx was at a loss for words.
Thor still wasn't comfortable with Fenyx going to Jotunheim alone. After a moment of thought, he suggested, "The new batch of equipment the Dwarves are forging is almost ready. Why don't you accompany me to Nidavellir first?"
(End of Chapter)