Hermes thought he had managed to persuade Loki, or at least establish a silent understanding based on shared interests.
He had painted for Loki a plan to gradually 'catalyze' Ásgarðr towards 'prosperity' through trade, technological exchange, and even provoking minor skirmishes, believing this to be a relatively controllable and subtle method.
He left the secret meeting with Loki, pondering how to use the ship Skíðblaðnir next.
However, he did not know that Loki smiled horribly in the shadows after his departure.
Those emerald-green eyes flashed with a light far madder than Hermes had imagined.
"Exchange? Trade? Peace?" Loki sneered in his heart, the laughter full of contempt for Hermes's 'childish' plans.
"This is too slow, too boring. Like a lukewarm sip of water—how can it ignite the fire that burns everything?"
Hermes had seen the key nodes of the prophecy, but Loki, the god of trickery most closely connected to the Æsir and knowing their weaknesses best, saw an even more brutal shortcut.
Mímir mentioned that Baldr's birth required the Æsir to reach their 'peak' and to pour out 'all blessings'.
What is prosperity? It's not just strength or wealth, but the ultimate embodiment of the continuation and glory of the gods' bloodline.
What are all blessings? It must be, at the most unified and hopeful moment for the gods, the sincere wish for a successor who represents the future and light.
Loki's gaze went beyond Hermes's intricate layout and fell directly on two individuals:
Freyr, the Vanir god of fertility, and Frigg, the Queen of Ásgarðr and guardian of marriage and family.
A thought, capable of instantly shattering all the subtle balances between the two pantheons, grew wildly in his heart.
"Prosperity? What could symbolize the strength of the gods more than abundance? But what if... this 'prosperous' fruit did not come from the God-King?"
Let Frigg and Freyr unite.
The very idea was like the most poisonous honey, making Loki tremble with excitement.
Freyr represents the abundance and life force of Vanaheimr, and Frigg represents the dignity of Ásgarðr.
Abundance can symbolize strength, and the Queen of Heaven blesses the gods.
If an 'accident' happens between them, and Frigg conceives... Why couldn't Baldr be born?
Just think, when the Queen of Heaven shows signs of pregnancy, and all of Ásgarðr is immersed in the joy of a new member of the gods and in anticipation of the future, who wouldn't offer their most sincere blessings?
To save face for Ásgarðr and maintain its 'prosperous' image, Odin would most likely agree, or even publicly acknowledge the child!
The gods would also pour out their blessings upon the unborn 'prince' or 'princess' in that silent atmosphere.
Prosperity? This would become the ultimate symbol of the superficial fusion of the Æsir and Vanir!
Blessings? This would be the most concentrated and distorted blessing the gods would bestow under a huge lie and a potential crisis!
As for whether Baldr is Odin's seed?
Can the Æsir and Vanir completely tear off their masks and start a war ten thousand times more tragic than the previous hostage exchange?
Will the entire world be plunged into chaos and collapse prematurely because of this scandal?
"Hehe..." Loki almost laughed out loud.
Did he care?
No, he didn't care at all.
The glory of Ásgarðr? Odin's dignity? Frigg's reputation? The peace between the Vanir and the Æsir?
They meant nothing to him.
If he wanted to play, he'd play for high stakes, high enough to trample the glory of all Ásgarðr and Odin's dignity underfoot and roll them in the mud!
Frigg... the noble, elegant, and lofty Queen of Heaven, considered the cornerstone of Ásgarðr.
She guards marriage, upholds her family, and is the embodiment of perfection and fidelity in the eyes of the gods.
But as a brother-in-law, Loki knew that no matter how strong a fortress, cracks always remain.
Odin was immersed in the search for wisdom and power all year round, even at the cost of an eye and nine days of hanging. How much warmth and companionship did he have left to give Frigg besides honor?
Had the loneliness in the deep palace already given rise to an imperceptible void in her heart?
And Freyr... the god of abundance, who had just lost his beloved magical sword.
He was young, handsome, symbolized life and vitality, and was in a period of loss and the drive to prove himself.
Did he still retain his initial admiration for Ásgarðr and Odin?
Would the disappointment of losing Tyrfing make him more vulnerable to certain... even more seductive forces drawn to him?
"A lonely queen, a disappointed god of abundance..." Loki's eyes flashed with a malicious light.
"What could be a more ideal match?"
He didn't need to forcibly take; that was too low-level and easily exposed.
He needed to create 'opportunities' so that the seeds of desire would sprout on their own in the right soil and reap the fruits of sin.
He recalled Frigg's most famous treasure—her spinning wheel, capable of transporting people across the Nine Realms in search of secrets.
Perhaps he could create an 'accident' for Frigg, to 'accidentally' meet Freyr, who was wallowing in his depression?
Or use Freyja?
This goddess of love and beauty, Freyr's sister, also possesses the power to influence emotions.
And doesn't she harbor a trace of resentment towards Ásgarðr and Odin's forceful hostage-taking?
Perhaps she could become the matchmaker, 'inadvertently'?
There were many methods; the key was precision and concealment.
He needed to weave an invisible web, so that Frigg and Freyr could step by step enter the trajectory he had set, without even realizing it.
He wanted this union to look like a 'fated agreement', a mistake that occurs 'naturally' under certain pressures and emotions.
When the deed was done, when Frigg was pregnant... This scene, even imagining it, made Loki tremble with excitement.
What would Odin do?
Loki knew his brother; for the 'prosperous' appearance of Ásgarðr, he would most likely grit his teeth, swallow his blood, and publicly acknowledge the child!
With the silent approval of the God-King, the gods would also offer their 'sincere' blessings—for the continuation of the gods and for the false glory!
And all these blessings would be poured into the 'bastard' who carries the blood of the Vanir but bears the name of an Ásgarðr prince!
What a wonderful irony that would be! What a resounding blasphemy!
The 'prosperity' of Ásgarðr would be pushed to its peak in this extreme scandal!
"Hermes, Hermes, you want to accelerate fate?" Loki smiled silently, his figure completely dissolving into the shadows as he began to weave his malicious plan.
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