The light of the Bifrost Bridge enveloped Lin Huai, Thor, and their party. The sensation was unlike any mode of transportation on Earth.
Their entire bodies were disassembled into countless points of light, hurtling at high speed through a turbulent tunnel composed of a seven-colored luminous stream. The concepts of time and space became blurred and indistinct.
Within the span of a few breaths, the solid sensation of ground beneath their feet returned.
As the seven-colored stream faded, a circular observatory forged from pure gold, its dome engraved with complex star charts, appeared beneath them. A Guardian clad in heavy golden armor, holding a great sword, stood silently before the control console. He was the Guardian of the Bifrost Bridge, Heimdall.
"Welcome back, Your Highness," Heimdall's voice was deep and resonant like a great bell. His gaze lingered briefly on Thor before shifting to Lin Huai. In those golden eyes capable of seeing through all things in the Nine Realms, scrutiny and curiosity were evident.
Thor did not respond immediately. He rushed out of the observatory and stood upon the long rainbow bridge connecting to the endless Universe, gazing at the distant golden divine kingdom shining brilliantly above the clouds—Asgard.
It was the familiar sight: the spires of the Heavenly Palace piercing the clouds, the Valkyries' flying steeds tracing elegant arcs in the sky. He was back.
"Father... Loki!" The excitement on Thor's face was swiftly replaced by the fury of vengeance. Gripping his war hammer, he turned to charge toward the Golden Palace.
But an elegant figure had long been waiting at the other end of the Bifrost Bridge.
"Welcome home, brother," Loki was still clad in opulent attire, a playful smile on his face. Yet, deep within his eyes lay a profound jealousy.
"Loki!" Thor roared, electricity crackling around him. "Where is Father?! What have you done to him?!"
"What have I done to him?" Loki spread his hands exaggeratedly, as if hearing the funniest joke. "I merely made him see that the eldest son he placed such high hopes in is nothing but a brute who thinks only with his hammer! And I am the one who can rule the Nine Realms with wisdom!"
Before his words faded, with a wave of his scepter, dozens of identical Loki phantoms appeared on the Bifrost Bridge, surrounding Thor from all sides.
"Your little tricks are useless against me now!" Thor spun mjolnir rapidly before him, creating a barrier of lightning that instantly shattered all the phantoms.
"Is that so?"
The real Loki had somehow appeared behind Thor, a dagger gleaming coldly in his hand, aimed straight at Thor's back.
But this time, Thor did not turn around. He flung mjolnir backward with a backhand motion. The hammer struck Loki's chest with pinpoint accuracy, sending him flying backward!
The two began battling fiercely on the Bifrost Bridge. Loki's illusions were endless, his various underhanded spells cunning and vicious. Thor, however, was much steadier. He no longer fruitlessly chased phantoms but instead, relying on his mental connection with mjolnir, accurately located Loki's true form time and again, crushing him with pure power.
Sif and The Warriors Three, standing nearby, wanted to step in to help but were stopped by Lin Huai raising his hand.
"Let them settle it themselves."
Lin Huai simply crossed his arms, watching the Asgardian family drama unfold with leisurely composure. He had no intention of intervening. Instead, he looked up with great interest at an empty spot above the observatory and casually remarked, as if chatting:
"Are you just going to keep watching like this? Honestly, your parenting is terrible. All three of your children have various issues, comparable to a certain yellow-skinned, big-horned rat."
The atmosphere in the air momentarily congealed.
Before long, the battle on the field reached its conclusion. Thor seized an opening and pinned Loki firmly to the ground with his hammer, rendering him immobile.
"Why?!" Loki, pinned down with his cheek pressed against the bridge, still twisted his head defiantly. He wasn't shouting at Thor but at the observing Lin Huai. "Why does everyone help him?! Just because he is Thor? Odin's true son?!"
Lin Huai slowly walked over, staring down at Loki for a long time, making Loki feel deeply unsettled.
"How do you know Odin doesn't care about you?" Lin Huai crouched down, countering. "You know nothing, blindly wallowing in self-pity like a child throwing a tantrum on the ground for not getting candy. Do you know what makes a suitable king? You only see a king's power, but what about the obligations? In my homeland, there's a saying: He who wears the crown must bear its weight. Both you, and Thor over there, are unqualified to bear the weight of the Nine Realms. You are still far from ready."
The look in Loki's eyes shifted from resentment to astonishment. Thor also ceased his pressure, looking at Lin Huai with confusion.
Lin Huai stood up and dropped the final bombshell.
"If I were to judge, both of you are far inferior to your sister. At the very least, although your sister is a Tyrant, a Tyrant is still a ruler."
"Sister?"
"We have a sister?"
The two princes voiced their shocked and stunned questions in unison.
"That's right. The eldest daughter you personally exiled and imprisoned for thousands of years, the Goddess of Death, Hela." Lin Huai did not answer them. Instead, he looked up at the sky again and shouted loudly:
"Odin! This game of make-believe should end now!"
As his words fell, a long, weary sigh resonated simultaneously from every corner of the Nine Realms.
Space rippled like water. An old man with one eye, clad in golden royal robes, wearing a fierce war helmet, and holding the Eternal Spear Gungnir, slowly materialized in mid-air. That single eye was filled with profound disappointment directed at his two sons.
"Don't make that face," Lin Huai unceremoniously quipped from the side. "Your Asgardian way of raising children is problematic, always putting pressure on your own kids. No wonder they turn out twisted."
Odin slowly turned his head. That single eye, filled with the vicissitudes of time, fixed intently on Lin Huai.
"Since you understand so well," Odin's voice, betraying neither joy nor anger, was immensely imposing, "you must have children of your own?"
That one sentence drained the air from the space.
Lin Huai's expression instantly froze. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He felt as if all his pretenses had been utterly shattered by this simple yet fatal counter-question.
Under the puzzled gazes of Thor and Loki, this "wise man" who had just been pontificating and revealing Earth-shattering secrets immediately lost his composure and hastily changed the subject.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat, pretending nothing had happened, and looked up at Odin. "Well... let's go! What is my payment? Also, you should explain clearly why you wanted me to come to Asgard in the first place!"