Early the next morning, the Ancient One held a crystal ball radiating a cold blue-white light, opened a portal, and left contentedly. Meanwhile, Abel received a ring adorned with a thumbnail-sized blue-white gem.
Upon closer inspection, a faint black shadow swirled within the gemstone. This was a newly crafted magical ring, imbued by the Ancient One with a trace of ice authority and fashioned from a fine magical artifact. With it, Abel could harness the power of ice authority, giving him an additional powerful tool.
For Abel, the most crucial aspect was the magical knowledge embedded in the ring. By studying it deeply, he believed that if he encountered a similar situation in the future, he would no longer be helpless, unlike before when he could only watch without a solution.
As for the Ice Treasure Box, its appearance remained unchanged. While the Ancient One had stripped a portion of the ice authority from it, less than one-third of its total power had been extracted. Unless the box's true owner, Laufey, the Frost Giant King, retrieved it, not even Odin could discern the full extent of its mysterious authority.
Abel examined the ring for a moment before slipping it onto the middle finger of his left hand.
As soon as he wore it, icy blue energy threads seeped from the ring, coursing through his middle finger, beneath his skin, and rapidly spreading along his arm with a piercing cold. The energy finally reached his left eye, turning it an icy blue before subsiding, leaving everything seemingly normal.
Both the icy blue hue of his left eye and the ring's glow dimmed. Abel looked at the ring again and activated its power. The ring glowed faintly, and his left eye once again turned ice blue.
With a simple wave of his hand, an icy whirlwind materialized before him. In an instant, an ice spear formed within the whirlwind. With another wave of his left hand, the spear shot forward like a piercing arrow, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"A magical weapon, much like my wand," Abel mused. "I only need to supply magic. With the ring's power, I can control a trace of ice authority and manipulate wind, snow, and frost."
As he deactivated the ring's power, his left eye returned to its normal color. The ring now appeared to be just a typical blue-white gemstone accessory.
"I'll call this the Frost Ring," Abel murmured.
He carefully returned the Ice Treasure Box to its secure container and stored it in the corner of his magical storage bag.
Though the New Mexico trip did not yield the expected results and the plan had essentially failed, obtaining the Frost Ring made it worthwhile.
Abel reflected on his progress. He was no longer the inexperienced individual who had first arrived in this world. Now, with a solid grasp of this world's magical fundamentals and common practices, he fully understood the immense value of a magical artifact containing even a trace of authority.
Of course, the crystal ball the Ancient One had taken contained three to four times more ice power than the ring. However, since Abel couldn't yet handle the Ice Treasure Box himself, he saw this as a fair trade.
Fortunately, with the Frost Ring in hand, Abel could study how the Ancient One extracted and utilized authority. Next time, he would be ready to resolve such issues independently.
While lost in thought, Abel suddenly sensed an immense energy surge from the northwest.
He instantly recognized it as Asgard's Rainbow Bridge opening again. However, he wasn't sure whether it heralded the arrival of the Warriors Three and Sif or enemies sent by Loki.
Meanwhile, in Jotunheim, Loki once again stood before Laufey, the Frost Giant King.
"Odin's... son?" Laufey's voice dripped with mockery, especially as he lingered on the word "son." During Thor's invasion of Jotunheim, Laufey had noticed Loki's peculiarities and recognized him as a fellow Frost Giant, though Odin had altered him to resemble an Asgardian.
"Laufey, I've come to make a deal."
"A deal..." Laufey regarded Loki coldly. "Like when you let two of my people into Asgard, only to have them killed?"
"That wasn't my intention. My aim was to disrupt my foolish brother's coronation and prevent the Nine Realms from suffering under his arrogance."
"What do you want this time?"
"I'll reveal the Ice Treasure Box's location. Once you retrieve it, I'll open the Rainbow Bridge for you. You'll take the box to Asgard and kill Odin. Surely both the treasure and Odin's death are goals you've longed for?"
At Loki's words, Laufey rose slowly from his throne. Indeed, reclaiming the Ice Treasure Box and killing Odin had been his dreams for millennia.
The box held immense ice power. Only by reclaiming it could the Frost Giants regain their true might and restore Jotunheim to its ancient glory.
"Asgardian boy, I accept your deal. Now, tell me—where is my Ice Treasure Box?"
"The Ice Treasure Box is currently on Earth, in Midgard, the realm of humans."
"Humans? Those feeble insects? Odin entrusted my Ice Treasure Box to them?"
Loki, of course, didn't mention that Abel had taken the box. Smiling, he added, "Don't forget that Earth is protected by the Sorcerer Supreme. This generation's Supreme, the Ancient One, is an adversary even my father dreads. My advice is to recover the Ice Treasure Box swiftly and avoid provoking the Supreme. Otherwise, it will end badly for everyone."
Laufey, unfamiliar with the Ancient One's power, nodded cautiously and began rallying his warriors for the mission.
As Jotunheim's armies stirred, Loki turned away, smirking. His plan was set in motion, and now all that remained was for the players to take the stage.