After Odin's brief opening words, the banquet officially began.
Charles glanced at the people at the banquet, and there were hardly any he recognized.
After a quick scan, he only identified Thor, the god of Thunder, Sif, the goddess of the harvest, and the renowned three Warriors– Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun.
As for how he recognized the three Warriors, it was mainly due to Fandral's boasting being so loud that Charles, sitting across from him, could hear it very clearly.
"A loud roar, and I flew towards the Destroyer, knocking him down."
Hogun interjected, "To put it bluntly, didn't you just fall on your butt."
Fandral explained, "Actually, falling down was a strategy to lure the Destroyer."
Ignoring the boasting, Charles focused his attention on the unfamiliar exotic fruits and delicacies placed on the table in front of him.
Charles picked up a fruit resembling grapes in size but with a dragon-eye-like appearance. After biting into it, the fruit's skin burst open, and its liquid contents flowed directly into his mouth.
As the liquid entered his stomach, Charles felt a faint energy burst, nourishing the cells in his body. However, this energy was very weak, barely noticeable before disappearing.
Sensing Charles's contemplation, Ancient One seemed to understand his thoughts and casually remarked, "It's challenging to effectively extract the energy you need from Earth. The help these things provide isn't as significant as you might think."
Charles pondered, realizing that the residents of the Asgard were not all powerful, but they had exceptionally long lifespans. A 5000-year lifespan was quite exaggerated.
However, Charles wasn't concerned about such matters. Since these fruits and delicacies could replenish the energy needed for his cells, why be polite? He enjoyed each dish, occasionally toasting with those who approached, engaging in light conversation.
While Charles was savoring the delicacies, Thor approached, holding a wine glass, and sat down next to him.
"I never expected to find sorcerers on Earth. I always thought it was a desert of power."
"I am Thor, the god of Thunder. Pleasure to meet you."
Charles shook hands with Thor, "I'm Charles Doyle, nice to meet you."
"Earth is not a desert of power; it's just low-key. Besides, the people there are interesting, aren't they?"
Thor immediately thought of Jane Foster, whom he met on Earth. Then, looking at Charles, his eyes brightened.
"When you return to Earth, can you take me with you?"
He had inquired from Heimdall on his way here and learned that the Supreme Merlin and the Ancient One had arrived in Asgard using their own powers and possessed the ability to return to Earth.
If Charles could assist him, it wouldn't be a luxury to visit Jane when he returned to Earth.
However, Thor didn't get the answer he wanted. Charles waved his hand, saying, "I can't help with that. It was master Ancient One who brought me here."
Charles pointed towards the Ancient One, who sat beside him. However, the Ancient One didn't respond; she simply picked up her wine glass and silently took a sip.
"Master Ancient One, can you send me back to Earth?"
The Ancient One put down her wine glass and said calmly, "Thor, now is not the opportune time for you to return. When the time is right, you'll naturally be able to go to Earth."
Hearing the Ancient One's refusal, Thor felt a bit frustrated. He downed the entire contents of his cup in one gulp. The Sorcerer Supreme was on the same level as his father, and he couldn't afford to be reckless.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have inquired about the meanings of these titles from Heimdall. At least then, he could have shown some attitude when facing the Ancient One and tried to request more.
Now that he understood the formidable strength of the Ancient One, he found it difficult to ask for more.
…
On the other side
At this moment, Balthazar and David, accompanied by four Grand Sorcerers, arrived on Earth. They looked at the sealed streets and the completely destroyed Agency.
"God, is this the residence of the Supreme Merlin among the Muggles? What kind of terrifying attack did it suffer?"
Looking at the amazed Grand Sorcerer Vivienne Tate, Balthazar spoke lightly, "Restore this place to its original state. Is that okay?"
Vivienne Tate looked around at the sealed off streets, with a lot of people still present, "According to the regulations of the Ministry of Magic, we can't reveal the existence of magic in the Muggle world."
The other three also nodded in agreement.
Ginny spoke up, "Give me 30 minutes."
After saying this, Ginny immediately took out her phone and began to issue orders.
In no time, the street where the Agency was located was totally sealed off. The residents on the street were evacuated, and apart from them, there was no one else on the scene.
Seeing Ginny's efficiency, David widened his eyes. Blocking a street in New York and simultaneously evacuating all residents required a tremendous amount of energy, and doing it within thirty minutes was simply terrifying.
The four Grand Sorcerers exchanged nods, then walked to the four corners of the ruins of the office. Each of them took out a wand from their robes.
"Restore to the original state!"
As the four cast the spell together, the Agency, which had become ruins, seemed to reverse in time. Soon, it was restored to its former state, as if the destruction had never happened.
Seeing the office restored to its state before the explosion, Ginny's eyes were full of shock. She never expected magic to have such power; it was truly incredible.
The four put away their wands and approached Balthazar, saying, "Master Balthazar, the office has been fully restored."
Balthazar nodded, then continued, "To prevent the Supreme Merlin's Agency from being destroyed again, let's construct a magical array for it together."
"It must be done. Although we don't understand why the great Supreme Merlin stayed here, we are willing to contribute."
Balthazar pushed open the door of the Agency, leading everyone inside to start setting up defensive magical arrays.
Meanwhile, Ginny took out her phone and sent Shizune a message, informing them of the situation at the agency.
After getting the news, Shizune and Tsunade quickly arrived. Looking at the fully restored Agency in front of them, they showed a shocked expression. At the same time, Tsunade secretly thought, "It seems that magic has many advantages."
The two of them entered the Agency and headed straight to the medical laboratory, checking the experimental samples and data.
While checking, Shizune exclaimed, "Everything is here, the data and samples are all preserved."
Seeing the excited Shizune, Tsunade's face also showed a slight smile.
At this time, Ginny also arrived at the door of the laboratory and, looking at the excited two, spoke, "The experimental data and samples haven't been lost, right?"
"No, nothing is lost. Everything is still here."
"That's great!"
Ginny knew that if everything was still intact, then her turn to become strong would not be far away.
...
In the palace of Asgard-
After being rejected, Thor gave up his own idea and instead pulled Charles to talk about the stories of Earth, asking if Charles knew the story of Jane Foster.
Looking at Thor, who seemed to be in love, Charles was at a loss for words.
He actually couldn't understand why Thor didn't choose the goddess Sif, prepared by his parents, and instead was interested in Jane Foster, who appeared suddenly and hadn't been with him for long.
Is this what they call love at first sight?
"Thor, I don't know about Jane's story."
"I haven't had any contact with her, but to make you remember her so much, she must be a very charming girl."
A loving smile appeared on Thor's face, "Yes, she is very charming."
"Well, you better be careful. If you don't appear for a long time, a charming girl like her will surely have many suitors around her."
"And your lifespan, for ordinary Earth people, is too long."
"A lifespan of more than 5000 years may be just a blink of an eye for you, but for her, it may be a very distant time."
Listening to Charles's words, Thor was also stunned, and the wine in his hand lost its sweetness, "She... she should wait for me, right?"
Charles shrugged, "Who knows, but as the prince of Asgard, I'm sure Jane is willing to wait for you."
"After all, which girl wouldn't want to have a romance with the prince of Asgard."
Thor shook his head, "No, I just want to be with Jane."
Looking at Thor, who was serious, Charles couldn't help but almost laugh out loud. This guy is really interesting, not at all like an old monster who has lived for thousands of years.
No wonder Odin threw him to Earth for training.
Although the conversation between the two was not loud, it did not escape the ears of Sif. Watching her future husband, who was thinking about an ordinary Earth girl, Sif felt extremely annoyed.
Unable to bear it any longer, Sif stood up and walked out of the banquet hall. Just as she reached the door, she saw Queen Frigga.
Frigga quickly grabbed Sif's hand, placed it on her own, and said softly, "Sif, you are the one chosen by Thor, acknowledged by the King of gods."
"You don't need to worry. Both Odin and I support you."
"Moreover, the lifespan of Earth people is only a few decades, and that girl lacks the qualifications for magic. So, she cannot live a longer life like a mage."
"You don't need to worry. She's just a passing scenery Thor encountered during his training. As time passes, she will naturally dissipate like the wind."
The Queen's comfort improved Sif's expression. With the support of the King and Queen, Sif believed that victory would be hers in the end.
"Thank you, Queen!"
"I just felt it was too stuffy inside, so I came out for some fresh air."
"No problem, go ahead."
Frigga released Sif's hand, looked at her son sitting next to the Supreme Merlin, and smiled.
At this moment, Charles was not discussing Earth matters with Thor but was talking about the conditions of other worlds connected to the World Tree, their customs, specialties, and whether there were any famous treasures.
Thor didn't refuse and shared his knowledge of the Nine Realms with Charles.
Charles secretly memorized all the information, especially the specialties and treasures from each realm, which were crucial for him.
The banquet quickly ended, and Charles, who had drunk heavily with Thor, was assisted by the maids to their respective rooms for rest.
Thor, in particular, was completely unconscious from drinking.
...
The next day-
Charles woke up on the large bed, looking at the luxurious room and rubbing his head.
Surprisingly, there was no headache despite a night of heavy drinking. It seemed that the quality of the alcohol was indeed good.
Check-in!
Ding! Check-in successful, gained 300 reputation points (double for VIP3 and above)!
During the three days of the Great War, Charles received 30,000 copper coins and six scrolls of ninja techniques through the check-in system.
Glancing at the remaining 6,102 gold coins, Charles decided to explore the Ninja Shop. He didn't necessarily plan to buy but wanted to see if any powerful ninja fragments had refreshed.
Opening the Ninja Shop, Charles checked the recently refreshed ninja fragments.
Naruto Uzumaki Fragment: Daily limit 0/8, 80 gold coins/1 piece!
Akatsuki - Sasori Fragment: Daily limit 0/8, 300 gold coins/1 piece!
Akatsuki - Kisame Fragment: Daily limit 0/8, 300 gold coins/1 piece!
Sakura Haruno Fragment: Daily limit 0/8, 180 gold coins/1 piece!
Looking at the newly refreshed four ninja fragments, Charles was taken aback. Was this luck?
While it would be ideal to buy every ninja if the funds were sufficient, he had only 6,102 gold coins.
Although there was still one uncharged Radiant Stone and another layer of the Matryoshka to be unlocked in four days, for now, Charles decided to give up on Sakura's fragments, even though her price wasn't high.
Hoping that Kakashi, who returned to Earth, had taken his team to eliminate vampires, Charles selected Naruto Uzumaki's fragment. He currently had 26 fragments, and without hesitation, he spent 640 gold coins to purchase the remaining 8 fragments, bringing the total to 34.
This meant that Naruto Uzumaki's successful appearance was just six fragments away, and it seemed that his strengthened abilities were also just around the corner.
Looking at the fragments of Kisame and Sasori, Charles first turned his gaze towards Kisame, who had some fragments in possession.
Selecting Kisame's icon, it showed that he already had 16 fragments. Without hesitation, he directly spent 2,400 gold coins to purchase the remaining 8 fragments, bringing the total to 24.
Perhaps in another two purchases, the Akatsuki's members would be ready to add another person. Charles wondered how well Hidan, who was in Africa, had grown in strength.
Looking at the first-time refresh of Sasori, Charles contemplated for a moment and still spent 2,400 gold coins, directly purchasing the 8 fragments.
The appearance of Akatsuki members was essential to have as soon as possible, as there was only one year left until the New York Great War.
After buying 24 fragments, Charles's gold coins were now only 662. It seemed that without any income, he couldn't purchase ninja fragments again.
Exiting the system space, Charles prepared to freshen up and start the day.