The interior practically shouted, "Someone who loves nature lives here." It was evident in every element of the shop's decor. Shelves crafted from thick bark of some tree, surprisingly sturdy. Various materials from magical creatures adorned the shelves, yet upon closer inspection, only those obtained with the consent of the creatures were present—no forcefully acquired items.
The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was made from interconnected deer antlers, emitting a soft glow at their tips. Walls were adorned with various vines and plants, occasionally revealing a magical creature peeking out from a burrow arranged in the floor.
As Tony admired the space, a creaking floor sound caught their attention, and the group turned. Behind several shelves, an enormous palm appeared, unmistakably non-human. Gradually, a foot, around 5 meters long, emerged. Tony, suspecting the creature, witnessed before the group an immense ent.
"Oh, Asmodeus! Hello, Valchar already told me you're back, but I'm delighted that your first visit was to my shop! If you want to buy something, choose whatever you like. You know, there's always a discount for you," the deep yet friendly voice echoed.
"Hello, Akxus. Yes, we returned yesterday, and I'm glad to see you too. But today, I'm not the main buyer; our guests from afar are. This is Tony Stark; he wants to purchase various materials for alchemy and research," Asmodeus said. Hearing Asmodeus' words, Akxus's eyes focused on Tony.
"Greetings, friends of Asmodeus. I can assure you that the quality of our materials, endorsed by the Ents' council, is the best on the market! Even materials from magical creatures are gathered only with their consent, and we never harm these little beings!"
Tony still struggled to fully grasp that he was conversing with a tree, yet he decided to go through the list he had compiled in his mind while walking through the city.
"Mr. Akxus, I'll need - dragon blood, unicorn horn, the fur of an invisible creature..."
Tony continued the list for another five minutes, occasionally mentioning materials that even Asmodeus found surprising. When Tony finished, Akxus looked at him with an assessing gaze and said, "Are you sure? Forget about the fact that some materials on your list are extremely rare, but why such a quantity? You know, a potion shop doesn't use this many materials in a month."
"I'm sure! I need all possible materials for research and improving my armor! So, how much will everything I've mentioned cost?"
"...Alright, all of this will cost you 90,000 galleons, and you'll have to wait until tomorrow evening to come and pick them up because I don't even keep troll skin here, and I'll need to write to my brothers to send some materials."
"Okay... Do I need to make a prepayment?"
"No, I believe the one Asmodeus brought is quite well-off. Just come with the full amount tomorrow evening, after 5 o'clock."
"Okay..."
Throughout the remaining day, the group wandered through the city, occasionally stopping by various shops or cafes. Odin and the Ancient found this pastime quite novel, and they were very pleased. As for Tony, he spent half of his funds ordering various materials, potions, and even magical weapons.
They left the city only after midnight. The next day, Tony, accompanied by Natasha, returned to Astrastra to await their delivery. Of course, he didn't intend to just sit under the shop until evening. Instead, he went to a local bar, conversing with wizards and enjoying the brandy he discovered yesterday, primarily made with dragon blood.
As for Asmodeus...
12:00, Hogwarts
Asmodeus sits at the table, with Odin infront of him.
"Nicolas informed me that he's ready. Now we need to decide on the sequence of actions, and we can begin."
"Good, how do you propose to proceed?"
"As I've mentioned before, and you probably sensed, the mana in our world is softer and more pliable. By using it, we will suppress your divine energy. However, for this, you'll need to release a lot of energy sharply."
"So, I need to unleash something without holding back?"
"Yes. So you don't accidentally destroy half the planet, I'll ask you to shoot into the sky, preferably in the opposite direction from the moon."
"That's not a problem; I'm concerned about the reverse reaction of my body when I use such power..."
"For this, we use an elixir. A lot of elixir. Before you begin releasing energy, you must drink the elixir, twice as much as the Ancient consumed. Once you do that, you'll have a period of time during which you must release the excess energy. After you rid yourself of divine power, you'll need to quickly start absorbing the mana of our world into your body, using the magical circle I'll provide you. The action must be swift to prevent your own power from recovering. When the energies reach balance... We don't know what will happen, but Nicolas and I hope that these two types of energy will merge into a new one. Additionally, once you feel that balance is established, you must continue drinking the elixir until the so-called energy fusion occurs."
"And what if the energy fusion doesn't happen?"
"...."
"Fine, let it be... In any case, I've averted one of the possible Ragnaroks of Asgard, and if not for this attempt, I wouldn't have had another chance..."