A bird streaked across the horizon at sunset, turning the grand and magnificent city into a dark silhouette.
The scenery of Asgard always seemed more extravagant and wonderful. This city, solo suspended in the universe, looked both solitary and splendid in the sunset's glow.
The people living in Asgard always enjoyed taking a bath in the bathhouse after a hearty fight on the battlefields. The royals, of course, were no exception. It's just that their bathhouse was a bit more luxurious.
The heart of the World Tree, a mystical space where only the royals of Asgard could visit. However, they weren't there to pray but merely to bathe.
The World Tree was not a real tree, the Nine Major Kingdoms were merely leaves on its branches. Right at the core of the World Tree, there was a verdant space where, deep within the grasslands and forests, a warm hot spring bubbled and steamed.
At this moment, Shiller, Loki, and Doctor Strange were soaking in the hot spring.
Doctor Strange pulled over a wooden board floating on the water surface. Fresh and delicious fruits were laid on it. He broke open a spiny fruit and shivered after taking a sour bite.
Shiller took a sip of his wine and leaned his head against a rock by the hot spring. The coolness of the rock dissipated the heat from a long soak in the hot spring. He sighed in satisfaction and started to feel a bit drowsy.
"You'd better stay awake. Falling asleep in a hot spring isn't a good habit." Loki reminded.
He too, pulled the fruit plate floating on the water, took another fruit, cut it into pieces using his divine power, and put a piece in his mouth with a silver fork. He looked at Doctor Strange, who was eating directly, with a disdainful look.
"Seriously, how did you suddenly clinch such a difficult deal?" Loki asked Shiller with curiosity. "It just so happens that I've met a troublesome customer recently too. I think I can learn from your experience."
"What customer can trouble you? ...Never mind, the gist of it is, if you want him to open a window for you, you should lift the roof of his house. Then, he would be very willing to have you as a guest."
Loki pondered on Shiller's replies with an introspective expression, then nodded as if he had gained something. However, he quickly asked, "What business do you exactly have with the Father of All Gods?"
"Never mind, I'm just a bit curious." Loki added quickly.
"I want to discuss a business deal with him. You should trust me, he will definitely be interested." Shiller chuckled.
Loki expressed a curious face. He didn't understand how Shiller could be so confident that Odin would definitely be interested in his business.
But no matter how much Loki pressed, Shiller refused to divulge more. The trio stayed in the hot spring until dusk. By the time they returned to the Fairy Palace, most of the goddesses and guards had already retired for the night.
Shiller rested in the guest room in the Fairy Palace overnight. When he woke up the next morning, Gray Mist told him that his cell activity had been greatly enhanced. If he were an ordinary person, his lifespan should have been increased by at least fifty years. Even if he wasn't, the gray fog factor had gained more activity because of it.
When he got up early, a dedicated palace attendant came to lead Shiller to the palace where Odin, Father of All Gods, resided.
Odin sat on his throne, seeming lazy yet casual. He hadn't worn his armor, nor wielded his long spear. He looked more like an ordinary old man than a divine king.
Shiller walked in, then said to Odin:
"Hello, Your Majesty, the God King."
"I am no longer a God King. They honor me as Father only because they are citizens of Asgard. You can just call me Odin." Odin spoke less forcefully than he used to, sounding quite casual instead.
"It's clear that you are quite pleased with the New God King." Shiller smiled. Odin also gave a small smile and then asked, "I hear from Loki that you have some business to discuss with me. You should know, not everyone can trade with Asgard."
"Yes, indeed. Even the great entity of Death refers to you as one of the most powerful beings in the universe when mentioning Asgard..."
Odin's expression stiffened for a moment. He looked at Shiller and asked, "Have you met Death?"
"Yes, some time ago, I visited her realm and made a deal with her."
"You're lying, as far as I know, Death no longer trades with individuals." Odin's speech was always straightforward without beating around the bush.
"Indeed, but besides that, there should be more changes. For instance, most valiant spirits in the universe are now under strict limitations. The number of people who can be resurrected has decreased, and there are many conditions for resurrection, isn't there?" Shiller shook his head and said.
Odin squinted and asked, "So, the trade you're talking about is ..."
Shiller took out a contract. Odin could clearly feel Death's aura on it, which was far more intense than the artifact he used to control Valhalla.
"Earlier, I signed a contract with Death. Because of some reasons, she agreed to very favorable terms. And there's a loophole in this contract, which is the reason why I'm here."
Odin took the contract, glanced over it, then asked, "What loophole?"
"I believe, you must have noticed. Although the contract stipulates the quantity and the time, it doesn't specify the race. In other words, those resurrected can be humans or Asgardians."
"On Earth, I don't have that many subjects to be resurrected, but I can sell this quota to Asgard. After all, you need to wage wars in the universe, and your losses should be much larger than those of humans. I'm willing to sell half of my quota."
"What sort of return do you want?" Odin asked bluntly.
"We'll talk about that later. Is Asgard interested in doing this trade with me?" Shiller asked.
Odin considered a moment, Shiller was right. Ever since the resurrection requirements became stricter, the Valhalla of Asgard had virtually become an empty formality. Even though Asgardians live long lives, only three could be resurrected every ten years, doesn't that equate to not being able to resurrect anyone at all?
Asgard had indeed gradually reduced its wars, but defending the Nine Major Kingdoms was dangerous. More importantly, once the news got out that Valhalla was no longer as glorious as it used to, it would inevitably cause panic.
After pondering for a while, Odin eventually nodded, saying: "Resurrection is crucial for the Asgardians, name your conditions."
A few hours later, in the back garden of the Fairy Palace, Loki, who was playing chess with Doctor Strange, asked somewhat bewildered, "What are they discussing exactly? How could it take this long?"
"My guess would be they're haggling over the price and are locked in a stalemate," Doctor Strange replied, placing down a chess piece.
Just then, the rustling of footsteps was heard from the bushes behind them. Loki turned his head and saw Shiller emerging from the foliage.
Shiller's face was adorned with a smile, suggesting he was quite pleased. Loki walked up to him and asked, "It seems the negotiations went well?"
"Indeed, the deal has been struck, and I believe we'll start seeing results soon enough."
Seeing Shiller's grin, both Loki and Doctor Strange knew that it would undoubtedly spell disaster for someone.
The next day, a typhoon struck New York. The wind howled outside the window, but Shiller slept soundly inside his room.
A light breeze entered through the window gaps, it wasn't cold, but soon a sound sharper than the wind rose, a narrow obelisk located in the drawer started vibrating vigorously.
Shiller stirred in his sleep at the noise. However, he only turned over, pulling the blanket over his head and continued sleeping.
This was actually quite rare; he rarely woke up after 7, but the stormy weather was perfect for a long sleep, he had no intention of waking up.
The obelisk vibrated for a full hour. By the time Shiller woke up from his sweet dreams, the obelisk had shaken itself off to the floor and was moving around chaotically.
He bent down, reached out, and grabbed the obelisk. A radiant smile appeared on Shiller's face as he placed it back to its original position.
By noon, Shiller went to the S.H.I.E.L.D. cafeteria for lunch and casually chatted with Steve to see if his anxiety disorder treatment was showing progress.
"Doctor! I'm already well! Doesn't more than ten examinations in the previous week confirm it?" Steve blurted out while eating his steak.
"Yes, but I still need to keep a close eye on your progress. Since you haven't changed environments, certain things might still trigger your anxiety symptoms. You need to be aware of that," Shiller advised.
Steve nodded, then looked at Shiller somewhat bewildered, "Actually, I've been wanting to ask ever since earlier, Doctor Shiller, what's that thing by your side? A sculpture? Why is it trembling?"
Shiller just smiled, offering no comment.
In the afternoon, Shiller went to Stark's lab for a follow-up consultation. Stark, totally impatient, loudly voiced, "I told you I'm fine! I'm not Steve! You should actually examine his brain!"
"Your physical data shows that everything else is normal, but your brain activity is somewhat hyperactive," Shiller said, looking at the medical report.
Stark sighed in exasperation, "Yeah, right. Since you only know how to change light bulbs, your brainwaves obviously aren't functioning. I'm a scientist, and I'm in the middle of a research project. Being dragged out for a medical check while in the middle of an experiment, of course, my brain is very active. The knowledge in my mind can save the whole Earth!"
"Alright, there's nothing else of note... Oh, what are you looking at?" Shiller followed Stark's line of sight and glanced at the trembling obelisk on his hand.
"What's this strange thing you've brought along now?" Stark frowned, eyeing the odd object.
"This is my cell phone." Shiller said with a smile, leaving the information at that.
At night, when Peter arrived at Arkham Sanatorium, he too noticed the peculiar sculpture on Shiller's desk. Before he could even ask, Shiller said:
"It's a cell phone."
"But why is it ringing?"
"Because it's playing music."
"...What kind of music?"
"The symphony of victory!"
In the vast cosmos, within a star system darker than any other, on a dark world where the palace towered tall and wide, Thanos the Destroyer slowly opened his eyes. In his dream, he saw his beautiful lover again.
Maybe it was because he missed her so much, her wonderful voice resounded in his ears again. Thanos knew that his lover wanted him to spread death.
Yet, as he rose to his feet, intending to arrange for a war, he suddenly realized something was off with the voice of death.
His brows furrowed in concentration, he keenly listened. Then he heard a breaking female voice, "Find that bastard Shiller!!!! Have him!!!!! Pick up the phone!!!!!"