"Those were the most glorious years of Asgard..."
Loki's tone held a touch of pride, and as he slowly narrated, Mobius, who had heard these stories countless times, couldn't help but become absorbed.
"With thousands of sails in competition, countless domains bowing their heads, wherever our guns pointed, there was justice. Asgard's fleet reached every corner of the cosmos. The name of the Father of All Gods was known to all. A civilization born upon an ocean of a planet, at last rode triumphantly on the sea of stars..."
"In that prosperous Golden Age, not a god of Asgard was not proud of our strength, likewise, no one realized that the root of disaster was gradually surfacing..."
"Hela was born in that era, a gem on the crown, the pride of the heavens protected by the Giant Wave Fleet."
"Perhaps you think that Thor is the most like Odin. In fact, before Odin stopped mentioning Hela, he told everyone that Hela would be the future queen of Asgard."
"The Crown Princess inherited all the virtues of the Father of All Gods. She was powerful, dominant and had a natural war mindset. She could command her generals, inspiring them to fight for her wholeheartedly."
"At that time, almost everyone felt that Hela represented a more thriving and dazzling future for Asgard."
"But when the princess truly grew up, Odin realized that Asgard was facing an inevitable disaster."
"After endless destruction and conquest follows the unavoidable Ragnarök. Whether we stop or not, we are all destined to die. But Odin knew he had to try... to bring this war-chariot to a halt."
"Then, Hela's existence became a tragedy. She was a queen born for invasion and destruction, but Odin did not want her racing headlong into Ragnarök."
Loki lowered his head, pursed his lips, and revealed a hint of pain in his expression. He asked himself, "Was it Odin's fault? Perhaps. Was it Hela's fault? Possibly. But the most innocent of all was Hela's mother, Frigga."
"The war between father and daughter was inevitable. Regardless of who wins, Frigga can only be heartbroken."
"This is a scar she can never forget, her first-born child, her daughter, whom she had so many hopes for, could only be locked forever in a desolate realm because of this destined tragedy."
Mobius's eyebrows twitched, clearly moved. Loki continued to speak:
"Perhaps, you wonder, why are there so few female Lokis in such a vast universe?"
"This is actually because the Father of All Gods would never allow a prince who should bear responsibilities to escape his duties by becoming a goddess. Odin would find it disgraceful."
"But the reason he allowed me to do this is because this is almost the only way to mend Frigga's heartache." Loki again focused his gaze on Mobius's face, saying:
"Odin, Thor and I... We're all trying to weave a beautiful dream for a heartbroken mother. A powerful and responsible husband, a successful son who inherits the family business, a sensible, obedient, and gentle daughter... We give her all she wants."
Loki's gaze became somewhat distant. Even if Mobius didn't ask, he still muttered to himself, "But we all know that dreams are destined to be shattered one day."
"Ragnarök, like a sharp blade hanging over our heads... under such tremendous pressure, the play of filial piety cannot be performed for too long."
"I know that I must do something to save Asgard along with Thor. And Thor thinks the same."
"But I have no status, no chance to show my ability. With every passing second, the pressure grows."
"And the reason I have no status is because Asgard has never had a crowned prince. Every Divine King who ascends the throne must kill their father and brother, alone, to establish the most powerful rule."
"And now, these traditions and rules have become our shackles." Loki closed his eyes in palpable pain, saying, "I can be Thor's subordinate, a loser, a dog at his disposal, but I can't be his brother because we can't remind people why other Divine Kings don't have brothers."
"I no longer have time to play the role of an obedient yet ineffectual prince in front of Frigga."
"I need power. To save all of Asgard with Thor, to let us both survive, instead of letting Frigga die in a beautiful dream."
Mobius covered his face with both hands, saying, "Is it because you know I have absolutely nothing to do with the universe you're in, that's why you dare to tell me all this, right?"
"I should have asked you to leave earlier!" Mobius's tone revealed pain: "You've successfully transferred your emotional stress to me. Why does every royal family have so many damned problems?"
Loki showed a smile, as if mocking himself, saying, "Even if every royal family has such plots, Asgard must be the most absurd of them all."
Mobius reached out, gestured in front of himself, seemingly wanting to say something, but found words insufficient. He thought hard, then said:
"So, basically, you mean, you want more power to help your brother weather Ragnarök and save everyone."
"But if you do acquire greater power, it could not only shake the prestige of the royal family, but also undermine Thor's rule?"
Mobius took a deep breath and said, "What if you were operating from the shadows?"
"We're doing that now," Loki shook her head and said, "but it's not enough. Asgard has too few people to use, too many problems to consider, and its traditional way of governing is simply too inefficient."
"The high level of centralization has made Asgard invincible in war. The Divine King is the sole brain of Asgard, wherever he points, the fleet bombards, no one disagrees, nor dares to disagree..."
"But this system is not suitable for Asgard during times of peaceful rule. We need economics, culture, diplomacy, not just bombardment. Even if we were to bombard, it would only be a means of diplomatic deterrence. We need to learn to seize benefits in a civilized way."
"On one hand, minimizing destruction can extend our grace period. On the other hand, the resources accumulated through internal development and external trade will become our capital to resist the twilight of the gods."
"The era of military rule is over, and the successors prepared for that era are incapable of handling many aspects of civil governance. But if we want to break tradition and promote the talented, we are bound to meet great resistance..."
"And the greatest resistance comes from Odin."
Upon hearing this, Mobius looked around. He raised a hand and said, "Wait a minute!... Guard! Guard! Close the door! Make sure nobody comes in!"
After that, he swallowed nervously as he sat and looked at Loki, saying, "I promise, none of this will leave this room. Don't look at me like I'm a dead man, I swear..."
When he finished speaking, he gripped his hair in a bit of a breakdown, saying, "Why didn't I leave right away? Why did I bring up this topic?!!"
"Damn it, I thought that bunch of Lokis were crazy enough! But their most extreme forms of madness are just the denial of guilt, whereas you actually want to... you're not serious, are you?!"
Seeing his reaction, Loki suddenly revealed a mocking smile. Mobius was stunned. Then, his eyes widened and he angrily slapped the table, saying, "Damn it! You're playing me!!"
"How's that, seen the powers of the God of Deception yet? Ever since meeting that damn psychologist, I learned from him that as long as I'm more serious, more insane than you, you'll feel fear... Setting the tone is important."
Mobius gritted his teeth and glared at him. Soon, he came around, looked at a device on his waist, removed it, patted it with his hand, and asked, "What's happening? Why didn't it ring? Did it break?"
"Is that your lie detector?" Loki chuckled and took a drag on her cigarette, saying, "If so, it's not broken. Because everything I said is true."
"...You really want to overthrow Odin?" Mobius stared at him and said.
Loki shook her head and said, "What kind of fool would want to overthrow Odin? Never mind the importance of such a great king to Asgard, how could I overthrow Odin?"
"Erm..." Mobius was taken aback, he was about to suggest that if one could rise above the cosmos, then perhaps it would be possible. But then he recalled Loki telling him she only has status, not power.
"In fact, I don't know what Odin thinks." Loki rested her hand on the armrest, saying, "But I'm pessimistic about it."
"If Thor gave me power and status, it would be like saying that Odin is a cruel and heartless man, who doesn't love his father or brothers. If he were already dead, that wouldn't matter. But he is still alive."
"Odin is a man who never admits he is wrong," Loki shook her head. Her dark hair once again covered half of her face, giving her a very desolate look.
Frigga avoided Thor, hoping that the two of us could talk. I don't know whether my soft-hearted and sentimental mother was hoping that her stubborn and hard husband would change his attitude or, after rejecting him outright, would say something to comfort me."
"You...you really don't intend to talk to him?" Mobius's features wrinkled together, clearly feeling that this matter was indeed hard to solve. He said, "Or maybe, try probing his attitude... What if?"
"Anyone can talk to him about this issue, except me," Loki shook her head, saying,
"My biological father is his enemy. He picked me up and raised me so big. Would I still go to him and say 'what you've given me is not enough' or 'if you don't let me share your biological son's power, you don't love me'?"
"I'd rather confront him, make him so angry that he fumes, and then have him scold me a few times."
Loki turned her head away, while Mobius slowly raised a corner of his mouth, saying, "I always thought that Frigga was your biggest weakness. But I didn't expect..."
Loki took a deep breath and said in an incredulous tone,
"The method taught by that psychologist was right."
"Just now, I talked back to him in front of his wife, but apart from scolding me a few times, he did nothing."
"That's why I'd rather come out and go to prison than ask him for anything."