"The same applies to Yu Luo Ji. Doesn't she have followers? When it's just her, everyone can choose to follow her or not. But if Hela was around, they could only choose between Luo Ji and Hela, because those not taking sides might be wiped out by Hela."
"Then inevitably, there would be a group of people who, out of disgust or fear of Hela, would stand with Luo Ji. Following out of self-interest is far more stable than following out of emotional need."
Hela listened to Nick's narration like a bystander, showing considerable interest. Finally, Nick concluded, "Countries after war are like stagnant water. With no external support, the wolves will start to fight over the owner. You must bring in fresh water, let the people below fight each other, and have them solve their own problems in the competition."
"Sounds very evil." said Thor, frowning.
"Power struggles are always evil." Unexpectedly, it was Steve who spoke, "It has always been this way since ancient times, so I always avoid getting involved."
Hela's gaze fell on Steve's face. Steve slightly furrowed his brow, then turned his head away. Captain America rarely shows this kind of evasive attitude, he was open and fearless when confronting most people.
But Hela's gaze was too aggressive. It was not like the slightly flirtatious look Natasha gave Steve, but a very pure and scrutinizing gaze, as if looking at a toy in a shop window. The only message conveyed was "I'm interested, so I'll get it."
Of course, Hela wasn't really interested in getting Steve. She just seemed to be accustomed to sizing up men in this way. Considering that she was a royal princess in a thoroughly traditional patriarchal society like Asgard, this was even more astonishing.
The more Thor interacted with Hela, the more he understood why even Odin had thought Hela was too extreme. She was like a peculiar flower growing in a barren field, as if unaffected by education and socialization, unaffected by anyone's gaze, the wilder, the stronger.
"Luo Ji has been a bit..." Thor brought up the topic proactively, but knowing the past conflict between Hela and Luo Ji, he didn't know how to continue.
In the end, it was Sif who cautiously suggested, "The emotional life seems to have troubled both Luo Ji and Frigga. It seems she's battling some part of herself. Could you talk to her?"
To Thor and Sif's surprise, after a bit of thought, Hela nodded her agreement. Her quick acquiescence left Thor with some doubts, now he was worried for Luo Ji.
"Luo Ji has sent Gwen to Doctor Shiller and should be returning to the cabin to put down the things she bought. You should be able to meet her there." Pointing in the direction of the lakeside cabin, Nick said.
Just as he said, as Hela stepped up the steps to the cabin, she ran into Luo Ji coming out after having put the things away. Luo Ji was taken aback by her, without a wall behind, she might have fled to the other side of the lake.
Hela turned around, not even looking at Luo Ji, just absolutely said, "Let's take a walk by the lake."
Luo Ji watched her depart and stood in thought for a while before catching up with her.
They walked to the side of the reed bed on the pebble beach and stared at the endless lake. The heat of the sun let a thin layer of mist float above the thick ice; the shadow of the distant mountains appeared even more verdant in the dimming light.
"Why did you choose not to continue as a prince?" Hela asked.
Luo Ji smiled as if knowing she would ask this, then said, "Because Frigga wanted a daughter. She didn't want to force me, but I could see she was pleased to have a princess accompany her."
"Do you think it's because of me?"
Hela's question was so blunt and to the point that it silenced Luo Ji for a while before she said, "Perhaps at first. She wanted to make up for your loss, but actually, you are more like Odin, and I'm more like her. What mother doesn't want a daughter just like herself?"
"But you feel burdened because of the many difficulties faced by a well-positioned female in Asgard and the gains being too little."
Luo Ji pursed her lips and looked into the distance, saying, "I don't want to make it sound too fortune, in fact, this is not the biggest difficulty I've encountered in my life. What confuses me is, it seems that all of you are doing well, only I'm not."
"Because you're still looking at things from a male perspective." Hela tilted her head slightly and looked down at Luo Ji. Hela was originally tall, almost as tall as Thor. And when Luo Ji turned into a woman, she became shorter. So there was a considerable height difference between the two of them.
"I don't understand." Luo Ji shook her head a little cluelessly.
"Males have no innate ability to reproduce, so they'll sow as many seeds as possible, chase every woman of age during their prime years. Their primitive instincts are telling them that this will give them more chances to leave offspring."
The tone of Hela's words was heavy, even slightly dull, as if the late afternoon chill couldn't clear it away, just weighing heavily on the ground and piercing into the soil.
"And women are the opposite. We have the ability to reproduce, but have to be responsible for the safety during childbirth and the quality of the offspring. So we must find the strongest one among all men."
"Men are promiscuous, women admire the strong. Essentially, we're all driven to do this by the impulse to propagate. This is the primitive instinct that keeps civilization going, no one could be blamed."
"We all look for the best within our reach, not necessarily the most suitable. They admire us, we pick them, all according to this rule."
"Sounds so... barbaric"
"Instincts are always barbaric, simple and straightforward, completely driven by desire. This makes propagation more efficient and civilization lasts longer."
Hela turned her head back, also stared off into the distance and said.
"Don't feel that they're insulting you by confirming your reproductive value. When they gaze at you as an instrument for propagation, you should also examine them by this rule."
"When they consider whether you can give birth to offspring with their genes, you should also think - can they provide good genes? Do they have a safe environment, sufficient assets to ensure the safety and well-being of you and your offspring?"
"If they don't, it means that his best option is far from you. You can easily let go of their illusory and unrealistic gaze."