Shiller strode through the hallway and opened the door to his bedroom, to see a figure in a white dress standing in the middle of his room. She turned around, and Shiller sighed in relief.
"Loki? You didn't tell me you'd be coming early."
"I wasn't supposed to." Loki walked over and sat on Shiller's bed, saying, "Don't look at me like that. I'm not human, I don't lose hair, and even if I did, don't think I don't know that no one else comes here."
"So why not go to the reception room?" Shiller stood still, maintaining a certain distance from her.
"Why didn't you call a doctor this time?"
"This is my banquet."
"Alright, no more jokes. Actually, the news I bring is rather private, not suitable for public discussion."
"What happened?"
Shiller originally thought this was one of Loki's pranks. Despite not interacting often with Marvel heroes, he heard Loki's notorious reputation of being notoriously good at showing up in places where people didn't want him.
However, Arrogant once told Greed that Loki from his cosmos knew how to respect boundaries and wouldn't simply barge into someone else's room without a reason.
Also, Loki's expression was quite serious. Since she said she brought news, it indicated this wasn't about her and was presumably Asgardian news. But Shiller had no clue what could be so pressing in Asgard that warranted Loki's early visit.
"I am truly sorry, professor, your majesties, the Divine King and Queen, might not be able to attend the banquet."
Shiller's brow frowned.
Loki sitting on the bed reached out her hand. As Shiller walked over, she held his arm. Shiller paused for a moment, bending slightly as Loki touched her forehead to his.
"He asked me to convey his apologies on his behalf, but this couldn't be helped."
"I understand, but can I know the reason?"
"Queen of Gods is pregnant."
This genuinely surprised Shiller.
"When did this happen?"
"It might have been for a while, but it was just discovered today." Loki said with a smile: "Asgardian tradition requires one to bathe under the World Tree before embarking on a journey. In fact, they have just stepped out of the spring pool an hour ago, getting ready to change clothes."
"However, it's possible that some elements in the World Tree Spring stimulated the baby, making the Queen uncomfortable. The palace doctor immediately examined her, confirming the good news."
"The Fairy Palace certainly trusts the technology of the cosmos, but the Queen indeed feels uncomfortable and has yet to recover. She needs rest and can't participate in any activities while His Majesty must stay by her side to avoid any accidents."
Shiller nodded and said, "Please don't feel sorry, I am honoured to be the first to receive such pleasant news. How is the Queen's condition? Is the discomfort very serious?"
Loki shook her head, truthfully saying, "Actually, the discomfort from the spring faded away after ten minutes, but because her majesty recently went on a military expedition, she has old injuries. This pregnancy was completely unexpected so doctors must ensure her body can bear children."
"Unexpected?"
"Yes, they both didn't plan to have children so soon. Oh, this 'soon' is based on Asgardians' concept of time. They just got married. The wedding celebrations are still ongoing."
Shiller understood, for Asgardians, having a baby only a year after marriage was indeed a bit quick, similar to a human couple conceiving on the second day of their marriage.
"God Clan is different from human beings. Our gestation period is longer and the father needs to supply power to the mother during this period to help instigate the divine power cycle within the baby. All in all, it's quite a nuisance."
"So..." Loki spread her hands and said, "As you can imagine, for quite a while ahead, Thor and Sif can't wander around."
"Is childbirth as dangerous to them as it is to humans?"
"No, a Fetus of the God Clan is almost invulnerable to external forces. Even if the mother is in mortal danger, the unborn can use the divine power it already possesses to create a shell for itself, transforming into a dormant egg until it accumulates enough power to defrost."
"The pregnancy period depends on the power input of the parents. The more power they provide, the better the quality, the shorter the gestation period. If the power is insufficient, development can be suspended without any impact on the mother."
"However, the time required to complete a cycle of divine force is incredibly long, unthinkable for humans. The potential risks during this period could also be greater, so I guess it's pretty much the same in terms of risk."
Shiller nodded, this was the first time he heard of such knowledge, and it sounded fascinating. The God Clan, a species that balanced between humans and energy beings, indeed had some peculiar characteristics.
"This indeed is good news, but I have to bring another piece of bad news." Loki sighed deeply, "Thor thinks it's extremely impolite to not attend your banquet, and Sif doesn't want to cause a diplomatic delay for Asgard because of her."
Shiller sat on the single-seater sofa in the room. He understood Loki's words. Even though Shiller organized this banquet nominally to celebrate Lex's graduation, in reality, it was a grand diplomatic event across cosmos.
It wasn't hard to understand. This was an experiment, perhaps similar banquets will be hosted frequently across the two universes' Platform Fight World thereafter. But if one could be a step ahead of others, why not?
"I don't suggest they come." Shiller expressed his thoughts, "The current transportation gate is indeed just a test product, I can't guarantee it would have no impact on the fetus."
"Secondly, I think they should be quite happy. Odin and Frigga probably wouldn't want them to leave now, their feelings need to be considered."
"Therefore, in light of these considerations, they should have a good rest in the Fairy Palace."
"Yes, since we agree, this is not a problem, but they have decided to send another Thor over."
Shiller paused in his actions again.
"Which Thor?"
"A huge pain in the ass." Loki sighed deeply. Even though Shiller was not familiar with Loki, he knew that Loki wasn't usually such a sigher. Plus, if Loki considers someone a super pain in the ass, what kind of person must they be?
"When we found him, he was partying on their version of Earth with friends – toppling the Statue of Liberty, moving the pyramids, causing complete chaos in the cities. He's an absolute jerk and a spoiled brat."
Shiller quickly recalled. This must be the party-Thor from the universe depicted in the story of "What If", where he leads his gang of hoodlums to wreak havoc on Earth. In the end, it was Captain Marvel and Frigga's Death Stare that restored order on Earth.
"The reason we encountered him is because his universe's Loki is quite unique." Loki shrugged and continued: "There are no congenital defects in him. He's a well-developed Frost Giant, standing out among the crowd of shorties. We met his brother through his introduction."
"As reluctant as I am to say this, I really don't know how much water this Thor needs to soak his brains to do such things. I'd rather trick him into causing chaos in Jotunheim."
"Indeed, he is troublesome," Shiller commented, "But if that's all, I reckon you'd just stand by and enjoy the show because as the host of this party, I should be the one dealing with troublesome guests."
Loki grimaced awkwardly and complained, "Has anyone ever told you that you're too sharp, Professor?"
"That's why I'm not suitable to be a psychologist."
"Alright, the fact is, to stop this fool, I had to punch him, and just now I found out that he's been looking for me throughout the cosmos."
"I presume, you punched him in your current form?"
Loki agreed with an air of resignation.
"Does he know you are Loki?"
"Of course not. The Loki in his universe is a Frost Giant, and looks different from most Lokis. So even though my male and female forms bear similarities, my female Loki looks nothing like the typical Frost Giant Loki. He definitely wouldn't recognize me."
"What about the personality… Oh, the Loki in his universe seems quite cheerful."
"Yes, because he developed normally, the Frost Giant Loki was also adopted by Odin but returned to Jotunheim to inherit the throne early on. His personality is similar to Thor's and doesn't fit with the other Lokis, who have been complaining for a long time."
"So he's looking for you because..."
"He wants to woo me." Loki put her hand on her forehead with utter helplessness, "I haven't even dared to tell Thor yet. Helping Sif complete the cycle of Divine Power requires concentration; he should not get angry at this time."
"So why would he want to send Thor here?"
"He volunteered." Loki said through gritted teeth, "He behaves exceptionally well in front of people he's familiar with, calling the chaos he caused on Earth a 'little prank', fooling almost everyone."
"Sounds a bit like you."
"I can't be certain." Loki shook her head, "His relationship with Loki is also delicate, but it's a different kind of delicate... it seems that he's... jealous of Loki?"
Even Loki herself found what she said at the end absurd. Thor being jealous of Loki, is there a funnier joke in the world?
"Have you ever thought about it, if you did not have a developmental defect and could rule over Jotunheim, wouldn't you be an object of envy for the Nine Major Kingdoms?" Shiller assessed.
"You are Laufey's biological son, the prince of the Frost Giants, having a formidable and noble lineage. You are not inferior to Thor's Aesir. But at the same time, you were adopted by Odin, legally being the foster child of the ruler of the Nine Major Kingdoms, and the prince of Asgard."
"Furthermore, you returned to Jotunheim early to inherit the throne, becoming an independent ruler who is not subjected to anyone else's control. At that time, Thor was still a prince. Odin was well and alive, Thor's chance of inheriting the throne was remote. He was probably constantly controlled and scrutinized."
"Under such circumstances, one of the previously very close brothers has already become a king who enjoys freedom, while the other remains a prince who can't come forth. How could Thor not be jealous?"
Loki touched her chin, agreeing that Shiller had a point. She was indeed blinded by her involvement. It now appears that it wasn't Thor who doesn't possess enough, but that Loki has more than he does.
Of course, Loki knew that when Odin said "he too will be a king" back in the day, he was referring to Loki, who is a Frost Giant himself, inheriting Jotunheim.
Sadly, Loki had a developmental defect, and didn't look like a Frost Giant at all. Hence, the question of ruling the Frost Giants was out of the question, which could be said to be the root of his tragedy.
But if the script played out differently, and Loki really became the king of Jotunheim, then it's destined he would step ahead of Thor. After all, Laufey had already been chopped up by Odin, and Loki wouldn't have the Mountains of Patriarchy and Sovereignty on his head. As soon as he ascends the throne, he becomes the emperor with real power. He has Odin behind him to cover, his life would be incredibly cushy.
With this, Loki understood, probably Thor ran off to Earth for a drinking spree due to his frustrations in daily life.
"Do you want to get rid of him?"
"Of course."
"Really?"
Shiller's question made Loki flinch.
"Of course, it is…"
"Have you noticed that your feelings for your brother are completely beyond ordinary brotherhood?"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough…"