"I've discussed this matter with the Supreme Sorcerer of Earth's Guardians, the Ancient One, but since you have been recognized by Mjolnir, could you help me look after Thor and protect him as he completes his trials?" Seeing Clark suddenly fall silent, King Odin did not hesitate and asked with a pleading tone in his voice.
"Look after him?" Clark was taken aback. He was somewhat uncomfortable with the pleading tone in King Odin's voice since he had never dealt with Odin before. However, Clark had seen Odin as an apparition when he dealt with Gabriel.
Back then, Odin truly acted like a sovereign deity, extremely formidable, considering neither Heaven nor angels significant. He had dealt with Gabriel without any hesitation.
But now, Clark didn't feel that overwhelming presence from Odin. Instead, Odin seemed more like a father hoping for his child to succeed, even appearing somewhat humble in Clark's eyes...
This undoubtedly made Clark feel a bit uncomfortable since none of the father figures he had encountered before had behaved in this way, whether it was Jonathan, Jor-El, or Kara's foster father. Perhaps, this was because Odin was truly disappointed in his son Thor?
"Has he already come to Earth? I will take care of him. Is this hammer meant to be placed on the ground, waiting for him to find it?" Clark regained his composure and asked, looking at Mjolnir in his hand.
To Clark, Mjolnir was merely 'not bad,' especially since he initially thought it was part of his own destiny.
Now that he knew Mjolnir was an artifact of Asgard, Clark naturally had no intention of claiming it for himself. Of course, if Clark really wanted to, he probably wouldn't have been recognized by Mjolnir...
"There's no need to place it anywhere specifically. I initially planned it that way, but now, let Mjolnir stay with you. Let Thor undergo his trials on Earth first, then let him seek out Mjolnir…" Odin's voice carried a note of gratitude.
"When the time comes, after Thor has passed the trials and returned to Asgard, you can visit Asgard with him. I have a treasury there, filled with many treasures from the nine realms, which you might like…"
"We'll see about that. From your description, it seems Thor's trials won't be easy. What does he look like?" Clark shook his head. He didn't believe a person's nature could change dramatically, especially since Odin seemed eager for Thor to undergo trials but was reluctant to let him suffer too much hardship...
"I did a little trick; Thor hasn't come to Earth with the hammer. He hasn't arrived yet…" Odin's voice had a hint of embarrassment. Since Thor would still need Clark's help, he naturally couldn't hide this from Clark. Fortunately, he had already discussed it with the Ancient One, so one more person knowing wouldn't be a big issue.
"..." Hearing Odin's words, Clark felt even more that Thor had no chance for real change. In Clark's view, this was probably just a princely adventure, aimed more at gaining wider recognition for the prince's status, rather than a true trial.
"Does this plan really help him grow?" Clark wasn't planning to speak, as it seemed a bit nosy, but Odin's tone had touched him, prompting Clark to ask.
"He will indeed face challenges after he comes to Earth. All I can do is conceal the truth from him and preserve his life…" Odin detected the goodwill in Clark's voice and sighed helplessly, speaking softly, "All I can say is, I haven't raised my child well. Over these thousand years, he hasn't truly matured!"
Clark: ∑(￣□￣*||| A thousand-year-old child?!
"Let's go with your plan for now. If there's a chance, I'll help temper him a bit!" Clark finally shook his head, not committing to anything major, but he would still lend a hand if possible.
"Thank you very much, Kryptonian. You shall have Asgard's eternal friendship!" Odin said earnestly to Clark.
"Clark?" Just as Clark nodded, he heard Lana's voice. Mjolnir was originally supposed to land in New Mexico, while Clark and Lana had been in Kansas, which is relatively close by. Given Clark's speed, the distance was merely a moment's journey, especially since Mjolnir had been intercepted by Clark early...
"What's this? A hammer? Why are you holding a hammer?" Lana looked puzzled at Mjolnir in Clark's hand.
The design of Mjolnir was somewhat unusual compared to a typical hammer, which added to Lana's confusion about its origin and why Clark was holding it while hovering in midair.
"Let's head back and talk," Clark said, glancing at
Mjolnir and then at Lana, feeling somewhat eager to try it out but also worried that Lana might not handle the hammer and could fall from midair if she tried.
"Oh…" Lana looked at Clark strangely and followed him back to the Kent farm. At that moment, Robert had just returned.
"Can't you finish your last semester?" Clark said irritably upon seeing Robert, "Don't end up without a diploma!"
"Don't worry, thanks to you, Selina has already sorted that out…" Robert shrugged with a smile, "Besides, there's no point in going back. If I'm not going to school, what am I doing there?"
"Still, if you insist, I could go. It seems Tony could help with college admissions, but it really isn't necessary. It's just a waste of time. You don't work; you help out on the farm. I certainly won't be working either…"
"Maybe I will have to work…" Clark responded to Robert.
"Hmm?" Both Robert and Lana turned to look at Clark, with Lana showing a hint of confusion while Robert gave Clark a piercing look, snapping Clark back to reality.
"Nothing, I was just saying maybe…" Clark quickly waved his hand, softly explaining, "Mainly to counter Robert."
"What is this thing in your hand? A hammer? It seems to contain a lot of power…" Robert changed the subject, looking at Mjolnir in Clark's hand.
"An artifact! This comes from Norse mythology. Ever heard of Thor? This is his weapon!" Clark gratefully glanced at Robert, then swung Mjolnir in his hand and chuckled.
"Norse mythology?" Robert raised an eyebrow, more familiar with Greek mythology. As for Norse myths, he last heard about them when Clark mentioned Gabriel being beaten up between dimensions by Zeus and Odin. As for Thor, Robert admitted he knew of Lei Gong, the Thunder God, but not which one Thor was.
"Mjolnir? Don't tell me this is Mjolnir…" Lana, aware of Mjolnir and Thor's existence, raised an eyebrow and looked at the hammer in Clark's hand.
"What? Don't believe it?" Clark placed Mjolnir on the ground, pointing at it and chuckling, "Then try to lift it. Can you lift Mjolnir?"
"Hmm? Even if Mjolnir is heavy, it can't be that I can't lift it, right? I can even lift a building…" Lana felt Clark was probably teasing her; how could a mere hammer be too much for her?
"Why not give it a try?" Clark's lips curled into a smile as he watched Lana.
"Hmph!" Lana huffed indignantly and reached for Mjolnir. To avoid showing Clark that she was exerting herself, she didn't use her strength at first, but when Mjolnir remained immobile after her initial effort, Lana realized it was no ordinary hammer.
"Crack! Crack!" Lana's hands grasped Mjolnir, her feet firmly planted on the ground, cracking the surface, yet Mjolnir still did not budge, as if welded to the earth.
"I don't believe this!" Lana, unwilling to give up, took a deep breath and stomped hard, attempting to fly off with Mjolnir.
"Boom!" The ground around her collapsed instantly, but Mjolnir still did not rise with Lana, leaving her hanging in midair, bewildered as she looked at the hammer and then at Clark.
"It's good I didn't let you hold Mjolnir in midair earlier, or you might have fallen and gotten hurt…" Clark shook his head, smiling at Lana, "It's a bit different from the mythical Mjolnir. To lift it, you need to be deemed worthy by Mjolnir. If it doesn't recognize you, it might as well weigh more than a planet, or perhaps it's infinitely heavy, making it impossible to lift…"
"That powerful? So you were recognized by Mjolnir?" Lana looked up to Clark admiringly, "How can one be recognized by Mjolnir?"
"You need to be a just and good person… well, there are other conditions too, like having a pure heart, willing to sacrifice…" Clark recalled Odin's words, but as he spoke, he felt something was off. If it were just those conditions, then wasn't he implying Lana wasn't just and good? Thus, Clark continued to elaborate.
Clark felt that, although Odin mentioned those conditions, there must be more than he was currently stating. It's not that Clark thought there were many just and good people, but rather, unless someone was extremely evil, most would have some aspect of justice and goodness. Odin didn't impose any limits, so there were still quite a few who would qualify.
As for absolute justice
and goodness, Clark didn't consider himself as such; it's just that his just and good side was more predominant.
"You meet all those conditions, Clark? Well, that makes sense, you are Superman after all! It's not surprising you could do it…" Lana's eyes gleamed even more with admiration as she listened to Clark.
"Really that magical? I don't believe it!" Robert, seeing this, scoffed. If he had known, he wouldn't have helped Clark earlier and would have watched how Clark handled this crisis!
"Why don't you try then!" Clark smiled at Robert, "But even if you're stronger than Lana, it won't help. You can't lift Mjolnir by strength alone. When I first encountered it, it seemed a bit slow to react. Even I was nearly dragged off…"
Clark didn't know that the reason for the earlier incident was that Odin's spell had just been cast, and right after casting it, he had thrown Mjolnir to Earth. But before it landed, Clark, who met the criteria, grabbed it. Not even Odin or the spell on Mjolnir expected this!
"You were dragged off?" Robert raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his look toward Mjolnir, then stepped forward, stretching out his hand with a laugh, "Then I really need to try this. Speaking of which, what's the use of being able to lift it? To smash someone with the hammer?"
"You'll gain the power of Thor, but you don't need to try, and don't bother transforming into your Angry Giant Ape form. It doesn't require much strength to lift it, and transforming won't help... won't... help?" Clark watched as Robert walked and transformed into his Angry Giant Ape, starting to tease him, but then he was stunned to see Robert lifting Mjolnir.
At that moment, Clark's eyes were filled with bewilderment. If it hadn't been for Lana's inability to lift Mjolnir earlier, Clark would have doubted whether the spell on Mjolnir had failed.
As someone who had watched Robert grow into a fierce Saiyan fighter, Clark knew Robert's character well. Robert was barely not a villain, so how did he relate to being just and good? And that wasn't even considering the conditions he had just calculated...
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