Could it be that the two are conspiring?
Loki felt a pang of suspicion.
However, considering the powerful figure from Midgard, someone of that stature wouldn't normally get involved in Asgard's internal matters, especially since Odin is still alive.
No matter how powerful, the other party wouldn't cause trouble at this time.
Besides, back then, a mere king of Asgard wouldn't have been worth their attention.
As his thoughts churned, Loki finally said, "Give it some time, Thor. You know I have some matters to deal with. After I handle them, I'll go with you to Midgard."
Loki decided to play it safe and observe Thor and Heimdall for a while. If he didn't notice anything unusual, it wouldn't be too late to go.
If there were no conspiracies, Loki was quite keen to grow stronger. He was beginning to realize that he could hardly keep up with Thor. Though Thor wasn't the brightest, Loki was confident he could outsmart him, but only if their strengths were roughly equal.
If the power gap were too large, no scheme would be effective.
In Asgard, strength was always the priority.
"Alright, Loki, you can tell me anytime. However, I need to check with Shaw first," Thor said, pounding his chest.
Shaw~
Loki mentally noted the name.
...
In a luxurious mansion in Los Angeles.
There was a massive laboratory in the basement, filled with various instruments. The sound of high heels clicking on the floor came from outside the stairs, as a beautiful blonde woman in a suit walked over and waited by the floor-to-ceiling window for a moment.
"Welcome, Ms. Pepper."
At that moment, Jarvis's voice rang out. The woman addressed as Pepper was not surprised and watched as the glass door in front of her automatically opened. She walked in and greeted, "Hello, Jarvis. Is Mr. Stark available?"
"According to his schedule, he canceled his trip to Budapest."
"Okay, I see him."
Pepper walked in with documents, weaving through a disordered array of items, and found Tony Stark surrounded by holographic projections in the laboratory.
Tony was wearing a sweater and looked surprisingly good-spirited, quite different from the Tony she used to see.
At least, at this time, whenever she saw Tony, he would usually be accompanied by a woman.
"Mr. Stark, I have some documents that need your attention," Pepper said softly, standing in front of Tony.
Tony didn't respond immediately but stared blankly at the holographic projections in front of him. Holographic projection technology was used this year but wasn't widespread, and only Tony, as the director of Stark Industries, had this exception.
Pepper herself hadn't seen it much, so she found it quite astonishing.
The holographic projection displayed something very familiar to her, which seemed to be the arc reactor, one of Stark Industries' top technologies.
However, the current projection showed it significantly miniaturized.
What was this for?
Pepper suddenly felt that the genius in front of her might be working on something extraordinary.
Seeing Tony unmoved, Pepper didn't rush him. Though she hadn't been with the company long and had just been promoted to Tony Stark's assistant, she remembered Tony's little habits very well.
At such moments, it was best not to disturb a genius's thoughts, as it could interrupt their brilliant ideas.
Tony was precisely such a person.
After a while, Tony seemed to have figured something out, muttering technical jargon Pepper couldn't understand, and gesturing with his hands. The holographic projection's motion capture followed Tony's ideas and gradually executed them.
Eventually, a heap of scattered parts assembled into a miniature arc reactor.
"Great idea, congratulations, sir. You've completed Mr. Howard Stark's unfinished concept. Its output power and energy efficiency are better than expected."
"Yeah, I'm always smarter than my dad. He should know that. We've solved the hardest part. Jarvis, maybe we should celebrate."
Tony's expression turned excited. His idea could only proceed to the next step after solving the energy problem.
"Sir, I must remind you, your current physical condition..."
"Jarvis, I don't need any more reminders," Tony snapped, his face darkening, his breath huffing like an angry bull, yet this angry bull had lost its crucial ability, which was Tony's biggest headache.
At this moment, Tony finally noticed Pepper holding the documents.
"Wow, Pepper, when did you learn to be invisible?"
Tony's exaggerated expression left Pepper speechless. Honestly, if she could, she would love to diss this boss, but she couldn't. She might lose this high-paying job if she did.
Being Tony Stark's assistant was a dream job for many in the company.
When she was promoted to this position, she had already been dissed countless times by petty people, who even gleefully bet on how long she could stay by Tony's side.
After all, being Tony's life assistant has always been a high-consumption position.
"Mr. Stark, I think there's a document you need to sign."
"OK, I appreciate your humor," Tony said offhandedly as he took the document Pepper handed over. As he read through it, he raised an eyebrow, "Is this about Obadiah's shares?"
"Yes, more than half of the board members do not agree with young Obadiah inheriting Mr. Obadiah's shares."
"Heh, how realistic. I remember they were supposedly friends with Obadiah. After he died, these so-called friends immediately wanted to eliminate his successor's shares," Tony said disdainfully. Obadiah was one of the major shareholders of Stark Industries.
His shares were worth billions of dollars.
However, because of Obadiah's sudden death, the shares would be inherited by his direct relative, his son, young Obadiah. But the shareholders did not want young Obadiah to inherit the shares.
According to legal provisions, if more than half of the shareholders disagree with the successor becoming the new shareholder of the company, they need to buy the deceased shareholder's shares at the determined price from the successor.
It seems young Obadiah doesn't suffer a loss, but in reality, this is just a pack of hyenas tearing at a comrade's flesh.
How valuable are Stark's shares?
Stark Industries is not just an arms company; it also leads industries in various fields worldwide. Its estimated external market value is already in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
What does hundreds of billions of dollars mean in this era?
Wealth rivaling nations.
Last year, the total GDP of the entire United States was only twelve trillion dollars. Remember, this is just one company, and the market value of Stark Industries rises every year, with very few downturns, which is rare.
The foundation of Stark Industries is very stable. As long as Tony Stark is alive, the market value will increase every year.
The shares young Obadiah holds could earn a large amount of money each year. If they are forcibly sold, the financial loss would increase over time.
One could say that the shares Obadiah left behind are a huge cake. Not only the shareholders of Stark Industries but also other outsiders would divide this cake like hungry wolves.
How could such a fat cake be eaten by young Obadiah alone?
He does not have Obadiah's capabilities and connections. Even if he did, in the face of hundreds of billions or more in money, all feelings become worthless.
Tony himself understands this well; reality is this cruel.
Others are hyenas, but aren't he?
This opportunity also allows Tony to buy more shares, making it easier for him to completely control Stark Industries.
He does not want another incident like the Marbury villa.
If it weren't for Obadiah's greed, the Marbury incident wouldn't have happened, and Wanda and her brother wouldn't have come knocking, causing him to lose his life.
Moreover, Wanda had said that Obadiah was very greedy and even wanted to swallow his shares and kick him out.
So naturally, he wouldn't hold back.
Thus, after a bit of mockery, Tony cheerfully signed his name on the document. In reality, whether he signed or not, the outcome was already decided. If he wanted, he could indeed change everything.
But that would cost a lot, a price Tony does not want to pay now.
Obadiah isn't worth it.
Pepper, hearing this, felt helpless. Mockery was fine, but he signed so decisively and quickly.
But this kind of battle between big shots had nothing to do with her, a small assistant.
After Tony finished signing, she asked, "Is there anything else I need to arrange, Mr. Stark?"
"Cancel my schedule for a month. I need a month for experiments."
"Alright, Mr. Stark."
After nodding, Pepper noticed Tony's dry lips and handed him a cup of honey water.
Receiving Tony's appreciative look, she confirmed there were no other matters and turned to leave, needing to take the document to the board meeting.
Watching the young blonde Pepper leave, Tony suddenly said, "I like her."
"Ms. Pepper is excellent. From your past preferences, she meets all the criteria."
"But your health still needs improvement. Perhaps I can relay your condition to the medical team."
Tony covered his forehead: "Do you think science can solve magic, Jarvis?"
"In some ways, it can, but it requires more advanced equipment. With the current technology available on Earth, it is impossible to analyze the nature and origin of magic."
"Alright, let's forget about that for now. I'm more concerned about the MK armor. After solving the power source issue, we need to build the armor's shell next."
"Sir, are you preparing to manufacture armor to counter external threats?"
"Exactly. Right now, I'm too weak; a single bullet could kill me, let alone those terrifying beings." Just thinking about it made Tony feel a bit frightened. In battles of that scale, he was like an ant that could be crushed by the slightest breeze.
He didn't like this feeling of helplessness, where his life was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it.
The MK armor was undoubtedly the best choice to solve this problem.
Having witnessed top-level confrontations, he didn't expect the MK armor to clash head-on with those monsters. As long as it could keep him alive, that would be good enough. He believed that with his intellect, he might eventually come up with a better solution.
At this moment, he realized that after Wanda had removed some of his abilities, he might have more time and energy to devote to the MK armor.
Tony actually thought this wasn't too bad.
However, he might also need to find another hobby to deal with accumulated negative emotions.
Maybe play some soccer? Or race cars?
...
At the manor, Bi Xiao raised an eyebrow, looking at Thor's brother, who was called the embodiment of deception. The other man's handsome, pale face was full of respect, and his every move was filled with elegance. Compared to Thor, this rough man truly had a prince-like demeanor.
However, although the other man hid it well, Bi Xiao still caught some different thoughts.
For instance, wanting to become stronger, just like Thor, through him.
Of course, that was the only minor thought Loki dared to entertain. He wouldn't dare to try anything else, as he surely understood the vast difference in their levels.
Any small misstep could lead to significant losses. Loki was a top expert in adapting to situations.
Bi Xiao showed a "kind" smile.
The future God Of Stories, seeing this humorous character fall flat, would undoubtedly be an amusing sight.
However, Loki, looking at Bi Xiao's smile, couldn't help but feel uneasy. It seemed that this powerful figure, capable of killing hell lords, was up to something bad.
Soon, Loki would fully understand the reason.
In the mirror dimension, Thor stood in the distance, laughing heartily as he watched Loki awkwardly dodge Wanda's remote bombardment. Seeing his brother in misfortune seemed to bring him joy.
Loki now felt utterly confused.
Or rather, he didn't know what he was doing in this damned space. Facing that young but beautiful and fragile-looking girl, the moment the battle started, she transformed instantly from a seemingly weak little girl into a human artillery.
Loki had never seen a mage like this.
What happened to close combat? Why was he pinned in place and bombarded with all sorts of powerful magic? Each spell had terrifying power, with huge fireballs of over a hundred meters in diameter causing massive explosions, creating craters thousands of meters wide.
The shockwaves nearly blew him away.
If one of those hit him directly, he doubted he would survive.
He had reason to believe that the girl was acting. She was a madwoman, conspiring with Thor to kill him.
While dodging the bombardment, he saw Thor laughing "excitedly" and the girl's expressionless face with terrifying "killing intent" in her eyes.
Loki understood: they were conspiring to kill him.
Then Thor would ascend to the throne, and the guy named Shaw would completely replace Odin, controlling all of Asgard from behind the scenes.
He had to survive and return to Asgard to inform his father, Odin, of Thor's conspiracy.
Of course, no one knew Loki's thoughts. Wanda appeared to be happily displaying her power. Though she was young, her woman's intuition told her that this handsome and elegant Asgardian prince was not a good person.
She had a vague feeling that he was up to something, his eyes filled with caution towards everyone.
This made the young witch very uncomfortable. Clearly, he had come to Bi Xiao to become stronger. Look at Thor, although a bit foolish, he was sincere and straightforward. Such a personality was at least not detestable.
But this guy, while seeking help, was full of suspicion and arrogance, which made Wanda decide to teach this so-called prince a good lesson.
What does an angry young witch look like? Just like this.
Wanda, in full output mode, didn't care about the expenditure, effortlessly casting powerful basic combination spells. The bombardment of countless giant fireballs over a hundred meters in diameter covered every direction. Loki tried to deceive Wanda with illusions and projections, but Wanda didn't bother tracking him.
She directly used chaos magic, summoning heavy snow, forcibly changing the environment of the entire space.
But this time, Wanda miscalculated. She suddenly realized that Loki seemed highly resistant to low temperatures, and his reaction and escape speed increased significantly in the cold, even allowing him to counterattack.
Wanda quickly realized that the cold environment seemed to benefit Loki, so she immediately changed her approach, turning the cold into intense heat.
The endless scorching temperature distorted the air in the entire space.
~~~
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— Completed (Chapter 277: Finale)