Loki's imprisonment did not cause much of a stir. Neither the great serpent at the bottom of the sea, nor the goddess of death in the underworld, nor the chained monstrous wolf showed any reaction. On the contrary, Hel even seemed slightly more humble, as if understanding the gods' resentment towards her and not wanting to provoke any more trouble.
As for the great serpent at the bottom of the sea, none of the gods could fathom what it was thinking. On the surface, it only appeared to be in deep slumber, at most its serpent subjects were making more war preparations, but in the current climate where ambitious and scheming individuals in all the Nine Worlds were growing restless under the gods' rule, the gods also deliberately ignored it and had no time to pay attention to this great serpent.
Loki's two daughters, Eisa and Einmyria, also kept a low profile and did not do anything out of line. However, beneath this seemingly calm surface, even the lowliest divine servants knew that there were too many hidden undercurrents.
What happened between Thor and Sif, no one knew. Only that the irritable and wrathful thunder god had since become tight-lipped and no longer visited Sif's palace, always staying at the front lines battling the rebellious Frost Giants.
As for the relationship between the king and queen of the gods, rumor had it that Queen Frigg hugged Odin's leg, begging her husband, the king of the gods, for forgiveness, while Odin simply gently pulled away his leg in silent response.
As the king of the gods, he could not display his anger and dissatisfaction among the gods, as that would make them feel uneasy. He had to always remain calm and rational, but as a husband, he could express his fury and displeasure towards his unfaithful wife.
What Loki had said at the divine feast changed too much, too much between the gods. Suspicion, dissatisfaction, and indifference spread among these deities.
And the imprisonment of Loki, the god of fire, directly caused the flames throughout the world to wither, and the climate of the Nine Worlds gradually turned colder. Despite the sun goddess Sol, the god of winter, and other gods' utmost efforts to support it, they could barely keep the world's climate from deteriorating further, but the cooling of the Nine Worlds had already become inevitable.
This change was most recorded in human history books.
"Cold, heavy snow, famine, frozen corpses."
All historical records invariably used these few words.
Without Loki, the god of fire, and having lost Balder, the god of light, the Nine Worlds entered a long ice age. Winters became exceptionally long, with half of the year shrouded in the cold winter season.
In the farmlands, crops struggled to grow. The brief spring could not provide humans with much food. In order to fight for the scarce sustenance, wars and slaughter began in human kingdoms. Frozen corpses and dried blood became the main theme of that thousand-year period known as the "Winter Era".
Young warriors died with eyes wide open, their bellies sliced open, guts spilled all over the ground, their hot blood also futilely turning to ice. Their souls were escorted by the Valkyries to Valhalla, while crows circled above the corpse-strewn, deserted battlefields, cawing.
The once-glorious human era suddenly fell into decline. Under the erosion of the severe cold, many cities were abandoned and turned into wastelands again. The human civilization accumulated over tens of thousands of years regressed. The number of human souls heading to the river of the dead was once so crowded that it was unbearable.
And in the Nine Worlds, at some unknown point, a prophecy about "Ragnarok", the Norse term for the destruction of the world, quietly began to spread. In this prophecy, it was claimed that the golden age of the gods had long passed, and all the gods would perish in an unprecedented great crisis, at which point the entire world would face destruction.
The gods did not refute this fate, the giants were indifferent, and the great serpent lying at the bottom of the sea had an even more uncaring attitude, allowing this prophecy to spread in the human world.
The dread of the world's destruction not only spread among humans but also among the gods, while Odin, the king of the gods, looked down from on high in silence, his single eye seeming to hold his own designs.
…
In the cold sky, the sun goddess Sol drove the sun chariot through the clouds. She looked down and saw that through the clouds, the vast cold earth was covered in patches of white, all places blanketed by snow.
Although there were still traces of human civilization, that once-prosperous human civilization had also fallen into dire straits. Many ancient arts had been lost. Humans, who could once freely wield magic and steel, and even build floating cities, glimpsing that realm which only belonged to the gods - the sky, were also helpless in the face of this frigid climate.
The era of human cities everywhere was gone, vanished, never to be seen again. Ruins buried civilization, and humans could only recall that past glory from those grand ancient relics.
Silently watching all this, the goddess sighed softly.
Although Loki's imprisonment was the cause of the severe cold's arrival, she vaguely felt that the reason might not be so simple. The entire universe seemed to be gradually sinking into desolation and decay…
The human civilization cherished by the gods had fallen into weakness, while the gods had fallen into infighting and quarrels. And those giants and other races who had been cowed by the victorious might of the four divine wars were now beginning to stir with unrest. The entire universe seemed like a pot of boiling water, waiting for a chance, and this pot of boiling water would explode…
And all of this seemed as if there was an invisible giant hand quietly propelling the arrival of all this.
The scorching sun chariot rode across the sky, but the silent sun goddess Sol inexplicably felt a vague sense of wistfulness.
"If only everything were still the same as tens of thousands of years ago, how wonderful would that be…"
In that era, the gods were united and had no grudges between them. That sincerity and soaring passion had painstakingly fostered a golden age. Although there were many enemies, it was full of vitality.
And at this moment, the gods already reigned over the entire universe, with all the Nine Worlds groveling at the gods' feet. As far as the eye could see, there seemed to be no more adversaries. The gods' might had already been pushed to its zenith, but it seemed as if something was missing…
What exactly was missing?
Sol felt a tinge of loss…
And at the bottom of the sea, the huge creature quietly lying on the seabed opened a pair of frigid pupils, looking through the blue seawater at the sun chariot in the sky, sneering.
Its laughter disturbed the Serpent Ladies. The Serpent Lady Mona knelt on the ground, devoutly praying to the great serpent.
"My father, why do you laugh?"
Her expression was solemn as she bowed to the great serpent, her lovely face showing unreserved trust.
And in response, the great serpent's deep and icy laughter rang out.
"The gods' might has already been pushed to its zenith, and I have also seen the day when the gods' rule will crumble. Those cowardly insects, one day, the gods who have forgotten my prestige, you will recall the sensation of being dominated by the dread of me. Then, all the torment and humiliation I have endured during my over 10,000 years of imprisonment will be inflicted upon you one by one!"
Towards the end, the great serpent's voice became even more glacial, carrying a deep hatred. This humiliation of over 10,000 years and the torment of falling into hunger and pain, it would repay to those gods one by one.
Then, the great serpent slowly closed its cold pupils, no longer paying attention to anything else, just silently waiting for that day to come.
…
Year after year, day after day, as time trickled by bit by bit, finally one day…
"Boom!!!!!!"
An earth-shattering, deafening booming sound resounded through the entire universe.
As if heaven and earth were wailing, the ground was violently quaking. The continuous, intense earthquakes caused all mountains to collapse with a thunderous roar, all trees to topple, and all rocks to crack and crumble. The entire world slowly began to tilt in this unprecedented, tremendous booming sound.
Heaven and earth tilted, stars swayed.
At this moment, whether it was gods, giants, or monsters, all living beings in the Nine Worlds were startled awake by this, taken aback by that instinctive, overwhelming feeling of terror.