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Ch. 282 I Don't Like Passivity
🕑 Added 2024-02-02 16:00:08 +0000 UTCThe teleportation gate had just formed not long ago when Ancient One, dressed in a golden mage robe and holding a bamboo fan, appeared on the other side of the gate.
It seemed like she had anticipated this event from early on, and upon seeing Russell, Odin, and others on the other side of the gate, Ancient One displayed no surprise on her face.
Before Russell could speak, Ancient One calmly crossed the teleportation gate and arrived at Odin's study.
"Ancient One, it's been a while!"
Once Ancient One entered the study, Odin, who had been sitting there, stood up and greeted her.
"Your Majesty, you're too kind."
Ancient One replied with a smile and nodded slightly in acknowledgment of Odin.
"Both of you can leave. I have some matters to discuss with Ancient One."
After Ancient One's response, Odin instructed Russell and Thor.
Although they weren't sure what they were going to talk about, Russell and Thor managed to control their curiosity and nodded politely at Odin.
Then, they left the study and gently closed the door behind them.
Once the large door was closed, Russell and Thor finally let out a sigh of relief.
Although they were both adults, the recent encounter made them feel like they were about to face parental punishment.
"It's getting late. I won't accompany you back to the room. We can talk tomorrow."
Thor said to Russell.
"Alright."
Russell replied quickly.
After saying goodbye to Thor, Russell didn't hesitate and went straight back to his own room.
He declined the requests from Luna and the other maids to assist him with bathing and going to sleep. Instead, he lay in a bathtub that seemed to be made of gold and opened the system.
"Regular Reward: Power of Thor; Status: Activated; Activation Condition: Lifting the Thor's Hammer, Mjolnir; Activation Effect: Gains Power of Thor; Evolution Count: 0 times!"
As he looked at the new reward that had mysteriously appeared and been activated, Russell furrowed his brows slightly.
He had activated many rewards before, but this was the first time he encountered a reward that was activated as soon as it appeared.
In a way, "Power of Thor" seemed like a reward that the system deliberately gave him.
On the surface, it seemed like a good thing.
However, Russell didn't see it that way.
The system had always been aloof.
Not only did it not proactively give him rewards, but it also rarely bothered to explain the activation conditions and effects of the rewards, providing only brief descriptions.
Whether there were hidden details within the activation conditions and effects, he had to figure out for himself.
And now, the usually aloof system was suddenly giving him a reward, and it was the "Power of Thor," a reward that was not much inferior to "Kryptonian Heritage."
Moreover, Odin immediately had him contact Ancient One as soon as he could lift Mjolnir, which seemed somewhat unusual.
The enchantments on Mjolnir were personally placed by Odin.
According to common sense, he should have a clear understanding of why Russell could wield Mjolnir.
Even if Odin couldn't figure it out immediately, he didn't need to have Russell contact Ancient One right away.
No matter how he looked at it, something seemed off.
After pondering for a few minutes, Russell decisively gave up on thinking further.
The thoughts of a divine-level figure were beyond his grasp, especially when it was the All-Father, Odin, who was at the forefront among divine-level beings.
Giving up on figuring out what the system and Odin were thinking, Russell sat up a bit in the "golden" bathtub.
Then, he activated the newly acquired Power of Thor.
He raised his right hand and focused on his index finger. Under his control, a silvery-white electric snake, as thick as a finger, began to slither on his index finger.
Like his other rewards, controlling Power of Thor was not particularly difficult. After a few casual attempts, Russell confirmed one fact: he could now easily release lightning, just like Thor.
No, strictly speaking, he could release lightning even more effortlessly than Thor because he didn't need the assistance of Mjolnir. He only had to expend his own divine power to generate lightning.
But could this new reward, Power of Thor, be combined with the reward he already had, The Marvelous Superman?
While trying out his newly acquired Power of Thor, Russell couldn't help but have this thought in his mind.
Should he try it?
Looking at the silvery-white electric snake moving on his right index finger, Russell had an immediate urge to try it.
However, after careful consideration for a few minutes, he ultimately dismissed the idea.
Judging from the evolution count displayed for Power of Thor, it was obvious that this reward had the potential for further enhancement.
Whether it was the regular reward Power of Thor or the evolutionary reward The Marvelous Superman, either one was sufficient for him to deal with the majority of enemies. There was no need to rush to merge them into a single reward.
Furthermore, it was best to keep Power of Thor in its original state until he understood why the system had "gifted" him this reward in such a seemingly effortless manner.
Who knew if there would be situations in the future where Power of Thor needed to be used separately?
For safety's sake, maintaining Power of Thor in its original form was undoubtedly the best choice.
After enjoying a comfortable bath in the "golden" bathtub and testing the new reward, Power of Thor, Russell got up and left the bathroom, wrapping himself in a towel.
Just as he was planning to get a good night's sleep to end this unexpectedly eventful day, he saw someone in his room who shouldn't have been there.
Maid Luna!
To be precise, it was Luna, the maid with strong ambitions.
Luna, who should have left with the other maids, was now standing at the edge of the bed, wearing an extremely simple and easily removable nightgown that seemed like it could be taken off with a gentle tug. She looked timid.
Uh...
Had the maids of Asgard become like this?
As an experienced tea connoisseur, Russell could easily see what Luna was up to. Not only that, with his keen insight as an experienced tea connoisseur, he could even tell that Luna had no experience at all.
Observing Luna, who appeared to be in her twenties with a charming face and a curvaceous figure, Russell sighed softly.
Then, he said slowly, "You can leave; I'm not in the mood tonight."
Luna, who had always been obedient, aside from joining him for royal feasts, had never refused any of his commands. However, she was now acting against her usual behavior. She shook her head, blushing.
Uh...
Was she this determined?
If it were any other time, Russell wouldn't mind discussing the origins of life and the mysteries of the universe with Luna, a beauty like her.
But the problem was that today was his first day in Asgard.
On his first day in Asgard, if he were to sleep with a royal maid, it would undoubtedly tarnish his reputation.
In simple terms, Russell didn't want to start off on the wrong foot as soon as he arrived in Asgard.
With a sigh of resignation, he was about to give Luna the order to leave in his own way when Luna, who was standing by the bed, did something unexpected.
She raised her right hand slightly and grabbed the tie on her nightgown.
Then, she gently pulled it.
As the tie was pulled, the already thin nightgown instantly opened and, under the influence of gravity, floated down to Luna's feet like a falling leaf.
Uh...
Russell had to admit that Luna's move was bold and full of determination.
As his gaze instinctively roamed over Luna's enticing figure, he realized that Luna, who appeared to be in her twenties, was actually at least a few hundred years old, if not over a thousand.
A few seconds of contemplation later, Russell shook his head in mild exasperation.
Clearly, Luna had completely misunderstood his true intentions.
After thinking for a few seconds, Russell decided to communicate with Luna using the Asgardian way rather than the Earth way.
"Get up and help me with my bath and dressing!"
Russell deliberately put on a stern expression and ordered.
"Yes, my lord!"
Hearing Russell's serious tone, Luna, who was still on her knees, breathed a sigh of relief, quickly got up, and without even putting on the nightgown, brought his clothes and began to assist him in getting dressed.
While this might be somewhat disrespectful, it has to be said that this feeling is quite nice.
Regardless of how you look at it, Luna is no less than Hollywood actresses or Victoria's Secret models.
More importantly, compared to Hollywood actresses and Victoria's Secret models, Luna exudes a special fragility that can trigger a man's protective instinct, completely devoid of that attitude of superiority just because of her looks.
Under Luna's careful service, Russell put on the unmistakably classical Asgardian attire once again.
A little over ten minutes later, after finishing his morning routine, Russell, dressed in his servant's attire with Luna leading the way, headed towards the dining hall.
Just like yesterday, he didn't go to the grander and more splendid main dining hall in the Golden Palace. Instead, he came to the same dining hall as yesterday, which was closest to room.
Upon entering the dining hall, he was surprised to find that the mess that he and Thor had caused yesterday had been completely cleaned up. Loki, who had passed out drunk, and the Three Warriors of Asgard had been taken away, and the shattered floor and broken walls had been restored to their original state.
Shortly after Russell arrived in the dining hall, the maids responsible for the dining hall brought out the prepared breakfast.
Similar to the Asgardian royal cuisine he had tasted yesterday, today's breakfast was also rich in energy.
Although the dining culture was different from Earth, it had to be said that the chef's skills were quite good.
This time, Russell didn't continue to request Luna to join him for the meal. Instead, he ate the breakfast, which was enough to serve six or seven people, by himself.
As he savored the Asgardian royal breakfast before him, he contemplated his plans for the day.
He didn't know if Odin had any new arrangements for him today.
However, he intended to visit the library in the Golden Palace today.
With the The Marvelous Superman reward, his physical attack and defense capabilities were quite good.
Since he was now in Asgard, he planned to thoroughly study the divine power that had emerged within him from who knows where.
Of course, due to the newly acquired Power of Thor reward, he also needed to study the related aspects of that power.
Other divine powers might not have relevant information in the library.
But Power of Thor was different.
Without any surprises, he should be able to find information related to Power of Thor in the library of the Golden Palace.
The reason was simple: Power of Thor was not a newcomer to Asgard.
Although Thor was the one who currently possessed Power of Thor, there were others who had it before him.
Not to go too far back, Odin himself had once possessed Power of Thor.
It's just that, with the increase in his power, Odin, who had once possessed Power of Thor, now had the mighty divine power named after himself, "Odin Force."
If Thor could continue to enhance his strength or reach the heights of Odin, he could also have the powerful divine power named after himself, "Thor Force."
However, judging from the current situation, Thor still had a long way to go to achieve this feat.
At the very least, Thor needed to be able to perfectly control his Power of Thor without relying on Mjolnir.
