Chapter 934: Chapter 66 Fate Goddess, Get into the Bowl (6.1k)_2

Unfortunately, despite Odin’s cold-blooded nature, he is also highly rational.

In facing external threats to the Asgardian authority, Odin’s retaliation is indeed ruthless and severe, yet he does not necessarily impose the same harsh treatment onto his Blood Alliance brother.

On one hand, his glory is inseparably linked with the brilliance of the Asa Divine Race. Unless it’s a matter of life or death, Odin would rather adjust his plans than readily turn his back on him.

For instance, when plotting the great light and dark battle of the Elves, Odin, concerned about how he is perceived in his heart, deliberately hides this disgraceful affair; for another example, in the case of the Dragon Disaster of the Dwarves, Odin does not hesitate in breaking Bragi’s leg due to his (Luo En’s) appearance, thereby terminating actions against the Dwarf Clan… All of the above prove his status in Odin’s heart and his significance to Asgard.

On the other hand, he is not a Dwarf that one can simply squash and mold at will.

If a fallout really occurs, Odin and Freya combined might not necessarily be his match, and Asgard would suffer irreparable losses. With Odin’s wisdom, he would think of every means to win him over, rather than corner this Blood Alliance brother into an adversarial position.

Theoretically, as long as he does not act like the Loki in the original Nordic Mythology, by preemptively killing the God of Light, Balder, and utterly shattering Asgard’s dream of glory, Odin will never take initiative against him, no matter what happens.

And he himself has no intention of going to extremes, personally sending Balder away.

Therefore, the credibility of what Hel was arduously proving is only half-believable.

But through her overly enthusiastic involvement in the Dwarven Dragon Disaster, and her overly active performance, she inadvertently exposed her own ulterior motives.

–Hel does not like Odin, nor does she like the Aesir Gods, and even harbors a hint of hostility towards the entire Immortal Palace, hoping to pull her foster father back to Midgard.

Sure enough, the matter of banishing Hela has left a deep wound on her.

Luo En sighed, a complexity in his eyes.

Hel and Hela grew up together, as close as sisters, yet Hel had to watch as Odin, for the sake of what is called the great cause of Asa, banished Hela to the Netherworld.

Adding to the fact that he, as a foster father, also participated and then disappeared for hundreds of years, Hel’s sense of threat and her slight overreaction are indeed understandable.

In order to avoid the same fate for herself, Hel is so unwelcoming of Odin and the Asa Divine Race, fiercely hoping to pull her foster father back to Midgard, so he doesn’t follow Asgard’s path of abandoning everything, heading down a dark road with no return.

And to increase her own bargaining chips, her family’s Haki Wolf has not been idle in orchestrating schemes:

Developing the [Guild] and [Tavern], amassing immense wealth and a powerful intelligence organization;

Facilitating the union of the Seven Dwarf Clans, connecting with the Warlock Brotherhood to expand Midgard’s influence;

Offering a shortcut to Eden, turning a blind eye to Eden’s night raids;

Sheltering the Dark Elves, incorporating Rose into her command;

Encouraging Celebrian to succeed the Elf King, healing the rift between the two major Elf Clans…

Next, who knows, maybe one day, this dutiful daughter will come up with a line like:

“It’s cold; let me add a layer for you.”

Because he sees through Hel’s intention to anchor him to her own rickety wagon, Luo En intentionally plays dumb, deliberately avoiding a direct response.

Uniting with Hel to gather a large portion of the Nine Realms’ forces under his banner, including Elves, Dwarves, and Humans, to Midgard, that would be tantamount to triggering Ragnarok prematurely, and he does not wish to see such an outcome;

And to ascend with Odin using the remains of other races to build their own glory so that Asa remains forever great is something he admits he simply cannot do.

There’s no easy choice since both sides hold importance; neither side offers a perfect solution.

Thus, he can only remain aloof from both, seeking a third path as much as possible, striving for a more ideal conclusion.

Ragnarok is the outcome, but it does not mean that the entire Nordic God Era must be completely obliterated.

In the original Nordic Mythology, the World Tree is burned down, the Pantheon of Gods and countless lives fall, but still, Forest God Vidar, Gardening and Revenge God Wali, Thor’s sons Mani and Modi, two humans named Lib and Riptrasil, Black Dragon King Nidhogg, and a host of other lifeforms survive, and afterward, the World Tree sprouts anew.

Therefore, the third path in Luo En’s mind is to satisfy the outcome of Ragnarok, obtain the Fruit of Destiny, without causing too much loss of life.

For this, he has to guard against Odin’s extreme actions that leave no way out for the Asa Divine Race, and also be wary of Hel, Hela, and a host of other cataclysmic elements that may prematurely cause trouble or, due to being overly aggressive, make Ragnarok uncontrollable;

At the same time, he has to find a way to nudge the trajectory of Fate, letting Ragnarok unfold naturally, in a vicarious way, to acquire the Fruit of Destiny.

This situation, requiring constant strategizing, reminds him of the famed quote from the Greek reformer Solon:

“I stand with a sturdy shield in my hand, before the two classes, permitting neither to triumph unjustly.”

Of course, Solon’s end was just like his shifty stance, managing to dissatisfy all classes, with only himself being ousted in the end.

Such a headache…

Luo En rubbed his temple, which throbbed slightly, in a gesture of empathy.

In his efforts to achieve this balance, he is continuously attempting, but the results of the previous approaches were not entirely satisfactory.

Excessive intervention nearly triggered Ragnarok prematurely due to the protracted Divine War between the Asa and Warner Divine Race, compelling him to personally exile Hela, whom he had raised, and foster an alliance between the two major Divine Races;