"Alert, alert, system data malfunctioning..."
"Alert, alert, system data malfunctioning..."
"Woz is restarting..."
"Woz is restarting..."
"Woz is self-diagnosing..."
"Woz is scanning environmental data..."
"Data scan complete, Woz is loading..."
"Data loading complete, Woz is automatically generating updated data package..."
"Data package updated, Woz is restarting..."
In the mysterious depths of the ocean, a realm humans have yet to fully explore, lies an ancient and mystical kingdom, the underwater principality of Xebel.
As the optimal guardian for the Atlantean treasure, the Mother Box, Princess Mera, daughter of the King of Xebel, encountered a peculiar situation today.
She found a Golden Great Ape floating on the ocean's surface.
She could swear on her life, she truly found it herself.
It was just a routine patrol, but Mera sensed a violent aura emanating from the surface.
She initially thought it was someone coveting the Mother Box's power, but what Mera ultimately saw was a Golden Great Ape, its skin severely lacerated and sinking rapidly due to its immense weight.
The Great Ape's injuries were grave, as if it had just survived a cosmic explosion; the strong scent of blood alone sent shivers down even the experienced Mera's spine.
Of course, the Golden Great Ape's blood also agitated many underwater creatures. Mera eventually intervened, creating a vast space at the edge of her kingdom large enough for the Great Ape to survive and breathe, then guided it inside.
Then, to Mera's astonishment, the Great Ape slowly transformed into a human. A human with a red tail behind him. His exposed body was covered in dense, crisscrossing scars.
Mera immediately wanted to retract her earlier thought. This man clearly looked like he had just endured an earth-shattering battle.
"These wounds... were they left by those who experimented on him?" Mera frowned, looking at the myriad of scars.
"Please do not touch His Highness Lothar's body, as it could lead to the collapse of his physical form."
A mechanical, electronic voice made Mera instantly alert. "Who?!"
"My name is Woz. I am His Highness Lothar's combat support AI lifeform."
The successfully restarted Woz's wristband glowed anew. To Mera's disbelief, the half-sized wristband suddenly transformed before her into a blue robotic... cat?
It had a plump body, a round head, and a charmingly goofy face.
"AI lifeform? Woz? His Highness Lothar?"
"Who exactly are you?"
Mera subtly channeled the surrounding water currents, ready to strike at any moment. As a precaution, she had set up several contingencies after isolating this enormous space.
"Firstly, Woz thanks you for saving His Highness Lothar when Woz was in a reboot state due to data corruption."
"Secondly, please rest assured that Woz holds no ill will towards you."
"Lastly, may I ask you to step aside? Woz needs to perform a full body scan on His Highness Lothar to ascertain the severity of his condition."
The polite demeanor of Woz in cat form made Mera retreat a few steps, half-believing, half-skeptical. She made room for the scan.
"You still haven't told me where you're from." Mera almost fell for Woz's linguistic artistry.
"We are from the Centauri galaxy, madam."
"Aliens?"
Connecting it to the Mother Box she guarded, Mera's expression tightened, and the water currents outside the structure instantly began to surge.
"More precisely, we are not from your universe, madam."
"His Highness Lothar was in the midst of a decisive battle with Odin on Asgard. Just as His Highness Lothar was gaining the upper hand, the vile and shameless Odin used the Space Stone to open a conduit within the multiverse."
"Then he ambushed His Highness Lothar and teleported him here."
After completing his ocular scans, Woz extracted eight mechanical arms from his abdominal pouch, installed them, and began his 'surgery.'
Saving His Highness Lothar was his duty. Woz, pulling out a stack of nutrient solutions from his pocket, was confident.
"...Asgard? Odin?"
Mera's expression was odd. She had heard those two names before, from the Norse myths prevalent in human lands.
"Are there also Loki? Hela? Thor?"
"Who are Loki and Thor?" Woz, after dressing Lothar in loose combat attire and feeding him nutrient solution spoonful by spoonful, turned around and asked curiously.
"Do you know Hela?" Mera responded with a question.
"Lady Hela was once His Highness Lothar's fiancée. His Highness Lothar initiated the battle with Odin precisely because Odin sought to kill Lady Hela."
After analyzing the energy composition and attribute values of the woman before him, and for Lothar's safety, Woz, after briefly weighing the pros and cons, chose to reveal some truths to pique her curiosity and ensure Lothar's safety.
"..." Mera fell silent. She carefully recalled the mythical tales she had read during her excursions to the human continent. Sensing something amiss, she tentatively asked, "And Loki? His daughter was about to be killed by Odin, and he showed no reaction at all?"
"Wo—"
"What did you say? Hela is Loki's daughter? Who is Loki?"
Lothar, finally awakened by the nutrient solution, had just opened his eyes when he heard Woz and a woman exchanging probing questions. Then, he heard news that immediately struck him as wrong. Hela wasn't Odin's daughter?!
"Loki is Odin's brother... right?" Mera's brows furrowed in surprise. She had thought this man would be asleep for much longer. Such severe injuries, yet he awoke after just a few liquid doses?
"...Woz?" Lothar, realizing something was amiss, endured the stinging pain in his body and got out of bed.
"According to Woz's analysis, we should currently be in another universe, Your Highness Lothar."
With a flick of his chubby, round hand, Woz's simulated cross-universe journey appeared on the azure screen, plunging Lothar into silence and unleashing a storm of shock in Mera's mind.
"Where did you get that information about Odin, Loki, and Hela?" Lothar turned his gaze to the woman before him.
"Uh, Norse Mythology. There are many versions. If you need to, once you've recovered, I can take you to a human library to read them."
"Norse Mythology..."
"Your Highness Lothar, Woz's database has no related information." Woz scratched his head in distress.
"Take me there, now." Lothar strode towards the woman. He needed to understand this new world as quickly as possible and then find a way back.
"Your injuries right now—"
"No issues at all."
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