Chapter 429
Within the manor, designed in a typical Eastern garden style, there were small bridges over flowing water, carved beams and painted pillars, rockeries, and ponds, all complete. Large areas of grey roof tiles were arranged in a staggered manner, creating an extremely elegant and secluded atmosphere.
In a long corridor within the Lake Heart Island Manor, amidst such an elegant landscape,
The three magnates of the Avengers were currently engaged in a fierce argument. The two servant girls who had led them there sensibly hid far away. "We defeated Thanos, is it possible he's more terrifying than Thanos?!" Tony Stark said sarcastically, "Just because he's your brother-in-law?!"
"Tony, I'm very sorry!" Thor understood that Tony Stark was angry because of his concealment. As a comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside him, he shouldn't have hidden anything from Tony.
In fact, when Steve, Tony, and that Bruce Wayne first suspected Tang Song, he had wanted to step forward and explain everything, warning them not to provoke Tang Song.
But he knew Tony too well, and he knew the Avengers!
Given Tony's pride, if he had chosen to reveal everything back then, telling Tony about Tang Song's strength and advising them not to provoke Tang Song, Tony would definitely not have chosen to retreat. The enemy's strength would only have ignited his competitive spirit. Based on his understanding of Tony, Tony would have gone to great lengths to gather intelligence on Tang Song and then manufactured anti-Tang Song battlegear.
To be a human body, comparable to a deity – this was the praise the Human World bestowed upon Tony, the Iron Man.
But no matter in which mythology, a god-slayer would eventually face misfortune.
Tony was too proud, so proud that he feared nothing. This was also something Thor worried about. He knew deeply that his cheap brother-in-law was not someone with a magnanimous heart; he was even quite petty!
Once he discovered that the Avengers were secretly plotting against him, they would absolutely not meet a good end.
Rather than letting Tony and the others scheme behind his back, it was better to lay everything out in the open, leaving room for reconciliation.
At worst, he could shamelessly go beg Hela. As for whether the Avengers could defeat his cheap brother-in-law, he had never held that illusion from the start. The bones of Mephisto of Hell, God Jehovah of Heaven, and Laufey of Jotunheim were not yet cold.
So, after hearing Tony Stark's questioning, Thor first apologized to Tony for his concealment, then looked deeply at Tony and said calmly, "Thanos?! Thanos no longer exists in this Universe!"
"What do you mean by that? This is a Parallel Universe different from ours, it's normal for Thanos not to exist!" Tony Stark was somewhat in doubt.
"Initially, Thanos also existed in this Universe, but he was arrogant and wanted to invade Earth, so his fleet was annihilated, and he himself went missing!" Thor said with a bitter smile towards Tony, "The Thanos in this Universe was much stronger than the Thanos in our Universe. Guess why he went missing?"
"Is it because of that Tang?" Captain America Steve Rogers interjected from the side, "Is he really that powerful!?"
"Captain, you should know I've been in this Universe for a while!" Thor didn't directly answer Captain America's question.
"You said at the time that you wanted to protect the Asgard of this Universe and save it from Ragnarök, even though none of us wanted you to interfere with the process of another Universe. But Tony suggested that you could use this matter to resolve your Heart's Knot!"
Although Captain America didn't know why Thor had concealed things from them, he understood Thor's character. This Thor from Norse Mythology was usually carefree and not the type to scheme or betray his teammates.
Whether it was Tony or Thor, in his eyes, they were both comrades-in-arms he could confidently entrust his back to.
As the Captain and spiritual pillar of the Avengers, Steve Rogers tried his best to find a way to ease the Conflict between Tony Stark and Thor.
This explanation from Captain America was the first time Thor had heard it. He subconsciously looked towards Tony Stark, but Tony Stark simply turned his face away.
Thor looked at this arrogant guy, a trace of emotion flashing in his eyes. After a moment, he continued to explain, "Initially, I wanted to save Asgard, but I didn't expect someone to be a step faster than me. He foiled the Conspiracy of the Dark Elves and saved the Goddess of Magic of this Universe."
Seeing the doubtful expressions on Captain America and Tony's faces, Thor immediately realized they didn't know who the Goddess of Magic was. He explained, "The Goddess of Magic is the mother of the Thor in this Universe, and also my mother. In our Universe, she died at Malekith's hands while protecting Jane!"
Thor's expression was somewhat melancholic when he mentioned his mother. Captain America stepped forward and patted his Shoulder to offer comfort.
Tony Stark stood not far from Thor. Although he didn't step forward, his Complexion had softened considerably.
"I'm fine. The Thor in this Universe is much luckier than I am. Not only is his mother still alive, but Asgard also escaped the fate of Ragnarök, and Loki is still alive!" Thor's sadness was mixed with a hint of envy.
Although the Odin of this Universe had acknowledged him as a son before falling into slumber, Thor knew clearly that for this Universe, he was merely a transient visitor! His Family, his Kingdom, had all been lost through countless wars! Looking at the melancholic Thor, Captain America didn't know how to comfort him for a moment and could only continue patting his Shoulder.
For Captain America, his experience was no less tragic. He slept for seventy years and woke up to find everything around him changed. His Family, his Friends, even the World he was familiar with had left him.
Everything around him was strange. He couldn't find his meaning and Value. Just after waking up, he was like a pitiful soul adrift outside the World, an existence that was redundant to the World.
It was both pathetic and ironic that what truly made him feel a sense of belonging to this World was his group of old Rivals, Hydra.
The existence of Hydra, the existence of those evil forces, allowed him to find his meaning and Value: to crush them, defeat them, and protect what he wanted to protect, just as he had seventy years ago.
Tony Stark, standing nearby, was no exception and also fell into sadness. In his youth, he always believed his parents had died in an accidental car crash. Later, he learned his parents had died at the hands of the Winter Soldier, who had been brainwashed.
Every time he recalled the argument he had with his Father before he left home that day, Tony Stark would fall into an unspeakable regret.
If only he hadn't been so willful back then... The three Avengers, all Orphans, fell silent together. The atmosphere was somewhat melancholic.
Finally, it was Thor who broke the awkward atmosphere. "My sister's Strength is very great, much stronger than Hela in our Universe. Even I am not confident I can defeat her now. The Dark Elf King Malekith's Strength is also not weak. My brother-in-law's Strength is far greater than theirs!!"
"We also have Superman, we have Wonder Woman, plus us Avengers, we might not lose to him!" Tony Stark naturally understood how strong Thor was. Holding Stormbreaker, he was the top combat power in the entire Avengers.
Even Hulk was slightly inferior to him. Well, as for Dr. Banner now, he was even further behind by several streets.
As for himself, wearing the anti-Thor battlegear, he might barely be able to fight Thor to a draw. Tony Stark calculated Tang Song's Strength, secretly startled, but he still spoke stubbornly. "Superman Clark Kent, do you think he can defeat Yahweh? Wonder Woman, can she defeat Hell Lord Lucifer?"
Thor looked at Tony and Captain America, who were silenced by the questions, recalling the war between Heaven and the Nine Realms, and that Hell Blood Battle. Thor sighed and said with a bitter smile, "But he can. He is now the Lord of the Nine Realms, the Ruler of Heaven, and even the most ferocious Hell Devil prostrates at his Foot!!"
"We have no chance of defeating him, Tony!"
Thor's words undoubtedly plunged Tony Stark and Steve Rogers into shock. Steve Rogers, in his shock, even forgot the Order he had given for them to gather in ten minutes.
At this moment, on a patch of Grass in the Lake Heart Island Manor, Natasha Romanoff and Barton were hiding among the stems and leaves of a small plant, looking at each other.
Seeing that the argument among the few people had ended, the two servant girls finally came over and led the way, taking them to the Banquet Hall.
Thor, Rocket Raccoon, Tony Stark, and Steve Rogers followed behind them, winding through the Manor for quite a while before arriving at a small Yard.
This Yard was only about ten meters long and wide, but it had been arranged by Expert artisans. Large patches of Bamboo Forest and a series of rockeries surrounded a small Flower Hall. Large areas of Wisteria covered more than half of the Flower Hall.
A Clear Spring flowed out from beside the Flower Hall, circled around it, and then flowed out from beside a rockery. The entire Flower Hall seemed to be situated on a lake.
The Wisteria in the Yard was of an unknown variety. It didn't seem to bloom, but it bore countless green bean-sized fruits. A Faint Fragrance wafted over, which was quite pleasant.
Beside the Flower Hall was an exquisite Pavilion. In front of the Pavilion was a pool of Clear Water, in which several pairs of black and white Koi were kept. As the few people walked into the Flower Hall, several black and white Koi raised their heads from the water and blew bubbles at them.
The two servant girls led the few people to the Entrance of the Flower Hall and then left.
Thor pushed the Door open familiarly and walked in. Tony Stark and the others also followed him into the Flower Hall.
The layout inside the Flower Hall was very simple. On the surrounding Walls hung several Eastern-style freehand paintings of flowers, birds, insects, and Fish. On one Wall also hung an ancient-looking bronze Longsword.
In the Corner near the Window, a Screen was set up. Behind the Screen, the Shadow of a Woman wearing an Eastern ancient dress was playing a Guqin.
The continuous sound of the Guqin echoed in the Flower Hall, filling it with an ethereal and transcendent charm.
In the center of the Flower Hall were several Rosewood Round Tables. The first thing Tony Stark did upon entering the Flower Hall was to fix his Gaze on Tang Song, who was sitting at the head seat.
At this moment, Tang Song had changed into casual clothes. With sword-like Eyebrows and starry eyes, he had a smile on his face and seemed to be introducing something to the person beside him, occasionally letting out hearty laughter.
Tony Stark had not yet recovered from the shock he had just experienced. If Thor hadn't told him, he would never have imagined that this handsome and refined-looking Man before him was a Deity, and that even God had been slain by Him!
Although he didn't believe in God, living in the Federation, most people around Tony Stark were Believers of God. Through osmosis, Tony Stark held a certain degree of reverence for God.
Upon learning that this Man before him had killed God and taken His place, Tony Stark even felt a sense of Faith collapsing within him.
Captain America beside him felt the same way. If the Man before him had replaced God's Deity Title, could it be said that the Man before him was now God?
Then what was the meaning of their actions? To kill God?
Absurd, at a loss – these were Steve Rogers' true feelings.
At this moment, the Crowd gathered in the Flower Hall, who were enjoying Tea, also noticed the guests who had arrived. They all turned their heads to look at Thor and the others.
However, the expressions on everyone's faces were different. Bruce Wayne and Diana visibly sighed in relief when they saw Tony Stark appear.
But when they saw Steve Rogers, Thor, and Rocket Raccoon, a look of 'just as expected' flashed across their faces.
After witnessing Boss Tang's inhuman Strength, they knew that the so-called infiltration Plan formulated by Steve Rogers was simply impossible to succeed.
"Someone, bring four more Tea Sets!"
Tang Song saw Thor and the others enter, smiled slightly, and greeted them warmly, "You've come at just the right Time! I just received some new Tea here. You can help me Taste and Evaluate it and see how it tastes!"
After Thor and the others were seated, several servant girls carefully carried in several sets of Tea Sets.
When the Tea from the Purple Clay Teapot was poured into the Tea Cups, looking at the Tea in the Cups, which was as red as Blood and accompanied by a Bloody Scent, as if from Hell, Tony Stark and Captain America looked at Tang Song in astonishment, their eyes full of Suspicion.
Are you sure this stuff is drinkable?!
Tang Song, however, directly picked up the Tea Cup in front of him, gestured towards the few people, and took a sip.
Then, he looked at the two with a playful Expression.
Tony Stark looked at Bruce Wayne opposite him. At this moment, the Batman was holding a Tea Cup and drinking this Eastern beverage, seemingly completely unconcerned by the crimson color of the Tea in the Cup.
Not only Bruce Wayne, but even Wonder Woman Diana beside him was holding a Cup of Tea, and judging by her Expression, she seemed to be enjoying it.
Tony Stark had been observing the two since entering the Flower Hall and couldn't see any signs of them being under Control. Thus, he picked up the Tea Cup in front of him and was about to drink it down with a frown.
"Gulp gulp!"
Thor beside him, however, directly picked up the Tea Cup in front of him and drank the Tea in the Cup in one gulp.
To Thor's surprise, the Tea, which he had expected to be unpleasant, was fragrant upon entering his mouth, and after going down, a wave of Heat instantly rose from his abdomen and spread throughout his entire body.
(end of chapter)