William, still unfamiliar with Angela, didn't take her new liaison position in London too seriously. He didn't think he was so charming that Angela would give up her status just to follow him around without any formal recognition.
He turned to Odin, whose thoughts were clearly still preoccupied with the World Tree, and asked, "Do you want to go check on the Elven Valley again?"
Odin nodded without hesitation. "Of course."
Having already teleported a horde of magical sprites recently, William cheerfully placed a hand on Odin's shoulder. With a single thought, he sent Odin away—alone—to the valley.
Watching his father vanish, Thor stormed over, disgruntled. "What kind of scheme are you two running? So secretive that even I, the heir to Asgard, am kept in the dark?"
Scheme? William raised an eyebrow. Did this guy just call his own father's actions a conspiracy? Not afraid of getting smacked?
Besides, Thor had a big mouth. If he knew something now, Loki would probably hear about it before the day was over.
"You just said it's a conspiracy," William chuckled. "Why would I tell you and risk offending your father?"
"I—" Thor was at a loss for words.
William smirked and shrugged. "Come back when you're king."
At that, Thor brightened instantly. "You really think I'm more fit to be king than Loki?"
"Absolutely," William replied with a gleam in his eye. "Asgard needs a just, righteous king who can lead his people into victorious battles. In that regard, you've got Loki beat by a mile."
"Damn right I do!" Thor beamed, swinging his hammer triumphantly. "I've told Loki: a real man uses a weapon. He hides in the shadows, playing tricks like a rat. Look at my approval ratings—Asgardians clearly prefer me."
Of course they do, William thought. You're easier to manipulate.
If William had to choose, he'd pick Thor too—straightforward, bold, and easier to read than Loki, who was as slippery as they came.
Sure, Thor would grow wiser through hardship, but he was fundamentally forgiving, not cruel. Any sane Asgardian would pick him as king.
The two chatted for nearly half an hour. William figured Odin had probably finished his discussions with Selia and Kristin by then.
Opening a portal to connect the two planets, Odin stepped through shortly afterward. To William's surprise, Odin didn't mention the unpleasantness that had occurred between William, Selia, and Kristin—probably because Odin preferred them not to get too cozy. Less risk of secret backroom alliances.
Back in Asgard, William didn't press Loki for the rest of the Uru metal immediately. Using the ongoing production of healing sigils as an excuse, he stayed a while longer.
Fully playing his part, he moved into the grand three-story residence Odin had gifted him. After resting a day, he wandered around Asgard's market, spending 10 energy crystals at a jewelry store to order the materials for ten thousand sigils.
Once the materials arrived, William hunkered down in his estate, producing sigils at a rate of one thousand per day.
Ten days later, he returned to the Elven Valley with Odin to perform another Nature Elemental Tide ritual for Selia.
This second ritual also bathed William in elemental energy—but its effects were far less potent than the first. The massive forest, even bigger than the Amazon, had already been heavily tapped for free-floating nature energy.
According to Selia, a third ritual in such a short time might begin to draw on the life force of the plants themselves—a line she refused to cross.
Seeing that Selia had essentially reached the maturity of a twenty-year-old tree and was growing much faster than expected, Odin agreed to reduce their visits to once a month.
Back in Asgard, William had someone summon Loki. Claiming he had already completed 5,000 sigils, he requested a mid-transaction exchange.
Before long, a grim-faced Loki arrived with a dozen Asgardians, heading to William's estate near the city center.
While Asgard's mages performed a randomized inspection of the sigils, William leaned over to Loki and said with a smile, "I believe there's still one item of our deal that remains unfinished."
Loki looked like he'd bitten into a lemon. If not for the fact that Odin had personally tasked him with overseeing the healing sigil trade, he wouldn't have shown his face here at all.
"You've already got your artifact. Now you want to extort me again?"
"Can anyone have too many treasures?" William's gaze locked on Loki. "You can't avoid this. When I deliver the remaining five thousand sigils in ten days, if I don't see that Uru, I guarantee you'll regret it—big time."
Once the sigils passed inspection, five large chests were taken away. Then one hundred more were carried in, prompting gasps from the onlookers. Cries of envy and admiration echoed through the streets.
Just like that, William's image shifted from "great mage" to Asgardian billionaire.
Quite a few Asgardian women—particularly those who considered themselves pretty—suddenly developed an enthusiastic interest in William.
The healing sigils themselves became the talk of Asgard before the day was out—and soon, word began to spread to other planets in the galaxy.
Ten days later, during the second transaction, William not only received another hundred chests filled with energy crystals, but also finally got the promised lump of Uru from Loki.
Just as he was preparing to throw a party with a group of newly acquainted Asgardian ladies, a blue-skinned man with a metallic mohawk appeared in Asgard's near-orbit aboard a small spacecraft.
The man was accompanied by a rough-looking young human who had the air of a street punk. They respectfully submitted a request to meet William.
As they waited, the human—clearly nervous—muttered, "We're really going into Asgard? What if someone recognizes us and decides they don't like our faces? Even if you can take on ten guys and get out alive, we'll be blacklisted from the entire Nine Realms."
"Shut your trap, Quill," said Yondu, slapping the young man upside the head.
Still fuming from having waited ten days on Earth for a client who never showed, Yondu was not in the mood.
"I shouldn't have brought your sorry ass to T'rahl, let alone let you handle client outreach. You took my money and goofed off for ten damn days."
"It was Earth, not T'rahl," Quill protested, clutching his head. "And this isn't my fault. Who knew that William Devonshire guy would up and vanish to Asgard?"
Whack.
Another slap landed.
"Hit me one more time, and I'm done helping you trick that Earth guy," Quill growled.
"Damn it—how'd I end up raising a dimwit like you for nearly twenty years?"
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