Chapter 1100: Father and Son (Twenty-Nine) (Patreon)

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From ancient times to the present, there has been hardly any dynasty or generation of the royal family that has not experienced any conflicts related to the succession rights. The so-called "royal family has no relatives" is indeed true.

When there is only one throne but multiple candidates for inheritance, their conflicts are almost impossible to reconcile. No matter how they disguise their ambitions and desires, in the end, everyone wants to be the emperor.

Moreover, sometimes it is not enough to have a passive and indifferent personality to avoid participating in the battle for the throne. Even if you don't want to participate, there will always be people who want you to participate.

Furthermore, once the battle for the throne erupts, the competition shifts from the throne itself to one's own life. As soon as one gets involved in any turmoil, if they cannot win the battle, they will face death.

If we ask whether there is any possibility of breaking free from this seemingly unsolvable deadlock, Schiller believes that there is, but it is not easily achievable in ancient human times.

The approach is similar to what Odin did, maintaining a firm choice for the heir from beginning to end and never wavering. It tells everyone else that they don't stand a chance.

It may sound cruel and unfair, but it is indeed the best way to deal with the bloodshed in the battle for the throne.

In such matters, giving everyone an equal opportunity only leads to a never-ending fight unless one person emerges victorious and others are completely wiped out. Isn't it easier to declare a winner early on and use the resources of the royal family to support a few idle princes?

In ancient times when medical conditions were not as advanced, implementing such a method was challenging.

There have been wise kings who started grooming their heirs early on, but once the heir encounters an unexpected accident, it can lead to a complete collapse.

However, Asgard hardly faces this problem. Each individual among them possesses considerable strength. As Odin's biological son, Thor's innate strength is no less than his father's, and the likelihood of accidents is minimal.

One can say that Odin is truly deserving of the title All-Father. Even when the two brothers were still young, he had already found a good way to deal with the battle for the throne from its roots.

But this is not surprising. Leading Asgard's fleet, Odin has been dominating the Space for years, almost undefeated.

If it weren't for the scarcity of Asgardian population, they wouldn't have resorted to brute force. Whether Space consists of three or four major empires is still unknown.

Just as Schiller was about to ask, it seemed as though Odin had read his mind and said, "I guess you want to know why I chose Thor and if it's because Loki is not my biological son?"

"I can tell you, yes."

"I know that humans might think that blood relationship doesn't matter as long as the bond is strong enough, but that only applies when the power gap among humans is minimal."

"The difference between the strongest and weakest humans, in my opinion, is comparable to whether an ant is missing a leg or not. But Asgard is not like that. The upper limit of our power is determined by our innate talents."

"You may have heard that Asgardians grow stronger with age, but the rate at which Asgardians accumulate power depends on their innate talents. Some may live for a thousand years and still not be as strong as someone who has lived for two hundred years. The difference is significant."

"Although we are all strong as a whole, my bloodline is the strongest in Asgard. Therefore, it is only natural that Thor will be the strongest among the next generation of Asgardians."

Odin sighed deeply and even covered his still damaged eye with a sense of helplessness. He said, "Loki is a Frost Giant, but the reason he was abandoned in the first place was because he was weak and sickly."

"Asgard, although known for its strength, we are keenly aware of who we are fighting for. If we cannot protect the women, children, and elderly, then why should we board the warships?"

"But Frost Giants are different. Those blue-skinned creatures have hearts as cold as their body temperature. Weaklings like them don't deserve to live."

"When I found Loki, he was almost dead," Odin said, turning his mouth to the side. "You don't know how terrible his condition was at that time. Neither Frigga nor I thought he would survive."

"The strongest of the Asgardians, and the weakest of the Frost Giants. The power difference between them is terrifying. You may think Loki's magic compensates for his lack of strength."

"But the problem is, as time goes on, Thor's power will accumulate at an increasingly faster rate, while Loki's power will eventually stagnate."

Odin shifted his hand, resting it on his knee, as he explained to Schiller, "Right now, you can't see the difference between Thor and Loki because at this age, their power accumulation has not formed a qualitative gap."

"At the same time, Loki has more precise control over his power. So, in terms of performance, it seems like there isn't much of a difference between them."

"But one day, Thor's power will experience a qualitative breakthrough. At that time, no matter how flashy Loki's magic is, it won't be able to bridge the gap. That day will come sooner or later."

Odin sighed deeply and said, "When I was young, I had many companions who could spar with me countless times in the arena. We were evenly matched, and sometimes, I couldn't even defeat them."

"But after adolescence, the speed at which I accumulated power increased rapidly. Since then, I haven't encountered many opponents in the entire realm of space. And after entering old age, the amplification of my power became even more terrifying."

"You're telling me, in this situation, how can I choose Loki? If I put him on the throne and someone kills him, what will we do? Even if he doesn't get killed, being injured is unacceptable!"

Odin stroked his beard and said with great frustration, "The fleet of Asgard can win every battle based solely on their determination. They firmly believe that their king is unbeatable, so they will always push forward, never retreat."

"But if one day they discover that their king has been defeated, it won't just be a few losses in battle. The entire faith of Asgard may crumble."

"Asgard needs a change in direction, but at the very least, our God-King must be strong, stronger than anyone in Asgard."

"Tell me, if Loki becomes king and halfway through realizes that normal Asgardians who were initially weaker than him have surpassed him, what will he do?"

Odin shook his head slowly and said, "After learning about the prophecy of Ragnarok, my choice became even more firm. Regardless, Asgard must engage in a real battle. I cannot choose a weakling as king, even if he is intelligent. If his fists are not strong enough, it's all meaningless talk."

Schiller had been silently listening, not giving any response, but Odin's topic surprised him once again. Odin spoke directly:

"In fact, among my children, Hela has the greatest talent. She is even stronger than her younger brother. But her mind is not quite normal, perhaps because Frigga and I did not teach her properly."

Odin revealed a somewhat conflicted expression and said, "But you must understand, it was my first time being a father. How could I know what was the right way to teach?"

"I told her to become stronger, bolder, and more courageous, but I never expected that those were the only things she would learn in her lifetime."

By this point, all the wrinkles on Odin's face had gathered together, and he sighed once again, saying, "You may think that I imprisoned Hela because she wanted to usurp the throne, but in reality, I would welcome her usurping the throne. If she could truly defeat me head-on, Frigga and I would retire beneath the World Tree immediately."

"The problem is, she wants to overthrow my way, not defeat me head-on, but rather be swayed by those warmongers, wanting to gain power in a way that is fundamentally unsuited for an Asgard God-King."

"And even if she wins, it won't matter. She only learned the relentless part of war, without understanding the importance of timing, careful strategy, and knowing when to retreat."

"In that situation, handing Asgard over to her is like giving a powerless child a cannon. She would end up endangering everyone."

"Anyway..." Odin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at Schiller, saying, "That's the situation. If you think I've done something wrong, feel free to point it out. I won't be angry, and even if I am, there's nothing you can do about it."

Then, Schiller let out a deep sigh.

From an objective standpoint, Odin had done almost everything he could. If we were to give his life a rating, he would surely score above 90.

He had taken on two roles in his life, one as the God-King of Asgard and the other as the father of the Odin family. In both roles, he had achieved a certain level of success. While being a God-King was more successful, his score as a father was not low either.

Perhaps some people might think that his falling out with Hela, the strained relationship between Thor and Loki, and ultimately failing to prevent Ragnarok meant he was a failure.

But the difficulty of his test should also be taken into account. Gods, royalty, militarism, multiple children, and an inevitable destruction—this was on a completely different scale than an average human family.

What Odin handed over was already considered an excellent answer sheet. If it were any other foolish, short-sighted, and hesitant ruler, they would have first been shaken by Hela, losing their prestige and rule. Then, in the following centuries, they would have had to deal with various turmoil.

And then, they would have placed unrealistic expectations on the two brothers, having them assemble their own teams, fighting against each other until the last piece, without even needing Ragnarok for the dynasty to fall.

The power struggle for the throne was the most deadly, but even in such circumstances, Thor and Loki surprisingly had a genuine brotherly bond, and they both loved Asgard and were willing to shed their last drop of blood for their country and homeland.

When Schiller thought about this, he felt that there was no need for any more adjustments regarding the royal conflicts. After all, even with adjustments, there wouldn't be a second throne. And without two thrones, absolute fairness couldn't be achieved.

Schiller pondered for a moment, then looked at Odin and said, "I can't guarantee that if I were in your place, I could do better. However, even though the logic and formulas are correct, I still want to point out that you didn't handle certain details well, such as empathy, companionship, and consolation. And these accumulated details have led to the awkward situation we find ourselves in now..."

To Schiller's surprise, Odin nodded directly and said, "Indeed."

"But it's because I know I have to be out there fighting and don't have much time to spend with Thor that I brought Loki back. As long as their relationship is good, I don't care if they don't like me. Besides, they can't defeat me anyway."

Schiller's mouth dropped open, then he closed it. After a few seconds of silence, he opened his mouth again and looked at Odin with sincere eye contact, saying, "Your Majesty, you're not sick. Maybe you should go back."

"This is definitely not flattery." Schiller raised his hand to stop Odin from speaking and said, "Among all the people who come to me seeking help, you're the most open-minded."

"You're thinking too optimistically, even more so than this doctor." He hoped that one day, they would understand the pain I felt from those decisions that seemed like I didn't love them, which was no less than the pain they felt.

The Heartless Emperor's Family.

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