Chapter 1101 Father and Son (30) (Patreon)

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Actually, I know that Loki has all sorts of problems," Odin frowned and began to speak to himself again, "Because his body is weak, the Asgardians don't accept him. Frigga spends more time teaching him, so he is more like a girl, sensitive in his thoughts."

"But actually, that's not a disadvantage at all. After all, he doesn't have to be the God-King of Asgard. He doesn't have to bear the responsibility, so he doesn't have to strive for perfection."

"Or you could say that the Asgardians don't really discriminate against him. The main reason he feels discriminated against by the Asgardians is that they don't treat him with the same respect as Thor."

"But the Asgardians respect Thor, not because Greenhorn Thor was stronger than Loki at the time, but solely because I designated him as the heir. How dare they not show respect?"

"But I can't just tell everyone to treat Loki with the same respect because he feels upset about it. Then the authority I established for the heir would be undermined, wouldn't it?"

Odin vigorously waved his hand in front of him and said, "I understand those brutes of Asgard too well. They won't pay attention to subtle nuances. After sitting in front of me for a year, they would only notice if I grew a few more beard hairs. They can only understand the literal meaning of commands."

"I say that Thor will inherit the throne, and they treat him like a God-King. If I were to say, 'You should treat Loki the same way you treat Thor,' then they would think that Loki might also become a God-King in the future..."

Odin helplessly pressed his temple with his finger and said, "Frigga often tells me that I never care about Loki, but I can't care about Loki the same way I care about Thor. I'm not afraid that the Asgardians misunderstand him and still hold hope for him. I'm only afraid that he misunderstands himself."

"I know, you might want to blame me for not giving him the throne and not compensating him elsewhere, but believe me, if I were to really compensate him elsewhere, certain Asgardians and himself would definitely think they have achieved something."

Schiller touched his lips with his finger and realized that it had actually formed a closed loop.

In the matter of the succession dispute, it was right for Odin not to give Loki any hope. As long as there was no hope from the beginning, there would be no disappointment.

But if he didn't give hope, he had to keep not giving it. If he gave it halfway, it might make the other party even more miserable and render all previous efforts futile.

But this kind of fatherly love with low recognition and low care was impossible for young Loki to understand. He could only understand it as Odin not loving him and being biased.

The root cause of this deadlock was that, in the royal family's relationships, in a sense, bias was the right approach. Trying to treat everyone equally could lead to greater disasters.

Some people might think, why didn't he just leave Loki behind back then?

But at that time, Loki was almost dead. Compared to Death and his current situation, of course, his current situation was better. Even if he didn't receive recognition from his father, he still had his mother and brother.

The biggest problem in the father-son relationship between Odin and Loki was that Odin made the right choice, but Loki was also a victim.

"Actually, I didn't expect Thor to ascend the throne so quickly," Odin hesitated and said, "I thought he would stay on Earth for a few hundred years."

Without Thor's presence, Loki might have felt better, but I didn't expect everything to happen so quickly. Thor suddenly became the king, and Loki didn't have any objections. I was already prepared for Frigga's crying."

"Afterward, Loki suddenly became a goddess, and I was overjoyed. Loki truly is my smartest child. He came up with a better way to deal with it than I did. If she married Thor, wouldn't she be able to enjoy the same honor as the God-King?"

"I thought Loki was thinking the same way, so I wanted to discuss it with Frigga, but I didn't expect that he didn't seem very willing..."

Odin shook his head and said, "Up until now, I still haven't figured out what's going on here."

As Odin looked puzzled, Schiller chuckled softly and noticed Odin's silence. He continued with a smile, "Has anyone ever told you? Your family is truly absurd."

"You never change at every turning point, and you make sudden turns at every inappropriate moment." Schiller rubbed his forehead with his finger and said, "Utterly bewildering, a chaotic mess. A few people create more interesting scenes than dozens of people... Is this what royalty is like?"

"As a doctor, are you laughing a bit too happily?" Odin looked into Schiller's eyes and said, "Don't take pleasure in others' misfortune. Isn't that your basic professional conduct?"

"In theory, yes," Schiller chuckled again, finding it hard to contain his laughter. He said, "But you should be glad that I can laugh. If I had a serious expression, you would know how grave the situation is."

"Alright, enough laughter. I came here because I intend to make some changes." Odin poured himself a full cup of wine and after gulping down half of it, he wiped his mouth and said:

"Thor's rule is already stable, so I don't need to worry anymore. Asgardians have other ideas, but recently, I realized that we may have overcompensated in the past."

"Though Loki is not the heir, he is still the esteemed prince of Asgard, but some people seem to..."

Odin's expression did not change; he still had a smiling face, but his tone gradually carried a hint of threat.

"Regardless of whether Loki is my biological child, whether he is too weak to inherit the throne, whether he meets Asgardian expectations for a prince, or no matter how big of a mess he creates..."

Odin straightened his posture, and Schiller sensed an indescribable sharpness emanating from this old God-King. He knew that Thor had a long way to go to cultivate such an aura.

"I say, he is my child, I say, he is Asgard's prince, and everyone must respect him enough because that is respecting me."

"I don't want people to admire him more than Thor, but they better not take advantage of it to provoke me for their own pleasure..."

"They should follow Loki and also show greater respect for Thor, read the situation, and grasp the boundaries. It's not something I should do, but what these courtiers should do. If they can't handle it, it proves they are unfit, and it has nothing to do with us, father and son."

The topic shifted, and Schiller smiled, looking at Odin, and said, "...are you planning to settle the score?"

Odin shook his head and said, "In terms of politics, I have nothing to settle. It's just those who don't use their brains or rather, those who are too lazy to use their brains. They should retire."

"Have you ever considered that their habit of not using their brains is something you cultivated?" Schiller leaned back in his chair, placing his hands on the back of the sofa.

And Odin's answer surprised him. Odin confidently said, "Yes, correct, it's something I cultivated."

"In the past, I demanded them to be obedient, wherever I pointed, they would strike without thinking too much or questioning. Complete obedience to me, viewing me as their only father."

"But now, I demand them to think independently, learn to observe the situation, otherwise, they will be eliminated... Do you think I'm being too harsh?"

Odin looked at Schiller, who did not nod because at this moment, Odin's dominance prevailed. Giving an answer that Odin didn't like would only lead to a more passive situation for the courtier.

"But that's what an emperor is."

Odin's voice carried an unmistakable coldness and cruelty: "These are qualities necessary for a good emperor."

"When I need them to bite, they must be fierce, wild, and cruel. And when I need them to behave, they better be docile and quiet, not even making a sound. Otherwise, they won't have a place in the future."

"And I firmly believe that there are no great heroes in this world. I have no loyal subjects. It is still me who holds the power, and without me, they are nothing. It is they who need me, so it's best that they understand everything. I want them to understand the reason."

Schiller placed his glass on the table, in that moment, he saw in Odin a glimpse of the timeless river of time stretching across thousands of miles.

Within it, there were countless towering figures who perhaps, with their words and actions, had exemplified what it meant to be merciless like an emperor.

A tyrant is not a mediocre ruler. They may be cruel, cold, and even ruthless, but when it comes to achievements, they may still be a good emperor. In a feudal society, the more arbitrary and powerful one is, the more their achievements stand the test of time.

Schiller sighed softly. If there was something he truly lacked, it might be what is called "the mindset of an emperor."

It sounds like a mysterious subject, but in reality, it boils down to one thing: "Learn to be arrogant, learn to be ruthless."

And this precisely turns oneself into a criminal and a patient. To learn to disregard morality, to cast aside emotions, to artificially create madness—opposite to what Schiller himself does.

As the conversation came to an end, not much wine was consumed, yet both felt a bit intoxicated. Odin spoke so much to someone for the first time; being an emperor is not only glorious but also lonely.

Schiller, for the first time, truly faced a great king and, in their exchange, faced many ancient rulers.

Likewise, he understood why Odin is called the "All-Father." He is as powerful as a father, but also as authoritative as one.

In the end, Schiller could only ask one question:

"You say Thor is like you, and if he becomes you, would you truly feel happy?"

"Who am I?" Odin asked. "In reality, I am not Odin. I am the father of Asgard, and Asgard is my children."

"A boy must go through the process of abandoning his own self to become a father. He needs to continuously strengthen all the qualities necessary to bear a family—diligence, effort, courage..."

"But is he truly such a person?" Odin shook his head gently. "Perhaps not."

"But as long as he finds more happiness in the role of a father than being alone, then it doesn't matter who he truly is."

"Someday, Thor will become a father, as will Loki." When Odin's words fell, Schiller saw a hint of pain on his weathered face for the first time.

As the voice of this white-haired God-King echoed in the room, Asgard was bathed in the light of the setting sun.

"I only hope that on that day, they will understand the pain I have endured from those decisions that seemed to not love them. And that the pain I have felt is no less than what they have experienced."

The home of the merciless emperor.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1102 Father and Son (Thirty-one)