Chapter 566 (Patreon)

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Just as Helen's energy beam was about to hit Thor, suddenly, a faintly glowing magic barrier appeared in front of Thor, and Frigga's figure descended slowly from mid-air.

Because little Helen appeared very inconspicuous under that beam of light, in the vast expanse of space, any small celestial fragment was larger than Helen. If you didn't look carefully, you might mistake her for a speck of dust in space.

So, from Frigga's perspective, it was actually Stark who had fired that beam, even though Frigga was angry about Sif's injury, she would instinctively protect her own children. After blocking the attack on Thor, she landed by his side.

As the light dissipated slowly, a small figure floated in the air. The moment Frigga saw her face, she froze.

"Lady Loki? How... How did you... shrink?" Frigga's first reaction was to rush up and then hugged Helen. It wasn't until she got closer that Frigga realized that this girl didn't seem to be Lady Loki.

No one understands their children better than a mother, and Asgardians can sense each other's divine power. Frigga had been spending a lot of time with Lady Loki recently, and she was very familiar with Lady Loki's aura. The girl in her arms looked a lot like Lady Loki but wasn't her.

Frigga gently released Helen, lifting her under her armpits, and raised her. She then noticed the Ark Reactor on Helen's chest still emitting a faint light, obviously having just discharged energy and was in the process of recharging.

Suddenly, a figure flew over to the opposite side of Frigga and took Helen from her hands. Stark supported Helen's back and used his gauntlet to press against the Ark Reactor on her chest.

A few small robots flew over and connected their mechanical parts. Stark was repairing the old version of the Ark Reactor on Helen's chest, which had malfunctioned due to excessive output.

By this time, Thor, who had exhausted his divine power, had flown over. Before he could start scolding, Stark explained, "First of all, this is not a child of mine and Lady Loki."

"How is that possible! He looks exactly like Lady Loki!" Thor shouted.

"She is Lady Loki's child, but not mine and Lady Loki's!" Stark explained again.

"Then how come she has your Ark Reactor on her chest?" Thor demanded.

"Humans are carbon-based life forms, and the Ark Reactor is my creation. She can't inherit..."

"So, you're experimenting with Lady Loki's children!"

"Wait a moment," Frigga suddenly spoke up, she was much calmer than Thor, or rather, when she noticed Helen's appearance, she thought this might be Stark and Lady Loki's child, but she wasn't as angry as Thor.

Part of it was because Frigga had spent more time with Lady Loki and knew her better. Frigga knew that if Lady Loki didn't want something, no one could force her. And considering Lady Loki's current level, it would be hard for anyone to deceive her.

If this was indeed Stark and Lady Loki's child, it meant that Lady Loki had to be willing, whether it was for emotional reasons or other interests. ...

Frigga and Thor had different perspectives, so they came to different conclusions. Since Lady Loki was willing, it would actually be more satisfying for Frigga.

What no one knew was that Frigga didn't actually approve of Odin's idea of matchmaking Thor and Lady Loki.

First of all, Thor definitely still saw Lady Loki as a sister, and in his previous life as an older brother, Lady Loki was even a younger brother. They had not developed any feelings beyond sibling love. If Thor were to marry Lady Loki directly, he would definitely feel uncomfortable.

In any case, Thor was now the king of Asgard, and Odin's time had passed. There was no need for friction between the new king and the old king over this matter.

Secondly, Asgardians had a deep-seated prejudice against Lady Loki. They would not accept Lady Loki as their queen, and if it were forced, even if Lady Loki had the ability, it would be very difficult at the beginning.

Frigga knew that Odin had other lovers; it was common in Asgard. However, Asgardians adhered to monogamy when it came to their queens. They would only acknowledge one queen. There had never been a case where an Asgardian king had two queens. Therefore, Asgardians had very high standards for their queens. She had to be strong, beautiful, gentle, and virtuous, adhering to the traditional goddess image of Asgard in both word and deed.

But clearly, Lady Loki was not that kind of person. Her ambitions were too great, and Asgard could not accept a queen who would meddle in politics, even if it only occasionally.

Odin's political considerations in matchmaking the two were valid, but in reality, it would make both parties uncomfortable.

Furthermore, if Thor were to abandon Sif like this, he would undoubtedly receive criticism. First, he had eliminated the hardliners, and now he was abandoning Sif, who had previously relied on the hardliners. This would easily make the people of Asgard see him as heartless and ungrateful, and they would become uneasy.

In short, Frigga had been worried about how to resolve this situation. She had advised Odin, but Odin still believed that he should consider the bigger picture and even asked her to persuade the two children.

However, after being a queen for so long, Frigga wasn't naive. Whether Odin was willing or not was one thing, and whether it could actually happen was another. Frigga didn't say it outright, but she had ways to ensure that this marriage wouldn't take place.

And now, the opportunity had come. Frigga even felt that it was Lady Loki who had sensed Odin's intentions and therefore maintained an ambiguous relationship with Stark. With a potential demon god like Stark in the middle, it would be difficult for Odin to forcefully separate them.

With this in mind, Frigga felt that she had to give her daughter a beautiful assist, so she stopped the impulsive Thor and said, "I don't care how you two had this child, I just want to ask, you are her father, and Lady Loki is her mother, right?"

"This..." Stark hesitated for a moment and then briefly introduced how this child came to be to Frigga. Frigga listened with a furrowed brow and said, "So you mean this child is not only yours and Lady Loki's child but also Thor's child?"...

"My child? What relationship do I have with this?" Thor still couldn't grasp it.

"If what he says is true, then it was your divine power that ignited this child's soul flame, which means you can also be considered her father."

Thor was surprised, opened his mouth wide, and gently touched Helen's head with his big hand. He then sensed a familiar aura. Although it wasn't his divine power, this little girl's soul was indeed of Asgardian origin.

Frigga looked at the two of them with a serious expression and said, "I don't want to inquire about how this child came to be, but whether it's Lady Loki or Thor, I should be this child's grandmother."

Stark acknowledged this point, after all, it was Lady Loki who wielded the hammer at the beginning, and the divine power belonged to Thor. But both of them were princes of Asgard, which meant that no matter how you looked at it, Frigga was Helen's grandmother.

"Now, I hope that neither of you will reveal how she was born, or..." Frigga looked into Stark's eyes and said, "insist that she is solely your and Lady Loki's child, with no connection to Thor."

"Why?" Stark asked.

Frigga glanced at Thor, who was still bewildered, but didn't directly answer the question. Instead, she said, "If Odin finds out that Thor has a child, no matter what, he will surely want to bring this child back to Asgard to be raised by us."

"No," Stark shook his head. He looked at Frigga and said, "You should know better than I do what Asgard will face."

"That's why Odin sees every part that deviates from the prophecy as a lifesaving straw," Frigga emphasized, saying, "Odin is a pure Asgardian nationalist. As long as it can preserve Asgard, he will sacrifice anyone, including all Asgardians, and even himself."

Frigga sighed and looked at Helen, saying, "The prophecy never mentioned the existence of this child. If Odin were to know she is related to Thor, you might encounter trouble."

"Don't you want her to help avert Ragnarok?" Stark asked.

Frigga closed her eyes, shook her head, and said, "Perhaps Odin regards Asgard too highly. People often lose sight of the bigger picture. The reason for Ragnarok isn't that we're not strong enough; it's because we're too powerful."

"He has been grooming Thor, waging wars, plundering resources, strengthening Asgard, but this is pushing it towards destruction. And if he insists on bringing this child back to Asgard, he will only lead us all down the path of returning to the source of Space."

Stark held Helen, touched his head, and said, "This child will never go back with you to Asgard. No matter what Odin thinks, even if he knows everything, if he wants to come, then I'll be waiting."

Frigga heard a resolute tone in Stark's words. As a mother who had once lost a child, Frigga understood better than anyone the protective instincts of parents, the most powerful force in the world.

After saying these words, Stark turned and left. Thor, who still hadn't fully understood what was happening, caught up with him and said, "Wait! You haven't explained your relationship with Lady Loki yet!"...

Watching the backs of the two as they left, Frigga sighed deeply. Suddenly, she turned her head and looked into the deep space, where a brilliant Thunderbolt was flashing – Odin.

Frigga turned her head slightly, looking somewhat sad. Clearly, she had some grievances regarding the matter of Balder's return to the World Tree due to excessive destruction.

Odin approached and embraced Frigga. He said, "Let's go back."

"Don't you want to bring that child back?" Frigga asked him.

Odin shook his head and said, "I understand better than you do that any unexpected turn of events beyond the prophecy must always remain outside of it to truly bring about a change. If we insist on involving her in this quagmire, the end result will be our collective demise."

"After Thor ascended to the throne, I had more time to think. I've pondered a lot."

"Humans are a fascinating race. They hold emotions in such high regard. I used to think it was just an excuse for their weakness and escapism."

"But they changed Thor, they changed Lady Loki. Perhaps, emotions give them more weaknesses, but at the same time, they also grant them greater strength..."

Odin held Frigga as they walked back. He turned his head and, through the endless deep space, gazed at the azure planet.

At this moment, the boundary between light and darkness had just crossed over New York, and the arc of the Sun floated on the sparkling sea. Accompanied by the first call of a morning whistle, New York was waking up.

Pepper, who had been busy all night, rubbed her temples and quickly entered the elevator, arriving at the Stark Tower lab, intending to discuss the work for the next quarter with Stark.

As she entered, she was bumped by a small figure. Pepper looked down, and the first thing she saw was the Ark Reactor on the little girl's chest, who had also fallen to the ground.

And the second thing she saw was that the little girl looked at least eighty percent similar to Lady Loki."Smack!"

When the crisp sound of a slap echoed, Stark and Thor were both stunned.

Stark knew he was in deep trouble, but Thor, having just fought with Stark, had considered him a decent opponent. Now, he was slapped by a seemingly frail human woman.

After slapping Stark, Pepper turned and walked away. Stark hurriedly caught up and grabbed her arm, saying, "Wait, Pepper, it's not what you think. Lady Loki and I really have nothing between us, and that child isn't mine..."

Pepper shook off his arm, turned, and crossed her arms. She looked up at Stark, took a deep breath, and flipped her hair, saying, "Why should I believe your nonsense? How can I expect a notorious playboy like you to turn around?!"

With that, she turned to leave again, and Stark held her tightly. The explanations he had prepared in his mind, which were supposed to be fluent, somehow couldn't come out. When he heard Pepper's words, he felt his heart wrenching.

Stark tried to calm down and walked briskly to stand in front of Pepper. He held her shoulders and said, "Listen to me, I haven't betrayed you..."

Pepper extended a hand in front of Stark and said, "You don't need to use the word 'betray.' You've never made any promises to me, so there's no betrayal."

Pepper took a deep breath. She knew Stark was a sensitive person when it came to emotions, but in the midst of a lovers' quarrel, it was often the case that both sides would hurt each other while trying to hurt themselves.

"Why don't you go tell those fashion models that sleeping with me is your betrayal to them? They might be patient enough to listen to you."

With that, Pepper pushed away Stark's arms and took a step away. Stark remained frozen in place, his arms trembling. Pepper had struck a deep nerve with her words, mentioning distrust, unwillingness to commit, and their past histories—these were all reasons Stark knew he couldn't thrive in a normal relationship.

Thor considered intervening for a moment but felt he had no stance. After all, nobody knew for sure whether Stark and Lady Loki had anything going on. What they were hearing were Stark's words alone, and even if Lady Loki were to confront him, no one could be certain if they were in cahoots to deceive others.

To be honest, when a man and a woman frequently spent time together in close quarters, and especially when they had conversations so meaningful that everyone around them noticed their rapport, it was not surprising that Pepper was angry. Thor briefly switched the genders in his mind and put himself in the situation; he probably would have picked up his hammer and confronted the other person face to face.

Just as Pepper leaned against the doorframe, catching her breath and mustering the courage to leave, a small, shadowy figure suddenly darted past her with a "whoosh" sound and appeared in front of her.

Helen raised her face, meeting Pepper's gaze. No matter how angry Pepper was, she couldn't direct her anger at such a young child. Pepper shifted her weight, trying to leave, but at that moment, she saw the little girl open her mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and yelled loudly:

"Mommy!"

Pepper widened her eyes, and even Stark was shocked. He stood there like a stone statue that had just been resurrected. He hurriedly walked over and stood beside Pepper, both of them staring at Helen. But then, Helen directed her gaze back at Stark and shouted, "Daddy!"

"Don't play these tricks with me!" Pepper turned her head, glared at Stark, and said loudly, "I'm not her mother. You should go find..."

"Wow!"

A deafening, piercing cry shattered the window of Stark Tower, echoing through the New York skyline.

How can we describe the loudness and sharpness of this cry? Thor, standing in the laboratory, felt an irresistible force sweep through his entire body. He took a few steps back, his head buzzing.

Even Thor, with his Asgardian constitution, felt this way. Pepper and Stark, on the other hand, each held onto one side of the doorframe, covering their ears. And this was just the first wave of the assault.

Soon, Helen began to wail, and her cries had already caused the structural integrity of Stark Tower to plummet. Stark and Pepper didn't care about anything else; they just wanted this terrifying loudspeaker to stop.

"Don't cry, Helen, please don't cry!" Stark walked over, crouched down, and tried to hug Helen, but it only added to the torment in his ears.

At this moment, Pepper approached, pushed Stark aside, and said, "Your way of holding the child is completely wrong. You're hurting her!"

"I've never held a child before!" Stark said with a hint of urgency.

Pepper turned her head and saw that Stark had opened his mouth, starting to breathe through his mouth, and his breathing had clearly become faster. His right eye was squinting more than the left, and Pepper knew that Stark's anxiety hadn't completely subsided. He often displayed signs of anxiety when faced with unexpected situations.

Pepper pushed Stark away and extended her hand to pick up Helen. She slowly swayed her and caressed her back, and Stark let out a sigh of relief.

But at that moment, he saw through the glass window on the opposite side of the laboratory that JARVIS was sitting in front of a computer, typing rapidly. The screen in front of him turned towards them, displaying several big words: "Explain quickly!"

"Well... Pepper, it's like this. This whole thing started from Schiller's birthday party..."

Stark began to explain, with a disjointed introduction. Fortunately, Pepper was used to his sometimes confusing way of speaking. She grasped the general idea, furrowed her brows, and looked down at Helen.

Previously, she was too angry, so she didn't pay attention to the details. Now, looking closely, Helen indeed didn't seem much like a human child. It's quite apparent that Stark's daughter could inherit anything, except for the Arc Reactor in his chest.

At this moment, Thor, who was behind them, also approached and asked, "Do you and my sister really have a relationship? If you two are really dating, then get married in Asgard. I won't allow you to be unclear about it; that's unethical!"

"We really have nothing between us. Who told you we were dating? She's not my type at all!" Stark lowered his head, tapped his foot, wiped his nose with his finger, and then gritted his teeth. "You all know my reputation is as rotten as it gets. Don't you know the style of the cover girls and actresses I used to date?"

Thor thought for a moment. Cover girls, actresses, what other style could there be? Most of them were voluptuous with curves, and even the thin models exuded a strong sensual aura. As for Lady Loki, she appeared younger after becoming a goddess and looked more like a young girl.

"Besides, I wouldn't dare do anything with her," Stark continued, "What if she asks me one day if I have any intentions, and I get blinded by the light behind her."

Thor sighed in relief, appearing more relaxed. He walked over and patted Stark's shoulder, saying, "Well, it seems I misjudged you. But from now on, you better be careful and stay away from Lady Loki. Playboys like you should be behind bars."

"Heh." Pepper chuckled and said, "If all the playboys in the world had to go to jail, there wouldn't be enough cells for all the criminals."

But unexpectedly, when Stark heard Pepper's words, he relaxed. He smiled and said, "If I were really going to jail, I would definitely have the shortest sentence. Isn't that right, my judge?"

Pepper turned her head away, avoiding Stark's gaze. She held Helen, soothed her for a while, and then handed her back to Stark, saying, "We're not married yet, and we haven't even gotten engaged, so she shouldn't call me 'mom.'"

"However, if you decide to adopt her, you are indeed her dad. Go on, a new father should learn to take care of children himself."

After saying that, Pepper left, and after chatting with Thor for a while, he also returned to Asgard due to his busy official duties.

Back in the laboratory, Helen jumped out of Stark's arms and took a small set of headphones from her ears. She tossed them to JARVIS, who was nearby, and Stark stared at the two of them in amazement.

The towering robotic butler bent down, extended his hand, and the little girl jumped onto his arm, then settled on his shoulder. JARVIS said to Stark, "Obviously, Miss Helen has a strong learning ability, and her timing is impeccable."

"Furthermore, sir, the equipment for synthesizing diamond-edged blades has just broken. The last defective piece had too many facets cut due to its high brightness, so I embedded it in a ring, which is currently in the jewelry box behind you."

"The hottest French restaurant in the downtown area still has available seats. According to Miss Pepper's schedule, she has no work ahead and is planning to relax."

"Now she has reached the underground garage... she's opening the door... she's getting into the car... trying to start the engine... oh, unfortunately, the car is malfunctioning, and the navigation system isn't working. She must be quite upset now..."

"Wait! Hold on..." Stark suddenly panicked. He turned around, then turned back, paused for a moment, and hastily picked up the jewelry box from the table behind him. He rushed out, stumbled a bit as he entered the elevator, almost falling.

Helen tilted her head and then turned her head to look at JARVIS. She saw a smiling face made up of symbols on the display screen on his face.

Half an hour later, a commotion erupted in a central downtown restaurant, and before long, media vehicles from various major outlets completely surrounded the place.

With a "whoosh," a red and gold combat suit flew out of the restaurant's window, rapidly ascended into the sky, and held another figure in its arms.

Under the gaze of journalists and beneath the morning light and dust in New York, they stopped at the top of another tall building. The face mask lifted, and Stark kissed without hesitation. At this moment, the diamond on Pepper's ring finger gleamed brightly.

Not far away on the rooftop of another high-rise building, Schiller and Lady Loki stood together. Lady Loki said, "I was really about to go crazy back there. If you hadn't stopped me..."

"But, as you expected, as long as I remained invisible throughout this incident, we could achieve our goals." Lady Loki turned her head to look at Schiller and said, "Sometimes, I really wonder, what kind of background, what kind of experiences, would mold someone like you?"

Schiller lowered his head and played with a model of the original Ark Reactor in his hand. Lady Loki's gaze fell on it, and she asked, "Is this from Stark?"

Schiller nodded and said, "The first-generation Ark Reactor model. Does it look complicated? It's just a lightbulb, after all."

With that, he lifted the model and aimed it at the sun. Light shone through it, making it shine brightly.

Schiller shifted his gaze away from the model, looked up, and saw Stark and Pepper kissing in the distance. He smiled and said, "No need for power, it won't shine. It's still just a lightbulb."

"And I'm best at twisting lightbulbs."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 567: A Typical Murder Case (Part 1)