Chapter 882: The Radiant Stars of Rotten (Part 27) (Patreon)

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Peter, seated in his chair, shook his head vigorously and then turned his gaze toward Schiller, asking, "Doctor, what on earth is going on? I'm completely lost about what's happening right now. Can you fill me in?"

At this moment, the Hippo Goddess approached with a tray of various snacks and a few glasses of water. She cleared the desktop, placed the tray down, and set a glass of water in front of Peter. She said, "Don't rush, children. You can have some food before writing."

Peter felt a tickle in his nervous throat, so he instinctively picked up the glass and took a sip of water. Then, he heard Schiller say, "It's not a big deal, I just created a Heaven."

With a "puff," Peter spat out the water in his mouth, and the sparkling droplets hung briefly in the air before slowly falling, creating ripples on the water's surface.

In the steaming hot spring pool, Strange draped a towel over his shoulders and turned his head to Schiller, asking, "What did you discuss with Odin? Did you really sell the Resurrection slots you had?"

Schiller sighed and said, "It's not me, but you're taking quite a risk with this move. Even if you don't need them now, keeping those slots would be safer. You never know when you might encounter unexpected situations."

Loki chimed in, saying, "Humans are fragile creatures. Even Captain America or Spider-Man, let alone Iron Sorcerer, could be in danger if they're ambushed without realizing it. But what I'm curious about is what kind of compensation you intend to collect?"

Schiller lifted a wine glass, took a sip, and removed the towel from his forehead. He said, "Asgard is our friend, and humans are All-Father's subjects. So, I'm sharing the Resurrection slots with Asgard without any charge. It's also a way to strengthen humanity's own power."

Loki rolled his eyes and said, "There's no need for such official talk here. It's just the three of us. You can be straightforward. What did you discuss with All-Father?"

Schiller neatly folded the towel in his hand and placed it aside. Leaning against a nearby rock beside the hot spring pool, he relaxed and said, "I'm serious about this. I won't demand anything grand from Asgardians. Instead, I'll provide All-Father with a more reliable plan regarding the construction of the Hall of Heroes."

Strange narrowed his eyes, exchanged glances with Loki, cleared his throat, and said, "How did you... I mean, how did you plan it?"

Schiller fixed his gaze on Loki and continued, "Even if you're not an Asgardian, having lived in Asgard for so long, you should know the pain points of the Hall of Heroes."

"The so-called Resurrection is essentially when an Asgardian dies, their soul is supposed to go to the Realm of Death. However, the Hall of Heroes acts as an interception device. Odin, according to his discretion, intercepts the souls of warriors who wish to be resurrected, keeping their souls in the Hall of Heroes rather than sending them to the Realm of Death."

"Because Death and Odin cooperate, the interception by the Hall of Heroes is legal. However, the problem is that Odin wishes to resurrect many warriors, but the number of Resurrection slots available is limited. He intercepts more souls than he can actually resurrect."

"These souls waiting in the Hall of Heroes, even with the vibrant souls of Asgardians, will eventually dissipate."

"So, Death doesn't really care how many souls Odin intercepts with the Hall of Heroes. After all, his capacity for resurrection is limited, and the souls that eventually dissipate will still go to the Realm of Death."

"Over time, the Hall of Heroes has accumulated too many souls waiting for resurrection," Loki continued Schiller's explanation, shaking his head. "These were originally brave warriors who sacrificed their lives for Asgard. Even if they can't be resurrected, they shouldn't be confined in a small hall, waiting for so many years."

"Originally, with more Resurrection slots available, there was hope for these heroes. But since the slots have become scarcer and the conditions more stringent, there's almost no hope left," Loki sighed.

"I understand that Odin doesn't want to clear out the Hall of Heroes. After all, these heroes serve as reserves. Before the visible end of Asgard approaches, you must accumulate enough power," Schiller said, tapping the side of his wine glass. "Perhaps many of these warriors, even though they're cramped in the Hall of Heroes, are still willing to contribute one last time."

Loki's mood darkened. Every time he thought about the Twilight of the Gods, he felt a heavy pressure. From the perspective of an outsider, Odin seemed like a ruthless king, exploiting his loyal subjects to the utmost, squeezing out their final worth.

However, these heroes remained loyal to him, willing to offer their last bit of strength, which also indicated that he was a great king.

"So, what's your plan?" Strange finally asked.

Schiller chuckled and said, "The essence of this problem lies in the scarcity of Resurrection slots."

"Death has tightened the allocation of Resurrection slots across various pantheons, and it's not just the Hall of Heroes that's suffering. From what I know, the Egyptian Pantheon is already in turmoil; the Resurrection slots are in short supply."

"Like the Hall of Heroes, they've made too many empty promises, and the souls stuck in limbo have nowhere to go. Anubis had to move his camp to the riverside because the Underworld City is overflowing with people."

"From what I know, some Eastern pantheons are in a similar situation. This catastrophe has affected many."

"Now, most of the leaders of these factions haven't personally dealt with Death. Trading with Death happened thousands of years ago, and the sudden reduction in Resurrection slots is something they can't explain. They're probably scratching their heads right now."

"When we initially formed the contract, Death promised everything so smoothly. Now, she's silently reducing the slots, causing chaos in the client's company. Isn't that outrageous?" After Schiller said this, both Strange and Loki stared at him, their eye contact conveying the message, "So who do you think is to blame for this?"

Schiller understood their meaning and said confidently, "You're asking who's to blame for this? Of course, it's Death!"

"She exploited the system's loopholes, engaged in tax evasion, used excess funds to sign contracts with others, and when it was discovered, she couldn't fulfill her obligations. I'm just a righteous bystander who reported injustice. Can you blame me?"

Schiller's words were so self-assured that Strange and Loki were momentarily taken aback. Then, Schiller's words reshaped their understanding of the situation.

"Death doesn't want to explain to these factions, perhaps thinking there's nothing to explain. After all, she governs the rules of Space, and she does as she pleases. But we must not allow her to disregard the players like this."

"Today, she dares to reduce the benefits; tomorrow, she might shut down the server directly. We must unite, take proactive steps, and fight for every bit of player benefit."

Strange looked at Schiller and asked, "So, do you plan to find Death?" He knew that Schiller had been rejected by the Death nation, so he added, "But you can't even enter the Realm of Death. How do you plan to find her? Even if you can locate her, what leverage do you have to negotiate with her?"

"It won't be long before you find out," Schiller replied with a mysterious smile, and many people soon learned what happened next.

Initially, when Death granted Schiller Resurrection slots, the contract was straightforward, with very few requirements. More importantly, the contract did not specify that Schiller could only resurrect beings of his own race. This meant that Schiller could resurrect both humans and Asgardians.

While Death had blocked Schiller from resurrecting the Soviet Union and set a time limit for his resurrection, she had not limited the race. So, Schiller, in collaboration with Odin, found a loophole to sell some of the slots to Odin, allowing him to resurrect Asgardians.

Furthermore, Schiller didn't just sell slots to Odin; he openly offered them to anyone interested.

Initially, Death had reduced the slots due to previous irregularities in vote manipulation that Eternity had discovered. However, Schiller's actions essentially negated this reduction. Instead, he created such a commotion that Eternity had to involve Death.

Death began calling Schiller frantically, but much to her dismay, he refused to answer.

Ultimately, Death had no choice but to turn to her tool, Thanos. However, as soon as Thanos arrived in the Solar System, he was ambushed. Hulk, in a fit of rage, used a move reminiscent of the Monkey King and knocked Thanos out with Schiller's ring.

While Thanos was powerful, he had not yet collected the Infinity Stones or created the Infinity Gauntlet. Additionally, his own goddess had called him and told him to find another man, which had confused him and made him susceptible to Hulk's sneak attack. Under the right circumstances, even the tough Titan's skull couldn't withstand Hulk's repeated blows. After a series of thirty-two consecutive strikes, Thanos was sent to the Realm of Death.

Unfortunately, Deadpool had a run-in with Eternity after defiling his temple, leading to a series of events where over three hundred Grim Reapers were dispatched within three days. Eventually, Deadpool managed to overpower Thanos's curse, sending him to the Realm of Death.

Death hadn't seen her old lover for a long time, and they were in the midst of an affectionate reunion when Thanos came knocking.

Death thought Thanos had brought Schiller with him, so she reluctantly opened the door, still feeling disgusted. However, Thanos, also excited to see his old lover, got carried away and tried to embrace Death.

In response, Death gave him a resounding slap and sent him flying out of the Realm of Death. In reality, Thanos was still being beaten up by Hulk, and the dizziness from the initial blow hadn't worn off yet. Just as he was resurrected, he was beaten to death again.

This pattern repeated multiple times, with Thanos being sent to Death and then back to the Realm of Death. Deadpool and Death, in the midst of their passionate reunion, were interrupted numerous times. No matter how good-natured one might be, such interruptions would test anyone's patience.

The situation became so chaotic that Death went to Eternity. Eternity hung Thanos on the outer walls of Space, but when Death returned to the Realm of Death, she realized that something was amiss. There was something suspicious about this.

Thanos wasn't some small fry. Although he hadn't yet become the ruler of Space, his potential couldn't be underestimated. Death had chosen him as her tool partly because of the durability of the Titan race and partly because Thanos was one of the rare intelligent Titans, making him a convenient asset.

Throughout, despite his infatuation with Death, Thanos had a strong sense of ambition. Death didn't believe that he would resort to suicide to enter the Realm of Death.

If it wasn't suicide, then it was murder. However, Thanos was one of the most formidable beings, even without the Infinity Stones and the Gauntlet. Who could kill him multiple times in such a short period?

Death sensed that something was amiss, so she began her investigation. Such entities, resembling rules, had the ability to directly view timelines.

Death retrieved a timeline and followed it backward. However, when she saw what was at the forefront of the timeline, she abruptly discarded it.

She had seen Schiller standing at the forefront of the timeline, smiling at her.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 883: Dazzling Stars and Rotten Tangles (28)