Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 25 The Controversy of the Golden Palace
(I'm out of drafts, so only one update today. I'll also use this time to think about the plot.)
While the giant serpent was deep in thought, another group of people were busy working on the world they had created together.

How exactly did the Nordic world come into being?
Before the heavens and earth were formed, Ymir, the progenitor of the frost giants, was killed by Odin and his companions. His body crashed down and transformed into the World Tree.

The World Tree is unimaginably vast. A single leaf is an island, a puddle on a leaf is a lake, and a large number of leaves piled up together form land. Numerous creatures, whether gods or mortals, live on these "landscapes."

Contrary to common understanding, the World Tree is actually an enormous, leaning ash tree.

The World Tree is divided into three layers and nine worlds.

Midgard, the world inhabited by mortals, is located in the lowest canopy of the World Tree. It is surrounded by water and oceans and has the largest area. Because it is located in the middle layer of the World Tree, it is also known as the "Midgard".

Asgard, situated atop the higher canopy, between the sun and the moon, is home to the gods and spirits, the highest of the nine worlds. Alfheim, the realm of the elves most favored by the gods, is permitted to exist around Asgard. Vanaheim, home to the Vanir gods, lies to the west of Asgard, maintaining a neutral relationship with the Aesir, led by Odin. All three worlds reside in the upper canopy of the World Tree.

In the human world, to the south of Midgard lies Muspelheim, the land of fire ruled by Surtur, the king of the fire giants, where the fire giants live and thrive, detached from worldly affairs; to the north lies Niflheim, the land of mist that is shrouded in fog year-round, where it is said there is nothing but mist.

In the east lies Jotunheim, the dwelling place of the frost giants, the mortal enemies of the gods. Among the nine worlds, the frost giants are the most restless, because they believe that the world originally belonged to the frost giants, and even the World Tree was formed from the corpse of the frost giant's ancestor. Ymir, the progenitor of the frost giants, was killed by Odin. Therefore, the two sides are absolutely irreconcilable mortal enemies, and they often wage war against the gods, which has never stopped.

As for the west of the central courtyard, that is the world inhabited by dwarves, Vatheim. The dwarves are all clever craftsmen who live underground year-round and are very well-behaved, so the gods are quite satisfied with them.

The five worlds, including the Central Courtyard, are all located in the middle layer of the World Tree, on the lowest layer of the large canopy.

Only Helheim, located at the very bottom of the World Tree, is the final resting place of all the dead. Enveloped in mist, dark and damp, it is practically a second Land of Mist, only with more undead spirits than the otherwise empty Land of Mist. No god likes it there, so much so that Odin recently sent his sworn brother, Loki, and his youngest daughter, Hela, there to rule over all the dead and govern this world of the dead.

The entire World Tree is covered by a dome formed from Ymir's skull. Every day, the sun and moon travel across the dome, bringing endless light and warmth to the nine worlds.

At the base of the tilted World Tree, there are three extremely thick roots that support the stability of the entire universe. Because the World Tree itself is tilted, the three roots are not isolated from the nine worlds. For example, Asgard, which is located at the very top of the tree canopy, is relatively close to one of the roots because of the tilt of the World Tree.

The three tree roots are: one leads to the Kingdom of Gods, one leads to the Kingdom of the Frost Giants in the East, and the remaining one leads to the Fog Kingdom in the North, shrouded in thick fog.

The two-tiered canopy, one above the other, along with Helheim at the very bottom of the World Tree, constitute the entire three-tiered, nine-world system. Three massive tree roots steadily support the stability of the entire universe, while the sky covers almost the entire World Tree, with the sun, moon, and stars moving above it year after year.

Undoubtedly, this is an intricate and stable cosmic order, embodying the wisdom and energy of all the Aesir gods, and their greatest pride. As a reward for their hard work, the gods often cross the Rainbow Bridge to a place called Uda Spring, near the root of the leaning World Tree close to their divine realm. There, on that beautiful lake and verdant meadow, they indulge in drinking, revelry, dancing, and singing. At these times, the three Fates residing there do their utmost to entertain the gods, allowing them to find rare relaxation.

However, such a grand occasion has not occurred recently. The reason is simple: as the guardians of the entire cosmic order, the gods are currently in a state of utter chaos.

……

Asgard.

Asgard, the abode of the Aesir gods, was a continent that seemed to float in the sky. On this land, gold and silver, which were hard to find on earth, were everywhere. Gold and silver were as common as soil here, inexhaustible and readily available. The gods, who loved gold and silver, would certainly not let go of such a convenience. Apart from the necessary wood and iron, all the palaces and buildings in the divine kingdom used a large amount of gold and silver.

Here, each deity possesses their own palace, with half of the roofs made of silver and the other half of the roofs made of gold. When these thousands of palaces with gold and silver roofs shine together, their radiance is even more dazzling than the sun and the moon.

Roads paved with silver, fountains and gardens everywhere, brave and strong heroic warriors, and all kinds of exotic flowers and plants make everything here look breathtakingly beautiful.

However, the splendor of Asgard was nowhere to be seen at this moment. Everywhere was ruins and rubble. After the great serpent Jormungandr stormed in and wreaked havoc, almost half of Asgard was destroyed and had to be rebuilt. However, the gods at this moment had no time to worry about the palace.

In Hualasgaev, within the towering palace of Odin, the gods are engaged in a fierce debate.

That damned thing must be severely punished!

A large, thick, and powerful hand slammed down on the chair with such force that it almost broke the specially made chair in two. The owner of the voice seemed to be furious.

“Cut off its head! Hang it before the gates of Asgard, so that the whole universe may see it, as a warning to those who dare to offend the gods.”

Tyr, the God of War, turned his head and looked at Odin, who was sitting directly above the palace, and shouted angrily.

(End of this chapter)