Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 45 A Conversation by the Fountain of Wisdom

The following day, Odin did not inform anyone, nor did he ride his eight-legged steed. Instead, he quietly followed the Rainbow Bridge and the thick root of the World Tree to the Oda Spring at the base of the World Tree.

Beside this beautiful lake, the lush green meadows are a delight to behold. Usually, the gods would rest, gather, and drink here, and the three Fates would also greet them here. But this time, only Odin came.

However, in Odin's sight, the three Fates had already been waiting on the grass for a long time, but Odin was not surprised.

The Fates, who can weave the destinies of all mortals and know the destinies of all gods, naturally knew of Odin's secret visit.

"Odin, the king of the gods, pays homage to you."

The eldest sister, Urd, stepped forward. She was beautiful and graceful, and compared to her two younger sisters, she possessed more composure and poise. As she spoke, she bowed slightly to Odin in respect.

Although her tone was respectful, there was no sign of awe on her face. The Three Sisters of Fate were not gods, nor were they colleagues of the gods. Instead, they were the weavers of fate and the supreme judges, and the world called them "Norn".

The Norn, also known as the Valar or the Prophets, are prophetic women who are often knowledgeable about the past and future and possess the power to foresee destiny. The Three Fates are the deities among the Norn, because they can not only foresee destiny but also weave it.

The judgments of fate they made were so decrees that even the gods had to obey them. Their respect for Odin was merely out of reverence for him as the king of the nine worlds, and naturally, there was no fear involved.

Odin, however, didn't seem to care about that, and instead asked a question.

Is Mimir there?

"My father has been waiting for a long time."

Urd answered calmly, then bowed and stepped back, her body disappearing into thin air along with the other two goddesses. Behind them, a quiet path, hidden in the bushes, was revealed that had not been there before.

Odin continued along the quiet path, and soon a clear spring appeared before him, and an old man with white hair and beard was dozing off by the spring.

"Mimi'er".

Looking at him, Odin frowned, then called out.

Legend has it that at the roots of the World Tree lies a Well of Wisdom, whose waters, whether drunk by gods, giants, dwarves, or elves, imbue them with wisdom. However, an old giant named Mimir guards this well, preventing others from drinking its wisdom.

Only Odin, the king of the gods, was able to drink from the Well of Wisdom after meeting him, at the cost of his right eye. He thus gained supreme wisdom, knowing what had happened in the past, what was happening now, and what would happen in the future, and was therefore regarded as a wise man.

The old man, who seemed to be asleep, slowly woke up after a long while, opening his eyes. His deep pupils were filled with a heavy sense of twilight, as if he were indifferent to everything that was happening in the world.

"Ah, Odin, you have finally come."

He looked at Odin before him, speaking in a calm tone while casually gesturing for Odin to sit down, as if he were facing not an all-powerful god-king, but a long-time friend.

Odin sat by the spring without speaking; his long-standing tacit understanding taught him how to interact with the old man.

Mimir's cloudy eyes were half-open, half-closed, as if he had no strength, making one almost suspect that he would fall asleep at any moment.

“I know what you want to ask… Loki is very unhappy; he considers you a brother.”

After a long silence, he spoke slowly in an aged voice.

Odin remained silent for a moment, then spoke solemnly.

“I also consider him a brother.” “But you imprisoned his two children.”

Mimir shook his head.

“You know, Loki values ​​relationships, respects his brothers, and cares about his beloved children. He didn’t want to see this situation, so he had no choice but to run away.”

Odin opened his mouth, trying to refute something, but after hesitating for a long time, he gave up and a look of disappointment appeared on his face.

Mimir gazed at him, his turbid pupils unfathomably deep, as if he could see through the thoughts and ideas of the god-king before him. He spoke slowly.

"You are in fear, Odin..."

His tone was unusually certain.

Odin, the king of the gods, actually felt fear?
If others knew this, they would probably laugh their heads off, but only Odin himself knew... that Mimir was telling the truth.

"You feared the arrival of Regaluk, and you foresaw that Loki's three children would become a scourge to the entire universe, so you banished them in advance in an attempt to stop Regaluk's arrival. But Loki was also dissatisfied with you because of this... You felt very bad about this, but you had to harden your heart and be ruthless."

"You hung yourself upside down on the World Tree for nine days and nine nights, using the World Tree as your horse, riding across the entire universe, sacrificing yourself to glimpse the runes with infinite magic, hoping to borrow the power of those almost omnipotent runes to save the world."

"You gathered those fallen heroes and assembled them in Valhalla, honing their skills day and night. For tens of thousands of years, you have amassed a vast army of fifty million heroic spirits, all in an attempt to resist the arrival of Regaluk."

"For tens of thousands of years, you have remained silent, sorrowful day and night, guarding this secret but daring not to utter it..."

Mimir's words echoed in Odin's ears. His face remained silent, showing no emotion, but his slightly trembling fingers seemed to be saying something in silence.

He looked at the one-eyed god-king in front of him and said.

"Tell me, Odin, what are you thinking?"

After a long silence, Odin finally spoke.

“I…I can see it, I can see the scene when Regaluk arrived…”

His tone was calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"A great fire, an indescribable fire, is burning the entire universe. The sky, the land, the sea... everything is burning. The World Tree that supports the nine worlds is also withering. Gods and giants will die. Everything that the gods have painstakingly built over millions of years will be reduced to ashes in this great fire."

“When I learned about Loki’s three children, I had a premonition that they would become a scourge to the entire universe. I wanted to eliminate them before they grew strong enough, but I hesitated in the end and only banished them. However, the giant serpent and the demon wolf grew more ferocious with each passing day, and I had no choice but to imprison them…”

“I tried to stop Regaluk, but my actions seemed to be facilitating his arrival…”

As he spoke, a hint of melancholy appeared in the God-King's eyes.

He turned his head and looked at the wise giant Mimir in front of him. His single remaining eye was filled with unprecedented solemnity and seriousness. He spoke in a low voice, word by word.

“Mimiel, tell me… what exactly is Regaluk?”

(End of this chapter)