Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 66 Loki and the Gods

Inside the deep-sea palace, a wide wooden table surrounded numerous deities. The table, large enough to seat thousands, was laden with all sorts of rare and exquisite delicacies, from the heavens, the earth, and the water; winged and wingless; meat and non-meat—all kinds of worldly delicacies were included in this meal.

The gods, grieving the death of Baldr, the god of light, except for Thor who was still fighting the frost giants in the distance, all gathered here under the command of the old sea god Egil to relieve their unhappiness. Those gods who were on good terms with Baldr showed sorrow on their faces, sighing and cursing Loki.

However, the delicious food and lively atmosphere eventually overshadowed everything, gradually turning the initially somber banquet into a joyful and upbeat affair.

Odin, the king of the gods, sat silently at the head of the long table, watching everything before him. His deep, single eye held a myriad of unfathomable thoughts, as if he were pondering something.

Beside him, the old sea god Egil, who was the master, seemed quite calm. He didn't get too involved in the conflicts among the Aesir gods. Having maintained a neutral stance between giants and gods for a long time, he was very clear about that invisible boundary.

Although he summoned all the gods to the banquet, he did not speak much, but remained silent, neither too close nor too far.

“Odin, I am saddened by the passing of Baldr, the god of light.”

Facing Odin beside him, the old sea god Egil, with a touch of sadness on his face, said something that was not appropriate.

Odin remained silent on the face of Aegir's sadness, then after a long silence, he suddenly spoke softly.

"he came."

The God-King's voice was extremely soft, so soft that it was almost inaudible in the midst of the bustling and noisy feast. Only the old sea god Egil, who was closest to him, reacted.

"What? Who are you saying has arrived?"

The old sea god frowned and couldn't help but try to ask further questions.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the palace.

"You can't...no, you can't go in."

Outside the palace, the urgent voices of Egil's two servants, Fermafin and Eldel, reached inside. The gods all looked towards the outside of the palace, only to see a familiar figure continuing to walk into the palace despite the two servants' urgent attempts to stop him.

In an instant, the once joyful and noisy palace fell silent. The gods stared in astonishment at the newcomer outside the palace, with only the sound of the newcomer's footsteps echoing slowly within the palace.

"When... when... when..."

Against the backdrop of the deep sea, under the gaze of the gods, the slender Loki walked, a broad smile on his handsome face, just as he always had. Looking at the gods before him, he opened his arms and spoke with a smile.

"My noble gods, I wonder if you would be so kind as to invite me to this grand feast?"

Before him, all that responded were pairs of gloomy and unfriendly eyes.

Looking down, from left to right, from far to near... everywhere was filled with ill will and malice, and not a single eye showed him the slightest kindness.

Loki, however, was already prepared for this and simply smiled and said...

“I have come from afar, and I am truly thirsty. I wonder if the gods of Asaph can give me, a traveler, a cup of mead to quench my thirst.”

After he finished speaking, he bowed slightly, his humble demeanor making it hard to refuse.

However, a cold laugh immediately rang out from the room.

"Ha, the gods have their own standards for who gets to sit at the table; how can just anyone participate in this divine banquet?"

Loki looked up at the sound and saw Bragi, the god of poetry, sitting at the banquet, looking at him with a mocking expression. Bragi was Odin's son and the god of all bards, whose eloquence and persuasiveness almost made the gods sigh.

Loki frowned slightly. He didn't want to argue with this eloquent god. Instead, he looked up at Odin, who sat high in the seat of honor. Odin had been watching Loki silently ever since he entered the palace.

Or rather, he had been watching the wide-open palace gates the whole time, waiting for the figure that was about to appear.

One was the supreme ruler of the nine worlds, the king of the Aesir gods, and the other was an evil god banished from Asgard, the god of fire and deception. Both of them had foreseen the future and knew what was going to happen next. They were well aware of the misfortune that Loki was about to suffer, but neither of them said anything.

With just a glance, their thoughts were already self-evident.

Loki wanted to use this opportunity to make one last attempt to salvage the situation, but Odin could not agree to Loki's desire to release the three siblings. And if Odin could not agree, the differences between the two would never be reconciled.

Gazing intently at the handsome young man before him, the aged-looking god-king spoke in a deep voice.

"Loki." He didn't say much, just used this as a greeting.

Loki spoke calmly before him.

“Odin, you swore an oath… that we are brothers of flesh and blood, and that you would never drink mead alone if it were not meant for both of us. Now… I, a traveler, wish to drink a cup of mead to quench my thirst. Would you grant me permission?”

His voice was deep and carried an inexplicable meaning. Odin understood what he was saying, but did not answer directly. Instead, he remained silent for a moment before speaking softly.

“I swore that I would never drink mead alone if it was not meant for the two of us to share. Loki, please sit down.”

As he spoke, he tapped the heavy long table with his index finger knuckle. Immediately, a seedling quickly sprouted from the end of the heavy long table. The seedling grew rapidly and in no time it had grown into a seat that resembled a rattan chair.

Loki glanced at him, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, Odin omitted the first part of the oath as he recited it…

His heart was filled with bitterness and despair, but he still maintained a smile on his face, calmly taking his seat, completely ignoring the displeasure and disgust of the gods around him.

The great serpent said that fate is the fantasy of a weak insect about a future that it cannot control. In its eyes, there is no such thing as fate; everything is created by life itself, and no one drives it.

"Shackles? There are no shackles. You live freely in this universe, able to go anywhere. What shackles have you ever been bound by? What binds you is only your mind."

The serpent's mocking voice still echoed in Loki's ears. He didn't know if it was true or not, but at this moment, he only knew that no matter what the future held, whether certain or uncertain, whether it was fate or not, he had to face it head-on and confront the fear in his heart.

……

Amidst the boisterous feast, the gods laughed heartily. The minor incident did not interrupt their banquet; they laughed as if they paid no attention to Loki.

Yes, throughout the entire banquet, not a single god spoke a word to Loki, nor did any god even glance at him. Amidst the bustling and noisy banquet, all the gods seemed to have ignored Loki completely.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, only Loki's seat remained perfectly quiet...

It was so quiet, as if someone were alone.

Loki silently observed everything, quietly drinking alone, looking at the gods before him, feeling their disdain and mockery written all over their faces, as if they were looking at a beggar, giving him a little food from their high and mighty heads, but not taking him seriously at all.

This almost blatant humiliation and mockery surrounded Loki, who silently endured it all alone. However, the smile that had been on his face gradually faded, replaced by a growing coldness in his expression.

"Ha ha……"

Amidst laughter, the gods continued their drinking merrily.

Suddenly, Loki took a deep breath, his gloomy face regaining its cynical smile, and then he stood up, picked up the mead in the horn, and called out loudly.

"All the gods of Assaj! Let us drink to this!"

As Loki suddenly stood up, the once lively and noisy banquet fell silent. Or rather, all the gods were waiting for this moment, waiting for Loki to unleash his power.

Loki glanced around at the gods before him and then continued.

"All the goddesses of Assa! Let us drink to this cup!"

His voice didn't stop; he raised the mead in his hand again and shouted loudly once more.

"All you hypocritical gods! Let us drink this cup!"

As he spoke, a mocking look appeared on his face, and his eyes were extremely cold. He could feel that with each word he spoke, the gazes around him became increasingly hostile.

I'm afraid that if Odin, the king of the gods, showed even the slightest dissatisfaction, they would rush up in anger and tear him to shreds.

Loki's lips curled slightly, his face showing no fear, but rather revealing his most common ambiguous smile, before he looked at a spot on the table and mocked.

"Only Brachi, the god of poetry, who sits at the farthest point, is unworthy to drink this cup of wine."

As Loki mocked him, in his sight, the god of poetry, Broglie, first looked stunned, then his expression turned into deep anger.

(End of this chapter)