Simulate the universe, starting with speedrunning Greek.

The girl's face flushed bright red, and she panicked. She had developed a tendency towards darkness, but it wasn't complete.

She only suffered a mental blow, but no tragedy was successfully staged. Due to her past innocent and carefree personality, Sigourney's mentality could not be transformed so quickly into that of a cold and powerful (super A) princess like Morgan.

When it came to actually doing it, she would feel somewhat nervous and a little guilty, but physically she was unusually obedient and did not have the slightest thought of refusing.

Only that pretty face, that delicate and beautiful face, was now filled with a mournful expression, revealing a pitiful look like a little puppy that had been abandoned...

It's like hearing someone say, "I'm doing Nuo rituals?" and completely bewildering this newbie from Bengbu!

Me?!

Okay, I'll go—I'll go! Even though she was trembling with fear, she was still determined to fulfill her duty to protect her brother.

She couldn't leave everything to Night alone. Sigourney gritted her teeth.

Seeing that he actually believed it, Ye was overjoyed: "Don't worry... if this journey goes smoothly, I will obtain the sharpest sword that fears nothing—the glory of invincible victory."

Sigourney: Sword?

That's right—the Sword of Victory! A pure holy sword, without enchanting it with some useful runes, would be a waste to simply use its material for combat.

Even the legendary sword in the tree, before slaying the evil dragon, only possessed the hardness and sharpness that all holy swords have. The dragon-slaying special ability was acquired after it was granted the blessing of great deeds upon achieving its legendary status.

It was like a rough gem that was polished into a dragon-slaying sword after a fierce battle. The quality of the sword was fine—otherwise, it wouldn't have lasted until Siegfried finished defeating the dragon Fafnir. If it were a different sword, it wouldn't even be able to break through the dragon's scales, let alone slay it.

But such a mysterious yet overly simple sword could not satisfy Ye... It was too simple, not pure enough!

Night, whose mind is filled with the power of runes, needs someone to reforge this sword for him, commonly known as reworking it.

It wasn't just to add an enchantment; it was also because Odin had tampered with the sword beforehand.

Saying it was tampered with seems a bit inappropriate, as if there's something wrong with the sword. It's flawless, even perfect—too perfect, a holy sword forged specifically to suit Sigmund's physical attributes, build, preferred weapon-wielding posture, and grip.

Although Odin didn't reappear for some reason after Night took the Holy Sword, Night knew that the sword was never meant for him in the first place. It had to be forged again!

As for forging—undoubtedly, the forging skills of the dwarves of the dungeon who once brought six treasures to the gods of Aesir are recognized as the strongest in the Norse world.

Even Gangnir and Mjolnir were crafted by the legendary blacksmiths there.

However, the goblins were already an extremely secretive race in this era, hiding underground and rarely appearing on the surface anymore.

But it doesn't matter—because she knew a little about the Valkyries' stories, Ye was very clear that in this era, on this land... there was a human whose forging skills were in no way inferior to those of the goblins, and who, in mythology, even surpassed the goblins' magical forging skills with his forging techniques—Woland.

He was once a prince of the Kingdom of Lapland, and along with two other brothers, he was favored by the Valkyrie.

Although the process was somewhat shameless—to put it simply, it was similar to the story of the Seven Fairies descending to earth or Ling'er taking a bath on Fairy Island.

Several Valkyries, having lost their swan robes, were unable to find the coordinates of the divine realm to return to Valhalla and were ultimately forced to stay and marry the princes.

As a result, a few years later, the Valkyries found an opportunity to put their clothes back on and all ran away.

After searching for a long time, the other two princes gave up and returned to the palace. Only Woland could not bear the blow and began to devote his energy and pain to learning forging. As a result, he learned a skill that could be called the forging god.

If this had happened in an earlier era, he might have gained Odin's favor through this great achievement and become a blacksmith god without any problem.

Night's goal this time was to kidnap this guy.

That's right—it's "tied over," not "invited."

After all, Woland is a bit obsessed; he's not exactly a bad person in the absolute sense, but he's not exactly a kind person either...

Kind and honest people wouldn't threaten them into marriage with the Valkyrie's clothes.

But this guy is very vengeful.

In the myth, Woland's forging skills caught the eye of a king who not only stole all the treasures he had forged but also severed his Achilles tendons to prevent his escape, then imprisoned him and made him work every day...

As a result, Woland endured hardship and humiliation, feigning submission while secretly killing the king's two sons. He also forced his daughter into pregnancy and crafted various parts of the king's sons' skeletons into exquisite ornaments and utensils for the royal family to use, allowing them to kiss their sons' teeth every day. After successfully avenging himself, he transformed his own flesh and blood into immortality and gained the ability to fly. Finally, he successfully flew to Valhalla to find his Valkyrie 'wife'.

Night didn't know exactly where Woland's story was at, but he could roughly remember that the era of his story was very close to that of Sigmund's story.

Although this guy is vengeful and likes to play dirty tricks, he is genuinely capable.

Ye was not worried about his pettiness at all.

Given the prince's status, he was arrogant and never forged anything for others, keeping all the treasures he forged for his own enjoyment. Naturally, Ye wouldn't waste her breath arguing with him.

Forge it! Or die!

Even disregarding the fact that among his many identities is the 'Demon King,' he is also the creator of humanity, standing at the pinnacle of humankind, at the end of the path of heroes, the ultimate in human concepts, and the Sun King Gwyn.

If any one of them were released, no mortal in this world would dare to oppose him or disobey this order!

If Woland honestly helps him forge, he won't be stingy with the reward.

But if one tries to be cunning...

He can be a hero, but he can also shed his hero's disguise at any time and become a demon king!

The Demon King is quite capricious and willful! No mortal would be foolish enough to provoke such a terrifying being that is absolutely impossible to resist, right?

Chapter 157 He will be powerful but wounded, rich but hungry, noble but forever alone.

The Gothic Kingdom—the new king died suddenly on the land of a neighboring country shortly after his ascension to the throne.

The old king was forced to ascend the throne again, a tragic loss of his son.

When the old king—let's call him Old Higir—is gone, let's distinguish him from the young Higir who has already gone to the underworld.

At the funeral of young Higil, the old king was immersed in the immense grief of losing his son.

An old man quietly arrived here, and no one knows how he bypassed the guards and entered the palace. When the surrounding servants discovered him and tried to stop him, they were all pushed aside by an invisible force.

This extraordinary scene immediately attracted the attention of old Higil and his ministers.

The delegation that had accompanied Higil on their return from the neighboring country recognized the old man and immediately reminded the old king—it was that old man!

A mysterious old man broke into the banquet on the day of the event and bestowed upon them the miraculous holy sword!

A holy sword?!

Was it the sword that killed his own son? Upon hearing this, even though he knew the old man before him might be a 'deity,' old Higel couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable surge of anger and boundless resentment.

If it weren't for the holy sword brought by this mysterious old man, how could it have given that hateful prince such great power? Clearly, the incomprehensible and powerful martial arts he displayed at the banquet before the night was regarded by the people present at the time as the power of the holy sword.

The old king believed that his son's easy death was due to the overwhelming power of the Holy Sword.

This further enhanced the reputation of the Holy Sword... and made Night, the chosen king who had drawn the chosen sword, even more famous and known to the world.

at this time--

The one-eyed old man, who was suspected to be an incarnation of Odin, glanced at old Higil and suddenly spoke: "You shouldn't waste your time here. While you are wallowing in the past and grieving for the loss of your son, your enemy is out there living freely and has now fled to a far more distant place. Aren't you going to seek revenge?"

Old Higil: "...!! Revenge! Of course I'm prepared for revenge... but why are you here? My servant told me that the holy sword was your doing. Isn't this exactly what you wanted? The chosen king you chose has appeared... so why are you reminding me to kill that guy, mysterious old man!"

The old king was extremely wary and went straight to the point, asking the question that had been bothering him.

In his eyes, the night that had drawn the holy sword had long been labeled as being on the side of this suspected 'divine incarnation'.

Since the other party is, in some way, the old man's successor, shouldn't they be helping him conceal his identity? Why are they instead reminding him—!

At this moment, the old man simply said, "The king I have chosen is not him..."

"No?" Old Higel was stunned.

He was genuinely stunned by the message in his words.

Then the old king heard the old man explain: "That sword did not originally belong to him, but since he drew it, he should naturally bear the destiny (consequences) that the sword should bear. And it is a hero's sword, its wielder is destined to be accompanied by loneliness and hardship, and to walk alongside glory and power."

At this point, the old man's attitude was quite clear. He had no intention of taking back the holy sword, which he saw as a sign of 'destiny'!

But only 'fate'—which no one can defy!

Everything in your destiny that you can change is actually predetermined, waiting for you to change it.

At this moment, he was not an incarnation of a god, but simply an old man who, like a machine of rules, was playing the role that 'Odin' should play according to the laws of the world. He believed that the night changed Sigmund's fate, and that it was also within a larger destiny.

and so--

He didn't intend to stop it; instead, he wanted to accept this new destiny, which was exactly what the old man had come for.

Then, the old man suddenly spoke in an absolutely rational tone: "He will be a brilliant bard, possess the sharpest weapons and the strongest armor, and become a great warrior."

Suddenly, another voice rang out from the void, the same as the old man's, but even more majestic and ruthless, like a finely tuned machine: "But he can never establish his own country, never own an inch of land of his own. He can only be a wandering poet and a knight."

The old man said, "That's right—yet he will acquire more wealth than everyone around him."

Void: "But he will still lack food and clothing, and suffer from hunger, thirst, and cold."

The old man said, "He could fight against ten thousand men in the enemy's ranks and never be defeated."

Void: "But he will have to pay a heavy price for this."

The old man said, "He will become a distinguished guest and close friend of kings and nobles from various countries."

Void: "But ordinary people will avoid him like the plague, leaving him without any help or friendship. He will spend most of his life in solitude."

As sacred, grand, ancient, and majestic voices intertwined and resounded.

It was like a baptism, a declaration...

Old Higil and all the ministers present were trembling with fear.

'This is a blessing...and a curse—! And we are part of that curse, the trial of the one being tested, and a blessing for the other.'

As if struck by a sudden inspiration, the moment when everyone present had the same thought, a chill ran down their spines.

Old Higel finally understood why 'Odin' had come here.

He wanted to make himself—and even his kingdom—a whetstone for that growing hero?!

……

This is Odin actively seeking out trials for the night, to temper and refine it.

However—this was not Odin deliberately causing trouble for the night, but rather paving the way for the night.

In the Nordic world—a world of destiny and sacrifice—everything that desires greater power must pay an equal price.

In the past, Odin always chose less important sacrifices in order to cultivate outstanding heroes!

This time, however, his target was his own descendants, and therefore the requirements were much higher than for any of the Enheria (Heroic Spirits) he had chosen in the past.

In order to accelerate its growth, he even went along with fate and approached the Gothic king, just to speed up its evolution.

From this perspective, the old man representing 'Odin' not only doesn't dislike the night, but even has a desire for the night to become stronger than anyone else.

If it were the original Sigmund who drew the holy sword, the old man would not intervene, because he had already foreseen the setbacks and dangers that Sigmund would experience in the future.