American Comic Dimensional Trading Device

Asgard, Rainbow Bridge.

With a flash of dazzling light, Loki was guided back to Asgard by Heimdall using the Bifrost.

"You don't seem too happy. Did the spoils not fetch a good price?" Heimdall asked expressionlessly, noticing Loki's slightly sullen expression.

He knew that Loki had gone to find the Collector.

Thor and others also knew this, because a local conflict had occurred in Alfheim not long ago, which Thor and his men had quelled.

Loki acquired some valuable items around that time, which is why he went to the Collector to see if he could exchange them for something better. As the renowned Collector in the universe, Tanya Tivan possesses not only money but also a variety of amazing gadgets. Many of the pranks Loki uses originate from there.

This is why he appeared in the Land of No Return; it wasn't the first time.

"I didn't sell them because some petty scoundrels interrupted my plans!" Loki replied irritably.

Although one was a prince and the other a guardian, they frequently came into contact.

However, for some reason, the two did not get along, so Loki spoke very rudely.

"You killed someone?" At this moment, Heimdall also smelled the blood on Loki, which was a rare occurrence, because Loki was actually a bit of a germaphobe. In the past, even after a fierce battle, Loki would carefully avoid getting blood on himself.

But Loki didn't this time, which clearly demonstrates just how bad his mood was.

Heimdall was very curious about what could have caused Loki, who usually only made others feel bad, to be like this—the scene must have been quite something.

Despite his quiet and reserved nature, Heimdall is actually quite cunning and often uses his unique eyes to find and observe interesting things.

And the situation where Loki embarrasses himself, which he doesn't like, is obviously something he's happy to see—as long as Loki's safety isn't threatened.

Unfortunately, Loki went to the Land of Nothingness, a place he couldn't observe.

"Just a few mortal scum who offended me, don't bother with them!" Loki said nonchalantly, then turned and left the Rainbow Bridge without looking back, heading towards the Golden Palace.

Watching Loki's departing figure, Heimdall shook his head and returned to the control panel on the Rainbow Bridge to continue fulfilling his duties.

After leaving the Rainbow Bridge, Loki did not immediately go to Thor to show off his gains or play tricks on him as usual. Instead, he deliberately avoided Odin, Frigga, and everyone else, using his abilities to bypass all the guards and enter Odin's Vault.

The whole process did not alert anyone or trigger any alarms.

It did not, like the frost giants in the movies, attract the Destroyer's attack.

Because he was the second prince of Asgard, he naturally had the authority to enter and exit the treasury.

However, since the vault was protected by Odin's divine power, Odin, who was having tea with Frigga in the temple gardens, immediately sensed Loki's actions the moment Loki entered the vault and frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Frigga asked, somewhat puzzled, noticing Odin's slightly furrowed brow.

“Loki went to the vault!” Odin did not hide it.

“What’s so strange about that? From childhood to adulthood, he’s visited countless places to admire your great achievements!” Frigga smiled, completely unconcerned.

“…That’s true, but for some reason, I feel like this time is a little different!” Odin said, and couldn’t help but think of the Ice Box at the end of the vault, and couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

“Relax, he’s just a child, what can he do?” Frigga gently patted Odin’s shoulder to comfort him.

"No, I have to go check it out!" Odin still felt something was wrong, and immediately rushed to the vault despite Frigga's advice.

Upon arriving at the vault, Odin questioned the guards at the entrance and learned that they were unaware that Loki had entered. This only deepened Odin's unease.

Otherwise, why would Loki have gone to the trouble of bypassing the guards and sneaking in? He had the vault open to him from the start; there was no need for him to do so.

"Loki, what are you doing?" Odin had only been inside the vault for a short time when he saw Loki carrying a huge golden glove and preparing to leave.

“Um… Father, I just…” Loki was a little embarrassed and didn’t know how to answer. He just held the huge golden glove in his hands, with nowhere to put it.

"Just what?" Odin asked irritably.

“I’m sorry, Father, I saw a nice magical item at the Collector’s place, but as you know, the Collector doesn’t care about money, and I don’t have any treasures to offer…” Loki said, lowering his head involuntarily.

"...So you're thinking of taking some artifacts from my treasury in exchange?" Odin said in a deep voice. "Loki, do you know what you're doing? This is theft! When did a prince of Asgard have to resort to such despicable acts?"

"I'm sorry... Father, I know I was wrong!" Loki didn't look up, but admitted his mistake in a low voice, his voice even trembling slightly.

“I don’t want to see this happen again… Besides, your taste is terrible. Out of so many artifacts, you had to pick a fake!” Odin sneered, looking at the glove in Loki’s arms and speaking in a deep voice.

Because the glove Loki was holding was none other than a counterfeit of the Infinity Gauntlet.

If it's a genuine Infinity Gauntlet, it's naturally priceless, since it can hold the power of the Infinity Stones. But a fake one is worthless.

But... how could Loki not know that this was actually just a piece of junk? Although Loki was somewhat arrogant, he was definitely not stupid, and naturally he could tell the difference between good and bad things.

The reason he took this glove was precisely because it was the most useless item in the entire treasure vault.

After all, he didn't really need any divine artifact as an exchange; he just needed a reason to enter the treasure vault.

However, Odin did not continue to reprimand Loki because of this.

Because he had indeed treated Loki somewhat unfairly in terms of artifacts, but he couldn't really give Loki too powerful an artifact, lest it threaten Thor's position.

Odin had never considered putting Loki in power.

He could provide Loki with the most luxurious life, but not the throne, since it concerned the future of the entire Asgard.

Ultimately, Loki is not his child, but rather the child of Laufey, the frost giant and Asgard's greatest enemy.

If this identity is kept hidden, then it's fine.

But if Loki really becomes the king of Asgard, he will eventually discover his true identity.

What will Loki do when that time comes?

Therefore, Odin cannot gamble, nor dare to gamble.

"Put it back!" Odin commanded Loki with a deep sigh.

Loki didn't say much, and silently put the fake Infinity Gauntlet back in its original place.

As Loki put the items back in their places, Odin scanned his collection around him, his gaze finally settling on a dark green plaque.

This is called the Life Card.

A treasure from the ancient civilization of Atlantis on Earth.

It allows the holder's life level to continuously evolve, giving them a long lifespan and powerful combat strength.

However, this long lifespan and powerful combat ability are only for the short-lived and weak mortal race.

For the Asgardians, who already possess an average lifespan of five thousand years and formidable strength, this is a double-edged sword.

Even so, it is still a fine collection, which is why Odin placed it in his treasury.

“Take this. I don’t know what magical item you want to exchange it for, but I think this will be something the collector will like!” Odin picked up the Life Card and handed it to Loki.

Loki didn't look up, remained silent for a long time, accepted the Life Card, and then left the vault without looking back.

What Odin couldn't notice was the tears Loki was holding back in his eyes and the狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) look on his face as he left.

Watching Loki's departing figure, Odin frowned slightly, then continued walking deeper into the vault.

They soon arrived at the location where the Ice Treasure Box was stored.

Odin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the Ice Box was still intact in its original place.

…………

Meanwhile, Loki returned to his palace, casually tossed the Life Card aside, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror in the room, and stared blankly at his reflection.

What he recalled was the changes his body underwent when he came into contact with the Frost Box in the treasure vault.

What kind of monster am I, really?

After standing there for a long time, Loki finally took out the crystal that Josie had given him earlier.

The answer now lies in Josie, this extremely strange and despicable human whom Loki finds extremely strange.

However, he quickly put the crystal away again.

Asgard is protected by a barrier; if he uses such an external magical item to contact Josie, he will definitely be discovered.

However, this was not a problem for Loki. As a master of magic, he had discovered many secret spatial passages leading to other parts of the Nine Realms over the past thousand years.

These passages are not only little known, but they also manage to escape Heimdall's notice.

In Thor: The Dark World, Thor, with Loki's help, used these spatial portals to reach Watt Alheim, the home of the Dark Elves.

Just as he was about to take action, Thor's loud voice came from outside the palace.

"Loki, I heard you're having trouble with the Collectors? Do you need my help?" Thor pushed open Loki's door, despite Loki's helpless expression.

“It’s nothing, I’ve already taken care of it myself, so I won’t trouble you, my dear brother!” Loki said with a smile, turning to Thor.

"Really? That's good. But if you run into trouble, don't be shy about saying so. We're brothers, and we should face trouble together." Thor casually slapped Loki on the shoulder.

“Thor is right. If you have any trouble, be sure to tell us. We are comrades!” Sif, who followed Thor into the palace, agreed, and the other three Warriors of Asgard nodded in unison.

Although Sif and the Warriors Three didn't like Loki, and Sif even beat Loki up because of their conflict.

However, in principle, they still considered Loki as their comrade-in-arms.

Conflicts may exist, but it's unacceptable for Loki to be bullied by outsiders.

"Heh, I'd be grateful if you went easy on me," Loki thought to himself as he felt Thor's force, but on the other hand, he looked touched.

“That’s right, we’re brothers, so we should share the burden when trouble comes… But what if we’re not really brothers?” Loki asked, pretending to be joking.

"Haha, Loki, what nonsense are you talking about? How could we not be real brothers!" Loki's question startled Thor for a moment, then he burst into wild laughter.

“If you weren’t true brothers, given your past actions, Thor would have smashed you all the way to Helheim with his hammer!” Sif rolled her eyes and said.