Gin stood up and crawled out from the hole in the transparent wall, keeping her head lowered and following Su Ming.
"Boss, aren't you upset with me?"
"This is a minor issue, it's nothing. Suddenly taking you away was Asgard's fault, you didn't do anything wrong."
Su Ming glanced at the strange creatures in the surrounding cells, thinking that this place seemed more like a museum or a zoo than a dungeon.
He handed Gin a small badge, a magic prop prepared by the Ancient One that can also hide her.
At the entrance of each cell, not only was the prisoner's name listed but also their race and habits, which looked increasingly bizarre.
Thanks to these information panels, Su Ming now knew Gin's real name and which figure she represented in mythology.
A member of the Valkyrie, a personal guard of Odin, responsible for escorting heroic souls to Valhalla, titled 'Mist'.
No wonder back in the early days of business, only Gin could calmly help Su Ming handle bodies, she had seen plenty.
Gin continued to keep her head down and stored the bottle she was holding: "Not that, I'm talking about hiding my identity."
"What is there that your boss doesn't know? That's also not a problem."
Su Ming pouted; although he hadn't thought she was female, it wasn't a big deal:
"I don't care what you're called here, to me you're always Gin, and once I found you, you're my person... But why would the Three Goddesses recall you Valkyries, aren't they afraid that Hel's situation will be exposed?"
Gin finally raised her head, recovering her usual calm demeanor. Although her voice and appearance had changed, her speaking habits and tone returned to normal.
She seemed much more relaxed, even showing a hint of smile on her face.
"I don't know why they recalled us, I was locked in the dungeon right after, but I feel the situation might be very severe."
"Hmm... so the Three Goddesses know the details? Which one do you find most annoying? I'll catch one to interrogate for you to vent."
Gin shook her head with a wry smile; the boss treated every god with the same attitude, as if gods and mortals were no different.
This was not a good time for jokes that weren't even funny.
"... We could find my comrades to get the details, no need to interrogate anyone."
"Then let's go." Su Ming habitually patted Gin's shoulder and led her in the direction outside the dungeon: "I just lit the World Tree, all the Asgardians went there to drink and celebrate, it's easy to move now."
Having no choice, although Su Ming himself was quite strong, he couldn't confront Asgard's million-strong army directly, so strategy was very important.
Gathering Asgard's people in one area made movements more convenient.
Gin's eyes almost popped out, her mouth gaping emitting a 'huh-huh' sound, and Su Ming quickly patted her back.
She caught her breath and looked at Su Ming's face: "Boss, Asgard cannot do without the World Tree; it's incredibly important, the link that keeps the Nine Realms together, without it, order will collapse, and Twilight of the Gods will arrive."
Su Ming, not bothered, led her away from the cell, located underground in the Golden Palace, housing neither prisoners nor monsters who weren't destined for execution.
Indeed, Asgard has the death penalty, 'Executioner' Skurge, the bald giant axe lover, he's the one who'll eventually dual-wield M16 carbines—his main duty in Asgard is beheading.
Of course, he earned the title of Executioner because he beheaded many Frost Giants on the battlefield, but when off the battlefield, someone needed to do the dirty work.
Execution is devoid of glory, and only he is willing to follow Odin's arrangements.
Odin's current rule is relatively merciful; in his youth, he killed many, but in old age, the death penalty has become nominal.
"The World Tree is a tree of divine power and energy. Though the incendiary bomb is effective, it can't kill it; as soon as someone realizes this is a deception, the fire will be quickly put out."
Carrying his Great Sword, he strode quickly through the grand Golden Palace; the environment was nice, and the architecture style was beautiful.
Vases filled with blooms, Nordic-style decorations can be seen everywhere.
Horn cups etched in gold, oversized golden plates, golden weapons and armor piled casually along the corridor like trash.
Loki and Thor executed the orders diligently, there wasn't a single person here.
"The World Tree's flame means many things to the Nine Realms; it shows Asgard how many enemies it has, not just focusing on Earth."
Su Ming conveniently grabbed a few bottles of wine from the table to take back and replicate; Asgard's wine was good.
Gin thought deeply, feeling panicked hearing the World Tree was ablaze, but if it was just an incendiary bomb, it shouldn't be a big issue.
As long as people figure it out, a simple spell can put out the fire.
The World Tree is essential to Asgard, Thor may not understand, but Gin does.
The Nine Realms connected by the World Tree keep operating under a certain pattern and cannot overlap or collide, or major troubles will arise.
Every few thousand years the realms converge, at their most fragile, allowing any energy or army to roam freely through them.
The World Tree is also the energy source for the Rainbow Bridge; without it, Asgard couldn't quickly mobilize its million-strong army, rendering their control meaningless.
Prophecy foretells the World Tree's blaze as a precursor to Asgard's destruction, but it requires a key condition: Odin's death.
Lighting the World Tree now resembles prophecy, yet timing is entirely wrong, missing a key condition, Twilight of the Gods won't occur.
Conversely, it can draw out many enemies of Asgard, letting them believe they see opportunity, ready to go wild during Twilight of the Gods.
Asgard will certainly experience losses, but it also eliminates future threats, absolutely worthwhile.
After that, Su Ming can stand out as a good person at critical moments, helping Asgard in exchange for Gin's freedom and other benefits.
Publicly, Asgard and Odin are a shield for Earth, and The Ancient One needs them to share some pressure.
Privately, Asgard is Gin's homeland, and she likely still has friends or relatives here. She does want to leave, but there is a hint of worry in her eyes.
So from both perspectives, Asgard must exist.
Then we'll watch and wait, see what enemies the fire attracts, and stand out only when fully prepared.
An Asgard that is neither too strong nor too weak fits Su Ming and The Ancient One's intentions better.
However, planning to play Infernal Affairs deep behind enemy lines also requires a good escape route.
It's easier to come here, but more troublesome to return. Asgard is protected by magic, and if The Ancient One wants to pinpoint Su Ming's exact location, it will undoubtedly attract some attention.
Therefore, Su Ming never intended to use the Teleportation Gate to return. He knew of three ways to leave.
One way is to deal with Heimdall and return through the Rainbow Bridge, but the commotion would be too great, and he would be exposed.
The second way is to seize a flying ship, those golden little ships, and let Gin pilot it back to Earth.
The third way is to get a Silver Flying Horse from a Valkyrie. As long as a Valkyrie rides the Pegasus and activates its ability, it can teleport directly to Midgard's battlefield with the most dead, which, at this point in time, is likely Sulfur Island.
.............
The Golden Palace now doesn't even have guards at the gates, and Gin is very curious about how the boss managed this, but Su Ming didn't go into details, just mentioned receiving substantial assistance from two princes.
"You're more familiar with Asgard; we need to know some more in-depth information, people we can trust. I don't want to be sold to Odin immediately."
Su Ming led Gin out of the Golden Palace, hiding under a small tower, leaning against the wall, and lighting a cigarette.
Gin recalled her acquaintances in the Immortal Palace, but found that most of them were dead, and the dead in the Heroic Spirit Hall knew nothing about the outside world.
Every day, they just drink, fight, and play with women, with no time to learn about the outside world.
As a Valkyrie, she knew Odin's big house was more like a special little realm, where the souls that entered couldn't leave, only the special laws within would reshape their bodies, allowing them to enjoy all sorts of pleasures.
In the past, the Valkyries' job was just that, to lead the souls of heroes who died bravely from Midgard's battlefields and send them to the Heroic Spirit Hall.
Back then, it didn't seem like much, and it even felt like a mission of honor, but compared to the life on Earth, it was too monotonous and dull.
On top of that, she also thought the heroic spirits were somewhat pitiful; what kind of entertainment was that? They didn't even have movies.
She thought for a long time, her heroic brows furrowing, and after a moment, she tentatively asked:
"What about Sif? I have a pretty good relationship with her; she used to be a Valkyrie for a while."
Su Ming exhaled a smoke ring and said coldly, "Let me guess, Odin later transferred her out of the Valkyrie ranks, and then sent you guys to deal with Hel?"
"Uh... it seems like that's really the case..." Gin thought for a moment, her expression becoming stiff again.
In this way, Sif was also unreliable.
Odin intends to marry Sif to Thor because Sif's brother is Heimdall, his most trusted guard and comrade.
No other women in Asgard have such a reliable background.
Gin lowered her head again, pinching her chin in thought, and suddenly she thought of someone.
"Let's go find Brynhild, she used to be our captain, she would never betray her comrades, but she just returned, so I can't say how much she knows."
"The Valkyrie whose code name is the word 'Valkyrie' itself... It might work, as long as she hasn't been thrown into a dungeon, she definitely knows more than we do."
Su Ming put out the cigarette butt and kept it away, indicating for Gin to lead the way.
.................
Brynhild dragged her weary, drunken body back to her small room.
Asgard had changed so much that she felt somewhat unable to accept it for a while, both physically and mentally exhausted.
The World Tree was on fire, and no one went to put it out. Instead, Thor and Loki conveyed Odin's decree, drinking and feasting there, and promoting the so-called Will of Fire.
Brynhild thought they seemed like lunatics... And from others' expressions, she felt that she was not alone in thinking this.
But even the Three Goddesses did not express any opposing opinions; what could a little Valkyrie say?
So she could only go with the flow, raise her glass in celebration, and sing praises of Odin's wise decision.
She didn't have Misty's courage to confront the Goddesses face to face.
Maybe it's because she knew her boss Celestial Venerable Gao wouldn't come to Asgard just for her.
Thinking of this, she felt both envious of and worried about Misty. Envious that Misty had found a good boss, but worried about what would happen to her after being locked in the dungeon.
After being abandoned by Asgard, her feelings towards it were very complex, and if she could choose, she wouldn't want to come back at all.
But now, wearing silver armor and draped in a blue cloak, she returned to her long-lost small room with a heavy heart; this is reality.
No matter what she thought, in the face of Asgard's absolute power, it meant nothing.