Nidavellir is a magnificent ring World. It orbits a dying star, like the most brilliant crown in the Universe.
The stellar core steadily emitted light and heat, illuminating the metallic continent as bright as day. The air was filled with the scent of hot metal and the never-ending sound of hammering. This is the most prestigious Artificer nation of the Nine Realms, the home of the dwarves.
The spaceship of Lin Huai, Thor, and Loki landed smoothly on an open metal platform. As they stepped out of the hatch Door, a wave of heat rushed toward them.
In the distance, a giant figure nearly five meters tall stood before a massive furnace. His upper body was bare, covered in solid muscle, and his skin was a grayish-brown, as if composed of hard ore. He swung a giant hammer proportional to his size, and every strike was accompanied by a roar and flying golden sparks of Fire.
"Eitri, King of the Dwarves."
Lin Huai looked at that figure full of power and said softly.
"Eitri!"
Thor was clearly a regular here. He set aside his grief from Asgard and strode over, his booming voice echoing in the vast space.
The sound of the giant hammer falling paused.
Eitri slowly turned around. His face, which looked like it was carved from rock, squeezed out a smile, revealing a row of White teeth.
"Oh! Look who it is? The First Prince of Asgard!"
"I thought you had already died in some girl's bed. How do you have time to visit this old man's place?"
"Eitri, stop joking."
Thor stepped forward and gave his old friend a firm hug.
"I've come this time because of something very important."
Eitri set down the giant hammer, the head hitting the ground with a dull thud. He curiously looked at Lin Huai and Loki, who were following behind Thor.
"Something important? And you brought your little tag-along brother and... a Mortal?"
His gaze lingered briefly on Lin Huai.
"Eitri, this is Lin Huai, the Mentor that Loki and I took on under the certification of my father, Odin of Asgard."
Thor introduced solemnly.
"We have come with a commission that concerns the survival of the Nine Realms."
"Your Mentor?"
Eitri's eyebrows shot up, his giant face full of disbelief. But for Thor's sake, he still asked in a deep voice:
"Tell me, what could make a prince of Asgard so nervous?"
"We need you to forge a vessel."
Lin Huai stepped forward, looking the giant calmly in the eye.
"A gauntlet capable of bearing the power of the six Infinity Stones."
He paused, his tone becoming incredibly serious.
"Then, take all your people and evacuate Nidavellir immediately."
"A Lunatic named Thanos is planning to kill your entire race."
The smile on Eitri's face vanished completely.
He was stunned for a moment, then burst into ear-splitting laughter, filled with absurdity and disdain.
"Hahahaha! Mortal, are you telling me a joke?"
Eitri pointed at Lin Huai, laughing so hard he couldn't straighten his back.
"An Infinity Gauntlet? I admit Thanos once mentioned wanting me to forge one for him."
"But evacuate? Why?"
He shook his head, looking at Lin Huai as if he were a rambling Lunatic.
"Child, I've been swinging this hammer by this dying star for thousands of years. I've seen more empires than you've seen stars."
"Thanos only just spoke to me about forging an Infinity Gauntlet; why would he kill my entire race?"
"The Mentor's prophecy has never been wrong. Thanos doesn't want a second gauntlet to exist!"
Thor said urgently.
"Kill us?"
Eitri acted as if he had heard the funniest joke.
"Why? The Black Order's Judgement only falls upon those races whose populations are too large and place too heavy a burden on their home planets."
"They believe this is maintaining the balance of the Universe. We dwarves are hardworking and the best Artificers in the entire Universe."
"We provide the finest weapons and equipment for the Nine Realms. We are assets, not liabilities!"
"In all of Nidavellir, including the newborns, there are only three hundred of us. How could we possibly offend Thanos?"
Eitri's tone was full of confidence and Pride. This was the confidence of a top-tier Artificer; they believed in their own value and their importance to the Universe.
Loki had remained silent until now, but he took a step forward and spoke in his characteristic, persuasive tone:
"Respected Master Eitri, prophecies might lie, but interests do not."
"Have you considered that with the passing of King Odin, the order of the Nine Realms is collapsing? This is a power vacuum."
"As an opportunist, would Thanos really pass up this optimal time to expand his influence?"
He paused, his green eyes glinting with sharp light.
"To fulfill his dream, he needs unparalleled weapons. And the Infinity Stones are his strongest weapons."
"However, even a god cannot directly grasp the raw power of the stones; he needs a vessel."
"In the entire Universe, who is more capable of forging such a perfect vessel than you and your people?"
Loki's words cut straight to the heart of the matter.
The mockery on Eitri's face slowly faded as he fell into thought. Loki's analysis was more convincing to him than Lin Huai's prophecy. From a perspective of interest and strategy, this was indeed possible.
"Even if... what you say is true."
Eitri hesitated for a moment but still stubbornly shook his head, pointing at a weapon nearing completion in the furnace.
"But I still have orders on hand. This is the credit of an Artificer. Your matter will have to wait until I am finished."
Seeing Eitri finally begin to waver, Lin Huai knew he couldn't wait any longer.
He didn't argue further but directly pulled a shimmering runes from his robe. This was the emergency communication device Frigga had given him before he left.
He injected divine power into it and spoke calmly into the rune in Asgardian:
"Mother, please dispatch a fleet to Nidavellir immediately. I have transmitted the coordinates to you. We need to conduct an emergency racial migration."
"You!"
Eitri was enraged by Lin Huai's act of taking initiative without permission. His giant palm grabbed Lin Huai, lifting him into mid-air.
"Mortal! You are too presumptuous! Who gave you the authority to make decisions for my people!"
The Dwarf King roared, spittle flying.
"I am saving them!"
In Eitri's giant grasp, Lin Huai's expression remained unchanged, his voice still terrifyingly steady.
"Saving?"
Eitri laughed out of pure anger.
"Based on that alarmist nonsense of yours? I'll say it again, there are only three hundred of us dwarves! Three hundred!"
"Why would Thanos want to exterminate us? For a gauntlet that doesn't even exist yet? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?!"
Just as Thor was about to step in to mediate and the atmosphere reached a breaking point...
A cold, elegant voice with a hint of playfulness abruptly rang out from behind everyone.
"He's not lying, big guy."
Everyone whipped their heads around.
There was Loki, standing in the Shadow at some unknown point. One of his hands was entwined with several nearly invisible green magic threads. The other end of the threads was connected to a small, shivering figure kneeling on the ground.
That figure was wearing pitch-black skin-tight battle armor, with a physique completely different from a dwarf, and a face full of terror.
That was a scout of the Black Order!
"How... how did you find me?!"
The scout's voice trembled with fear.
"When a rat tries to play hide-and-seek in front of a cat, that's not bravery, it's stupidity."
Loki smiled cruelly. He walked up to Eitri and kicked the scout to the ground.
Eitri's massive frame shuddered as he froze in place. He loosened his grip, and Lin Huai landed lightly on the ground.
There really... was an enemy lurking here!
Lin Huai ignored everyone's surprise. He walked up to the scout, and Spirit Thread flew out, piercing the scout's body.
"Tell me, what is your purpose here?"
The scout's eyes instantly became dull, like a Puppet that had lost its soul, and he began to speak mechanically.
"By... by the order of Proxima Midnight, I am here to monitor."
"Our main force is pursuing an interstellar hooligan named Quill, who stole the Cosmic Orb containing the Power Stone."
"But... the Master is worried the plan might change. A war suddenly broke out in Asgard, the Dark Elves were wiped out, and even the all-father Odin has fallen... this has shaken the foundations of the Nine Realms."
"The Master believes that Nidavellir's strategic position has become vital and can no longer be left alone."
The scout's voice was flat, yet it revealed the coldest truth.
"The order is... temporary surveillance. Once the Master retrieves the Cosmic Orb, the fleet will come immediately to Nidavellir."
"Thanos My Lord needs a greatest work to bear the power of the stones."
"And to prevent this work from being duplicated, and to prevent anyone from forging a weapon that could oppose it..."
The scout paused, looking at Eitri with hollow eyes.
"All the Artificers... must be silenced. Eternity silence."
Boom!
Eitri felt as if something had exploded in his head.
Every word from the scout shattered all the values he took Pride in, the logic he firmly believed, and his judgment of his race's importance.
Thanos wanted to kill them not because they were a burden, but on the contrary, because they were too useful!
Because their skills were enough to threaten that Lunatic's plan! Therefore, they had to be erased.
"I..."
Eitri's giant body swayed, the color draining from his rock-like face until it was as gray as ash.
He looked at Lin Huai, at this Mortal who had told him the truth from the beginning, only to be heartlessly mocked by him.
An emotion mixed with fear, regret, and endless lingering dread overwhelmed this Dwarf King who had lived for thousands of years. He had nearly pushed his entire race into an inescapable Abyss because of his own Pride and stubbornness.
"I... I was wrong..."
Eitri's voice was incredibly raspy. His massive body actually bent slightly, as if in penance.
The Dwarf King suddenly straightened up, all emotions on his face turning into resolve and frantic urgency.
"Sound the alarm!"
He let out a roar that echoed through the entire ring World.
"Everyone! All dwarves! Drop your work immediately! Assemble at the Heart of the World! Now! Immediately!"
"Ding—! Ding—! Ding—!"
A piercing alarm rang throughout Nidavellir. Countless dwarves, as tall and burly as he was, poked their heads out from furnaces in every corner, their faces full of confusion.
Eitri did not explain.
He strode to the broadcast system and, with his voice imbued with supreme authority, issued the most urgent command to all his people:
"I am Eitri! In the name of the Dwarf King, I declare that Nidavellir is facing an unprecedented crisis!"
"Everyone, board Asgard's rescue fleet immediately! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"
The entire Nidavellir went from clamor to silence in an instant, followed by even greater chaos. Though the dwarves were confused, out of absolute trust in their king, they began frantically packing their belongings to evacuate.
Having done all this, Eitri turned back to Lin Huai. This giant, who had stood tall just moments ago, now had eyes full of bloodshot veins and exhaustion.
He gave Lin Huai a long look, his gaze complex beyond description.
"Mentor..."
He used the title Thor used for Lin Huai, his voice raspy.
"Please forgive my previous foolishness and Pride."
"I entrust my people to you."
He turned toward the distant furnace, where the dying star was emitting its final light and heat.
"I will stay behind."
"Before you and your companions leave, I will forge for you that... gauntlet capable of bearing the fate of the Universe