Finally, after Ghost Rider swung his chains and opened a portal to leave, Black Widow and Hawkeye still didn't quite understand how exactly the other party had obtained the Soul Stone.
However, before they left, they seemed to vaguely see a scrapped Yamaha VMAX motorcycle on the altar at the foot of the cliff...
After hearing Black Widow and Hawkeye's account, not to mention the others, even Ryan fell silent.
Ghost Rider barging in was one thing, but using a motorcycle to exchange for the Soul Stone... was that really something a person could think of?
But then he thought about it more carefully. The condition for obtaining the Soul Stone is to exchange a beloved soul for it, but it never said that beloved soul had to be a *person*!
The motorcycle was also something Ghost Rider deeply loved!
Moreover, after Ghost Rider activated his motorcycle with Hellfire, the motorcycle itself truly possessed a certain level of sentience, which met the Soul Stone's condition of'soul for a soul'!
So Ghost Rider really managed to exploit a loophole successfully...
Ryan also expressed that he had learned something!
If he ever wanted to obtain the Soul Stone in his own Universe, maybe he could try this trick too!
However, he didn't have the ability to bestow a soul upon an object. So what was something he deeply loved that wasn't a family member?
Hey, wait... it seems there really is one...
Riot:.....
But Ryan was just thinking this; he didn't really plan to trade Riot for a mere Soul Stone. Unless... he found a replacement for Riot...
If Riot knew Ryan's thoughts, it would probably already be exclaiming 'good grief'!
After all, in the Symbiote species, it's usually the Symbiote looking for a replacement host. This was the first time it had seen a host looking for a replacement Symbiote...
And after Black Widow and Hawkeye finished their story and took out the bright orange Soul Stone, it was time for the other duo to tell the story of their experience.
That duo was this Universe's Thor, who had upgraded from the God of Hammers to the God of Axes, and Rocket, the sole survivor of the Guardians of the Galaxy from the Thanos Snap incident—this pair of brothers in misfortune.
And at the first glance of this Universe's Thor, Ryan couldn't help but sigh inwardly: how could the difference in one person be so vast!
This Universe's Thor was filled with sorrow, loneliness, desolation, and all sorts of negative auras.
It formed a stark contrast with the happy, carefree, and simple-minded Thor from his own Universe, who was like a goofy husky.
But you couldn't blame this Universe's Thor for being so negative. After all, this Universe's Thor had lost everything...
Anyone who had experienced losing their father, mother, brother, comrades, people, kingdom, hammer, and even their physique would become negative...
And according to Rocket's account, the process of borrowing the Reality Stone this time was almost too smooth.
Unlike in the original Avengers 4, where they sneaked into the Asgard like dogs, this time they were discovered by Odin as soon as they arrived at the Asgard Palace, and he took them to the palace.
But Odin didn't seem to mind their identity as time travelers. Instead, he specifically held a grand welcome banquet for their arrival.
Rocket originally didn't want to attend. Its only thought was to quickly obtain this Universe's Reality Stone and then return to bring back its Guardians of the Galaxy buddies.
But when it saw Thor, who became teary-eyed upon seeing Odin, it changed its mind.
Thor had nothing left in his own World. What harm was there in letting him experience a bit of family affection in this Universe, something he would likely never have again?
So Rocket also chose to temporarily set everything aside for Thor, accompanying him to the banquet Asgard held for their prince.
Throughout, the chubby Thor's tears never stopped...
He cried when he was in the arms of his mother, Frigga... He cried when embracing his brother, Loki...
He cried when toasting with Heimdall, who had defended his duty as Guardian with his last breath in life...
He cried when singing with the Warriors Three, with whom he had grown up and fought...
He cried even more uncontrollably when, drunk, he looked down from the high platform at the countless Asgardian citizens cheering his name and the still-glorious Asgard...
Back then, when these people dearest to Thor died one by one before his eyes, he held back his tears...
But on the day he was reunited with them again, Thor cried like a child, unable to stop...
He toasted everyone, one cup after another... He said sorry to everyone, over and over again...
Finally, amidst the long-missed strong Asgardian ale and surrounded by the cheers of his people, Thor fell asleep with a contented smile, as if he still possessed everything...
So, Rocket and Thor actually stayed in Asgard for a few days before returning.
And the Reality Stone wasn't stolen by Rocket; it was Odin himself who extracted it from Jane's body and placed it in Rocket's hand.
When Odin handed the Reality Stone to Rocket, he also entrusted Rocket with a request: since they wouldn't be there, to please look after his son from another Universe when they returned.
Thor's mother, Frigga, also instructed Rocket to supervise Thor, to prevent him from continuing to degenerate and overindulge, and to make him eat more vegetables...
After their instructions, as a token of gratitude for the favor, Odin used his divine power to cleanse the hidden dangers left by the High Evolutionary within Rocket's body, allowing it to retain its current intelligence without having to endure the pain of the modifications.
Frigga then gifted Rocket a pair of magical prosthetic limbs, telling it earnestly that one day, it would need them.
Finally, it was Thor's turn.
As their son, even if not from the same Universe, Odin and Frigga naturally wouldn't show favoritism.
During the few days Thor stayed, Odin had the Dwarf King prepare a surprise for Thor: his beloved hammer, mjolnir.
Though Thor couldn't take the family love of this Universe with him, he could at least take back his hammer.
And because this Mjolnir was reforged by the Dwarf King under Odin's orders specifically for Thor who came from another Universe, Thor wouldn't have to return it later. Instead, he could keep it by his side forever.
This... was the only solace Thor could take from another Universe...
When Rocket reached this part of the story, everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze to Thor, who had become silent and withdrawn again after returning from the other Universe, just tightly gripping the Mjolnir in his hand.
This World has been far too cruel to this god, Thor...