Finally, Artoria got the Space Stone as she wished. Looking at the Cosmic Cube emitting a soft blue light, Artoria breathed a sigh of relief; only two more to go. At this moment, Artoria was very excited. Just now, she had conveniently taken a wisp of the 'Eternal Flame,' and Thor hadn't stopped her. Artoria also took a branch from the world Tree, and Thor didn't react at all. This made Artoria wonder if this silly son of a 'landlord' simply didn't know how good these things were. Or perhaps even if he knew, he didn't care. The branch Old Man Odin had broken off from some part of the world Tree contained very high energy. After getting these two items, Artoria stopped while she was ahead; after all, one shouldn't be too thick-skinned, or it would become annoying.
"I'll just take these things."
Reaching out with her right hand to take the Cosmic Cube, the Cosmic Cube did not resist Artoria because she was wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. Then, Artoria crushed it. This scene left Thor stunned. What was going on? Didn't you want the Cosmic Cube? Why did you crush it? But next, he wasn't surprised anymore. Among the pile of fragments, an oval stone emitting a pale blue light quietly announced its presence to the surroundings.
Artoria used telekinesis to pick up the Space Stone and let it quietly enter the slot in the Infinity Gauntlet. A crisp 'click' sounded, symbolizing the union of the Infinity Stone and the Infinity Gauntlet. A massive, surging power flowed through the gauntlet into Artoria's body. Artoria felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction coming from her cells. The golden liquid in Artoria's heart, which was supposed to slowly merge into her body, acted as if it had been injected with hormones, beginning to grow and surge frantically into every blood vessel in her body, dyeing the originally red blood into a pale gold.
However, it seemed that because the energy of a single stone was insufficient, the golden liquid that wanted to go a step further began to settle down, seemingly waiting for the next supply of energy to undergo the next evolution. This caused Artoria's mood, which had been so comfortable she felt like she was flying, to be suddenly cut short. It was like a person having a sneeze forced back—uncomfortable.
"What's wrong, Artoria?"
Seeing Artoria's face suddenly turn slightly red and then darken, Thor couldn't help but ask with concern. If something happened to her, not only would Tony not let him off, but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself either. Thinking of this, Thor looked at Artoria nervously. However, he didn't know any healing magic, so he wasn't sure how to help her. Treating her haphazardly could lead to big trouble.
"I'm fine. I've got it, so let's go!"
Extending her right hand to look at the Space Stone lying quietly on the Infinity Gauntlet, Artoria shook her head. This was truly an unexpected surprise. Artoria now felt that her physical fitness had been strengthened again. Although she felt she could still be stronger, it seemed her cells were no longer interested in the energy of the Space Stone, or rather, it could no longer satisfy the cells' demand for energy. Artoria felt it was a bit of a pity, but this kind of unexpected surprise still felt great.
"Alright then!"
Hearing Artoria's words, Thor breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she was fine, otherwise he wouldn't know how to explain it to Tony. After looking at Artoria a few more times to confirm she wasn't just toughing it out, Thor led the way out of the Vault. He decided that once this was done, he would have a few drinks to relax, call up some friends to go hunting, and have a barbecue party—how carefree. After he had enough fun in Asgard, he would go to Midgard to find Jane.
"What a pity."
Following behind Thor and slowly leaving Odin's Vault, Artoria looked at the treasures around her and turned her head away regretfully. She didn't dare to steal anything here. If she could, she would definitely pack everything and take it away. It was heartbreaking to see such good things gathering dust here. It was better to head back quickly and not slot in the Infinity Stones she obtained yet; that way, perhaps her body could complete its evolution and become even stronger.
"Have you finished choosing, child?"
When Thor led Artoria out of Odin's Vault, they happened to see Queen Frigga. She looked at Artoria happily, even ignoring Thor beside her. This made Thor scratch his head in embarrassment. What was going on? Why was Mother like this? Usually, Mother loved him and his brother the most, but now she was completely ignoring his existence. Had Artoria cast some magic on his Mother? Impossible! As the Queen, while combat wasn't her forte, she was definitely the most skilled in magic. She had even taught Loki some of his magic. It was impossible for someone to cast magic on her without her knowing. The more Thor thought about it, the more confused he became.
"I'm finished, Queen. It was rude of me to come this time without bringing any gifts, but..."
"No need for gifts, child. It's enough that you could come."
Just as Artoria was expressing her apologies, she was interrupted by Frigga. Frigga took Artoria's hand and chatted happily as they walked away, leaving a bewildered Thor standing in place. He didn't know whether to follow or stay. Ultimately, the slow-witted Thor decided to go find his friends for hunting and drinking. Frigga, who was watching Thor's actions via magic from beside Artoria, shook her head in dissatisfaction. How could he not follow them? He really was a blockhead.
"It's been hard on you, Artoria."
Frigga suddenly blurted this out, leaving Artoria very confused. How was it hard on her? Had something she did been discovered? Had this elder perceived some future events? She remembered that this Queen was quite extraordinary, able to recognize at a glance the Thor who had traveled through time. Although a mother's intuition played a large part, one couldn't deny that the Queen possessed special powers. This realization made Artoria's heart tighten; could she have discovered something? Overthinking is always a sickness, and Artoria had once again misinterpreted Frigga's meaning.
"It's not hard, Queen."
Artoria calmed her complex emotions caused by her startled conjectures and spoke to Frigga plainly. This indifference made Frigga's heart ache, while also making her feel that Thor was failing to live up to expectations. As a mother, she knew exactly what kind of character her son had. Thinking of Thor's blockheaded nature, Frigga mistakenly believed that Artoria had suffered a lot. Little did she know that everything was a result of her own imagination; the relationship between Thor and Artoria wasn't actually that close.
"If there's anything, please speak up. If I can help, I will certainly do my best."
This attitude made Artoria realize what was happening. It was another poor mother trying to play matchmaker for her child. The misunderstanding was far too deep. Artoria tried to interrupt several times as the mother went on about her child's good points, but she was repeatedly shut down by the other woman's powerful aura and eloquence, leaving Artoria quite helpless.
"Queen, actually, between him and me, there's no..."
"Don't worry, child! I won't let you be mistreated."
"I..."
"It's alright, child, everything will be fine. I will teach him properly how to treat women, but it will take a little time. Child, he will surely grow into a qualified husband."
"..."
Artoria didn't want to say anything anymore. She now wanted to just beat Thor to death. It was all because of that troublemaker; couldn't he have explained things to his mother earlier? Now that things had turned out like this, how was she supposed to speak? Full of anger, Artoria decided that if Thor returned to Earth, she must give him a beating to vent her frustration. This feeling of having things to say but being unable to speak was so uncomfortable.
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