Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

Shiller came to the Fairy Palace again only to find significant changes. Odin and Frigga had moved to Vanaheim. Thor and Sif had renovated the palace according to their preferences, which still followed the splendid and grand style of Asgard, with some subtle differences in detail.

The Xian Palace Main Hall, once used for troop assembly and swearing in ceremonies, had been transformed for purely decorative purposes. It added layers of complexity and magnificence to its grandeur, serving as the first stop for important guests, allowing them to fully appreciate Asgard's achievements in architectural art.

The original lounge was now converted into an elevator room, fitted with a huge scenic elevator. Shiller felt it overly spacious at first but later learned it was designed to accommodate interstellar races with larger body types.

Interestingly, the body types of the three main empires and Asgard's main race were relatively smaller in the universe. Most races had heights ranging between 3 to 5 meters, with a ratio of humanoid to non-humanoid forms at about 6:4. This meant there were quite a few non-humanoid races, and their body sizes could not simply be calculated by height and weight.

Of course, there were also super-giant races reaching tens of meters in height, and even gaseous races which could cover kilometers in scope.

With normalized diplomatic relations restored, Asgard naturally had to adapt its internal facilities to accommodate various races from the cosmos, including the elevator.

To test the convenience of the elevator, Shiller even transformed into a form of Gray Mist. Gray Mist thought it was pretty good, although he commented that if they wanted him to truly stretch his legs, they would need to build an elevator as big as the Nine Major Kingdoms.

Inside the palace, the sleeping quarters had changed as well. Originally, the Divine King and his wife stayed in the front hall, while butlers and servants stayed in the back hall. There was a special bedroom for guests on the right, and Thor and Loki, the brothers, lived on the left.

After Odin and his wife left, it was now the God King on the left, the Prince on the right, and guests in the back.

Shiller, of course, went to visit Loki first. He occupied an entire left-side bedroom, which was enormously large. Shiller circled around twice before finding Loki's room.

Originally, his room was just a room with a door, but now it had been upgraded to a suite with a large hall. Shiller had to first enter the grand hall and circle from the throne to the back to reach the sleeping chamber.

"Your Highness the Prince, long time no see." Shiller started sarcastically, wondering how Loki's house could be so nice too?

Loki, who had apparently just woken up, leaned against the vanity and daydreamed. Upon hearing Shiller's voice, he rolled his eyes and said, "Indeed, it's been a long time, busy Doctor."

From the floor-to-ceiling windows on the side of the sleeping chamber, Shiller looked out and saw the Fairy Palace Garden, which seemed to have undergone special expansion and care, becoming larger and incredibly lush. Various native Asgardian and foreign plants competed vibrantly in splendor.

Shiller clicked his tongue; the Royal Family really knew how to live luxuriously.

Eventually, Loki snapped back to reality but didn't bother to wash up. He simply tied his hair back, threw on a robe, and asked, "Has Thanos gone to Earth yet? How did your talks go?"

"Nick talked with him, they colluded together, and in the end, he agreed to attend the unveiling ceremony of the fleet and contributed a little towards pioneering a new route for the human race."

Loki, barefoot, walked to a desk nearby. It was covered with a star map filled with chaotic markings, some of which were still wet, clearly from being worked on last night.

Shiller also leaned in to look and said in surprise, "Taking it so seriously? Did you think Steven was a navigator?"

Finally losing his patience, Shiller dodged a scroll thrown by Loki. Shiller smiled and said, "Okay, I'll thank the captain for you. How much longer will you take? We haven't been to the World Tree hot springs in a long time."

Silent, Loki walked to the back door of the bedroom. When he pushed it open, Shiller saw a steaming hot spring pool.

"A hot spring in the house?!" Shiller walked over and looked inside, feeling the strong magical aura. It was indeed the World Tree Hot Spring, although he had no idea how they had engineered it into the Fairy Palace.

Moreover, the hot spring was set in a private garden with a beautiful scenic view and enveloped in mist, an environment even better than the one beneath the World Tree itself. There was also a bar and lounge area nearby, perfect for unwinding in the hot spring with a drink after work.

"I've been too busy lately; I haven't used it since it was constructed," Loki yawned, "After you all finish this busy period, we could have a small gathering here."

"If other Lokis saw this, they'd be so envious," Shiller shook his head, "This is much better than your original room."

"My original room wasn't demolished; it's still upstairs," Loki shrugged, "but I think I prefer that. Even though it's smaller, it felt cozy. Plus, back then, Thor lived next to me. Now, we're both so far apart..."

"Don't go too far—don't give it to me!"

Loki finally laughed. He said, "You really can't envy this. Renovations to the Fairy Palace don't come out of my salary; they're all covered by the Royal Fund. In fact, if Thor hadn't declined, he was planning to build a new Prince Palace just on the other side of the mountain for me..."

Now it was Shiller's turn to throw a scroll at Loki.

Shiller was indeed envious, but not of how well the house was renovated. He envied that Loki didn't need to spend his own money, nor Thor's money, but all was paid from the Royal treasury, specifically, Odin's wealth.

In fact, after many years of interstellar looting, Odin has accumulated a considerable amount of wealth. Even if they renovate the Fairy Palace to be a hundred times more luxurious, it wouldn't even scratch the surface of the Royal Family's assets.

After all, his ancestors were wealthy. That's something incomparable.

"Alright, let's discuss serious matters." Shiller sat down on a chair by the window, then said, "Nick and Thanos have been quite active lately, I'm worried Thanos is thinking of recruiting again. You need to warn Thor to be cautious."

"Do you think he hasn't given up on Earth?"

"It's not impossible," Shiller rubbed his fingertips, then said, "Otherwise, why would he be gathering so much money?"

"He's more likely to attack the Three Great Empires than to strike at the Nine Major Kingdoms." Loki sat at the desk completing his unfinished work.

"Why do you think so?"

"Because Earth has you," Loki said frankly, "He would rather face the Three Great Empires directly in battle than provoke you."

"Can I take that as another form of slander?"

"Whether it's slander or not, you know best. It's not so much that he's interested in Earth as he is interested in Battleworld, which you created."

Shiller frowned slightly, looking at Loki and said, "Is that what he told you?"

"He didn't say it outright, but I can sense he meant that. For someone like him, the endless allure of the Multiverse and another vast world is much greater than that of a small Earth."

Shiller thought for a moment then said, "In another vast world, there are beings similar to him. The main reason I didn't bring such beings here is that I'm worried they'll go to various universes as terrorists…"

"The development between universes is not balanced. If they run amok, it could lead to the destruction of many weaker universes, and might even provoke joint resistance from superheroes. I don't want such chaos to occur, so it's better not to let them in."

"But think about it the other way. If they focus their energies on invading the Multiverse, then perhaps their own universes would be less threatened. And, invading the Multiverse is always more difficult."

Shiller thought there was some truth to Loki's words, like now, he was worried about the resurgence of Thanos's ambition. But if he were allowed into Battleworld, the myriad of distractions there could fully occupy his attention, eliminating a potential threat to this universe.

And if all the villains like Thanos, who threaten Individual Universes, were to concentrate on Battleworld for a while, it could buy many developmental opportunities for Individual Universes.

However, the precondition for this approach is that Individual Universes must have the space for development, and be able to focus on development in the short term without weakening themselves in conflicts, in response to the empowered villains from Battleworld.

If slots were indeed opened up, then undoubtedly it would turn into an arms race. Everyone would strive to compete for resources within Battleworld, and the clash of numerous characters from countless Multiverses will undoubtedly spark many conflicts. This is something the founders of Battleworld would like to see.

Shiller continued weighing the pros and cons in his mind until Loki almost finished all his work, then rolled up the Star Map on the desk and handed it to him. Shiller glanced at it roughly, the map marked almost all the noteworthy civilizations and cosmic phenomena near the Milky Way. When he focused on a certain point, many detailed bits of information would directly appear in his mind.

"I'll not stand on ceremony then," Shiller said, "When we're done with work, let's go for a hot spring."

Leaving the Fairy Palace, Shiller headed straight for Kamar-Taj. Before he even climbed the mountain, he found that Kamar-Taj had changed.

Originally, Kamar-Taj only had one Temple and was not very grand or imposing, it was just quaint and mysterious. But now, after relentless construction by a certain Eastern Great Nation, it had become a city located halfway up the Himalayan Mountains.

Most incredibly, it even had a high-speed train connected to it.

Shiller stood in the plaza in front of the Temple of Kamar-Taj, slightly stunned as he watched the sky train whooshing over his head: "It really runs over the top of the Himalayas?"

The sky train has a station at Kamar-Taj, but it doesn't stop. This means only Magicians can use magic to disembark, while ordinary folks can only look on.

But that was astonishing enough, because outside Kamar-Taj there is a protective shield, and about two kilometers thick of clouds outside of it. The visual effect appears as if the train is continuously traversing through the clouds, then suddenly, a fleeting glimpse of a mysterious group of Magic Temple buildings. Shiller could hardly imagine how many people this would attract to check in.

Thinking that someone might include him in their photos, Shiller quickly entered the building. Wong warmly welcomed him, and Shiller examined the surrounding architecture. The entire hall was completely different from before.

When they arrived at Strange's office, Shiller clenched his teeth in frustration. The previously somewhat dim meditation room had turned into a spacious, bright room filled with a strong magical atmosphere.

To the left, a large row of floor-to-ceiling windows offered a full view of the mountain scenery. The walls to the right and directly ahead were lined with bookshelves. Magic stairs floated in the air, and behind a screen was a huge alchemy pot. Various types of herbs and equipment floated in mid-air. The desk hovered above the meditation platform, even the lampshade on the desk was made of hollowed-out gold threads.

"Hiss..." Shiller sucked in a breath of cold air. Had Strange really splurged money on this setup? It looked like everything was premium.