Chương 69

"How could you have done this?"

"Do you understand what he has set in motion? He has taken us to the brink of war."

"But banishment? You would lose him forever. He is your son."

"What would you have done?"

"I wouldn't have exiled him to the world of... mortals." There was a pause.

"Stripped of his power to suffer alone. I wouldn't have the heart."

"That's why I am king. I too grieve the loss of our son." The old man paused, now getting more somber rather than being a bit emotional like before.

"There are some things which even I can't undo."

"You can bring him back."

"NO!" The old man walked away before saying,"His fate is in his own hands now." The old man passed through the golden hallway. If one looked out the window, one would see a city that would surely be counted as made of dreams. Golden towers and elegant spires rose toward the heavens, their surfaces gleaming beneath an eternal, warm light. Marble roads curved between grand halls and gardens filled with vibrant greenery.

Elegant bridges arched over sparkling waterways, while patches of vibrant greenery softened the grandeur of the city. Bathed in warm sunlight, the entire realm seemed to glow with a quiet majesty befitting the seat of the old man himself. The All-Father. He walked and left the palace and soon reached the Rainbow Bridge. It didn't take much time for him to reach the end of it.

"Welcome, Your Highness."

"Heimdall, how is my son?" Odin asked.

"He is living among the mortals, Your Highness. He is... arm wrestling... with a young man." Heimdall paused as he used his eyes to look at Midgard.

"Oh... So he is starting to enjoy mortal life?" Odin asked.

"I wouldn't say that, but it's a step in that direction."

"Heimdall... I might go into the Odin Sleep soon... Protect the realm." Heimdall stiffened when Odin spoke of that, but he nodded and accepted the new burden. Now, let's rewind time a bit, shall we?

"Why? Is it wrong to have teenage multi-millionaires?" Rei asked as he stepped in since Erik had opened the gate and he was able to hear what Darcy had said. She really was a beauty. Sad that she was older than him and he couldn't date her even if he tried. The world was cruel. Darcy got embarrassed a bit, for this person to even be able to hear her from there, but being the confident woman that she was, she wasn't going to take a hit from a literal teenager.

"No. But I haven't seen your name or picture in Forbes' Top 20 Before 20, and I can't remember seeing that pretty face of yours." Darcy said.

"Hahaha... Guilty as charged. Yes... You are right... I am Ray Harris. Son of Daniel Harris. I suppose my father contacted you. Right?" Rei said as he introduced himself and offered his hand. Darcy, who seemed to think she had won a victory against this nobody, offered her hand for a shake too.

"Darcy Lewis. An intern under her." Darcy pointed to Jane, and soon the two renowned scientists shook hands with this teenager. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"I am sorry to have barged in this way. My vacation just started, and I wanted something exciting, so I am sorry to have taken advantage of your hospitality. I will make sure that I am not an eyesore to you all, and I am just curious about what astrophysicists do in their research time, as the whole idea of the study of space fascinates me. You can talk to my parents, as I have been approved for this vacation." Rei replied. This made both Erik and Jane sigh in relief and also feel giddy in their hearts.

Daniel Harris was one of the biggest shareholders in Allied Universal, and it was rumored that it was he who pushed for the diversification of funds to all departments, and apparently he was responsible for the rising value of Allied Universal in recent times. Thus, having his son as an enthusiast of their studies was quite the blessing. But among their happiness, there was one person who didn't like this kid.

When the whole conversation was taking place, Thor was looking at the boy with growing irritation that was visible on his face.

"So you are the patron who is giving them money and also asks them to be your slaves?" the blonde man said, with anger filling his eyes. Rei had already noticed the man who was eyeing him from the start and decided to just ignore him, but it seemed his pride got the better of him in the end.

"I am sorry?" Rei was confused now. Where did this guy get such bad ideas from?

"Hey... Hey... Calm down. We aren't slaves. He is just someone who gives us money for our research... It's the norm here." Darcy didn't want to make this prince angry by letting another prince clash with him. Thor's jaw tightened. In Asgard, wealth and influence did not buy loyalty. Yet these mortals seemed eager to accommodate the boy's wishes simply because his family funded their work. The idea sat poorly with him.

"Then if it is just money for research, why are you mortals even entertaining his wishes?" Thor said.

"I'm sorry... This is my friend... He is a bit too enthusiastic and emotional... Please don't mind him." Jane had to intervene now, as she could feel that this handsome man could just derail her life if he spoke more.

"It's alright. He has his grounds... I didn't get your name... You are?" Rei asked.

"Thor... Odinson..."

"Okay... Thor... Do we have a problem? Are you a scientist here too?" Rei asked with innocence.

"No... But we will if you don't free them." Thor said. He was being hostile while Rei was internally giggling. For some reason, he was having fun making this man look like a fool in front of others, though Rei doubted Thor had the brain to understand the social cues.

"I am not holding anyone back, nor is our company holding anyone back, nor are they forced to do anything. If they had denied me from coming here, I would have been okay with that too. Supposing that you are thinking that they are obligated to host me. Is that right?" Rei asked. This made Thor's mood a bit better, but he still felt that this young boy was a nuisance.

"That doesn't change the reality that you are the one who is an obstacle to their pursuit of knowledge. That is not your gate to keep." Thor said. Rei couldn't help but look at Erik and Jane. They were more embarrassed and a bit scared.

"We can talk about this later, Thor." Erik said and then came forward to physically remove him from the room, as he felt that if this person opened his mouth more, their wish of receiving more grants would go down the drain. Thor didn't understand and wanted to protest and say that he was fighting for them, and Darcy had to shut his mouth and say he had just come from the hospital and it seemed to be the aftereffects of the concussion. Rei just smiled.

Erik and Jane came out of the room after locking Darcy and Thor in and telling Darcy to explain what Rei's role was.

"I am sorry about that... He is a bit out of touch."

"It's alright. Where is he from?" Rei asked, expecting a lie, which it was.

"Norway. My hometown. He is a bit of a farmer there and doesn't understand the ways of the common folk here." Erik gave excuses while Rei just handled them with a smile. Jane had come forward and even took him out to a diner to compensate for the mental damage. Rei didn't want that kind of hospitality, but they insisted. He wasn't a kid who needed to be coddled, but I guess that was how everything worked. When Rei was back, he saw Thor and Darcy sitting and talking.

This time, Thor didn't look as irritated as he was before. As Rei walked in, he saw Thor standing up and offering his hand for a shake for the first time.

"I am sorry for my behavior earlier. I didn't know that your education system had been so bad that the pursuers of knowledge had to get monetary help from wealthy people." Thor said.

"Knowledge is also a weapon. And weapons always have a price." Rei said, also shaking his hand. Thor held his hand for quite some time before removing it. Though Thor had said sorry, it wasn't exactly an apology. It was a sorry with a 'but,' which meant he didn't apologize. And Rei didn't mind when Thor held his hand. He really was a child who was ready to even fight a young man just for winning an argument.

"Where I come from, knowledge is never behind closed doors. It is free for everyone." Thor said, and this made all three of the others stiffen. They had been hearing about his origins from the first day, and they had kept it close. It would be a huge embarrassment if he said the same story and then got mentally institutionalized and got their funds taken away because they welcomed a schizophrenic man.