As Thor declared the banquet open, the Asgardians cheered loudly, filling the entire banquet hall with joyous shouts.
Noah and Gwen took their seats at a table with Thor's friends: Jane and her two companions, Sif and the Heavenly Palace trio, and some others Noah didn't recognize, though they were all Thor's friends in Asgard.
"By the way, Thor, how is Loki doing now?" Noah looked around and, seeing no sign of Loki, assumed he had been confined to his special dungeon.
"Loki is currently in the dungeon. Once my father awakens, he will decide how to deal with Loki," Thor replied, setting down his goblet.
Noah nodded. As expected, Loki couldn't escape imprisonment after what he had done, but he was fortunate; at least his prison was a luxurious private room compared to the cells of other prisoners nearby.
"Forget about Loki. He made a mistake, and he deserves to be punished. At a banquet, we only talk about happy things, my friends, cheers!" Thor raised his goblet, and some of the golden Asgardian vintage spilled out due to inertia. He then gulped it down, and just as he was about to smash the goblet, he suddenly paused, as if remembering something, and placed the cup back on the table.
The people at the table also began to drink. Jane took a small sip, while her friend Daisy drank heartily. It wasn't that she was a heavy drinker, but she felt this was a drink she had never tasted before and might never have again, so she had to drink more. Erik, like Jane, didn't drink much; he still remembered his embarrassing drunken state from that day, which Jane had told him about, so he dared not drink too much this time.
"Pfft~ This wine is so strong." After taking a sip of the golden wine in front of her, Gwen stuck out her tongue, stung by the strong Asgardian liquor.
Feeling the lively atmosphere of the banquet, Gwen also became very happy under its influence. Seeing everyone drink the golden wine in front of them, Gwen, who had never tasted such a thing, was also very curious. She picked up the wine in front of her and took a small sip. As soon as the wine entered her mouth, there was a rich aroma, followed by a stimulating spiciness that made her involuntarily stick out her tongue.
"Excuse me, could we have two fruit wines, please? Thank you." Seeing Gwen's reaction, Noah turned to a passing maid and said. Noah didn't drink much either, or rather, he disliked drinking because he felt all alcoholic beverages had a bitter and spicy taste that he couldn't tolerate. However, he was willing to drink fruit wine, as it at least had some sweetness and fruity aroma.
"Certainly, please wait a moment."
Soon after, the maid returned with a tray and presented two fruit wines to Noah and Gwen.
"Thank you, and also Noah." Gwen winked at Noah, then picked up the fruit wine in front of her and sniffed it. A sweet fruity aroma wafted up, and Gwen relaxed. After taking a sip, she closed her eyes in satisfaction.
"Asgardian wine is truly excellent," Noah commented after tasting the fruit wine. Even he, someone who rarely drank, found it delicious.
"Of course, we Asgardians are professionals when it comes to brewing," Thor responded when he heard Noah's words.
After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere did not die down; instead, it became even more boisterous. This was perhaps related to how much they had drunk. Asgardians drank cup after cup, and the food on the tables constantly diminished, only to be replenished by maids bringing more delicacies.
"Another!" "Clang!"
Many Asgardians, after finishing their drinks, liked to smash their cups and shout for another. Fortunately, their goblets were made of bronze; if they were Earth's glass cups, there would be glass shards everywhere by now.
The boisterous, portly warrior Volstagg was now recounting how Thor and Noah defeated the Destroyer on Midgard.
"I'm telling you, when the Destroyer landed, it instantly crushed everything for several thousand meters around, and then Thor…" Volstagg was seriously exaggerating, making Thor a bit embarrassed.
"Oh! How amazing!" However, Gwen listened with stars in her eyes, seemingly believing the story he told.
"Volstagg, stop bragging! You're always bragging!" Others, hearing Volstagg's exaggerated description, immediately mocked him.
"Don't you believe me? I'm telling you, this is the strongest Witch from Midgard who fought alongside Thor! Witch, show them a little something so they can see how powerful you are." Volstagg, hearing the ridicule, became anxious. What he was saying this time was true, although slightly exaggerated, the scene at the time was indeed intense.
In his haste, Volstagg immediately shifted the topic to Noah. Noah was listening with great interest to the fat warrior's tall tales when he was suddenly mentioned, and Noah was startled.
The First Witch? When did I ever say that?
"No, there are so many people, I'm too embarrassed to act," Noah waved his hand.
"Don't be like that, Witch, let everyone see your skills! Everyone, let's encourage the Witch! Witch! Witch!" Volstagg began to egg him on. Although he had never witnessed Noah's magic, Noah's performance at the time was simply too powerful, and Thor called Noah a Witch, so Volstagg believed Noah truly was the First Witch of Midgard.
"Witch! Witch!" Under Volstagg's instigation, the people around them also began to chant.
"Witch! Witch!" Gwen also joined in the chanting, making Noah raise an eyebrow.
"Alright, since you all want to see." Noah raised his hand. He had just drawn a few new spells today, so he might as well try them out. You like to egg people on, don't you, Volstagg?
Noah pointed, and a purple magic projectile shot out, leaving a trail of green leaves as it arced through the air, heading towards Volstagg.
"Wh—" Volstagg was startled, not expecting Noah to test a spell on him. Before he could finish speaking, he was struck by the projectile Noah had unleashed.
A puff of white smoke enveloped Volstagg, with green leaves swirling within the smoke. In less than a second, the smoke dissipated, and the crowd gasped in surprise.
"What happened? Why did you all get so tall?" Volstagg was a bit confused. Hadn't he just been hit by the Witch's magic? Why did he feel no pain, and why did everyone around him seem so much taller?
"Oh, my goodness, Volstagg actually turned into this! This is… hilarious!"
After the smoke cleared, Volstagg, who originally had a large golden beard and a stout but tall physique, had transformed into a small, adorable wild boar, though its fur was golden.
"Volstagg, you look so cute like this, much more pleasing than before." At this moment, Fandral walked over to the little wild boar, grabbed its front leg, and lifted Volstagg up, causing the little wild boar to struggle wildly.
"Put me down! Put me down!" Volstagg now realized what he had become and began to shout frantically, but to others, his shouts sounded like constant pig squeals.
"Oink oink~ Oink oink!"
"Alright, stop squealing. The duration won't be too long, just a little while." Others couldn't hear him, but Noah, the caster, could. He found Volstagg's constant squealing annoying. However, Noah felt there was probably one other person present who could hear him: Frigga, Thor's mother, who was smiling and looking their way from not too far off. She was also a Witch, though it wasn't explicitly shown in the show.
Of course, Volstagg's quick transformation back didn't mean that 'Whimsy' could only last that long. The duration depended on Noah's will; if he wanted, Noah could make it last indefinitely, but he would have to stay by his side.
Indeed, a few seconds later, the little pig held by Fandral was suddenly enveloped in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, Volstagg, restored to his human form, had Fandral pinned to the ground. Fandral quickly begged for mercy, though his face still wore a playful smirk.
"Sorry, sorry, I was just trying to tease you."
"You despicable fellow! Witch, please change this guy too," Volstagg said.
However, Noah did not grant his request. Instead, he raised his hand again and said to Volstagg, "You try this first."