Chapter 57: Asgardian magic
Compared to Sherlock, who was so embarrassed he could almost dig an entire Asgard out of the ground with his feet, Thor's face was as thick as a city wall. He perfectly embodied the characteristic of 'if I'm not embarrassed, then others are,' simply standing there with a blank expression.
No matter how Sherlock tried to signal Thor, Thor remained oblivious, as if he hadn't seen anything or didn't understand, much like a classmate trying to absolve himself of responsibility when caught by the teacher.
Sherlock was so anxious that he cursed Thor in his heart more than a hundred times, his mind filled with how to alleviate the current awkwardness.
Just as Sherlock felt he was about to die of social awkwardness, Frigga, Thor's mother, sighed helplessly and stepped forward, coming to Sherlock's side to help him out.
"It seems, little one, that you and my foolish son have a very good relationship. He must have caused you trouble while he was on Earth."
Queen Frigga's words were like a spring breeze, blowing into Sherlock's heart, which was on the verge of dying from embarrassment. With eyes full of gratitude, Sherlock looked at the gentle Queen Frigga, then bowed slightly and replied,
"You are too kind, My Lord. Thor is my good friend; it is only right to look after him."
Facing Sherlock's politeness, Queen Frigga smiled gently, then continued,
"Just call me Frigga. I know my son; that foolish boy must have caused countless troubles. Well, enough about him. Come with me. All-Father Odin and your teacher Ancient One have already finished their discussion."
After speaking, Queen Frigga turned, intending to lead Sherlock away. Sherlock quickly looked at Ancient One, who stood beside him. Ancient One, not minding Sherlock's momentary distraction, smiled and nodded at Sherlock.
Seeing Ancient One nod, Sherlock confidently followed Queen Frigga out of the hall.
Along the way, Frigga continuously introduced the layout of the entire palace to Sherlock, explaining the purpose of each room, just like a classmate's mother would when you visit their home.
It wasn't until Frigga led Sherlock to the entrance of a golden double door that she stopped her introduction and slowly pushed the doors open.
Beyond the doors was a massive library. While not as large as Sherlock's private library, it was comparable in size to the library at Hogwarts.
After leading Sherlock inside, Frigga looked at Sherlock, who was curiously looking around, and said,
"This is Asgard's library. All of Asgard's magic is contained within this library. You can find the catalog of the magic books you need through the mirror in the center named Bragi."
Frigga said, pointing to the large mirror-like object in the center of the library.
"All-Father Odin and Sorcerer Ancient One have already agreed. You have a full fifteen days to learn any magic in the library. I can arrange for the time to start counting from tomorrow, so today's time is a gift from me.
It's to thank you for looking after Thor when he was on Earth, without his powers and being willful. Please don't refuse. I know this time is short, but this is the greatest convenience I can offer you within my authority, after all, you do not belong to Asgard."
Listening to Frigga's words, Sherlock quickly bowed in thanks.
"Not at all, esteemed Lady Frigga, thank you for your generosity."
Seeing Sherlock's expectant yet trying-to-restrain-himself expression, Frigga simply smiled, then waved her hand at Sherlock and said,
"Alright, little one, I won't disturb you anymore. You must work hard and study diligently."
With that, Frigga walked out, closing the library door behind her.
The moment the door closed, Sherlock cheered and eagerly rushed to the large mirror named Bragi, beginning to search for the magic books he needed.
For a full sixteen days, Sherlock hardly left the library, except for necessary biological needs. Even for sleeping and eating, Sherlock tried to substitute them with nutrient solutions and invigorating potions from magic potions.
Sherlock first spent five full days roughly understanding the basic knowledge of all Asgardian magic, then, with Bragi's assistance, began to search for the magic he liked.
While learning the basic magic of Asgard, Sherlock quickly discovered something strange: according to the basic magic knowledge in the library, all of Asgard was a product built upon a magic-tech civilization.
Logically, the Asgardian people should have long been able to use this magic technology to create many things like magic cannons, magic star destroyers, or at the very least, magic pistols.
But surprisingly, despite having the aid of magic technology to forge excellent artifacts, the primary combat style of the warriors throughout Asgard still leaned towards cold weapons.
This left Sherlock completely puzzled, and he could only attribute it to the Asgardians being a long-lived race, similar to how Asgardian scientists like Newton, Einstein, and Faraday might have had a much greater impact on Asgardian civilization than these Earth scientists had on Earth's civilization.
After learning the basic knowledge, Sherlock naturally also came across Loki's Illusion Magic. Of course, besides Illusion Magic, Sherlock also discovered a fascinating magic called Sequence Magic within Asgard's magic system.
The name alone might not be familiar to everyone, but anyone who has seen Tanya the Evil will be no stranger to this Sequence Magic; it's the magic shot by the mages flying in the sky using rifles.
In Asgard, these Sequence Magic spells are unique to archers, and they are not as varied as in Tanya the Evil, only having a few basic components.
There are only three types: piercing, explosive, and defensive.
Archers can continuously optimize the magic sequence to increase range, power, and defense.
Sherlock was truly envious, and he ultimately included this so-called Sequence Magic in his learning objectives, leaving only six days for Illusion Magic and five days for this Sequence Magic.
Because time was so tight, Sherlock simply had no time to experiment with the magic he had just learned. He could only try to memorize these spells, planning to experiment with them later.
Thus, on the sixteenth day, the library doors slowly opened. Sherlock, with two massive panda eyes, looking like a homeless person from who-knows-where, appeared at the entrance in the eyes of Thor, who eagerly welcomed him.
"Holy crap, what did you do in the library? I wasn't even this miserable when I was wandering on Earth!"
Seeing Sherlock's appearance, Thor couldn't help but exclaim.
To Thor's question, Sherlock rolled his eyes irritably and replied weakly,
"Stop your damn chatter, Thor, quickly help me get a good wash, and then get me something to eat. I feel like I could eat an entire cow right now! After I eat, I need a good sleep!"