In the end, due to Thor's repeated, rogue-like obstructions, Nolan still failed in his attempt to see if he was qualified to lift Mjolnir.
Soon after, Thor reluctantly said goodbye to the curvaceous female apprentice, who looked quite disappointed. Mordo, on the other hand, used very harsh words to drive away all the surrounding, grumbling apprentices.
Then, he led Nolan and Thor out of the courtyard and into a large, quiet canteen dedicated to mages. The air inside was warm and smelled of spices and baked bread. Mordo pointed at the various dishes and food, telling them they could taste whatever they wanted. Immediately afterwards, he went in person to find the other sorcerer, Wong.
Feeling a little hungry himself, Nolan casually took a large plate of rice and a pot of curry chicken filled with various spices. Sitting at a long wooden table in the cafeteria with Thor, he began to wait.
Nolan carefully tasted a few bites of the curry chicken. After discovering that the taste was okay, his appetite suddenly returned, and he began to eat quickly. At the same time, he discussed the situation in Asgard with Thor.
"Thor, what happened in Asgard? Is it your brother Loki trying to usurp the throne?" Nolan, scooping up a large pile of rice with a wooden spoon, stared at Thor, who was idly tapping Mjolnir's handle on the table, and asked softly.
Hearing Nolan's inquiry, Thor frowned slightly and blinked his blue eyes. He casually placed Mjolnir on the table with a soft thud and said in a deep voice:
"From the time I was banished by my father, to the time the Destroyer came to Midgard... it should have all been arranged by Loki. But no matter how I called, Heimdall, who guards the Rainbow Bridge, couldn't respond. This is not normal. Heimdall has vision and hearing that can sense all things and spy on the Nine Realms. Even if Loki used tactics or the authority of the God King to deal with him, it should have been hard to succeed."
The words just fell.
Perhaps Nolan's voracious, efficient eating style stimulated Thor's appetite. He got up and brought over a large plate of greasy barbecue, saying while eating, his voice muffled by a mouthful of meat:
"Odin may have fallen into the slumber where his power is lost. I am not worried about this; the secret palace where he slumbers activates an internal seal that would continue to exist even if Asgard was destroyed, not to mention the personal guard responsible for protecting him. I am more worried about my mother. She has always doted on Loki. Unless Loki actually hurts her, all of his bad behavior can be interpreted as him fulfilling his priestly duties. He is the God of Mischief, after all."
Nolan took a deep breath, his sharp fangs gnawing on the wooden spoon with a soft click. He was about to say something.
At this moment, Mordo, his expression indifferent, returned to the canteen entrance with a stout, slightly fat figure.
"Mr. Nolan, Prince Thor... this is the official sorcerer of Kamar-Taj who will accompany you to Asgard, Wong."
Mordo stepped forward slowly, introducing him to the two, who stood up to greet him.
The sorcerer named Wong smiled slightly. He performed a sorcerer's greeting to Nolan and Thor and said softly, his voice calm and pleasant, "Hello, my name is Wong. We will need to look out for each other in the next few days. If I do anything wrong, I hope you can forgive me."
Nolan nodded politely. However, just as he was about to speak and build some friendship, Thor's first words made Nolan's eyes widen.
Thor, his mouth stained with barbecue grease, waved his hands carelessly and said with a booming, cheerful smile, "Wong, right? Don't worry. Since you are a weak sorcerer, you are only responsible for opening the portal for us. If there is a battle, Brother Nolan and I can easily handle it. You won't be needed..."
Seeing Thor's words about to go completely off the rails, Nolan quickly moved. He walked up to Thor's side and slapped him hard on the back. The THWACK echoed in the canteen.
"Hello, Wong. Don't pay attention to anything Thor says. He was drunk just now and isn't sober yet," Nolan narrowed his eyes and said to Wong with a smile.
Thor seemed to realize his mistake, muttered something vaguely into his barbecue, and turned back to the dining table.
The slightly fat Wong didn't seem to care about Thor's disdainful attitude. He just smiled, nodded, and then said he needed to pack his luggage and equipment for Asgard.
Wong bowed to Mordo and Nolan, turned, and walked toward the door.
Staring at Wong's disappearing back, the expressionless Nolan stared at Thor, who had started eating barbecue again, and muttered, "Thor, Thor, how can you be the prince of Asgard? You are simply the fool of Asgard."
Mordo, standing silently nearby, felt the corners of his mouth twitch. He took several deep, centering breaths before he managed to suppress the urge to laugh.
In the passage outside the base, accompanied by little sparks jumping from the air and a strange sizzling sound, a circular portal appeared in front of the metal gate.
Nolan, in his Hunting Lord armor, and Thor, in his gray sorcerer robe, walked out one after another.
Mordo, holding his ring, stood inside the portal. He said he needed to go train the apprentices and would not follow. The portal would remain open until Nolan and Thor returned, at which point it would dissipate.
Nolan had no opinion on this.
After Mordo turned and left, Nolan raised his huge, red-armored fist and gently knocked on the closed metal door. Clang. Clang. Clang.
Ten seconds later, the metal door, its mechanical valves refilled with holy oil, rose silently. The tall figure of David walked out from the passage.
The smiling Thor greeted David, holding up Mjolnir. "Greetings, Man of Iron!"
David, blue light flashing in his optical eyes, ignored him completely. Instead, he walked directly to Nolan and said respectfully, "My Lord, you are back. Is everything going well?"
"David, go prepare ammunition and supplies, and let the automatic servo robots organize the Terminator armor. We need to go to other planets."
As soon as the words fell, Nolan called Thor into the lit underground passage.
David shook his metal head slightly and slowly followed.
When everyone arrived at the base hall, thirteen automatic servo robots had already completed the preliminary preparations for equipping the Terminator armor, which stood waiting on its frame.
Nolan asked Thor to wait there or look around. Then, he quickly took off the Hunting Lord armor and walked toward the metal platform.
At this moment, Thor, the God of Thunder, stared at everything around him like a curious child. He walked around the hall, looking up at the high ceilings and the web of pipes. Especially when he saw the automatic servo robots moving back and forth transporting supplies, he made a subtle sound of surprise.
Click, click, click...
Accompanied by a series of huge sounds of mechanical devices colliding, hissing seals, and whirring servos, the parts of the Terminator power armor slowly covered Nolan's tall body.
Thud, thud, thud...
About twenty minutes later, Nolan, having completed the basic debugging, piloted the extremely heavy Terminator armor down from the platform. Each step shook the floor. The thirteen servo-robots quickly dispersed, making way for their master.
The next moment, Thor, his eyes wide open, hurried forward.
He tapped the heavy, black ceramite steel shell lightly with one finger. A crisp, deep metal ping echoed.
Thor raised his head, blinked his blue eyes, and asked Nolan, "Brother Nolan, is this your combat equipment? It looks... sturdy. But I don't know how it will perform on the battlefield?"
Facing Thor's doubts, Nolan, his gray hair tied back, grinned slightly. A grim smile flashed at the corner of his mouth, revealing his fangs.
"Thor... I promise you will see it. Don't be surprised then."
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