"You are..." Odin began, but Marcus interrupted him.
"Nothing dramatic, just borrowing the power of your Asgard," Marcus said with a casual smile.
As he spoke, Marcus's eyes flickered with golden light. This was the power of Asgard itself, and the moment he began using this energy, Marcus felt how intimately connected this power was to the realm around them.
"The entire realm is providing power," Marcus observed with genuine interest. "No wonder your strength seems to be inexhaustible when you're here."
Standing on this sacred ground, Marcus could clearly feel that his energy was being continuously replenished by the realm itself.
Although he could use void energy to directly convert it into any form of power he needed, here in Asgard he could completely stop that conversion process and rely on the realm's natural energy instead.
After seeing Marcus successfully adapt to and use Asgard's divine power, Odin's heart was finally put at ease. Since Marcus could isolate his void energy, there was no need to worry about contamination.
"Just now you mentioned you needed something from Thor's girlfriend?" Odin asked, his curiosity evident. "What exactly is that?"
During this period of time, Odin's attention had been focused on other parts of the Nine Realms. Since Loki's last catastrophic actions in Midgard, the Nine Realms had been in complete chaos.
Some worlds were experiencing internal riots, while others were being targeted by unscrupulous raiders from across the universe. The people in each realm were suffering tremendously.
This was what Thor had been doing during his absence from Earth. After securing Loki in the palace prison, Thor had begun operating across various worlds to resolve conflicts and capture the cosmic criminals who were taking advantage of the chaos.
They hadn't been keeping close watch on Midgard because Earth had just experienced an invasion and the Ancient One was there to protect it, so there seemed to be no need to worry about safety there.
"Oh, nothing too dramatic," Marcus replied with deliberate nonchalance. "Just an Infinity Stone."
Marcus knew very well that Odin didn't particularly care about the Infinity Stones. Although Odin had collected them in the past, he had ultimately given up the power of the Infinity Stones, understanding the dangers they represented.
"Infinity Stone? You mean..." Odin began, his expression becoming more serious.
Recalling Jane's recent behavior, Odin hadn't noticed any obvious differences from ordinary mortals. But suddenly, Odin seemed to realize something, his face changing dramatically as he rushed toward the infirmary.
"Is it that thing?" Odin muttered as he hurried to the palace's medical wing.
He had to confirm whether what was affecting Jane was what he suspected.
"What are you two talking about? Why am I completely confused?" Tony asked, his frustration evident.
Tony was genuinely puzzled by the exchange between the two powerful beings. They were clearly using words he understood, but somehow he couldn't grasp what they were actually discussing.
"You'll understand soon enough," Marcus said with a chuckle, glancing at Tony's confused expression.
Although Tony had experienced the Chitauri invasion and had seen both the Cosmic Cube and the Mind Scepter, his understanding of the Infinity Stones was still quite limited.
And Marcus didn't intend to explain everything right now. Telling Tony about these cosmic artifacts would only add to his anxiety and tendency to overthink problems.
Rather than aggravating Tony's already uneasy mind, it would be better to let him learn about these things naturally when the time came, preventing him from making impulsive decisions.
When they arrived at the infirmary, Jane was lying on what appeared to be an advanced operating table, while above her, a humanoid figure made of pure energy was being examined by Asgardian physicians.
"Quantum field generator?" Tony blurted out when he saw the medical device.
Although he had never actually built a quantum field generator, the scene before him was exactly what he would expect from such a device.
"Hey, that's just what I thought!" Jane said with a smile.
When she had first seen this setup, she had immediately recognized the principles behind the device.
However, the doctors of Asgard didn't call this device a quantum field generator, but rather a "soul forge."
"I should have come here earlier," Tony said with obvious regret. "This place is far more advanced than anywhere else I've seen."
While other areas of Asgard were impressive in their beauty and grandeur, this medical facility was the most worthy of serious study.
"Your Majesty!"
Seeing Odin among the visitors, the doctors immediately stopped their work and formally greeted their ruler.
"Thank you, but you may go now," Odin said, dismissing the medical staff.
After the doctors had left, Odin stepped forward and carefully grasped Jane's arm.
BOOM!
The moment he made contact with Jane's arm, red energy erupted outward in an explosive burst. However, the power wasn't overwhelming—when it struck Odin's body, it merely triggered a few golden lightning bolts across his form.
"It's this thing..." Odin said grimly, his worst fears confirmed.
"Father, what exactly is inside Jane's body?" Thor asked urgently. "Marcus said that this thing is absorbing Jane's life force."
Hearing Thor's inquiry, Odin looked at the red energy that was dissipating from Jane's arm. After a moment of heavy silence, he said, "Come with me..."
Odin was now facing a serious headache. He hadn't expected that the Aether particles sealed away eons ago would reappear in the world. This was definitely not a good sign.
"Father, what is this thing?" Thor pressed.
"This thing is connected to your grandfather..." Odin began, his voice heavy with the weight of ancient history.
Odin proceeded to tell everyone a story whose protagonist was his father, the previous generation's God-King Bor, and an almost forgotten race known as the Dark Elves.
After hearing this tale, Thor and the others were all shocked. They hadn't expected that the artifact capable of plunging the entire universe into darkness was now residing within Jane's body.
"Aether particles?" Tony said skeptically. "That's not scientifically possible. If this thing can plunge the entire universe into darkness, then she couldn't possibly survive hosting it."
In Tony's understanding, this scenario didn't conform to the law of conservation of energy.
"Then are the Cosmic Cube and the Mind Scepter scientifically possible?" Marcus asked from the side with teasing amusement. "Whether it's the Cosmic Cube, the Mind Scepter, or the Aether particles in Jane's body, they're all sources of infinite energy."
After hearing Marcus's explanation, Tony finally began to understand.
If it was really as Marcus described, then there was no fundamental problem. After all, he had witnessed how the Cosmic Cube, as an infinite energy source, had opened the portal during the Chitauri invasion.
"But why does it absorb the host's life force?" Tony asked, still confused. "As an infinite energy source, surely the energy contained in a human body can't be compared to it at all, right?"
This was what Tony found most puzzling. If they were all infinite energy sources, why did the Aether particles residing in Jane need to absorb her vitality?
"You can think of it as the price of using the Aether particles," Marcus explained. "The stone provides infinite power, but it requires a biological host to channel that power effectively. The life force absorption is essentially the 'rental fee' for accessing that cosmic energy."
As he was speaking, there was a sudden commotion outside the infirmary, with guards running toward one area of the palace.
At the same time, a woman who appeared very noble walked into the medical facility. She was Odin's wife, Frigga, the Queen of Asgard.
"What's happening outside?" Odin asked his wife.
"There's been a riot in the prison," Frigga reported. "Someone is attempting to escape."
"An escape attempt?" Odin's expression darkened. "Thor, go and handle it. Frigga, take Jane to a secure location."
After learning the reason for the disturbance outside from Frigga, Odin frowned and gave instructions to everyone present.
When it came to Marcus and Tony, Odin was silent for a moment. He wasn't sure how to arrange for these two powerful visitors during a prison emergency.
"Tony and I will go help suppress the prison riot," Marcus offered. "It'll be a good opportunity to see more of Asgard."
"Yes, I'm very curious about what an Asgardian prison looks like," Tony agreed enthusiastically.
As he spoke, the thrusters on Tony's suit activated instantly, and he flew out of the infirmary with a trail of flame.
Marcus followed at a more leisurely pace, interested to see what kind of criminals Asgard kept locked away—and curious about who might be bold enough to attempt an escape during such a delicate time.
"This should be interesting," Marcus thought to himself as he headed toward the prison complex. "I wonder if our old friend Loki is involved in this little disturbance."
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