"You mean all of this is Loki's scheme?"
After Li Chuan roughly analyzed the situation, Thor's eyes widened in disbelief.
Although his brother loved to lie and enjoyed using the illusion magic he learned from Mother to prank others, he shouldn't go as far as doing something like this.
"When have Frost Giants ever not tried to steal from the treasury, but they chose precisely the time of your coronation? Without someone familiar leading them, how did they bypass Heimdall's eyes and enter Asgard from Jotunheim?
And think about it, with Odin's power, would he pass away so easily? You must know how much your Mother loves you, so why would she agree to banish you indefinitely?
Who is the ultimate beneficiary of all this? It's your brother Loki; he ascended to the throne that was originally yours, and all of this was told to you by Loki, with no way to verify it.
Think carefully about your brother's personality; could he do something like this?"
Li Chuan's barrage of words directly overloaded Thor's CPU; he stood there with his mouth agape, looking exceptionally dazed.
After a while, he finally reacted, slamming his fist on the table and exclaiming furiously:
"That damned Loki! If all of this was his doing, once I get back, I'm going to kick his butt hard!"
"You really do love your brother."
Upon hearing this, Li Chuan immediately rubbed his forehead.
For an ordinary person, if their brother plotted against them and rebelled, they would at least be imprisoned for life, if not outright killed. But for Thor, it was just a kick on the butt.
"What do I do now? If I can't get Mjolnir back, I can't return to Asgard."
Remembering how he had tried for a day and a night yesterday without being able to pull out Mjolnir, Thor slumped down again.
Without Mjolnir and without his divine power, he was just a strong mortal, no match for Loki.
Li Chuan tapped the table with his hand, thought for a moment, and replied:
"Based on my observation just now, your Mjolnir seems to have a very powerful spell on it, but I can't break it with my current strength. However, I suspect it requires you to make a change."
"Me? What do I need to change?"
Thor looked utterly bewildered.
Li Chuan raised his hand and pointed at Thor:
"You need to recognize your mistakes."
"I already know I was wrong. I realized it last night when Loki came to see me. Although he was lying to me, I understand that going to Jotunheim was indeed impulsive of me."
Thor chugged the beer in his hand.
Li Chuan shook his head at the sight:
"No, you only think you acted impulsively, but you don't see anything wrong with starting a war with the Frost Giants. You still think of solving everything with violence, and that's the real problem."
After speaking, he glanced at Li San next to him, who nodded and handed him a few books he had bought from a nearby bookstore as requested.
"'war and peace', 'Les Misérables', 'A Farewell to Arms', 'Doctor Zhivago', 'The War of the Worlds'..."
"What are these for?"
Thor looked at the pile of books on the table, his eyes showing confusion.
Li Chuan smiled:
"To read, of course. From now on, you must read these books carefully. If you can truly absorb them, then you will understand the cruelty of war and the meaning of peace.
Then you might be able to wield Mjolnir again and regain Thor's power!"
He wasn't a philosopher or a Yuhi who could make Thor suddenly realize his mistakes, but that was fine. There were many World-renowned literary works depicting the cruelty of war, and he believed Thor would change after reading them.
The next morning, at the giant crater fifty miles from Old Bridge Town.
"How did your reading go yesterday?"
Standing in front of Mjolnir, Li Chuan asked Thor.
"Every general who pushes history forward is merely a slave to history."
Thor stood there, his expression solemn:
"Yesterday, I finished reading 'war and peace' and 'Les Misérables'. I feel that my soul has been cleansed, and many of my ideas have changed.
Father was right; I still have many shortcomings."
"Excellent! Try to pick it up now!"
When Li Chuan heard Thor say that, his eyes lit up; he felt there might be a chance.
Thor nodded, placed his hand on Mjolnir, and began to exert force:
"Mjolnir!"
As Thor roared, Mjolnir actually began to slowly sway, as if it could be picked up by Thor at any moment.
However, after one minute, two minutes, three minutes, Mjolnir only swayed. No matter how much more force Thor exerted or how loudly he roared, it still couldn't be fully lifted.
"Why? Why is this happening?"
Thor released Mjolnir, squatted on the ground, and drew circles with a look of utter despair.
Li Chuan frowned as he looked at Mjolnir, then patted Thor's shoulder:
"Before, there was no movement at all. Now it at least moved, which means it's working. Perhaps you haven't read enough books. After all, you've only read for one day and finished two books."
"Really? Is it because I haven't read enough? Don't lie to me?"
Hope flickered in Thor's eyes again; Mjolnir had indeed moved just now.
"Yes, it's because you haven't read enough. Read a few more, especially those philosophical ones that make you ponder life. Sooner or later, you should be able to pick it up."
Li Chuan nodded affirmingly.
Thor immediately turned around:
"Alright, I'm going back to read now!"
"Wait, I have another method we can try first. If it doesn't work, then you can go back to reading."
Perhaps if Thor went back and read for ten days or half a month, he might truly have an epiphany and summon Mjolnir again, but that would be too late, because Destroyer would likely arrive soon.
"What method?"
Thor turned back around.
Li Chuan took out the elder wand and chanted a spell at Thor:
"Imperio!"
A beam of magic light shot onto Thor, and a look of bliss immediately appeared on his face.
"From now on, your heart utterly despises war, you yearn for peace, genuinely yearn for peace from the bottom of your heart, your heart is filled with a sense of justice, you protect the weak, even at the cost of your own life, you are a truly compassionate god."
Li Chuan subjected Thor to a barrage of ideological input, and Thor immediately nodded:
"Yes, that's who I am, and that's who I must be!"
"Good, now go get your Mjolnir."
Li Chuan commanded Thor.
Thor walked to Mjolnir, slowly reached for the handle, and then pulled with force. The hammer was actually lifted from the ground by him.
"I can't believe it actually worked!"
Seeing Thor pick up Mjolnir, Li Chuan's eyes immediately lit up.
However, the next second, a powerful surge of thunderous energy suddenly erupted from Mjolnir, shocking Thor until he foamed at the mouth and fainted, falling back to its original position.
"Alright, it seems this method won't work."
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