# 1293
Chapter 1294: Within the Vast Desert
The moment this prism crystal appeared, a majestic and grand aura filled the entire temple.
This was the source of the Asgard divine kingdom.
After the disappearance of the God King Odin, Thor, as the first successor, had been temporarily managing the source of Asgard, and this source had always been hidden by him within this temple.
The phantasmagorical light emanating from the prism crystal illuminated the entire temple in dazzling colors, as if drifting endlessly between illusion and reality. Bragi held the amethyst crystal, gazing up at that magnificent source, and fresh tears welled once more in his reddened eyes.
Found it...
The hope for resurrecting Idun was right here!
My beloved Idun, wait just a little longer... We will meet again soon.
Bragi's body trembled uncontrollably.
"Bragi, give me Idun's soul." Thor stood beneath the source of Asgard, extending his hand toward Bragi.
Bragi下意识地抱紧了手中的水晶，似乎生怕有人将它抢走，但纠结片刻后，还是缓缓将其递出，小心翼翼的放在Thor掌心。
He stared into Thor's eyes, speaking with the utmost solemnity, each word deliberate: "Thor, I'll trust you one last time... Take good care of her for me."
"Rest assured." Thor nodded with equal gravity.
He grasped the purple crystal, lifting it gently. The crystal automatically drifted upward to the temple ceiling, slowly merging into the source floating within the phantasm sea, and vanished without a trace.
"Using the source to nurture Idun's physical body will take about ten or so days." Virindi's expression complicated, she spoke, "Bragi, let's go for now. When the time is ripe, we'll return to retrieve your wife."
Bragi stood in his dark golden formal attire, his gaze fixed on that source, a softness emerging in his eyes. Only after a long moment did he reluctantly turn away.
"Yes."
He followed the three goddesses, about to leave the great hall, when a voice sounded from behind:
"Bragi."
Bragi's footsteps halted. He turned to see Thor standing before the throne. After a moment's hesitation, he still spoke: "I hope that, in the future, we can be as we once were..."
"If Idun returns safely this time, I can pretend nothing happened... I'll acknowledge you as my brother."
Bragi was silent for a moment, then spoke these words, before transforming into a streak of light and vanishing from the site along with the three goddesses.
Upon hearing this response, a smile curved Thor's lips.
Tyr watched them depart, as if thinking of something, and spoke gravely: "Thor, before that, we must first handle tomorrow's affairs..."
Thor immediately grew solemn.
"Tomorrow should be the day Loki attempts to ascend to supremacy?"
"That's right." Tyr nodded, determination flashing in his eyes. "We absolutely cannot let him succeed in reaching supremacy, or Asgard will truly descend into chaos."
"I've already coordinated with the Norse military command. The arrangements around the Divine Miracle Plaza are all set. Even if a large-scale divine war erupts, our odds of victory are quite high..."
Thor had only halfway through his words when he noticed Lin Qiye still standing by the doorway, and spoke with an odd expression: "Myles, is there anything you'd like to add?"
"...No." Lin Qiye immediately grasped his meaning. "I was just about to leave."
Even though Lin Qiye was quite curious about the arrangements Thor and the others had for tomorrow, such classified matters were not something an outside agent like himself could hear. He quickly departed the temple, even going so far as to close the temple doors behind him.
...
Human Enclosure.
"Could the 'Human Enclosure' of Asgard really be this harsh?"
Baili Pangpang stood upon the vast desert, his cheeks stinging from the howling sand. His gaze swept across the surroundings—everywhere he looked was endless yellow sand and withered oases.
"Indeed, compared to Takamagahara's 'Human Enclosure,' it's worlds apart, like two different realms entirely." Cao Yuan nodded.
"That's to be expected. Not every divine kingdom possesses a sacred artifact like the Yata Mirror—one that contains vast space within and can automatically form a habitable environment."
The knight draped in his cloak walked up beside them and explained, "Seventy percent of Asgard's 'Human Enclosure' is desert. Nearly the entire population lives within the remaining thirty percent. Due to the harsh living conditions and the Norse Gods' rigid control over faith here, this 'Human Enclosure' has an extremely small population—only around thirty to forty thousand people. Compared to Takamagahara's hundreds of thousands, this place is like a village in the desert."
"Is there something here similar to the [Pure Land] and the oracle envoys?"
"There is. Here, the entity representing Norse divine authority is the [Holy See], and unlike the [Pure Land], the bishops within the [Holy See] are all ordinary people—faith puppets thoroughly controlled by the Norse Gods.
Here, divine authority has penetrated into people's very bones. Every single person here is a fanatical Believer of the Norse Gods. Whether it's food, clothing, or even the qualification to marry and have children, everything must be distributed by the [Holy See]. Here, a bishop's single word can determine any person's life or death.
To put it this way—if the people living in Takamagahara's 'Human Enclosure' are humans being raised, then the people here are... a flock of pigs and dogs being raised by the gods.
The humans here have absolutely no possibility of breaking free from divine authority's control."
"That's ruthless..." Baili Pangpang couldn't help but exclaim.
An Qingyu climbed a sand dune, gazing into the distance. Faintly, he could already make out the silhouettes of small, humble houses flickering at the edge of the desert.
"It seems we're almost there." he said.
"We cannot go any further. That small city ahead only has so many people. With so many unfamiliar faces of ours entering, the [Holy See] will certainly notice. We absolutely cannot draw the Norse Gods' attention." The knight immediately led the Oath Society members to find shelter in the surroundings.
"We could split into two groups first, sending scouts into the city to gather intelligence."
"Yes, that's what I'm thinking as well. At the same time, our main force can slowly make its way toward the passage between the 'Human Enclosure' and Asgard."
"Is that passage far from here?"
"Not far."
An Qingyu nodded, about to say more, when his expression suddenly hardened. He turned to look in a certain direction of the desert.
His spiritual power, approaching the apex of the Infinity, rolled outward. Those gray eyes fixed on that spot, instantly becoming profoundly deep.
Seeing this, Baili Pangpang and the others, understanding through默契, simultaneously tensed like they faced a great enemy, facing the direction he was looking at.
"What's wrong?!" the knight asked in confusion.
"Someone's here." An Qingyu raised his hand, pointing toward a distant dune. "Someone... has discovered us..."
Five kilometers away, within a certain sand dune,
Leng Xuan, who had been stationed there with his dark red sniper rifle, furrowed his brows. He slowly pulled his eye away from the scope and spoke in astonishment:
"...It's them?"