Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

With a brief explanation, Mimir added: Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"However, this is only what I understand; in fact, I am not adept at alchemy."

"I can see that."

Nodding slightly, Laine slipped the Draupnir onto his own finger.

"Equivalent exchange... Perhaps the ultimate goal of alchemy is like the world itself, equating matter, energy, and information, reducing three to two, and two to one, until grasping the very origin."

"But probably no one, god or man, has truly accomplished this step because it implies that his wisdom has reached an understanding of the 'Origin,' something even I am incapable of."

"Next."

The so-called pinnacle of alchemy might or might not exist, yet Laine could see the ultimate of deity and was walking that path. Therefore, the ring was of little use to him; it was merely a catalyst, at least for now, as Laine had no intention of delving into the 'technology' of this mythic world from scratch.

Beyond these two treasures, there were six more items in the treasury.

Two small bottles containing unknown liquids, a crystal box filled with leaves—Laine didn't need to ask, he could recognize them: the tender leaves of the World Tree, probably leftovers from the crafting of The Origin Text.

There was also a box filled with gray mist, a treasured sword whose edge was concealed by a scabbard made of amethyst and emerald crystals, and a damaged stele.

"That sword is called Laevateinn, symbolizing victory and destruction; it was once a tribute from the Vanir to Asgard, the sheathed sword of Freyr, the God of Sun and Fertility. I heard that it later fell into the hands of the Titans, but I didn't expect to see it here."

Looking at the sword, Mimir seemed a bit surprised.

"Who knows, perhaps Odin saw something as well."

Reaching out, Laine immediately grasped the hilt of the divine sword.

Upon touching the hilt, a fiery sensation passed through it, not the warmth of the sun, but the scorching heat of flames. This reminded Laine of a rumor: the Sun God Freyr, in his quest to woo a giantess, had lost this treasured sword, which ultimately ended up in the hands of Surtr, Lord of the Kingdom of Flames.

13:04

This Titan leader reforged the Divine Artifact and ultimately used it to kill Freyr, who was without a proper weapon during the Twilight of the Gods, and even brought destruction upon the Mortal Realm of Midgard.

This was also considered a twist of fate in the Scandinavian mythology: the Sword of Destruction in the hands of the God of Fertility ultimately brought about destruction for himself and the world.

However, clearly, in these Nine Realities, where fate had taken a different course, the first half of the sword's history was as before, falling into Sutr's hands, but not the second half.

No one knows what happened in between, but eventually, it ended up in Odin's hands.

"Generally, even after being reforged, it only just touches the lower limits of a High-Grade Artifact."

"As a weapon, it's already quite remarkable, even surpassing Themis's Sword of Judgment, but it is of no use to me."

Gently evaluating, Laine's fingers brushed across the blade's edge, sending a slight sting through his fingertips.

With a casual toss, the divine sword flew through the air, merging with a stone sword embedded in a bluestone.

That was the foundational object tied to the core Godhood of the Sun God. While the original stone sword was indeed transcendent, the object it was tied to was nothing more than ordinary stone, but now, it had switched its vessel.

From then on, not only was its power stronger, but it also possessed a part of [Victory]'s authority. Of course, correspondingly, the difficulty to wield it had increased further.

It wasn't just the curse of the Great Solar Incineration, but only those whom it recognized could hold it; for anyone else, it was just an indestructible rock.

"Let's continue. What are in those two bottles?"

Ripples coursed through space as the stone sword and its pedestal were moved to the heart of Mount Sinai, near the Fountain pool nurturing various Divine Artifacts.

As an artifact from the outside world, it needed time to transform before it could become a part of the Spirit Realm, which was common for most foreign objects.

"... The two bottles contain a type of poison and its antidote, Lord Laine. It's crafted from waters refined from Hvergelmir Spring, the blood of the primordial giant Ymir, and several dreadful things. Its toxicity is unrivaled in the Nine Realms, and nearly nothing can counteract this poison."

"But the Chaos's deity and yours are different; hoping to kill a Deity with a dose of poison is probably wishful thinking."

Looking at the two bottles, Laine felt an implicit threat. Of course, this was an illusion since the unknown liquid could only threaten his Divine Body, and that part of his being was the most negligible aspect of his strength.

That being said, Laine still collected the two small bottles.

The effects of toxins tend to be persistent and concealed. Perhaps at the right time, they could play a role.

"And the last two items, what is that stele?"

The fragmentary body of the stele and its obscure writing made it difficult to discern its origins. Yet as part of Odin's treasury, it was unlikely to be just an ordinary stele.

But this time, Mimir couldn't give him a satisfactory answer.