DOTM: Chapter 380/381

Chapter 380: The Third Generation of Gods Is Cool

The weapon "stored" by Asgard was, of course, Stormbreaker—or it could also be called the Storm Axe—a weapon that could be used as both an axe and a hammer.

What made Ethan curious was that, this time, without the little tree Groot, the handle of Stormbreaker might be different from the one in the movie.

As Thor's companions, Ethan and the others also received a warm welcome from Eitri.

The dwarves were quite efficient. When Thor explained why he was there, Eitri chatted with them while instructing the dwarves to prepare all the materials and molds, which had been ready for a long time.

Since the weapon to be forged for Thor had already been designed, everything was pre-made. They just needed to melt the special metal and pour the liquid into the mold.

It was that simple. With enough manpower, Eitri didn't even need to do it himself. The most important part of the entire forging process was the mold, which had been completed long ago and had been sitting in the warehouse waiting for this day.

"This weapon contains extremely powerful force. If your own strength isn't enough, you won't even be able to wield it. But since you've come here today, you must already possess the qualifications to own it. Oh, and this weapon can also directly activate the Rainbow Bridge."

The Rainbow Bridge could be considered a form of teleportation magic, allowing someone to reach any corner of the galaxy in a very short time.

Perhaps even any corner of the universe, though there was a "flight" process during teleportation. The longer the distance, the more time it took, unlike the Infinity Stones, which could instantly reach a destination.

Even so, the Rainbow Bridge was an extremely convenient means of travel. If Thor could use the Rainbow Bridge freely, the benefits would go far beyond simply visiting his girlfriend on Earth more easily.

Under Thor's expectant gaze, Stormbreaker was slowly forged.

As Ethan had guessed, without Groot and with enough dwarves working, there was no awkward situation where the weapon was about to be completed but the crucial handle was missing.

Once the weapon parts were removed from the mold, the dwarves immediately assembled them onto the pre-prepared handle while the parts were still cooling. As the weapon completely cooled, Stormbreaker was fused into one piece by a mysterious force, ensuring that the handle would never fall off in battle.

The moment Stormbreaker took shape, a powerful fluctuation erupted from the weapon. Besides Ethan, who was sensitive to energy as a mage, the only other person who sensed it was Thor, the soon-to-be owner of the weapon.

"Go on. Prove you are worthy to lift it."

Not only did Ethan pat him on the back, but Eitri, who had been overseeing the dwarves' work, also spoke up.

As Thor approached step by step, Stormbreaker slowly floated into the air. The increasing energy fluctuation forced the surrounding dwarves to retreat.

"Back! Back! Stay away from the weapon!"

The dwarves weren't unfamiliar with such situations. Throughout their lives, they had forged countless bizarre tools and divine weapons. They had seen this kind of scenario many times, so there was no panic. All the dwarves stepped back to a safe distance and quietly watched as Thor approached the new weapon.

He now had to prove that he was worthy to wield this weapon—or be blasted away by its power.

As the thunder power surging from Thor gradually resonated with Stormbreaker, the newly forged weapon no longer resisted. It even seemed to eagerly await Thor's touch.

Sensing this reaction, Thor stopped a short distance from Stormbreaker and extended his right hand.

The increasingly dazzling lightning from his body gradually resonated with the lightning emitted by Stormbreaker. In the next moment, Stormbreaker flew straight into Thor's hand. Just like with Mjolnir, Thor once again felt the sensation of being able to sense the weapon no matter how far it was, as if it were a part of his body.

With Stormbreaker in hand, he felt the thunder power within him surge. It became stronger, more stable, and easier to control. An irresistible urge arose within him—to unleash the powerful energy inside.

As he raised Stormbreaker high, the entire forge was filled with blinding lightning. Bathed in thunder, Thor now truly looked like the God of Thunder… or perhaps…

Ethan suddenly thought of the Thor who nearly cleaved Thanos in two with one final swing of his axe… and the Thor who had already grasped thunder power but was still crushed by Thanos. The stark contrast made him wonder if this guy had evolved from the God of Hammers to the God of Axes.

As the sea of lightning in the forge slowly faded, the remaining arcs retracted into Thor's body. Those who had been unable to look directly at the dazzling light finally regained their sight and saw Thor lightly swinging Stormbreaker, getting a feel for his new weapon.

Ethan finally got a good look at the newly forged Stormbreaker. It wasn't much different from the one in his memory, except that the slightly curved handle left by Groot had been replaced by a straight one, more like the design of Mjolnir.

There were some patterns engraved on the handle. Beyond aesthetics, they served a practical purpose—providing grip and preventing slipping.

Other than that, there wasn't much difference. It was clear that the dwarves prioritized function in their weapon design and didn't chase after flashy looks.

Thor walked back with Stormbreaker in hand. He felt stronger and more at ease than ever before. He even had the sudden urge to challenge Ethan.

However, having lived through fifteen hundred years of war and endured numerous trials that tempered his personality, he had long outgrown his former impulsiveness. He suppressed the urge and instead expressed confidence that he could now control the Power Stone.

"I also believe you can handle the Power Stone now."

Ethan could tell that Stormbreaker wasn't just a weapon—it had triggered a tremendous transformation in Thor.

Both the quality of the thunder power within him and his control over it had improved significantly. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had been reborn.

"It's like a cheat."

The Thor in the original plot, who had been completely helpless against Thanos, was able to nearly kill him after obtaining Stormbreaker. That kind of leap couldn't be explained just by saying the weapon was powerful.

No wonder Odin only wanted to push Thor to awaken his potential and didn't insist on him mastering the power completely. Odin had already prepared the right tool for him. Once Thor got his hands on it, the rest would naturally fall into place.

"Being a second-generation god is so cool… wait, isn't he a third-generation god?"

As a father, Odin had paved an incredibly smooth path for Thor. All that was left was for him to go to Earth, resolve the final hidden danger, and return to Asgard to inherit the throne.

With Stormbreaker in hand, Thor now had the strength to face Thanos head-on. Even if Odin passed away, Asgard would no longer be left unprotected, and the events of Ragnarok could be avoided.

With Loki's help, and unlike in the original plot where Hela wiped out the Asgardian army beforehand, the current Asgard hadn't suffered any military losses. It remained one of the top powers in the universe. For Thanos to once again wipe out half the Asgardians, he would first need to collect all the Infinity Stones.

But now Thor and Loki intended to keep two Infinity Stones. That created a paradox.

Without defeating the Asgardians, Thanos couldn't obtain all the Infinity Stones. And without all the Infinity Stones, it would be difficult for him to defeat Asgard.

Let Thanos worry about that himself. Ethan was currently busy communicating with Eitri. He wanted to ask the Dwarf King to forge a few pieces of equipment, because using the Infinity Stones more conveniently required suitable carriers.

"What kind of carrier do you want to make?"

As the greatest craftsmen, the dwarves certainly knew what the Infinity Stones were. They had even thought about how to harness the power of the Stones in private. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to forge the Infinity Gauntlet so perfectly.

Ethan didn't need something as powerful as the Infinity Gauntlet. He wanted equipment that could channel the power of a single stone.

After all, neither Thor nor Loki could just hold a Stone in their hands every time they used it. Ethan's previous method of temporarily embedding it in a piece of equipment wasn't ideal either. The carrier would affect the energy output of the Stone, and that would directly impact its effectiveness.

"I was originally thinking of accessories like rings, but with an Infinity Stone this size, making it into a ring…"

It would be a bit too bulky, especially for someone like Thor who prefers close combat.

Embedding it directly into a weapon wasn't a good idea either. Stormbreaker was already powerful enough. Adding a Power Stone might cause unpredictable consequences.

Moreover, a weapon of this level had a structure built with precise calculations. Embedding an Infinity Stone into it would likely destroy the original "system" and turn it into nothing more than a raw energy channel.

"Can you make an item that can be worn normally but can 'stick' to any part of the body when used?"

Whether it was the back of the hand, the wrist, the chest, or even the forehead didn't matter. The goal was to use the Infinity Stones more conveniently.

He got this idea from Star-Lord's protective device.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 381: Tony Is Cheating Again

"Why make this kind of gadget? Couldn't you just make gauntlets or bracers?"

Eitri didn't understand what Ethan was trying to accomplish with this idea. Not attaching the Stones to a weapon was understandable—perhaps he had other preferred weapons and wanted to avoid conflicts. So he preferred to mount the Infinity Stones on other equipment.

But wouldn't it be better to just make gauntlets? You could wear them on your hands. Even if you didn't like gauntlets, bracers wouldn't affect mobility either.

"Because I hope you can help me forge a few special suits of armor, but I don't want to embed the Infinity Stones directly into them."

Eitri understood what Ethan meant. This person wanted to forge full sets of armor and likely wouldn't have extra space for gauntlets or bracers, which was why he wanted to make a tool that could attach the Infinity Stones to the armor's surface, ensuring he could still use them effectively while fully suited up.

"Ah, I see. That's not really difficult."

For the level of technology mastered by the dwarf kingdom, Ethan's request was simple. It was easy to make. Eitri could even create a prototype within half a day and adjust it afterward based on Ethan's testing feedback.

Eitri didn't ask Ethan for payment either. Coming to Nidavellir with Thor came with advantages—they were treated as Asgardians, and providing weapons and equipment for Asgard was precisely the dwarves' duty.

"The armor you mentioned earlier—do you have any specific requirements?"

Eitri thought Ethan wanted the dwarves to help forge a few sets of armor, just like with their past commissions. The client would provide requirements, the dwarves would design and draft blueprints, then create a prototype for review and make adjustments before producing the final version.

That was the standard process. As for the armor's appearance, most clients only requested general features, not a fully detailed design.

This time, Ethan was different. To help Eitri understand his requirements better, he directly used the power of the Reality Stone to project the Saint Cloths from his memory.

Although it was just a projection, the Reality Stone could perfectly recreate all the armor's details from Ethan's mind, which helped Eitri fully understand what Ethan was after.

Ethan didn't just materialize the armor's full appearance. He also presented both its worn and stowed forms, the specific components of each part, and even demonstrated the different abilities of the Saint Cloths.

Eitri felt a bit dizzy. Leaving aside the flashy appearance—those ornate patterns were just mildly troublesome—it was the special abilities that were a headache. Clearly, this wasn't just armor, but an integrated battle system combining offense and defense.

However, if such powerful equipment could actually be forged, it would be a great source of pride for the dwarves. The more Eitri studied it, the more excited he became. He had already begun thinking about how to tackle the design challenges and start forging these suits.

"Although I don't know how you came up with these things, I'm happy to help you forge them." Eitri already had a few ideas in mind, though whether they would succeed would depend on the trials ahead. "I just have one question: do these armors... absolutely have to look this shiny gold?"

"Uh... because these armors contain the power of stars, that's why they emit this kind of light..." Of course, the lore of the Gold Saint Cloths refers to the radiance of the sun, but the sun is a star, so calling it 'star power' wasn't wrong.

"Containing the energy of stars?"

From that, it was clear that some of the materials for these armors were fixed and wouldn't be easy to replace.

Generally speaking, after a long stable period, stars become red (or blue, white) giants and then end their life cycles with explosions. Depending on conditions like mass, there are three possible outcomes: black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs.

The core of Nidavellir was a neutron star. Mjolnir had been forged using the core of a white dwarf, mixed with special metals from Asgard.

A neutron star core was not easy to obtain. Although Nidavellir was built around one, they didn't have spare neutron star materials lying around. By contrast, they still had a small stock of white dwarf cores.

By combining those rare materials with other special metals and incorporating preset runes during forging, it was still possible to forge armor that met Ethan's requirements.

The two of them discussed for a while and finalized a rough plan.

To help forge the equipment more perfectly, Thor promised that Asgard would supply whatever materials were needed and would replenish what the dwarves consumed afterward. If Asgard didn't have those materials in stock, they would compensate with items of equal value or pay in currency.

After hearing Thor say that, Eitri had nothing more to worry about. He could now work at full capacity. In order to replicate the Saint Cloths' special abilities as accurately as possible, he requested that Ethan stay nearby so he could ask questions and verify details at any time.

Ethan, of course, had no objection. He even wanted to help with the forging—just assist, since he couldn't contribute to the actual process yet.

His goal was to learn the dwarves' forging techniques, especially how they handled mold making and why seemingly ordinary molds could produce such powerful equipment. If he could understand that, he could forge even better items in the future.

Eitri didn't care about Ethan's "secret studying." Maybe he didn't mind if Ethan learned, or maybe he believed Ethan couldn't learn it anyway. Either way, Ethan got his wish and participated in the forging process for the Gold Saint Cloths.

During this time, Ethan's companions were warmly hosted by the dwarves and toured all of Nidavellir. Tony was especially interested in the dwarf kingdom and would often come to observe the forging of the Gold Saint Cloths.

Sometimes he would even get hands-on, using various dwarf tools to tinker and build small things.

For example, the small device Ethan had mentioned earlier—the one that could hold an Infinity Stone and be used with any equipment—was picked up by Tony, who was researching nanotechnology. After Eitri produced the first prototype, Tony took it and started improving it.

It didn't take long before Tony came up with a new product.

"It looks like a diamond ring without the diamond, and it doesn't even have the part you wear on your finger..."

In simple terms, this thing was just a base, perfectly sized to hold the stone.

"Try placing your Space Stone on it."

Ethan didn't take out the Space Stone. Instead, he pulled out the Reality Stone he had been using lately. As the red stone was set into the base, the base suddenly activated, automatically adjusting the groove to lock the stone in place.

"And then?"

"You can put it anywhere on your body, and it'll automatically adapt to the situation."

Following Tony's instructions, he placed the stone and base on his wrist. The once-unassuming base immediately extended and transformed into a bracer, fitting snugly around his arm.

"Huh? Not bad."

According to Tony, this nano-base could adjust itself freely depending on the situation. It could become a bracer, wristband, ring, headband, or even a collar.

"What if I want to wear it on the outside of the Saint Cloth?"

"It'll automatically generate a metal layer that adheres to the Gold Saint Cloth. It'll even match the color, though it won't actually fuse with the armor."

Tony had already considered that. He understood Ethan's needs and wouldn't design a nano-device that permanently integrated into the Saint Cloth.

"What about the power source?"

"The Infinity Stone."

Tony had been studying Ethan's Infinity Stones for a long time. His own Arc Reactor had originated from Infinity Stone technology, and he had a solid understanding of the energy properties of the stones.

Now that he had also learned magic, his grasp of energy had deepened even more. With all that knowledge built up, he was able to create this seemingly simple piece of gear in a short time.

Ethan activated the stone and felt the energy flow. There was no delay, and the device showed no sign of being overwhelmed by the energy output.

"Perfect."

This was exactly the kind of device Ethan needed. He had originally thought he'd have to wait until the Gold Saint Cloths were completed before Eitri could make adjustments to the previous prototypes. He hadn't expected Tony to solve the problem in the meantime.

Bringing him along for a tour of the universe was absolutely the right decision. Tony, with his broadened horizons and advanced knowledge from other civilizations, was now going wild with creativity.

"You've been studying all of Nidavellir lately?"

"Yeah. A Dyson Sphere is just a theory back on Earth. This is the real deal."

Ethan looked at Tony, whose expression held a trace of fanaticism, and suddenly thought: This guy… could he be thinking of building a Dyson Sphere? When he asked, he got exactly the kind of answer you'd expect from Tony Stark.

"Why not?"

Tony didn't believe he was any less capable than these dwarves. If they could do it, why couldn't he?

Of course, he wasn't so arrogant as to ignore the difficulty. A massive artificial celestial structure like this wasn't easy to build. There were many problems to solve.

"And it's not practical to start with a neutron star core. Maybe I should find a white dwarf to practice with first..."

He already had it planned. Start with a white dwarf and refine the process. Once the technology was solid, he'd move on to building a Dyson Sphere with a neutron star core, just like Nidavellir.

The ultimate goal? Of course, a Dyson Sphere using a stable, active star as the core.

(To be continued.)