Is something wrong with Odin?
When Ronan heard this news, even he froze for a moment.
Thor had only been on Earth for a few days—how could Odin, back in Asgard, have run into trouble already?
Could it be that Odin caught some kind of "Thor-leaves-and-I-die" disease?
"No way!"
When he heard this, Thor stood up immediately.
He didn't ask what had happened to Odin or what exactly was going on.
His first reaction was simply, "No way."
Because in Thor's subconscious, Odin, the King of the Gods, had no equal.
"While you were away from Asgard and came to Earth, His Majesty Odin chose to enter a deep slumber."
"But just a short while ago, the Queen, as usual, checked on His Majesty Odin's safety during his sleep, only to discover, unexpectedly, that His Majesty Odin had vanished!"
The one who came to find Thor wasn't just anyone—it was Sif.
According to Odin and his wife's intentions, she was the daughter-in-law they had in mind.
She was also the future Queen of Asgard.
"Vanished?"
"How could that be!"
Even now, Thor still couldn't believe something had happened to Odin.
He'd only been on Earth for a few days—how could something this huge happen in Asgard out of nowhere?
Could it really have something to do with him coming to Earth?
"Thor, this isn't about what's possible or impossible right now—you need to go back and see for yourself."
"No matter what's happened to His Majesty Odin, you need to return to Asgard and take charge."
Sif advised from the side.
Actually, Ronan had crossed paths with Sif before—not often, but enough to see that she was indeed a solid choice for a queen.
Whether it was her grasp of the big picture or the clarity of her mind, she outshone Thor by a wide margin.
With her help, Thor could at least have a much easier time.
"She's right—you need to go check it out."
"I'll save the booze for you. After you've dealt with everything, you can swing by anytime."
Ronan chimed in.
He'd been drinking with Thor long enough, even if he kept using magic to swap the liquor in his cup for juice of the same color.
But chugging that much juice? Even he was starting to feel it.
Hearing Ronan say this, Sif nodded toward him from the side.
In her eyes, Ronan was a decent friend.
"Got it."
"I'll head back for now."
Thor took a deep breath and immediately followed Sif out to an open clearing.
As the Bifrost rained down from the sky, the two of them vanished in an instant.
All that remained on the ground was the rune circle left by the Bifrost.
Ronan gave a light wave of his hand, and with a flash of light, the ground returned to normal.
He looked into the distance, unable to stop himself from shaking his head.
Though the future wasn't set in stone, Odin didn't seem to see it that way.
He seemed more fixated on those predetermined outcomes.
Still, no matter what, Ronan knew he'd have to go check on him.
That's right—Ronan knew where Odin was.
Somewhere right here on Earth.
He even knew when Odin had arrived and what his purpose was this time.
After all, before Thor showed up, Ronan had faintly sensed a message Odin had sent his way.
So, a golden portal materialized in front of Ronan, and on the other side lay a stretch of blue sea and sky.
An old man with an eyepatch, dressed in human clothes, was sitting there.
Ronan stepped through the portal and arrived at this place.
This spot was actually very familiar to him—heck, you could say he had a bit of a connection to it.
Because back in the day, when Odin tasked him with finding a suitable spot for Asgard's people, Ronan had picked this very location.
Asgard shelled out the cash and bought it up.
When it came to what the "future" would look like, Odin knew better than anyone.
"Your Majesty, are you satisfied with this place?"
Ronan walked up to Odin's side, asking with a smile.
A spot this big didn't just cost money—it took effort to find and secure. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
"Whether I'm satisfied doesn't matter—what matters is them."
Odin smiled, sitting casually on the ground.
Right now, he felt more like an ordinary old man than the ruler of a realm.
"So, you've really made up your mind?"
"The future isn't set in stone, you know."
Ronan sat down beside Odin, showing no trace of fear toward him.
On the contrary, he found the old guy pretty interesting.
"For an old-timer like me, the future doesn't matter anymore."
"That's all for you young folks."
Odin gave a faint smile, his answer a bit off-topic.
Ronan let out a helpless sigh.
"I get your thinking. If Thor's going to stand on his own and truly grow up—"
"Then he can't have that so-called safety net."
"And only when the weight of responsibility lands on his shoulders will he become the king he's meant to be."
That was Odin's idea.
Actually, back when Ronan had just taken up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, he'd already had a chat with Odin.
At the time, they'd discussed the whole "Ragnarok" business.
As long as Odin didn't die, Hela—sealed away—wouldn't revive, and the so-called Ragnarok wouldn't happen.
Of course, there was another layer to it.
The fake Ragnarok: Hela revives, takes over Asgard, and in the end, Thor and Loki team up to destroy Asgard, taking Hela down with it.
The real Ragnarok: Asgard's people flee to Earth, only to run into Thanos on the way, losing half their number.
The only thing that piqued Ronan's curiosity was one detail.
Thanos only kills half the population—it fits his whole philosophy perfectly.
But how does he pick that half?
Would he, for the sake of the planet's future survival, split it evenly between men and women?
Or maybe divide it into adults and kids, killing half of each gender and sparing the rest?
Now that you think about it, Thanos definitely wouldn't pass the political correctness test.
He'd dare to say there are only two genders—if the freedom-loving folks in America caught wind of that, wouldn't they drag him on Twitter and roast him for years?
Anyway, back then, Ronan had laid it out clear as day.
With him and Odin teaming up, plus Thor and Asgard's warriors—
They'd probably be able to protect Asgard's people and maybe even take down Thanos.
But now, it looked like Odin wasn't going that route.
And the reason? Probably about 80% of what Ronan had just said.
"Yeah, Thor's been in plenty of fights, but he still hasn't figured out who he really is."
"He relies too much on that hammer of his, not his own strength."
"So, he's got to figure that out."
"And the only way he's going to get it—"
"Is by losing what he leans on!"