Chapter 75: The Scent of Sentient Beings
The magic spell that All-Father Odin attached to the Hammer of Thor made it an "unmovable object" in the eyes of ordinary people.
Although the exact corresponding conditions were unclear, based on the traits of those who could lift it, the so-called "qualifications" were nothing more than qualities like righteousness, resilience, guardianship, and sacrifice.
But Oaks didn't possess all of these qualities.
He had a sense of justice, enough resilience, and a willingness to protect, but when it came to sacrifice...
He had already sacrificed in the previous life, and the matters after his death that he didn't need to think about had troubled him for quite some time.
So in this life, he wanted to firmly grasp his own destiny.
The unmovable Hammer of Thor proved his positioning to himself.
However, that didn't prevent him from clearly perceiving the terrifying power of thunder contained within the hammer.
This was a powerful weapon forged from Uru metal, and the endless thunderous magical energy made it invincible—
Unless the opponent possessed magic far superior to it, in most cases, it was nearly indestructible.
But most people didn't even have the qualification to perceive such power.
The reason Oaks could feel the existence of this power was precisely because of his proficiency in balance spells.
He also had insights into harnessing the power of thunder.
"What an amazing creation..."
The Hammer of Thor in Oaks's eyes was different from what Coulson and the others saw.
In addition to the hammerhead made of Uru metal, the handle of Mjolnir was made of an extremely special wood.
Oaks could clearly sense that on the handle, though insignificant, there existed a profound natural scent belonging to plants—
Profound and immeasurable!
In this world, theoretically...
The source of the material for the handle, "Yggdrasil," the World Tree, should be an intangible cosmic phenomenon.
Could it be from some other unique tree species?
"Your judgment is not wrong. This thing should indeed have an owner."
Oaks closed his eyes and sensed the hammer for a long time before temporarily suppressing his doubts and opening his eyes.
"Coulson, I believe you have something to do."
"Do you have any discoveries, Consultant Oaks?"
Coulson became energized after hearing that.
Indeed, he deserved to be called a Consultant. He noticed the problem as soon as he arrived?
But wait, does that mean that Oaks can perceive its thoughts, like an animal?
That would be too far-fetched...
"This hammer carries the aura of its owner. There is no doubt that it emanates the scent of a sentient being."
Oaks said seriously, spouting nonsense that made Coulson's eyebrow twitch.
"Because hundreds of people have tried to lift it."
That includes all of us and yourself.
If we hadn't stopped it in time, the handle of the hammer would have been worn out by the time you arrived.
Damn, the scent of a sentient being...
"But, Coulson, I can responsibly say that this scent does not belong to an Earth's sentient being, that is, a human being.
You know that I am very sensitive to the scent of sentient beings... I can even feel that the two subordinates behind you, the one on the left, has a wound on his right index finger."
Oaks's serious nonsense made Coulson raise an eyebrow. He turned to look at his subordinate—
He wore gloves on his right hand.
"Uh... that's true, boss."
The black-clad man twitched the corner of his mouth and took off his right-hand glove, revealing a wound on his right index finger.
"I scratched it while installing the equipment yesterday, so I found a glove to cover it."
"..."
Coulson silently turned his head. "What should we do?"
Oaks wasn't completely clueless.
There were indeed traces of Thor's magic power remaining on the hammer, which was his thunderous power. Up until now, Thor relied on the power of the Hammer to channel the power within him and couldn't actively release his own thunderous power.
Although Thor's power had been sealed by Odin, turning him into a mortal, Odin hadn't stripped him of his power. It was just a bluff.
If Oaks got close enough to Thor, he could indeed confirm his identity through the power within the Hammer. But he couldn't explain it like that to Coulson.
"There's something else..."
Oaks returned to Coulson's side and whispered, "I heard that you confiscated observation equipment from a group of amateur astronomers this morning."
"That's right. They were conducting observations not far from this area on the night of the incident—
One of them was Dr. Erik Selvig, a former colleague of Dr. Banner."
Coulson said, with a wry smile, "But it seems they don't quite understand our actions."
"...Obviously. Your actions are no different from those of robbers. Although they were paid, you have to understand that for those true scientists, personally modified equipment and precious data are priceless."
Rolling his eyes at Coulson, Oaks complained, "If you had done things the same way back then, I bet the grass on your grave would be several meters high by now."
"...I will apologize after this is over."
Coulson's smile became even more bitter. Well, in front of this guy who slit Obadiah Stane's throat right in front of Tony, he was in a completely different league from the cowardly Dr. Selvig.
However, they later found out that this cowardly doctor knew Bruce Banner as well.
Not only that, it seemed he had some connection with a former important figure in S.H.I.E.L.D.
"What's the nearest town?"
When Coulson heard Oaks's question, he snapped back to attention.
"It's Puente Antiguo. Dr. Selvig is there. Should we seal off the town?"
"That would create too much commotion. Investigate secretly—see if there are any unfamiliar individuals who have recently appeared."
Oaks pointed at the still-tilted Hammer on the ground. "Since it's a weapon of sentient beings, it's difficult to associate its design with non-humanoid creatures, right? What's the first thing you would do when you arrive in a strange place?"
"Hide and gather intelligence."
Coulson suddenly realized, "Consultant Oaks, are you saying that the owner of the hammer might be hiding among the crowd? But with all that commotion back then..."
"If he had the ability to cause such commotion, why has there been no activity these past few days?"
Although Oaks was well aware that Thor was currently just a brute, and hiding and gathering intelligence was completely impossible for him...
But at least this reason could be used to have S.H.I.E.L.D. monitor Puente Antiguo, avoiding further casualties.
"Prepare a rescue team in secret and be prepared for the worst-case scenario. If it turns out to be a Destroyer and he draws his sword..."
Oaks looked at Coulson, his expression becoming serious, and nodded. "So, to him, are we the Saxons?"
"...I understand. I'll make the preparations."
By collecting atmospheric observation data, S.H.I.E.L.D. had undoubtedly confirmed that the hammer originated from beyond the atmosphere.
In other words, there was a high possibility that it came from extraterrestrial civilizations.
Oaks' words proved that the hammer had an owner, and that owner was not a human being.
How extraterrestrial life viewed humans was not under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control.
The only thing Coulson could do was to ensure that, in case of conflict, the people of Puente Antiguo would be evacuated in a timely manner.
But as Oaks said, they couldn't alert the unknown target in advance, so they had to handle it secretly.
"Consultant Oaks... will this unknown target fit our human aesthetic?"
Dr. Banner was about to arrive, and Coulson, who was there to welcome him, was concerned whether they could judge the target based on appearance.
Oaks twitched the corner of his mouth and stroked his chin. "Who knows? Maybe he'll look like the male lead from Point Break?"
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