Chapter 43: The Berserker Staff (Part 2)

"You're injured." In an ordinary motel, Daniel Davis, upon being notified by Aida, arrived and saw her pale face.

"It's just a minor injury." Aida waved dismissively, but her tightly furrowed brows betrayed her.

"Broken ribs aren't a minor injury. Why didn't you go to the hospital?" Daniel, after checking her, immediately used the power of the Ope-Ope Fruit. He pulled out a scalpel, cut out the injured part, treated it, and then restored it to her body.

"You can do that? You should have been a doctor." Aida touched her healed side in amazement.

"I am a doctor. So, what happened?" Daniel asked.

"The item was stolen. I didn't expect a professor to be so strong." Aida explained the cause of her injury.

Aida had been diligently working on the tasks Daniel assigned, prioritizing the retrieval of the Berserker Staff. She had a knack for this, being a professional.

Although Daniel hadn't mentioned the book's title, its contents pertained to Asgardian myths. So, Aida had people investigate Norse worshippers and pagans, leading them to the book.

It turned out the book was with the couple from the original story who went searching for the Berserker Staff.

Currently, with Asgard still a myth, few believed in it. In the original story, they searched for the staff after Thor appeared in the Battle of New York, confirming Asgard's existence and prompting them to believe the book's contents.

With the book in hand, Aida consulted mythology professors and experts, eventually locating the first part of the Berserker Staff. However, while searching for the second part, she unexpectedly encountered a professor she had previously consulted, Dr. Elliott Randolph.

Aida underestimated this seemingly ordinary professor and paid the price. Dr. Randolph turned out to be incredibly powerful, and she couldn't defeat him, leading to the item being stolen.

"What a stroke of luck." Daniel laughed after hearing Aida's story.

He knew who the professor was but couldn't identify him due to lack of details. However, now the professor had come to him.

"You know who he is?" Aida noticed Daniel's expression.

"I knew of him but not his identity. Can you track him?"

"Of course." Aida took out a tracker.

As a spy, her belongings weren't easily taken.

"Aren't we going after him?" Aida asked, watching Dr. Elliott Randolph, with a long package on his back, get into his car and drive away.

"We're missing one piece. Instead of searching slowly, let him lead us to it." Daniel smiled from the passenger seat.

"He knows where it is. Why start searching now?" Aida asked, surprised.

"He hid it. Why would he search for it?" Daniel laughed.

"You mean?" Aida was shocked. If not for her seatbelt, she might have jumped up.

Magic and such were shocking, but with superpowers already existing, magic wasn't too far-fetched. But characters from Norse mythology, Asgardian myths, were something else. Aida had read the book many times while searching for the Berserker Staff.

"Don't be so surprised. Gods can be seen as aliens."

"Aliens?"

Despite Daniel's explanation, it was hard for Aida to accept immediately.

"Alright, let's follow him."

In an old church in Ireland, Dr. Elliott Randolph quietly entered, retrieving the final piece of the Berserker Staff he had hidden there.

"Where should I hide it now?" He murmured, looking at the three pieces.

"Hide it with me." Daniel and Aida emerged.

"It's you." Seeing Aida, Randolph understood what was happening.

"You're an Asgardian, the one who hid this Berserker Staff." Aida questioned after scrutinizing Randolph.

"What are you talking about? I'm just a professor curious about myths." Randolph was startled by her accusation, responding with a forced smile.

"Stop denying it. I know who you are. I'm not interested in you, just the staff." Daniel stepped forward.

"This item shouldn't be out there." Accepting the situation, Randolph grabbed one part of the staff, causing it to glow. He then assembled the other two parts, forming a complete Berserker Staff with no visible joints.

Holding the staff, Randolph's aura changed instantly.

"An Asgardian berserker. This is a church. Let's not cause damage here."

"You can still give up now." On a nearby hillside, Randolph, holding the staff, drove it into the ground. The earth shook, and half the staff embedded into the rocky ground.

"Impressive strength, but I'm taking the staff today." Daniel, forming hand seals, summoned a golden staff, "Watch out."

He charged at Randolph. Though just an ordinary Asgardian soldier, Randolph was far superior to humans. Even Aida couldn't beat him.

Asgardians, even ordinary ones, were physically superior to humans. In the original story, Randolph bent Ward's knife and broke handcuffs with ease. Few on Earth could match such strength.

Clang, clang, clang.

Their fight was pure brute force, with no finesse. Sparks flew as their staffs clashed. Initially, Randolph held his ground, but soon began to retreat.

"Hmm." Randolph roared, the staff glowing as he charged at Daniel.

"Strength has increased. If this is just a stonemason, I can't imagine Thor or Loki's strength." Despite Randolph's boost, he was still no match for Daniel. After forcing Randolph back with a strike, Daniel turned his staff into a chain, wrapped it around Randolph's legs, and pulled him down. The chain then whipped the staff from Randolph's grasp.

"Beating him is no issue, but fighting Thor or Loki is still far off." The difference between ordinary Asgardians and royalty was vast.

Asgardians' average lifespan was five thousand years, but this didn't include nobility or royalty. Odin, for instance, had lived for hundreds of thousands to millions of years.

Of course, this longevity was tied to their strength. The stronger they were, the longer they lived.

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