267

Chapter: Detonate the Dying Star

"Yes."

Eitri replied, leading Odin and the others out of the palace to a pier where several spaceships were docked.

The spaceship wasn't large, only accommodating about a dozen people, and its design was quite basic—a simple iron structure.

"Is this a spaceship?" Beta Ray Bill questioned, skeptical of its simplistic appearance.

Eitri turned to him. "Nidavellir's star mining vessel is the mightiest in the universe. Doubt it? Try to destroy it. If you manage, I'll treat you to mead."

"Forget it," said Thor.

The group boarded the mining ship.

Inside, it was as plain as the exterior, constructed purely from raw steel, with seats that were more functional than comfortable.

"Let's proceed," Eitri announced, starting the ship. It departed from Nidavellir's steel pier, heading into the deep reaches of space.

Despite its crude appearance, the dwarf's mining ship was surprisingly powerful and fast, outclassing the Kree escape ships Rowe had encountered.

After two space jumps, the mining ship arrived at a distant corner of the cosmos.

"There's our mining target," Eitri pointed out.

Peering through the viewport in the direction indicated, they saw a massive red nebula floating in space ahead, encompassing a fiery sphere emitting dazzling light.

"A dying star," Eitri explained.

Beta Ray Bill was astonished. "Mining a star?"

Odin smiled knowingly. "Mjölnir's metal, Uru, originates from a dying star."

"But can this ship withstand the star's power?" Thor asked.

Eitri reassured them. "This dying star is unstable and could collapse anytime. We just need to trigger it, releasing matter, including the Uru ore we seek."

"And how do we trigger it?"

Eitri looked to Odin. "With His Majesty Odin present, we needn't worry."

"Leave it to me," Odin said, stepping out alone into the starry void, standing amidst the nebula.

He retrieved a golden spear, Asgard's regal weapon, the Spear of Eternity.

Clutching the spear tightly, Odin summoned its power, causing it to shimmer with a rainbow-like radiance.

From the spear burst forth a beam of light resembling a rainbow bridge—an artifact of Asgard's kingship, capable of invoking the Bifrost.

The rainbow bridge's beam traversed vast distances through the nebula, striking the fiery core of the dying star.

Asgardian might surged forth, triggering the star's collapse from its unstable state, causing it to disintegrate in a burst of light and heat.

Of course, Forseti and the others at the nebula's edge couldn't witness the star's detonation due to the delay in light transmission.

Odin withdrew the Spear of Eternity and returned to the mining ship. "Let's return."

Stars, though vast, vary in size—yet each is monumental to humanity. Thus, a star's explosion can span from mere hours to the cycles of sun and moon.

During its explosive phase, the star's vicinity becomes hazardous, necessitating departure.

Eitri nodded, initiating a spatial jump back to Nidavellir.

Days later, they returned to the star's vicinity.

By now, the star was no longer dying but dead, leaving behind vast debris, suspended substances, and interwoven nebulae of various colors.

The mining ship maneuvered through the nebula, extending a mechanical arm to retrieve a gray object—reminiscent of gold yet not, like stone yet not—that was brought aboard.

"Is this Uru ore?"

Within the cabin, Forseti, Beta Ray Bill, and the Einherjar beheld Uru ore for the first time, awestruck.

"It is," Eitri confirmed. "Though all Uru ore, the quality varies. Low-quality ore lacks the value for forging."

"And the quality of this ore?" Beta Ray Bill inquired.

"Let's see," Eitri replied, extracting a dagger to scrape a sample, examining it closely.

After a moment, he shook his head. "Not great. This ore can only yield secondary-grade Uru. We'll need to find another dying star."

Odin sighed. "Constructing Mjölnir required the detonation of four dying stars to find high-quality Uru ore. Let's hope this time is less troublesome."

Forseti sweated, understanding why Uru weapons were rare—they were truly divine.

Finding Uru ore proved daunting. Without the aid of the Allsight, ordinary beings wouldn't even contemplate such a feat.

After evaluating a few more ore samples—all similarly low-grade—Eitri steered the mining ship to another dying star.

Suddenly, a voice cut through Odin's thoughts.

"Stop!"

Odin turned, seeing a silver rainbow streaking towards him, and a radiant figure materialized.

This figure, not flesh but composed of silver translucent material—crystal or stardust-like—glowed magnificently.

"Who are you?" Odin demanded.

The silver figure spoke. "I am Stardust, emissary of the World Devourer Galactus."

"The World Devourer!" Odin's expression darkened.

Stardust continued. "The World Devourer is part of the cosmic order, Odin. As Asgard's king, you know this."

Extending a hand, Stardust cautioned, "There's a planet destined for the World Devourer. You cannot destroy this star, for it interferes with universal order."

"Interference with cosmic order invites cosmic retribution."