Chapter 10: Private Conversations

"Apparently, the Celts prefer the Greek Pantheon, Odin." Odin's thoughtful eyes turned to Mimir after hearing him. He gave Gaia, who had met with Lugh, a scrutinizing glance, then furrowed his brow. "What do you think?"

Mimir paused for a moment, then smiled. "The Celts already see Heaven as a potential threat. That's why they have to seek support from the Greek Pantheon. They're desperate. Similarly, Heaven seems to care more about them than about us."

Mimir then smiled cunningly. "This is an opportunity for us. If we quickly resolve our internal issues, we can also avoid the threat of Heaven."

Odin, hearing Mimir, stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes, and then broke out of his thoughts, turning to Mimir.

"I understand," Odin stopped stroking his beard and looked over at Michael, who was speaking to Uriel in the corner. He then turned back to Mimir. "Are you suggesting a partnership with Heaven?"

"Partnership, at least a mutual interest agreement. Don't forget, your brothers still have a say. If you really want to become the great leader you wish, you need external support," Mimir said. "Sooner or later, we'll have to choose one of the two supreme Pantheons. Unlike the distant Greek Pantheon, Heaven is a good option."

Odin's face contorted at Mimir's words. "Are you telling me I can't conquer the nine realms on my own?"

"Yes, you can't. Surtr is strong enough to defeat you alone. I'm not even counting the Light Elves and the Vanir Gods," Mimir said bluntly. Even Odin, usually a tough and brave man, couldn't deny Mimir's words.

After all, Mimir was right. Surtr had flames dangerous enough to even burn Ymir. The Ice Giants were already a problem on their own. Odin didn't even count the Elves.

"Also, Loki is hardly reliable, Odin. We have too many problems," Mimir said in a tone that was almost pleading, and Odin finally relented and accepted. Heaven's support was a must.

Thinking of his blood brother, Odin grimaced. Though Loki was his blood brother, he had always been a wild and deceptive god. Nine out of ten of Loki's sentences were lies, and the one that wasn't was always deceptive.

Similarly, Odin, thinking of his always rebellious brothers and his mad father, found himself closer to Mimir's idea and stopped being stubborn.

"Alright, you're right. What should we do?" Seeing that Odin wasn't being stubborn, Mimir felt happy for the leader he had chosen. At least Odin wasn't arrogant. Mimir didn't wait any longer and shared his thoughts.

"Heaven isn't interested in us. That way, with a simple friendship agreement, we can at least gain verbal support," Mimir said with simple understanding. Odin, however, felt a bit reluctant as he thought about his people's reaction.

The Aesir gods were generally proud. While this pride was something Odin shared, unlike him, the pride of the Aesir gods often overshadowed their wisdom.

Odin's brothers, unlike Odin, worshiped power and pride. The reason Mimir preferred Odin was that Odin's pride didn't overshadow his wisdom.

Feeling Odin's thoughts, Mimir smiled and then proposed a solution to him. "Although the Aesir gods are proud, you'll overpower them to be the sole leader. Sooner or later, when the Nine Realms go to war, you can use this truth as an excuse to cover it up."

Hearing Mimir's wise words, Odin quickly accepted. "Alright, as you said, Heaven's support is essential. Let's meet with them."

Mimir's smile grew upon hearing Odin. "I'll quickly arrange a meeting. Don't worry."

Odin simply nodded and gave Mimir the order to go. Mimir quickly spoke to Michael, securing the meeting, and they went to a room specially arranged by the Celts.

Odin entered the room, where there was just a simple table and chairs, constantly calculating the outcomes. He greeted Michael.

"Thank you for giving the green light to the agreement. I hope this marks the beginning of a friendship," Odin said in a manner that was more polite than usual. Michael simply nodded, then gestured for Odin to sit.

"We heard your request, and we wanted to listen," Michael said. Odin, without extending the conversation, directly got to the point. "We have always been a secluded Pantheon. That's why we think it's necessary to establish communication with other peaceful Pantheons."

"It's nice that you're considering this, but I think that's not your real intention?" Hearing Michael, Odin glanced at Mimir for a moment. Seeing Mimir's approval, Odin didn't hide his intention and explained it.

"Correct, our real aim was to request support. You know, unlike other mid-level Pantheons, the Scandinavian Pantheon is large and filled with chaos." Odin paused for a moment, wanting to see Michael's reaction. When he saw that Michael showed no expression, he continued.

"As the heir of Ymir, Asgard is by far the strongest authority, but this authority is always undermined, distracted, and challenged by warmongering. That's why, with the help of my wise advisor, we've decided it would be good to negotiate with Heaven."

As Odin paused, this time Michael began to speak. "As representatives of peace, we'd be happy to help you, of course. But at the same time, we respect the internal affairs of Pantheons."

Hearing Michael's words, Odin thought that Heaven would not offer help, but to his surprise, Michael continued.

"But that doesn't mean we won't offer support. The will of God believes you will bring peace." Michael looked at Odin seriously. Odin felt a relief deep inside, but he didn't show it on his face.

"God will do you a favor, but in return, we want an embassy in Asgard. That's our condition."

As Michael's words were cut short, Odin fell into thought. An embassy would be enough for Heaven to be aware of everything. Since God could already see everything, Odin felt that there was little harm in the embassy and accepted it.

"This is acceptable. Are there any other conditions?" Odin suppressed his pride, hoping to make himself resilient to the words. Fortunately, Michael had no other conditions.

"This is good; in return, Heaven will provide support that will strengthen you in battle," Michael said. Curious about what kind of support this would be, Odin listened carefully as Michael continued.

"Do you know Njord's daughter, Freya, the leader of the Vanir?" Michael said calmly. Without questioning how Michael knew this, Odin nodded seriously. "Yes, she's a Vanir."

After a pause, Michael continued. "We will make Freya fall in love with you. If you marry her, even Njord will have to bow to Asgard and form an alliance. This will be our support to you. That way, you'll have a balanced power against Jotunheim and Muspelheim."

Upon hearing Michael's words, Odin was momentarily disappointed. He would have preferred more support from Heaven, but for now, this was enough.

Exchanging a glance with Mimir, Odin accepted. Although Vanaheim wasn't exactly equal to Asgard, it would still make Asgard more advantageous in the other realms, thus maintaining balance.

After Odin agreed, Michael added one final detail. "This is just the beginning. We'd like to offer you more support, but we are still at the start of this friendship. It will take some more time to receive further support from us."

"This works for us. After all, you can't become friends all of a sudden," Odin said with a diplomatic smile. Michael then turned his gaze to Uriel, and as a wave of light enveloped them, they disappeared.

With Michael and Uriel gone, the smile on Odin's face faded, replaced by a serious expression. "Do you think this was a good deal?"

Mimir paused for a moment, lost in thought. If Asgard indeed entered into an alliance through Freya's marriage, it would be beneficial for Odin. After all, with Odin's marriage, Vanaheim would have to sit at the alliance table with Asgard.

Likewise, Odin's presence would remain necessary. Many who didn't want Odin in power would still see that the alliance with Asgard existed because of Odin's presence, and they would hesitate.

Of course, there would be some bad outcomes. First, the Vanir gods would have a long-standing hatred toward Asgard. To them, Odin marrying Freya would create Vanir hybrids.

Naturally, the benefits outweighed the harm. Seeing this, Mimir nodded obediently. He turned to Odin. "Well, it went well. The only thing you need to do is make Freya fall in love with you as promised."

"Do you think they will keep their word?" Odin asked curiously. Mimir, though skeptical, still believed they would do as promised. "Heaven is a powerful Pantheon. They won't gain anything by lying."

Hearing Mimir's words, Odin stopped thinking about it and shifted his thoughts.

Thinking about Njord's daughter, Odin furrowed his brow. Deep down, the idea of someone being forced to fall in love with him made him feel uneasy, but prioritizing Asgard, Odin strengthened his resolve.

"Everyone's leaving already. There's no need for us to stay." Hearing this, Mimir nodded. Even though they weren't from a high Pantheon, they could still teleport with the device called Bifrost.

For a moment, Odin and Mimir were surrounded by blue light and runes. Then, the figures disappeared, returning to Asgard, leaving the room silent again.