The Meaning of Civilization, Odin's Disguised Investment
Facing Odin, whose demeanor was slightly hurried.
Lucifer reached out and picked a fruit from the platter in front of him, saying, "In the knowledge treasury of my civilization, I know almost everything."
After speaking, he took a bite of the fruit.
This statement was half-true and half-false.
The knowledge treasury of the Angelic Civilization could indeed store godlike technology.
But he hadn't even developed the knowledge treasury yet, and even if he had,
it would still be empty, with no technology stored.
However, the knowledge about Ragnarok was something he brought as a time-traveler.
This information was absolutely accurate.
Having received confirmation,
Odin turned to look in the direction his two sons had just left.
Then, he leisurely asked, "Based on what you've observed so far, what do you think of my two children?"
After speaking, he turned back and rephrased the question, "Or rather, who do you think is more suited to be king?"
Asking such a question to someone he'd only known for a few hours—
Odin must truly be at his wits' end.
Lucifer elegantly ate the fruit in his hand.
Then, leaning against the sofa cushion, he slowly said with his right hand resting on the armrest, "The second son is hot-tempered and straightforward, you could say he's single-minded."
"The third son is cunning and scheming, obsessed with proving himself, eager to showcase his abilities. You could say his thoughts are tangled, but not necessarily malicious."
After saying this,
Odin nodded, even more convinced that Lucifer was indeed the king of a civilization.
Even Thor and Loki knew they were the second and third princes.
As for the personalities of his two children, Odin had known for a long time.
But what he cared about wasn't that—it was who could restore Asgard to its current state after Ragnarok.
Or rather, whether it was possible to prevent Ragnarok and develop Asgard even further.
That was what truly mattered.
"Hela will definitely return for revenge, and my two children are still too young."
Odin said slowly, "They need to grow, but the time left for them is too little."
This was the truth.
Lucifer nodded and said, "The more experiences one goes through, the more they grow. Perhaps you could consider this approach."
Experience = Tempering = Refinement
For some reason, Odin's first instinct was to let his two children experience what it's like to be ordinary humans.
Or rather, to live as ordinary mortals—that should be enough.
Watching Odin deep in thought,
Lucifer silently offered a moment of silence for the two.
"And this dark energy..."
After discussing for a while,
Odin directly shifted the topic to Lucifer's absorption of so much dark energy.
To reshape a body with limitless future potential,
the light cluster his system prepared had nearly drained all of Asgard's dark energy.
This was no small matter in any civilization.
Odin, of course, wouldn't give it away for free.
Just think about how much dark energy it took to send Thor down in Avengers 1—it still pains Odin to remember.
Let alone this time, when it was completely drained.
In the short term, even activating the Bifröst Bridge would require careful frequency planning.
Hearing Odin bring this up, Lucifer smiled—he'd almost forgotten.
"Since I brought up Ragnarok, then here's my proposal."
Finishing the fruit in his hand, Lucifer looked at Odin and confidently suggested, "When that day comes, I'll do my best to compensate for the value of this dark energy."
"If the myth still unfolds and Asgard is destroyed, under the negotiation between our civilizations, I'll assist the next king of Asgard in rebuilding it."
"This is also a way to thank Thor for bringing me back."
Thor's help in bringing Lucifer back was no small favor.
Otherwise, he wouldn't know how long he'd have to drift before finding a civilization that could properly convert dark energy.
Hearing Lucifer's explanation,
Odin pondered briefly and readily accepted the response.
This is essentially an investment—what's there to fear?
With just a few words, Odin felt the Angelic Civilization was a civilization of extraordinary potential.
And the gap between it and the previous Heaven was undoubtedly vast.
Just from the knowledge treasury that knew so much, Odin felt this civilization was no ordinary one.
A civilization having a decent artifact was already impressive.
Let alone Lucifer mentioning just one knowledge treasury—Odin felt it was solid.
Thinking this, Odin asked, "The Angelic Civilization... what kind of civilization is it? What do you plan to do in the future?"
Learning more about a civilization couldn't hurt, and Odin was no exception with this unfamiliar one.
"The Angelic Civilization..."
Lucifer leaned back on the sofa, slowly repeating the phrase.
His head tilted slightly back, gazing at the golden ceiling, his previously relaxed expression now turning serious.
Recalling the beautiful figures soaring through the universe in his mind,
Lucifer remained in that posture and firmly said, "To enjoy life, to live a meaningful existence..."
After saying this, Lucifer sat up straight, looking at the somewhat bewildered Odin, and added:
"This is not an easy thing—it's the hardest thing of all."
"The Angelic Civilization's pursuit isn't much—it's simply to do what we want."
Fighting and killing are unavoidable.
Developing technology is for ourselves.
If there weren't so many threats and challenges, who would willingly endure such hardship?
Wouldn't it be better to chat and play games with the most beautiful angels in the universe every day?