Chapter 527: My Daughter Ran Away with the Yellow Hair
In the castle built on the mountain, the mountain giant king Shaki sat on the jewel-studded throne with his sword in hand.
He had the typical yellow-brown skin of a mountain giant, his muscles all over his body were as knotty as a dragon, his height was controlled at about three meters, his body was strong but not bloated. From a distance, he gave people a sense of mountainous oppression and the depth that came from the refinement of time.
Although rocks are not as aggressive as wind and snow, they can better withstand the erosion of time.
Similarly, the Mountain Giant King Shaki was not the most powerful in Jotunheim, nor was he the most famous. He was often overshadowed by the previous Frost Giant Kings, but he reigned longer than several previous Frost Giant Kings.
Because, this is a rare giant who has drunk the fountain of wisdom, comprehended the runes, and knows how to use his brain.
At this moment, seeing his daughter Skadi rushing into the palace aggressively, he was not angry but happy:
"Why, have you figured it out?"
Skadi snorted and asked, "Did you send the giants to attack my village?"
Not hearing the answer he wanted, Xia Ji shook his head in disappointment and replied casually:
"I don't know what you are talking about, giants or not. Ever since those Aesir gods made such a fuss here, the Land of Noise has been in chaos. Solem's men have been out of control and have fled to all parts of the country, causing chaos everywhere. Not only the villages under your rule, but also many of my subjects have been attacked."
Hearing this high-sounding reason, Skadi gritted his teeth and said:
"So when are you going to restore order?"
"Restore order? You think too highly of me, don't you?"
Xia Ji spread his hands, looking helpless.
"I am under pressure from the Aesir above me, and I am also at odds with the Frost Giant King Laofey. No matter which side attacks me, I am afraid I will end up like Thorem. I can't even protect myself at this moment, so how can I care about the lives of others?"
After hearing this heartfelt complaint, Skadi fell silent.
Seeing this, Xia Ji took the opportunity to speak:
"Skadi, my daughter. The last time you went to the Dwarf Kingdom to quell the dragon disaster, you should have seen the faces of those Asgardians. They are now in their heyday, squeezing the living space of our giants all the time. Before Thorem was still alive, he and I joined forces to barely control the [Land of Noise] and seek a resting place for the entire mountain giant clan. Now Thorem has been killed by Thor, the god of thunder, and the [Land of Noise] is in chaos. Our power is at a low point. If an outsider attacks us, we will be in danger."
"So, you want to give me to the Frost Giant King Laufey, or the Vanir God King Njord?" Skadi asked back.
"There is no other way. If we want to live in peace, we must stick together for warmth." Shaki answered frankly, and then looked at his daughter sincerely, "You should have heard of the talents of Laufey and Njord. As long as you are willing to marry them, they will definitely not treat you unfairly. When the time comes, the entire mountain giant tribe will be grateful for your efforts."
As Skadi listened, a hint of hesitation gradually appeared on her face.
Sure enough, she is still the same as before, she is soft-hearted and will not take tough measures.
Seeing his daughter wavering, Xia Ji immediately added fuel to the fire:
“Even if you don’t consider me and my people, you should think about the outsiders you took in. If the order of the Land of Noise gets completely out of control, how will those poor people survive in this chaotic place? Without you and me to restrain us, things like today will probably become the norm.”
Faced with her father's repeated persuasion and this indisputable fact, Skadi's hesitation became more and more obvious.
But just as she was about to speak, a faint voice came from outside the corridor:
"Outsider? So you know which village the giant attacked today?"
When Skadi heard the words, she suddenly raised her head and looked at her father on the throne warily.
I almost got cheated by him!
I didn't say which village was attacked. How could he be so sure that the attack was related to the settlement of outsiders?
Obviously, his father was most likely involved in this and wanted to force him to submit.
So, after all, he acted so righteous, but he was just thinking of sacrificing his daughter to keep his throne?
At this moment, Xia Ji also realized his mistake and looked grimly at the human in the courtyard who came out of the shadow outside the door:
"Who the hell are you? How dare you interrupt our conversation between father and daughter!"
A mountain-like pressure surged forward, as if to crush Loen into pulp as he entered the room.
The guess was confirmed, and Skadi's eyes revealed deep disappointment towards her father Shaki. She took a decisive step forward and stood in front of Lorne.
As the power of ice and snow in her body was activated, she took on the pressure from her father Xia Ji and snorted coldly:
"He is the husband I chose, so of course he has the right to speak for me!"
"You don't want to be the king, but marry a mere Midgard? You are absolutely crazy!"
Xia Ji was furious, and stretched out his right hand with a gloomy face.
"This little bastard must have drugged you with some kind of drug. Wait until I catch him and wake you up!"
A giant hand made of mud broke through the floor and grabbed Lorne.
Skadi unceremoniously took out the ash wood wand from the magic array, quickly condensed the water vapor in the air, and turned it into an ice wall to block the powerful attack.
In order to make his father Shaki give up targeting Lorne, Skadi simply said:
"Give up, even if he wasn't here, I wouldn't marry Laufey and Njord as you asked!"
Seeing his daughter being so rebellious, Xia Ji simply tore off the mask of a loving father and snorted coldly:
"That's not up to you!"
Then, Shaki raised his right hand and clenched it tightly. Two giant rock palms rose from the ground and grabbed Skadi and Lorne respectively.
Based on his understanding of his daughter, the more she emphasizes that she doesn't care about something, the more she cares about it in her heart.
Skadi stood in front of this man time and time again, and even attacked him as her father, which was enough to prove that this man held an important position in Skadi's mind.
If the adulterer could be captured, and with the help of the outsider in the village as bargaining chip, Skadi would have to marry him even if she was unwilling.
Thinking of this, Xia Ji ruthlessly increased the strength in his hands, pushing the power of the mountains and the earth to the extreme.
Skadi quickly waved the ash wood wand in her hand, and also used all her strength to awaken the power of ice and snow in her body to confront him.
For a moment, the ice and rubble collided with each other, and the floor was lifted up layer by layer, revealing a huge gray rock engraved with runes underneath.
To be more precise, it is a natural altar that is connected to the surrounding earth veins and carries the power of faith accumulated by the mountain giants over a long period of time.
This was originally a self-protection measure that Xia Ji reserved for himself in advance to guard against foreign enemies.
Unexpectedly, the enemy used it on his own daughter before he even arrived.
Xia Ji raised his hand slightly, and runes peeled off from the altar one by one, turning into the shadows of mountains, pressing towards the two people in the center.
In terms of strength, Skadi is inferior to his father.
Moreover, Shaki now has a hidden hand in the basement of the palace, turning the entire palace into a secret temple that matches his mountain power. With all these unfavorable factors, Skadi was completely at a disadvantage. The wind and snow barrier in front of her shattered, and her figure was swallowed up by the surrounding land.
"Reflect on your actions in there first. When you have figured it out, I will let you out."
Xia Ji snorted coldly and lowered his right hand with satisfaction.
However, the next moment.
A blazing sword light penetrated the stone that was closed like a flower bud and shot towards the throne at lightning speed.
Wherever the sword light passed, the magic factors became active and boiled, emitting colorful auroras; the air seemed to be ignited, forming a strange red.
Xia Ji was startled and quickly clenched his right fist, pierced his nails into the palm, and then swung his arm forward.
The golden divine blood flew out from Xia Ji's fingers and fell onto the gray rock altar on the ground. The shadows of mountains rose from the ground and stretched in front of the throne.
"Bang bang bang bang!"
Accompanied by bursts of piercing explosions, the sword light shattered the shadows of seventeen mountains in a row before it ran out of power and dissipated.
At the same time, the seventeen mountains outside the palace seemed to be crushed by an invisible force, and they collapsed with a loud bang, and the entire noisy place shook violently.
That was a close call!
Xia Ji looked at the seventeen mountaintops in the distance that were shattered by a sword, and felt a sense of fear in his heart.
I thought Skadi was out of her mind and just fell in love with a useless pretty boy from Middle-earth, but I didn't expect that the other party actually possessed strength that was not weaker than the main god.
However, even if the other party has some ability, he will not easily change his decision.
This is just the weight of one person, while Laufey and Njord represent the two major races of Vanir and Frost Giants.
It goes without saying which is more important.
Xia Ji's eyes turned cold, and he tried to use the power of the surrounding mountains and the earth to suppress the terrifying sword light.
“Crack~~”
However, with a crisp sound, the gray bedrock on the ground, along with the entire palace, was split into two, revealing a neat strip of sky in the center.
That sword not only shattered the veins of the seventeen mountains, but also split the entire temple and altar.
Feeling that the power over the earth and mountains that he could control was declining rapidly, Xia Ji was shocked.
At the same time, a scorching crimson flame wave completely shattered the closed mountain barrier, carrying dense rubble and heading straight for Xia Ji on the throne.
Xia Ji's hair stood on end, and he instinctively opened the magic circle diagram, wanting to take out the magic wand and build a defensive barrier to fight the enemy.
However, the temperature around them suddenly dropped, and dozens of purple-white ice crystals shot out, shattering the magic array that Xia Ji had just formed in his hand.
Then, a crimson wave of flames fell to the ground, and a huge sword wrapped in flames was placed on Xia Ji's neck.
The high temperature of the sword blade left blackened marks on the skin of the mountain giant king, making him frown in pain.
Realizing that this was a divine weapon that could harm a divine body, Xia Ji did not dare to act rashly. He could only glare at his good daughter who had just attacked him:
"Well done, Skadi! I never thought you would team up with outsiders to deal with your father! I have raised you for nothing all these years!"
"You were the first to attack me. I was just defending myself."
Skadi replied indifferently, then added with a snort,
"It's true that you raised me, but over the years, I fought for you to fight for territory, put down rebellions, and eliminate competitors among the mountain giants. I should have repaid you a lot long ago. Don't you think it's too much to use this excuse to force me to do something I don't want to do?"
Hearing this faint question, Xia Ji was speechless.
Skadi was silent for a moment, then said coldly:
"That's all for tonight. I'll pretend nothing happened. As a member of the mountain giants, I will continue to guard the quiet of the noisy land as usual, and fight for the survival of the entire mountain giant tribe until the last moment. But other than that, I won't do anything for you, and you don't have to look for me again."
As Skadi gave him a pleading look, Lorne understood and removed the flaming sword from around Shaki's neck, followed Skadi's footsteps, and walked out of the palace together.
"Wait!" Shakey stood up and shouted.
Skadi continued to move forward without any intention of stopping.
Seeing this, Xia Ji gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice:
"Don't you want to know who your mother is?"
Skadi paused, finally stopped, turned back to look at his father, Shaki, and said seriously:
"I will not marry Laufey and Njord."
"Don't worry, I won't force you."
Xia Ji nodded in agreement, and then put forward a condition with a gloomy face.
"During the last dragon disaster, the dwarves seemed to have made an unexpected harvest in the dragon's nest - the Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountains. It seems to be a divine crystallization of the power of the earth and mountains. It is very precious and rare. Bring it to me. In this way, my mountains and land can be further improved. By then, even if I can't compete with guys like Laufey, Thor, and Odin, at least I can protect myself."
"What happens after you bring it here?" Lorne took the initiative to ask on behalf of Skadi, so as to prevent the Winter Goddess from being shaken by a similar tragic drama again.
Xia Ji glared at the pretty boy who seduced his daughter and snorted coldly:
"I will tell you everything about Skadi's origin and her mother."
Skadi thought for a moment and nodded slowly:
"Okay, I promise. But this is the last time I'll help you!"
After saying that, Skadi summoned her chariot, pulled Lorne onto it, and drove off into the night without looking back.
Looking at his daughter walking away in the night, remembering that she had never called him father since she entered the palace, Xia Ji bent down and sat back on the half-collapsed throne, looking at the dilapidated and empty hall, feeling a sense of loss in his heart.
However, the melancholy only lasted for a moment, and the mountain giant king straightened his body again, with his hands firmly pressed on the armrests on both sides of the throne, like a giant dragon guarding a treasure.
It doesn’t matter, as long as I get that thing, this loss is nothing.
Anyway, she is not my biological child.
Xia Ji murmured to himself, reaffirming his belief, and at the same time, his eyes flickered as he thought about how to use the existing chips to make each of the next moves.
~~
Meanwhile, in the wilderness.
"You're not Shakey's biological daughter?"
Loen was surprised when he heard Skadi's proactive disclosure.
Skadi said unhappily:
"Isn't it strange? He controls the power of mountains and the earth, but I have the talent to control ice and snow. He is a typical mountain giant, but I have purple hair and white skin. I don't look like him at all."
"That's right." Luo En nodded and suddenly realized, "That's why he never mentioned your mother to you."
If you think about it carefully, Skadi's origin is also full of mystery, and there seems to be no information about her mother in Norse mythology.
And such a goddess who is so good at fighting and who, after the death of her father Shaki, could make all the gods in Asgard give in and make peace with her by her own strength, should not have such an obscure background.
Unless she is hiding some other unknown secret.
"Let's separate here. You go back to the village first. I'm going to Turin and try to get that thing." Skadi clenched her fists, her eyes showing a hint of determination. She said, "It's rare to get a clue. I must seize this opportunity."
Obviously, Skadi is determined to use this opportunity to find out her own origins, even if it means making enemies with the dwarves.
"Let me go." Lorne took the initiative to speak.
Skadi shook her head and declined politely: "I have already troubled you many times. There is no need to involve you again."
"It's not related, it's just that if I go, the chances of success will be higher." Lorne paused and added, "Remember the last dragon disaster? Thanks to you and Angerboda for giving the credit of slaying the dragon to our courtyard, the dwarves still owe me a favor. If the so-called [Heart of the Mountains] really exists, it's just the right condition to exchange it."
This statement is half true and half false.
It was true that the dwarves owed him a favor, but it was not because of the dragon slaying, but because he rescued the dwarf prince from the underworld.
Anyway, he had no plans for the dwarves, so he might as well do them a favor and ask for the Arkenstone and give it to Skadi, so that the two sides would not fight over it.
At this moment, hearing Lorne's suggestion, Skadi was skeptical:
"Are you sure they will agree?"
"Let me try to see if it works first, and then you can make a decision."
This made sense. Skadi thought for a moment and nodded in agreement:
"Well, I'll leave this matter to you."
"I can't help you for nothing. While I'm in the Dwarf Country, I hope you can contact Angerboda as soon as possible and determine the whereabouts of the three sisters."
"no problem!"
Skadi nodded happily, and the guilt in her heart was relieved a lot.
Mutual benefit is the healthy way for friends to get along with each other.
After reaching a simple consensus, Loen waved his hand, turned into a stream of light, and disappeared into the dark night.
(End of this chapter)
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