Chapter 235: Chapter 55 The Twisted Pupil

The nine great realms hang upon the World Tree, yet they are not without connection to one another. Just as the famed Bifrost connects Asgard with the Mortal Realm, Midgard, the Ifing River marks the boundary between the Aesir Divine Realm and the land of the Titans, Jotunheim.

Besides that, Jotunheim and Midgard also share a connection, which is a terrifying iron forest that separates the realm of the Titans from the Mortal Realm, with only a few Mountain Titans frequently traveling between the two.

However, just as Laine failed to see the Rainbow Bridge in Asgard, perhaps it has collapsed due to the Destruction of the world. The Eternal Ifing River, too, is now just a dried-up riverbed.

On one side, it still connects to Jotunheim, while on the other lies the Endless Void. It was by this once-existing link that Laine directly stepped into this place.

Standing at the edge of this broken world, he could even observe the collision between the remnants of the world and the power of Chaos, and clearly, the resistance of this realm had become very weak.

“What is this?”

While hurrying toward the conspicuously massive roots of the World Tree in the gap in Jotunheim, Laine stumbled upon something interesting.

Unlike Asgard’s man-made artifacts, the Titans of Jotunheim still maintained a primitive way of life. Therefore, Laine couldn’t find anything useful from their scattered remains of civilization, except for what he held in his hands.

A stone-like crystalline object, somewhat resembling an oversized heart, containing a highly concentrated aura of the Earth Element, as well as a hint of Divine Power.

It was buried in the ground, in a place akin to a grave, yet the energy it emitted was very prominent, making it easy for Laine to detect its presence.

“This is the heart of a Stone Titan, a creation that lies between Element and matter; they can be used as Sacrifice, a tool for casting a certain spell, or for some other purpose.”

“Having once been among the Titans, I did not delve deeply into this, as it is effectively the corpse of our kin. The Aesir gods of Asgard often treated them as decorations and honors, to signify their own martial prowess. The Vanir Deity Race of Vanaheim was an exception.”

Although he himself was killed by the Vanir gods, Mimir still held them in high esteem. His severed head retained its life force after being returned to Asgard thanks to a mysterious spell.

“They possessed secret rites and sorcery so astounding that even Odin was amazed, and against which the Divine Power of Thor was helpless. Mjolnir’s might was indeed without rival, but its master knew nothing of these subtle techniques.”

“In Vanaheim, these hearts were crafted into powerful puppets that gained great renown during the war with Asgard. However, how it was done is not something I am fully aware of. Just as Odin never managed to learn the spell for ‘immortality,’ many secrets of Vanaheim are not shared with outsiders.”

Nodding his head, Laine acknowledged his understanding.

The art of puppet-making sounded intriguing, but it wasn’t what he sought. His greatest skill lay in the creation of Life, not intricate constructions. If Laine were to try his hand at making a puppet, it probably wouldn’t compare to the knowledge others had accumulated over tens of thousands of years.

He had no future memories to draw upon for these special spells and Alchemy techniques.

“I see… So, these are the hearts of the Frost Titans and Fire Titans?”

Flying on, hearts rich with Element and divine nature like these were not uncommon here. Laine quickly found two more types.

However, the remains of the Fire Giants were particularly scarce, perhaps because in the myths, they primarily resided in the fiery land of Muspelheim, venerating Surtr as their leader.

“Yes, it seems you are quite interested in them. Perhaps I can take you later to see the place where the Titans bury their own. What you’ve found here are mostly heart cores scattered outside for various reasons. They are not only few but also lack the remnants of powerful Titans after death.”

Without the slightest shame of bringing an outsider to the graveyard of his kin, Mimir suggested on the side.

“That would be wonderful. After dealing with the issue of the World Tree root, let’s go take a look at the place you mentioned.”

Gathering the heart cores, Laine had an additional goal on his journey. Without purposely taking detours, he collected all such special crystals he could sense.

Regrettably, in the domain of elements, while Frost Giants can symbolize water, and Mountain Giants and Fire Giants can represent Earth and Fire respectively, the Scandinavian mythos lacks Giants that symbolize The Sky, which is not a significant but nonetheless a regrettable omission.

Skimming swiftly through the sky, after an indiscernible amount of time, under Mimir’s guidance, Laine located the object of his quest directly below the main root of Yggdrasil.

Just as with Urd’s Well in Asgard, under the flourishing roots of the World Tree, the renowned Spring of Wisdom had not been spared, even having ‘died’ a bit more thoroughly.

The barren and parched ground was covered with dead vegetation, and a light breeze kicked up dust, darkening the sky even further. A few frail dead trees trembled in the wind, barely enduring. The once sacred well had turned into a dark pit, muddied and silted, devoid of any sparkling waters.

A segment of Yggdrasil’s root dangled above the well, with spotty bloodstains still visible. Perhaps in the distant past, Odin had made his Sacrifice here.