Volume 35: The Battle of Glory
Chapter 702: Avandor’s Utopia
Interdimensional teleportation is a challenge even many high gods cannot solve. Without mentioning the chaotic spatial storms beyond the Cosmic Crystal Wall, merely reaching the wall through the endless voids between star realms is extremely dangerous—a task beyond the capabilities of ordinary high gods.
The great archmages managed to utilize external forces and the natural powers of the universe to achieve such teleportation, thus surpassing even the gods in this regard. According to the notes in this research document, one trial of interdimensional teleportation has already been conducted. However, the volunteer who was teleported could not send back any information, leaving it unknown whether they were successfully transported to another universe or lost in the endless voids.
Yet, even this uncertain trial is enough to rank this invention among the top ten greatest inventions of the Empire of Great Archmages, likely placing it among the top three alongside Virtual Divinity and the City in the Sky.
In Donald’s eyes, the success rate of this interdimensional teleportation matrix is quite high. He had already obtained coordinates to other universes and several advanced methods of interdimensional travel, making his plans to return to Earth even more feasible. All that was left was for him to rise to the level of a high god before he could proceed.
Carefully storing these research notes in the Book of Truth, Donald did not explain them to other members of the pantheon—after all, the news was too shocking. He would explain it to everyone when the time was right.
With this discovery, Donald no longer cared about other divine artifacts. First, he would send Nozdormu back to his domain to plant and nurture the Dragonblood Tree. Then, he would leave the Kingdom of Azeroth and head to Avandor, the eternal kingdom of the elves.
Avandor is located in the center of the Upper Realms, between the territories of the Neutral Gods and the Gods of Justice—a pattern that has existed since ancient times. Back when the World Tree still stood, even in that era filled with powerful gods, Ignas, the embodiment of the World Tree and lord of the elves, held a supreme status. This was not only because Ignas could wield powers akin to those of a near-godly being with the support of the World Tree but also because the World Tree was rooted in the layers of the multiverse. Destroying the World Tree would affect most universes, which is why the ancient gods avoided provoking this foreign deity who essentially controlled the life force of the universe.
Because once Ignatz decides to fight to the death, he only needs to blow up the World Tree to destroy most of the multiverse. This is an action that is utterly unprofitable for other gods and even carries a high risk of their destruction. In fact, after communicating with Ignatz, who had taken the form of the Lord of Elves, Donald learned the true identity of Odin, the former king of the Asgardian pantheon—Odin himself was the World Tree. Since the World Tree was Odin, even after losing another of his major powers, the divine weapon Mjolnir, he still possessed the strength of a near-omnipotent god. That Spear of Destiny was also a part separated from the World Tree; it was all part of Odin’s body. The legend that the World Tree disappeared during the war between gods and demons was actually just a smokescreen created by Ignatz. Thousands of years ago, Ignatz merged his true form and regained his status as a near-omnipotent god. The World Tree didn’t disappear—it was inside the body of the Lord of Elves. Before merging back with his true form, Ignatz separated a root system from the World Tree to maintain stability in the land of Avento, allowing it to grow into a new World Tree that supported the divine kingdom. He named it the Tree of Life, which is the origin of the Sacred Tree of Life among the elves of the multiverse. Compared to other divine kingdoms, Avento resembled the paradise and Shangri-La dreamed of in Donald’s past life—a place of good fortune and eternal life. A giant tree reaching into the clouds spanned the seven worlds, its lush branches serving as a cradle for the growth of the world, just like the World Tree world where Asgard lay. Yet Avento’s landscapes were even more vibrant, resembling a utopia that combined heaven and home. The lowest three layers of Avento were the underground world of the tree’s roots, the water world, and the swamp world. The middle layer was the material world, while the upper three layers were the fire world, the air world, and the divine kingdom inhabited by the elf gods. From Donald’s perspective, he could see many traces in Avento that matched the legends of his past life, making him feel especially warm and comfortable. Especially the fourth layer at the center, where mortals and elves coexisted. Besides elves who prayed and ordinary elves living happily alongside humans just like in the mortal world, there were also adorable little elves resembling elemental creatures, usually only the size of an adult human’s palm, constantly moving joyfully through forests and fields filled with green leaves and flowers, seemingly unaware of sorrow.
It wasn’t his first time visiting the Kingdom of Aventor, but every visit filled him with joy, which was why he strived to make his own Kingdom of Azeroth as dreamlike and realistic as possible—a place not just for the lofty gods, but also a dreamland for mortal life. Clearly, Donald wasn’t the only one who felt this way; the elven gods, including the Elven Lord, also preferred to stay in the fourth layer of realms, known as the Land of Utopia—a simple yet magnificent name. Yet creating an ideal homeland that satisfied all beings seemed beyond even the power of the higher gods. This time, Donald didn’t go to see the Elven Lord Ignatius; he came to find the Loki brothers, not wanting to disturb Ignatius, who was already on the path toward becoming the Supreme God. “Donald, you’re here!” Thor, who was chopping wood bare-chested while wielding a giant axe, welcomed him happily. The Thunder God wore only thin linen pants, revealing his strong yet not bulky muscles. His body, in perfect proportions and glowing with a golden hue, resembled that of a celestial being. Yet his attire and expression made him seem like a hardworking, simple, and happy lumberjack from an old era. Compared to Thor’s cheerfulness, Loki, who was leisurely flipping through a parchment book, appeared much more reserved. He merely nodded at Donald as a greeting, then glanced at his brother chopping wood in sweat—just like any ordinary older brother, with no sign of him being a god of doom capable of bringing terrible disasters and destruction to the world. “I plan to use the resources from the Plane of Divine Abominations to create a hunting ground for such abominations, in order to gain the support and influence of the gods in the Pantheon. As for that ancient plane, it’s better not to reveal it yet; let’s keep it as a backup plan for our two divine factions. Do you have any objections?” Donald explained his plan. Loki closed the book, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s fine!” Donald nodded and continued, “Besides this, there’s good news too—I’ve obtained detailed information on interuniverse teleportation arrays. It seems we’re one step closer to returning to the universe of our homeland!”
Thor immediately burst into laughter and said, “That’s great, Donald! You know, although it’s nice here and we’ve even found the All-Father, if I get the chance, I still want to go back to my hometown. At least to see if there are any traces of other Asgardian companions left!” Not only was Thor extremely excited upon hearing this, but even the calm Loki was moved. Their feelings were similar to Donald’s, yet different. After all, their original family and friends were all gods of the highest rank, and there was a good chance they might have survived that cosmic battle of Ragnarök. Even if they perished, they should have left some trace, and with the help of other gods, they could be revived. But Donald’s parents and relatives were ordinary mortals; he didn’t know if he’d be able to see them again, yet he wouldn’t give up hope. If he could return to his past life when his parents were still alive, he would choose to serve them as a normal person, fulfilling his filial duties. He had been studying the realm of time all along as a worst-case scenario—should his parents have passed away by the time he returned, he would spare no effort to turn back time to the moment he disappeared and continue his unfinished life. “Thor, you need to boost your strength quickly and regain your status as an upper god. Otherwise, I won’t let you go!” Traveling across the universe was just as dangerous as challenging multiple powerful upper gods at once. According to their plan, the success rate for reaching the upper god level was less than 50%. So, with Loki’s determination, he certainly wouldn’t let his brother take such a risk without regaining his strength. Hearing this, Thor immediately became disheartened. From Loki’s tone, he could tell his brother was resolute and wouldn’t allow him to refuse. But unlike Loki, who had fallen into the realm of Ragnarök but still retained most of his strength and a complete physical form, Thor had lost most of his power and only recently regained his physical form, having just fully integrated back to the lower god level with the help of his own divine weapon, Mjolnir. It was still a long way before he could return to the status of an upper god. Sensing Thor’s disappointment, Donald said with a smile, “Don’t worry. I haven’t reached the upper god level either. Besides, preparing for interdimensional travel is extremely complex and time-consuming. Although Loki sounds cold, he’ll definitely wait for the day you regain your strength. He won’t abandon you halfway—he’s quite soft-hearted toward you!”
Upon hearing this, Thor immediately turned to his brother with joy.
“Really?”
Loki didn’t answer, only giving a disdainful snort. There was a hint of embarrassment at teasing Donald, as well as dissatisfaction that Thor hadn’t thought of it.
Thor’s once majestic, godlike image was instantly shattered by his brother’s cold expression. Without the memories from later times, Thor’s personality reverted to that of a naive, reckless, and even somewhat childish youth—yet that was exactly what made him endearing, wasn’t it?
Donald watched the interaction between the two brothers with amusement. While happy for them, he, having been an only child in both lives, also felt envious of this scene.