Chapter 1 The Evaluation of Einherjar

Hao Ren didn't know how to evaluate these spirits called Einherjar—or rather, he didn't know how to evaluate the Norse "gods" who created these armors. In essence, spirits could be regarded as a kind of undead creature, and the process of the Valkyries creating spirits was actually a kind of necromancy, and a rather terrifying one: it forged the souls of the dead into cold, bloodless steel armor, allowing them to engage in endless battles. Although this process had a brilliant name and a seemingly sacred purpose, its shocking nature was beyond doubt.

But then Vivian said, "These Einherjar are volunteers."

Lily was surprised: "Woof?!"

"Brave and belligerent warriors, warriors with unfulfilled wishes, executioners immersed in slaughter, and fanatical believers who simply worshiped the 'gods'—there was no shortage of such people in human society back then. They knew what becoming an Einherjar meant, but they were willing to do so. Especially the Germanic berserkers, whose only wish was to fight to the death and continue fighting after death. Therefore, they felt that becoming a suit of armor that could fight forever was the best destination in life—every year, hundreds or thousands of warriors would charge into battle with Valkyrie amulets. Sometimes, in order to obtain a 'glorious promotion' as soon as possible, berserkers would even fight wild beasts with their bare hands, using their own blood and the blood of their enemies to please Odin. The Valkyries would follow the guidance of the amulets to reap souls: only the strongest souls could be used to drive the Einherjar armor, so the newly deceased warriors were the most suitable. At that time, it was a great honor for a settlement if someone was promoted. The Valkyries would personally appear, riding pegasi over the city. If a certain god was in a good mood, he would even bestow some things upon humans: usually food and medicine. In those days, in order to ensure the loyalty of humans and facilitate their enslavement, the 'gods' would not easily allow people to fill their stomachs and cure their diseases. They considered it a great divine grace to allow humans to eat enough food."

Gala卓尔 concluded expressionlessly: "Glorious and barbaric, fanatical support cannot cover up exploitation and injustice."

"That's right, quite unfair, with only a glorious exterior," Vivian nodded. "Of course, it looks like that from today's perspective, but the humans of that time were quite satisfied with it. The other races of the Norse lineage were actually quite benevolent to their human slaves, and that's why they were able to develop a legion like the 'Einherjar'. These spirit warriors deeply felt that they were favored by the gods and remained loyal until the moment of their death, and after being forged into armor, this loyalty could be maintained forever."

Lily looked strangely at the constantly shaking pieces of armor: "Do they still have their minds now?"

After hearing the story of the Einherjar, the husky girl suddenly had a strange feeling about this pile of wreckage. She felt strange in her heart.

"Actually... they're already gone," Vivian shook her head. "The process of being forged into armor erases most of their memories and almost all of their humanity. The formed Einherjar are more like program-driven fighting machines. They are still full of anger, but it is difficult to call them human."

"It seems that after the Twilight of the Gods, these spirits have been wandering in Asgard," Izhaks muttered, "Are they patrolling according to the previous routes..."

Vivian was originally lamenting the vicissitudes of life, but when she heard Izhaks' words, she seemed to be reminded of something, and she exclaimed in surprise: "Patrolling... wait! There's a problem!"

Hao Ren and Lily asked in unison, "What's the problem?"

"If I remember correctly, the Einherjar cannot move without instructions from the Valhalla control center!" Vivian said quickly. "These guards should be controlled by someone!"

Nangong Sanba interjected: "You just said that Valhalla was destroyed from the inside during the Twilight of the Gods..."

"Destroyed, but not demolished. Loki did it at the time. He didn't have the ability to destroy Valhalla's great rune pillars, so he could only interfere with the flow of magic and shut down the thing. So as long as the system is restarted, the Einherjar can resume activity," Vivian's eyes lit up. "Someone restarted Valhalla!"

Everyone else looked at each other, and then said in unison: "Odin!"

The Norse King of the Gods who disappeared on the battlefield and whose body was missing, he was indeed still alive and had returned to Asgard!

Hao Ren immediately turned to Vivian: "Where is Valhalla?"

Lily couldn't help but interject: "Mythology says that Valhalla is the Golden Palace, or that the Golden Palace is the hall of Valhalla..."

Vivian immediately retorted: "No, Valhalla is actually on the mountain north of the Golden Palace. It's a palace that's slightly smaller than the Golden Palace because the light it emits when it's running at full power illuminates the entire Golden Palace. That's why later generations mistakenly said that the Golden Palace is Valhalla, or that the former was built inside the latter."

Nangong Wuyue poked Lily's arm with the tip of her tail: "Learn from me, it's better to talk less at this time. Can you surpass this person who has personally been to Asgard no matter how knowledgeable and talented you are? Maybe she even helped build Valhalla."

After hearing this, Vivian immediately corrected her in a serious manner: "I didn't help. I was asleep at the time, but I wrote the words on the front door of Valhalla. I helped write them after I woke up."

Nangong Wuyue and Lily: "..."

As a magnificent palace only slightly inferior to the Golden Palace, Valhalla was equally eye-catching in Asgard. After everyone came outside, they quickly saw the beautiful palace on the hillside. It was a composite structure building formed by multiple columns, and it was quite well preserved. It seemed that the flames of the Twilight of the Gods had not spread there. The outer wall of the palace was cast in silver-white alloy, and the walls were engraved with strange shapes that looked like spear tips. The roof of the palace was covered with layers of golden plates, which looked dazzling in the light of the sky. Hao Ren couldn't help but recall the description of Valhalla in Norse mythology: "...The walls of this palace are lined with silver spears, and the roof is covered with golden shields, shining brightly. The seats in the palace are decorated with exquisite armor. This is Odin's gift to the warriors..."

Vivian explained: "Valhalla is the control center of the Einherjar Legion. Its entire roof is a powerful psychic wave antenna that can transmit the will of the Valkyries throughout the Nine Realms. Although the Einherjar have the logical ability to fight autonomously, they can only be activated when they receive unified instructions from Valhalla. This was set up by Odin to prevent these powerful steel legions from losing control. But later, this setting became a stumbling block."

Hao Ren: "...So it turns out to be wifi."

After leaving several detection probes in Asgard, Hao Ren led the team to the main gate of Valhalla Palace. Along the way, they were cautious, worried about encountering other wandering spirits, but whether it was because most of the spirits had been damaged in the Twilight of the Gods or because they were wandering elsewhere, they did not encounter another active Einherjar until they reached the gate of Valhalla.

The gate of Valhalla was magnificent and solemn, and was sealed by hundreds of bronze pillars arranged side by side. Vivian found a huge stone slab inlaid on the palace wall next to the gate, and she pointed to the words on the stone slab: "Look at this."

Hao Ren looked up and saw a line of large characters written on the stone slab in some ancient symbols: Valhalla—the resting place of the Steel Legion.

"Well, I wrote the words, and Thor helped carve them," Vivian puffed out her chest with pride. "I can write dozens of languages."

Hao Ren: "..."

"Okay, okay, we all know that the old bat has a rich life and a long history. He beats Zeus with his fists and kicks Odin with his feet. He slapped Caesar into the moat with one slap. Now, let's not recall the glorious years. Let's think about how to open this door, okay?" Lily put one hand on her hip and pointed to the densely arranged copper pillars that looked like monster teeth. "Why doesn't Odin open the door if he's inside?"

"I'm also very strange. Logically speaking, Odin should be able to see what's happening outside through the 'eyes' of the Einherjar. If he activated Valhalla, then he should definitely know that we're here," Vivian frowned, groping between the copper pillars while muttering, "Everything is very strange. This place has been isolated from the outside world for more than two thousand years. It's hard to say what the mental state of the people trapped here is now. We should be prepared for the worst. If I remember correctly, touching these pillars in a specific order can..."

Before Vivian finished speaking, the copper pillars blocking the door suddenly trembled. Then, accompanied by a burst of mechanical friction of "Kalala...", these copper pillars began to retract into the palace wall one by one.

A dark doorway appeared in front of everyone.

And the moment the door opened, Hao Ren heard a strange, sharp scream coming from the depths of the palace.

"I heard it too," Lily's ears twitched. "There's something inside."

"The situation is not right, that's definitely not Odin," Hao Ren raised his shield. "Everyone follow me, be careful of your surroundings, and don't get separated."