Ch. 297 Knowledge is Power

"I've already said it earlier; I don't like it when people look at me like that," Russell said, putting the Sword of Athena back into the system space and addressing the now-standing Ivette.

"What exactly do you want?"

Although she was feeling a hundred kinds of unhappy, Ivette knew that this was not the right time to provoke Russell.

"As I mentioned earlier, I want books containing knowledge about divine power."

"Although I may not look like it, I'm someone who loves to learn."

Russell said calmly.

Rarely coming to Vanaheimr, he intended to bring back some spoils of war for himself.

Books about divine power from Vanir would be a great find.

Knowledge is power!

For those who want to awaken divine power or have already awakened it, learning related knowledge about divine power is a good way to enhance one's own divine power.

Of course, not every divine power awakener likes this method of enhancement.

For example, Thor.

Although Russell also liked to enhance his strength through combat and training, he didn't mind enhancing his strength through learning.

Speaking of which, this has a lot to do with him being taken in as a student by the Ancient One.

If the Ancient One hadn't taken him in as a student, he wouldn't have discovered his magical talent from who knows where and wouldn't have developed a liking for this method of enhancing his strength through learning.

Learning makes progress!

Especially for mages and divine power awakeners.

"Is that why you came to Vanaheimr?"

A trace of doubt appeared on Ivette's delicate and fair face.

"Of course not; wanting your books on divine power is just a side matter."

After answering Ivette, Russell turned his head to look around.

"Your bodyguards won't be back for a while; you can sit inside and wait!"

Russell pointed to the hall behind him.

Although he didn't mind standing in the middle of the corpses, the smell of blood and such was somewhat affecting his mood.

After saying that, he took the lead and walked toward the hall on the city tower.

He had no worries that Ivette would take advantage of the opportunity to escape.

Even if Ivette wanted to escape, she would need the strength to do so.

Even if Russell let her run for a minute, she still wouldn't be able to escape.

Even if there was a teleportation magic array in Windrest Fortress that led to Vanir Imperial City, Russell wasn't worried about it.

When Russell sat down in the hall and found a random spot, Ivette reluctantly entered the hall.

Then, she sat down about two or three meters away from Russell.

"Didn't your father already agree to cooperate with Thanos? Hasn't Thanos sent anyone to assist you?"

Russell asked Ivette.

"Thanos's daughter left Vanaheimr, and our cooperation was canceled."

Saying this, Ivette looked at Russell with a displeased expression.

"Don't tell me this is my fault; I don't have that much power."

Russell said calmly.

"At a time like this, you're quite modest!"

"Our cooperation with Thanos was canceled. While it's not entirely because of you, it's also not unrelated to you."

Ivette said slowly.

"It's just that Ebony Maw died. It's not that big of a deal!"

"If your cooperation was canceled because Ebony Maw died, it only means your cooperation was unreliable from the start."

While Ebony Maw was somewhat important to Thanos, he was still just one of his underlings.

In simpler terms, Ebony Maw life was not of much significance in Thanos's eyes.

Except for Gamora, Thanos didn't care much about the lives of others.

Or you could say that even for Gamora, her position in Thanos' heart couldn't compare to the Infinity Stones.

Otherwise, in the cinematic universe, Thanos wouldn't have traded Gamora's life for the Soul Stone.

Although Thanos looked simple, he was a ruthless person who would do anything to achieve his goals.

He didn't even care much about his own life.

"Ebony Maw's death is just one of them, and the reason Thanos canceled the cooperation is that he recognized you," continued Ivette.

"Just because Thanos recognized me and Ebony Maw died, the cooperation between you was canceled?" Russell asked in confusion.

"That's one part of it, but the main reason is that my father voluntarily canceled the cooperation with Thanos."

"Why?"

"Because my father learned about Thanos sending his army to attack New York."

Ivette frowned slightly, looking at Russell with a complicated expression.

While Vanir didn't visit Earth as often as the Asgardians did, they had their knowledge of the planet. Most likely, a small group of Vanir still resided on Earth. They might be spies for Vanir or simply tourists from their realm.

After hearing Ivette's response, Russell didn't press for more details. Although Ivette didn't provide a lot of details, he could already guess the reason. It was simple: Thanos' army wasn't as formidable as rumored. When your partner's strength doesn't meet your expectations, canceling cooperation is a reasonable choice.

The Lord of Windrest Fortress wanted to provoke a full-scale war between Asgard and Vanir to seize more power and prestige. However, this plan relied on Thanos providing enough support. Otherwise, the Lord of Windrest Fortress wouldn't risk provoking both Asgard and Vanir simultaneously.

He did crave power and status, but he wasn't so ambitious that he'd blindly antagonize everyone.

"Canceling the cooperation is a good thing. Thanos is not a reliable partner, and in the future, you'll be glad for this decision," Russell said to Ivette.

Ivette remained silent, looking at Russell with a complicated expression as a tense atmosphere filled the hall.

Time passed slowly.

After a few minutes of silence, Russell spoke again, "What's your bodyguard's name? It's rare to see a bodyguard with awakened divine powers."

"His name is Francis. He used to be my father's subordinate in the military and later became a bounty hunter."

"When he came to the Lord of Windrest Fortress for a mission, my father found him and entrusted him to stay at the castle as a long-term contractor."

"A retired veteran? After hearing Ivette's introduction, Russell became more interested in Francis. Francis had awakened his divine powers after retiring, and the fact that he didn't possess divine power books indirectly confirmed it. Otherwise, Vanir's army wouldn't allow his retirement."

This, Ivette's father, was a good example. Both had awakened divine powers, but Ivette's father was the Lord of Warnerheim's main city, while Francis couldn't have fallen to the point of becoming a bounty hunter if his Storm divine powers weren't as strong as Ivette's father's Storm divine powers.

Vanir wouldn't treat those with awakened divine powers like this!

"A long-term contract made a powerful warrior with awakened divine powers essentially your father's subordinate. Your father knows how to do business," Russell said with a smile.

"This isn't just business. He agreed because my father once saved his life," Ivette said with an annoyed expression.

Clearly, Ivette was trying to restore her father's honor.

Russell saw through Ivette's thoughts but had no intention of exposing them. Who knew if the Lord of Windrest Fortress had indeed saved Francis's life before? Even if he hadn't, there was no way to prove it now.

After waiting for a while in the hall, Francis, wearing golden armor, flew back to the castle with a large bag. Although Francis had awakened divine powers, he didn't have a space ring, which was a convenient storage item. It seemed Ivette didn't have one either.

Back in the hall, Francis tossed the bag filled with divine power books in front of Russell, making it land right in front of him.

"These are all the divine power books in the castle!" Francis said with a grim expression.

"Good!" As soon as Russell responded, he used Mage Hand to open the bag on the ground, taking out a thick divine power book. After flipping through a few pages, he nodded in satisfaction.

While Vanir shared some similarities with the Asgardians, their cultures were different. Despite both having divine powers, they had different focuses in their divine power research. For example, Asgard's divine power books primarily focused on lightning, as Odin and Thor possessed lightning-based powers. In contrast, Vanir's divine power research leaned towards ocean-related powers, storms, and summer, reflecting their domains.

In simple terms, the divine power research direction was determined by the divine powers. The study of the divine powers was relatively easier, and receiving personal support during research was possible.

After confirming that Francis had brought divine power books, Russell stored the bag filled with books in his system space, right in front of them. Seeing the bag disappear, Ivette and Francis furrowed their brows. With their keen eyes, they recognized it was a form of spatial storage, but they didn't see any corresponding storage item on Russell's person.

Russell didn't explain the concept of his system space to Ivette and Francis. Instead, he turned to Francis and said, "Since you've brought the divine power books, Ivette will be returned to you."

After saying this, Russell, who was sitting in the hall, disappeared in an instant.

Teleportation!

Initially, he had considered targeting Ivette as his second target. However, he was satisfied with Ivette and Francis's attitude, so he decided to spare Ivette for now.

After Russell's figure disappeared, Francis quickly approached Ivette and said, "Miss Ivette, it's not suitable for you to stay on the front line now. I'll take you back."

Without waiting for Ivette's response, Francis used his Storm divine powers to create a whirlwind around Ivette, lifting her into the air. Then, he raised his hand toward a massive sword outside the hall's doors and made a grasping motion in the air. The sword, previously plunged into the ground, flew into his hand.

After retrieving the sword, Francis wasted no time and carried Ivette out of the hall.

Russell didn't care where Francis would take Ivette next. After using teleportation magic to leave the castle hall, he decided to help Thor a bit more by destroying the magical teleportation array connecting Vanir's capital, Noeuthong, with Windrest Fortress.

While the siege on the castle hadn't reached a critical point, destroying the array in advance would eliminate a potential threat if Noeuthong's reinforcements were to arrive through it.

Russell soon arrived above the giant magical teleportation array. He examined the intricate array on the ground and didn't hesitate to land at its center.

Once on the ground, he deactivated his invisibility magic, and his right hand radiated a golden magical glow as he pressed it to the ground.

To destroy this giant magical teleportation array, there were two simple methods. One was to physically damage the array, such as destroying the ground beneath it. The other was to magically disrupt the internal connections of the array, rendering it nonfunctional.

Under normal circumstances, Russell would opt for the more straightforward physical destruction. However, he was genuinely interested in this particular magical teleportation array.

While observing it from the air, he had already memorized the array's patterns and rituals. Still, merely knowing the patterns and rituals wouldn't allow him to recreate it perfectly. To achieve that, he needed to run his own magic through the array, gaining insight into the energy pathways and key nodes hidden within.

These details couldn't be discerned with the naked eye.

As soon as Russell landed, Vanir warriors guarding the teleportation array noticed him. Seeing the golden magical radiance on his right hand, they didn't hesitate to rush towards him.

Russell didn't pay much attention to these Vanir warriors. Instead, he raised his empty left hand and cast several defensive spells, creating a nearly impenetrable barrier around himself.