CHAPTER 320: PAINTING THE NINE REALMS OF THE WORLD TREE

The golden hair of the maiden swayed gently in the breeze that swept across the golden wheat fields.

Bathed in the fading light of dusk, her beauty was peerless, inheriting the grace of Sif, the Norse goddess of fertility—one of the twelve major deities of Asgard.

She was the dream goddess of countless men.

The Valkyrie, Thrud.

Daughter of Thor, the God of Thunder, and Sif, the Goddess of Fertility.

By the decree of the Allfather Odin, three years had already passed since she came to this world and took her place beside the boy who went by the name ’Signor’.

At this moment, she was facing the setting sun, beside the spring in the woods, accompanied by a young man, who was not particularly handsome but had a gentle temperament and an "artistic" sense.

Before the boy stood an easel, a paintbrush in his hand.

On the canvas was a tree.

None other than the cornerstone of the Norse world—Yggdrasil, the World Tree!

This painting had taken Promise a full three years to complete.

And in those three years, the once-youthful he had now entered the most vibrant period of his life.

At sixteen or seventeen years old, he had grown into the same figure known in later tales.

His signature single ponytail, perfectly suited to his artistic demeanor, and his clear emerald eyes, like gems and stars, left an indelible impression on anyone who saw them even once.

"Midgard, the realm of humans; Svartalfheim, the kingdom of the dwarves; and now Alfheim, the land of the elves..."

Just as the sun set and the night emerged, with stars and the bright moon hanging high in the sky, he stood clad in elegant, light-blue robes.

With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, he put down the paintbrush in his hand.

"Of the Nine Realms of the World Tree, three have now been conquered by me!"

Signor oh well...Promise spoke softly, tilting his head slightly upward, his face brimming with pride.

The small blue bird perched on his shoulder shot him a glance and clicked its tongue lightly but didn’t engage in their usual banter.

After all, the adorable little bird, Nill, still held onto the hope that he would paint a portrait of her.

Though she had been begging for three years, there had been no result.

Beside him, the Valkyrie Thrud also remained silent.

She stood quietly by by side, her crimson eyes fixed on the painting before her.

The scene depicted was none other than the World Tree, familiar to all Norse people.

And the scenery of the realm of the elves.

Alfheim, located in the upper branches of the Norse Nine Realms, lay close to Asgard, the realm of the gods. It was the home of the Light Elves.

In Norse mythology, the Light Elves were godlike beings who adored brightness and were kind and amiable.

Thus, they had long been allies of the Aesir.

Though, by the time Ragnarök arrived, they would ultimately join the forces arrayed against the gods of Asgard.

But precisely because of their alliance, when Thrud rode in on her Valkyrie’s white steed, bringing the boy with her and requesting to stay for a time, the elves did not refuse.

And so, Promise fulfilled his original ambition.

Having come to the Age of Norse Gods and laid eyes upon Yggdrasil, the tree that nurtured all life in the Norse world, how could he not paint it?

In fact, this was also the path he had chosen for himself after that fateful night’s conversation with Skuld, the Norn of Fate.

Painting the World Tree itself was not difficult, and in the ’Lostbelt,’ it was not a rare sight.

But this was Yggdrasil, the tree that sustained the Nine Realms of Norse mythology.

Thus, what he sought to paint was not merely the World Tree—but the Nine Realms of this era!

"Truly a rare masterpiece."

Just then, a playful yet sinister voice, accompanied by slow clapping, abruptly reached the ears of the duo and the bird.

Thrud snapped out of her reverie, tearing her gaze away from the beauty of the painting.

Her eyes sharpened instantly, and she instinctively took two steps closer to Promise, positioning herself protectively in front of him.

Only when she recognized the figure emerging from the moonlight did she relax slightly.

"Loki?"

Promise stared at the god who approached with a bewitching smile, clapping as he walked.

The God of Mischief, Loki!

Looking at the god, his eyes held a mix of confusion and deep wariness as he asked, "What brings you here?"

Loki chuckled. "Child, there’s no need to be so wary of me. Since my children have come to see you as a rare friend, how could I possibly harm you now? I’d hate to earn their dislike."

As he spoke, he even put on a pitiful expression.

But all he earned in return were identical sidelong glances from Promise and the little bird, Nill.

Even Thrud couldn’t help but avert her gaze, unwilling to look at Loki.

"Would you dare say those words in front of Goddess Hel or Jörmungandr?... Never mind. What do you want from me? Or... is it not you who’s looking for me?"

As Promise spoke, he casually tucked away the painting he had just finished, after so much effort.

After all, Loki’s covetous stare at the artwork was far too obvious.

Ever since the day this guy witnessed Promise painting Jörmungandr, and later saw Idun, the Goddess of Youth who guarded the golden apples, proudly showing off Promise’s artwork to the other gods...

Promise’s paintings had become treasures coveted by the gods.

Especially these three paintings of the three realms of the World Tree, which he had poured endless time and effort into over the past three years.

Their value was such that not only Loki, but even Odin himself coveted them.

Their beauty was secondary.

The truth was, even when painting for gods, or even the chief gods, Promise had never spent this much time perfecting a single piece.

Normally, it would take him just over a month.

But these three paintings? He had devoted a full three years to them.

And the reason it took so long was simple: Promise was, in the truest sense, painting worlds.

Using a brush forged from a branch of the World Tree and canvas woven from its leaves, both divine artifacts—Promise had painted Midgard, Alfheim, and Svartalfheim.

Living beings could enter these paintings, and inside, they were like genuine worlds!

Seeing Promise put the painting away, Loki couldn’t hide his disappointment.

If not for Promise’s connections with Goddess of death, Hel, Jörmungandr, and the others, Loki, being who he was, would have long since snatched it by force.

He couldn’t even imagine how many treasures he could trade for a painting like this!

And then there was Nill’s presence...

Feeling a certain gaze, Loki instinctively glanced at the small blue bird perched obediently on Promise’s shoulder.

The All Father Odin’s divine will, Idun’s, Sif’s, Thor’s, Skuld’s, Jörmungandr’s... and even his own lingering divine sense.

If he really dared to do that, he would definitely be chased and beaten by these guys who were watching him in the next second.

Even Loki, the God of Mischief, had to admit that was a bit much to handle!

Seriously, don’t they have anything better to do? All of them just watching like this...

And this little bird is getting ridiculous.

’At this rate, I feel like even more ’eyes’ will join in the future.

What, are all the gods of Asgard going to get in on this too? ’

Follow us to Stay Updated!

Loki shook his head, dispelling the unnecessary thoughts in his mind.

"Promise, where do you plan to go next? How about visiting Asgard for a stroll?"

As he spoke, Loki stepped closer to Promise.

Thrud took a slight step back but remained by Promise’s side.

"Hmm... To complete the painting of the Nine Realms, I’ll have to go eventually. But right now, it’s still too early."

Promise thought for a moment and said, "I plan to go to Helheim first."

As soon as the words left his mouth, before Loki could even respond—

"Helheim... Isn’t that the Land of the Dead?"

Shini widened her eyes, staring at Promise in disbelief. "Promise, have you had enough of living or something?!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" The tapped the little bird’s head lightly, feeling a bit speechless. "I promised Goddess Hel I’d visit her. Not only that, but I also owe her a painting."

"A painting... Why does that so-called Goddess of Death get one, but I don’t?!"

Mentioning this, the deeply resentful Shini planted her wings on her hips. "I’m with you every single day, working hard to bring you golden apples every week, and you still haven’t painted me even once!"

"You’re a bird, what do you need a painting for... Fine, fine, I’ll stop. I’ll paint you one in the future, okay?"

Coaxing the furious little bird on his shoulder, who was about to peck him again, Promise turned back to Loki. "So, esteemed Loki, did you come here to give me some advice?"

Thrud also turned her head to glance at Loki.

If Loki dared to say anything that would trouble Promise, she wouldn’t hesitate to ride her Valkyrie steed back to Asgard and have a word with her rather short-tempered father!

"Hey now, don’t look at me like that. It’s kind of intimidating."

Under the hidden gazes of the gods and Thrud’s silent scrutiny, Loki raised his hands in surrender, blinking innocently.

Then, with a playful grin, he said, "Actually, I’m here to deliver a message from a great hero."

"Promise, your brother is looking for you... Oh, and he’s already returned to your foster father’s home, the dwarf’s place."

"I heard them say something about going to slay that... what’s its name again... Fafnir?"

The moment Loki uttered those words, not only did Promise freeze, but Thrud did as well, her eyes widening slightly.

Because Thrud remembered the divine decree Odin had given her.

In that decree, Odin told her that the great hero Sigurd would slay the evil dragon, claim the cursed ring of the Rhine Gold that even the gods feared, and then pass through the wall of flames to awaken the slumbering Valkyrie in her crystal coffin.

Brynhildr, the chief of the Valkyries.

And then, he would place that cursed ring upon her finger, leading her to die in suffering, regret, and despair.

One of the reasons why Thrud stayed by Promise’s side all this time was because Odin had also told her:

Only Promise could rewrite that fate.

So, thinking of this, the Valkyrie instinctively turned to look at Promise.

And Promise, too, narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing toward the direction of Asgard.

’So, Odin... the script you’ve prepared for me... is finally about to begin?’