Chapter: 192
Upon hearing Mark's words, a smile involuntarily appeared on the face of Dwarf King Eitri. After all, who doesn't like to hear flattery? Especially when Mark's praise was so fresh and subtle, it hit him in the right spot.
Based on this alone, Eitri decided not to keep Mark waiting any longer. He accelerated the frequency of his hammer strikes, creating a whooshing sound that demonstrated the terrifying power contained in each blow.
After a short while, the Uru metal, which had already undergone thousands of foldings, was once again repeatedly folded and refined under Eitri's exquisite forging technique. When Eitri finally stopped swinging his large hammer, all impurities within the metal had been hammered out, leaving behind a portion that possessed both strength and resilience. Whether it was forged into armor or a weapon, it was an excellent choice.
Using tongs, Eitri carefully picked up the finished product from the forge table and carefully examined every surface, admiring the unique patterns and designs formed through the forging process. Then, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Gently placing the finished piece in its designated spot, Eitri lowered his head and said to Mark and the others, "Thank you for your understanding. Now that I have completed my work, let's talk about the matter you came here for."
Mark nodded and then looked at Thor beside him, raising an eyebrow. Thor immediately understood and took out the container carrying the Aether, which he had been protecting, from his backpack and handed it to Mark.
After receiving it, Mark held it high above his head and presented it to Eitri, saying, "When His Majesty Odin contacted you earlier, he had already introduced my request. This item in my hand is the Aether, which, thousands of years ago, caused havoc in the Nine Realms when the Dark Elves wielded its power. And now, they plan to return and plunge the entire universe into endless darkness."
"To gain an advantage in this war, I need you to modify the runes on the surface of the Aether, at the quark-level core," Mark continued.
"So, this is the Aether..." Eitri gently received the container that sealed the Aether with his two fingers and carefully examined it.
"I have come across descriptions of it in the records left by our dwarven ancestors. Thousands of years ago, when Odin had not yet inherited the throne of Asgard, and Nidavellir had not yet allied with Asgard, Vanaheim was one of the most powerful among the Nine Realms. Even Asgard had to handle the Dark Elves of Vanaheim with caution."
"One day, the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith, brought a mysterious artifact they had obtained by chance to the then-ruling Dwarf King of Nidavellir, requesting his assistance in forging it into an extraordinary weapon."
"Fearing the might of Vanaheim and moved by Malekith's personal visit, the Dwarf King at that time ultimately agreed to his request.
And this is that weapon Aether. What the Dwarf King didn't expect was that, after obtaining it, Malekith led the Dark Elves to begin a mad plan. They wanted to take away all the light and plunge the entire universe into darkness.
This action undoubtedly declared war against all the realms of the Nine Realms. They dispatched armies one after another, attempting to intimidate the Dark Elves and make them abandon their plan. However, the Dark Elves remained steadfast. They directly gathered the power of the entire realm of Vanaheim and launched their attack.
With the help of the Aether, although they fought on multiple battlefields simultaneously, stretching their forces thin, the Dark Elves achieved continuous victories. They even directly forced the surrender of the three small realms of Nornheim, Niflheim, and Svartalvheim, and withdrew from the war.
With the defeat of these three realms, the remaining kingdoms also felt a strong sense of crisis. After discussions and consultations, the kings of each realm decided to temporarily set aside their grievances and form a coalition to resist the invasion of the Dark Elves.
You already know the outcome of the war. It ended with the failure of the Dark Elves, and the Aether was sealed away by King Bor, never to see the light of day again. But I didn't expect that in my lifetime, I would have the opportunity to see this weapon and appreciate its exquisite craftsmanship."
Upon hearing Eitri's account, Mark and the others were also very surprised. They had not expected such a little-known history behind it.
However, the information they gained from this story added confidence to Mark and the others. Since the Aether was created by the Dwarf King thousands of years ago, Eitri must have a way to fulfill Mark's request.
"You should return to the living area in the outermost ring and wait. The ultra-precision runic engraving is a closely guarded secret of our dwarf race. I will modify the Aether according to your request," Eitri said.
"You are well aware that our dwarf race cannot fully unleash the power of the weapons we create. There is no need to worry that I will covet this treasure," he assured them.
Mark and the others nodded and agreed to Eitri's proposal. Mark and Thor were not concerned that Eitri would do anything foolish for the Aether. After all, if he had that intention, he would have already dominated the Nine Realms and waged wars across the universe with the weapons he created. Why would he need to trade his forging for the protection of Asgard?
As for the Warriors Three and Sif, they were simply unable to endure the extreme heat in this environment. As long as they could leave this place as soon as possible, they no longer cared about anything else.
However, even though they left, Mark was very curious about the secret that Eitri mentioned. Since it couldn't be observed openly and directly, he could only resort to some tricks and secretly learn from it.
As Mark followed Thor and the others away, no one, including Eitri, noticed that three barely noticeable nanobots detached from Mark's fingertips and settled on Eitri's thick beard.
After undergoing upgrades and modifications, these nanobots were capable of withstanding temperatures exceeding 3000 degrees Celsius. Even in the extreme environment where Eitri resided, they would be able to carry out the tasks assigned by Mark.
At that time, all the actions performed by Eitri would be recorded by these three nanobots through their internal holographic modules and transmitted to Mark's presence.
Mark would then know what the closely guarded secret of the dwarf race was and whether he could learn from it and develop a production device with quark-level precision.
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