The Comprehensive Evolution of American Comics

Yang Le patted Balder on the shoulder, signaling him not to bother with this rich second generation, as they still had many things to do.

Balder, however, smiled slightly, indicating it wouldn't take much time. Seeing this, Yang Le didn't stop him, having done his duty by trying to dissuade him.

"What? Did I hit a nerve?" Tony completely forgot his earlier pitiful state and returned to his playboy persona.

"People these days show no respect even to gods," Balder shook his head, then casually pointed at Tony. A beam of white light shot straight at Tony. Balder was a god of great discretion, so even Sif, who was right next to Tony, was unaffected.

Hit by the light, Tony's body stiffened, and he was enveloped in a white mist. When the mist dissipated, Tony's figure had completely disappeared.

"Tony?!" As someone practically glued to Tony, Sif directly felt the process of his disappearance. She only felt an unusual heat, then Tony's body seemed to shrink as he slowly left her side.

Sif looked in the direction Tony had disappeared, only to see a… frog in Tony's place?

"This is!?" Sif's eyes widened. She quickly noticed something was wrong. The frog in front of her was wearing Tony's clothes, albeit a proportionally smaller version.

And the frog even had a small tuft of hair on its chin, looking exactly like Tony's recently grown mustache.

"Ribbit?" Frog Tony raised a front paw, looked at it, and then started shouting.

"Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit!"

"Stark turned into a frog?" Dambi covered her cheeks and shouted, but judging from her expression, she wasn't scared at all but found it amusing.

The magic of turning into a frog, Yang Le was very familiar with this move. In his memory, Thor had also been turned into a frog. Later, it seemed because Frog Thor was quite popular, this move and character often appeared.

"Don't be nervous," Balder comforted Zheng Xian, who looked slightly pale. "I'm just giving him a slight punishment. This magic will only last for three hours at most. Of course, if he sincerely repents, he can turn back immediately."

Cold sweat dripped down Zheng Xian's forehead. Getting this rich second generation to lower his head and admit his mistake was probably harder than ascending to heaven. Oh well, let him suffer a little. Anyway, he'll turn back in three hours at most.

"Let's continue discussing serious matters," Balder waved his hand, bringing the topic back on track. "Regarding our Asgard's proposal, may I ask this…"

"Zheng Xian," Zheng Xian quickly introduced himself. "I am the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Earth. You can call me Zheng Xian."

"Alright, Director Zheng Xian," Balder nodded. "I don't know if you accept our Asgard's proposal. Let me say first that King Odin is willing to respect your wishes, but please also consider carefully that the current Earth cannot withstand the revenge of a world."

"We can agree to Asgard's proposal," Zheng Xian agreed very readily. It's better to pass on a hot potato than to hold onto it. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he has this authority. However, there are some things he still needs to negotiate.

"But I hope Asgard can help interrogate Laufey. We want to know why he came back to attack Earth, as this is related to our safety after all."

"Understood," Balder nodded. "This is a reasonable request. Even if you didn't say it, we would still interrogate Laufey. We will also hand over the information obtained from the interrogation to Earth, as you are also parties involved."

Since that's the case, Zheng Xian had nothing more to say. The two sides shook hands and happily settled the matter. However, Laufey wasn't on this transport plane. To complete the handover, they needed to wait for the transport plane to land, which meant returning to the Circular Fortress.

Balder waved his hand, indicating it wouldn't be that troublesome. He simply had Zheng Xian notify the transport plane holding Laufey, telling them not to panic, and then he used magic to disappear.

Before Zheng Xian could search for Balder's whereabouts, a cry of surprise came from the communication device. It turned out that Balder had used magic to directly teleport onto the transport plane holding Laufey.

Without waiting for the landing, Balder took Laufey away with the help of the Rainbow Bridge. This ability to appear and disappear without a trace made Zheng Xian extremely envious. If S.H.I.E.L.D. could also have this kind of technology, that would be great.

Human development has a long way to go.

…

On another note, while Zheng Xian was sighing, Balder had already brought Laufey back to Asgard. After the dazzling rainbow dissipated, what appeared before them was a group of fully armed Asgardian soldiers.

They were all here to escort Laufey. Although this person was already a defeated general, he was still the Giant King who had fought Odin for thousands of years. The respect he deserved still had to be given.

Laufey scoffed at these Asgardian soldiers. His face showed no fear, as if he wasn't a prisoner but a victorious general. Of course, you needed to ignore the injuries on his body and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special restraints first.

"Let's go, Laufey. The great Odin is still waiting for you," Balder pushed Laufey. The latter didn't say anything and dragged his injured body step by step onto the prison carriage.

The prison carriage pulled by the great horned rams was big enough to hold a giant. With escorts in front and guards behind, plus the Asgardian Prince Balder following beside the prison carriage, Laufey's status as a prisoner was quite impressive.

The group arrived in Asgard city in such a grand manner. Many Asgardians gathered on both sides of the main road. They all wanted to see what the archenemy of Asgard, the current leader of the Frost Giants, looked like.

Laufey didn't feel ashamed. He sat upright in the prison carriage, his body covered in shackles and missing a hand, but no one would doubt his identity as the Giant King.

As the gates of the Immortal Palace opened, Laufey finally arrived before the Lord of Asgard. King Odin, fully dressed and holding the divine spear, stood not far away.

"Long time no see, old friend," Odin took the initiative to speak, as if the two weren't enemies who wanted to kill each other but good friends who hadn't seen each other for many years.

"It has indeed been many years since the last fight," Laufey stood up, the shackles on his body rattling.

He scanned the surroundings, as if looking for someone. After a moment, he asked, "Where is your best son? I haven't fought you in many years since that kid could go to the battlefield."

"Thor has his own matters to attend to," Odin said with a serious expression. "Old friend, I happen to have many things to ask you. I hope you can answer them for me."