American TV series: Start with the little Sheldon's wool

Chapter 726 Brothers Reunited

Thor's eyes flickered as he watched the lizard head and the few sneaky scavengers leave one after another before striding off in the opposite direction.

Clearly, he hadn't taken the lizard-head's warning to heart.

Danger? Thor, who has conquered the Nine Realms, has seen all kinds of danger.

The chaotic Sakaar planet and that grandmaster or something, they couldn't scare him at all.

“Newcomer? You can only leave if you hand over 500 interstellar coins~” Outside the garbage dump, two fully armed guards blocked Thor’s way.

Having realized Thor's newcomer status, they didn't make things too difficult for him.

They were simply collecting the initial protection fee as was customary.

This also includes the money from the Sakaar civilian certificate.

"Get out of the way, I don't have time to argue with you~" Thor, who had no coins on him, frowned in annoyance.

At the same time, I gained a completely new understanding of the domineering nature of grandmasters.

"If you don't have money, then go and collect trash obediently, and come back when you've scraped together enough money." The guard's face also turned grim.

Collecting protection money was a rule set by the Grandmaster, and the guards had no right to change it.

Moreover, what they dislike most is encountering clueless newcomers who don't know the rules, as that often means trouble.

"I said, get out of the way!!!"

Seeing that the guards continued to pester him, Thor, who had long since lost his patience, slammed his head down and rushed out.

At the same time, he kept an eye on the high-tech weapons in the hands of the two guards out of the corner of his eye.

This can be considered a soldier's intuition.

The two guards were physically no different from ordinary people, and they didn't look very strong.

However, the laser weapons they wielded genuinely gave Thor a sense of danger.

"Warning, someone is attempting to break through the checkpoint!!!"

Upon realizing that Thor's arrival was hostile, one of the guards immediately blew his whistle to warn his colleagues and call for backup.

The other guard raised his weapon, ready to subdue the intruder.

However, Thor, who was prepared, charged at the guard as he grabbed his weapon, sending him flying and snatching the weapon from him in the process.

Then, he held the laser weapon upside down like a hammer and swung it upwards, knocking down the guard who was blowing a whistle to warn him.

The whole process was incredibly smooth, taking less than two seconds.

"Tch, the Xandarian warriors are nothing special, their weapons are so flimsy. Looks like that so-called Grandmaster isn't all that great after all..." Thor, having finished the fight in two moves, didn't immediately run away.

Instead, he disdainfully tossed aside the high-tech weapon that had been violently destroyed in his hand, and then leisurely waited for the other guards around him to gather.

Only the weak need to run away.

Thor believed he had figured out the fighting strength of the Xandarian warriors and did not think he would lose.

Even if the other side has more people.

"The challenger has violent tendencies; use force against him..."

Then, Thor was hit by more than a dozen laser beams, and his entire body was engulfed in thick smoke.

"Cough... It's something, but that's all!!!"

As the smoke cleared, Thor appeared somewhat disheveled, but thanks to the protection of lightning, he was not fatally injured.

Clearly, in that instant, having awakened the power of Thor, he used his speed advantage to dodge all the laser attacks.

"Next, it's my turn!"

Thor, his body crackling with lightning, then charged at the guard team.

Xandar's high-tech weapons may be powerful, but it also depends on who uses them.

Otherwise, it won't hit anyone and will be no different from a fire poker.

Thor not only has a stronger physique and faster speed, but also has rich combat experience.

After dodging several more laser attacks, he rushed into the crowd.

Now, even with high-tech weapons, the guards no longer dared to fire indiscriminately, fearing they might accidentally injure friendly forces.

The situation then began to turn one-sided.

Amidst the cries of pain from the guards, Thor, like a lion entering a flock of sheep, took down more than a dozen guards in just a few minutes with his bare fists.

"As expected, there's not a single one who can fight!" Thor, filled with pride, exclaimed from the battlefield.

They seemed to be in a state of not having had enough fun yet.

"Don't let any unexpected guests come. If you're so capable, don't leave. When the Valkyrie arrives, she will avenge us..."

Seeing Thor's arrogant demeanor, the guards lying on the ground protested indignantly.

"Valkyrie? Is she your leader? The name sounds familiar..." Thor paused for a moment when he saw the guards' confident expressions, then said, "Never mind, it's not important. Someone who can hang out with you guys probably isn't that strong."

Still concerned about reuniting with his people, Thor shook his head and prepared to leave.

Hey, look here!

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from the side.

When Thor turned his head, he saw a woman in black leather armor throw away the bottle in her hand and raise her fists, which were covered with two high-tech gauntlets.

Then, two powerful laser beams shot out from the gauntlets and struck Thor, causing him to collapse instantly.

"Long live the Valkyrie!" xN
Upon seeing who it was, the guards became excited and scrambled to their feet, gathering around the Valkyrie.

Judging from his "lively" posture, he doesn't look like he's just been defeated at all.

Now, only Thor was left feeling miserable.

Unable to get up after struggling on the ground for a while, he looked at the Valkyrie with dissatisfaction and shouted, "This is not fair! That was a sneak attack. If you're so capable, let's have a fair fight!"

Logically speaking, Thor, who had just awakened the power of Thor, should not have been defeated by two laser beams.

Having drifted in the spatial turbulence for so long, they hadn't rested or replenished their energy after arriving on Xandar.

Thor is indeed in a weakened state.

The Valkyrie's sudden attack also clearly suggests that her victory was not entirely honorable.

"Fairness? There has never been any fairness..." The Valkyrie was momentarily stunned when she saw Thor's face, and then she sneered.

Then he threw a round stun gun and embedded it in Thor's neck. "Pray, outsider. I hope your sins won't be disposed of like trash this time."

The Valkyrie reached out to grab Thor, preparing to take him to see the Grandmaster.

It was this gesture of reaching out that allowed Thor to see the Valkyrie's unique tattoo on her wrist.

"Valkyrie? Valkyrie Team! You're an Asgardian too!" Thor exclaimed as if he had seen a long-lost relative.

When Odin conquered the Nine Realms, he formed a personal guard composed entirely of female warriors, who were collectively known as the Valkyrie Squad.

They have the right to protect Odin and to judge traitors to Asgard.

Each member of this Valkyrie team has a unique Asgardian mark tattooed on their wrist.

Thor felt a sense of relief upon discovering that the woman in front of him was "one of their own."

"You've mistaken me for someone else. There's no Valkyrie team here, only Valkyrie." The Valkyrie seemed to recall unpleasant memories, her face contorted with resentment, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth.

His clenched teeth were like a bucket of cold water poured on Thor.

"No, I'm sure you're from the Valkyrie team..." Thor, still unwilling to give up, continued to loudly refute.

Anyone with a brain could see that Valkyrie's attitude towards Asgard was strange.

The emotion was complex, containing hatred, disappointment, and a trace of nostalgia.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

However, before Thor could continue speaking, Valkyrie had already taken out a remote control and activated the stun gun embedded in Thor's neck.

Trembling, Thor was spectacularly electrocuted and knocked unconscious.

"Alright, you guys continue guarding the garbage dump. I'm taking this guy to see the Grandmaster." With the annoying noise gone, the Valkyrie gave some instructions to her guards and then left with Thor in her arms.

……

"The High Heavenly Venerable... The High Heavenly Venerable..."

"You have five seconds to meet the esteemed High Priest. Please prepare yourself..."

“5……4……3……2……”

While unconscious, Thor had a long nightmare, the flickering light and shadows making his already groggy mind even more confused.

As the countdown ended at "1", Thor suddenly opened his eyes and finally woke up from the nightmare.

At the same time, the name "Gao Tianzun" remained in his mind.

"Where am I? Valkyrie!! Let me go..."

When Thor came to his senses, he found himself locked to a chair in a high-altitude hall.

Dozens of fully armed and armored soldiers stood in formation around him, each of them looking much stronger than the guards in the previous garbage dump.

Several scantily clad maids were also waiting beside the steps of the hall.

As for the Valkyrie that Thor longed for, she was standing not far away from him at that moment.

He was talking to a white-haired man sitting in an ornate chair.

"Are you sure the prisoners you brought this time are male?" As Thor observed the white-haired man, the man was also scrutinizing him with the eyes of someone selecting goods.

Thor's flowing long hair, however, aroused the Grandmaster's suspicion.

"Yes... I think so," the Valkyrie replied with a smile.

“I knew it, Number 142, you always bring me back the best gladiators…” The Grandmaster suddenly burst into laughter, turned to look at the fat woman in full armor on the other side, and said, “Topaz, tell me. What do we usually call Number 142…” “Let me give you a hint, it starts with the word ‘best’.”

Clearly, the Grandmaster was in a good mood after confirming Thor's gender.

He even started joking with the Valkyrie.

In reality, although the Valkyrie works under the Grandmaster, their relationship is more like an employer-employee partnership.

The Valkyrie had to pay protection money to the Grandmaster while living on Sakaar, and she also received high rewards for working for the Grandmaster.

Unlike the fat woman Topaz next to him, who was completely dependent on the Grandmaster, she didn't need to pay protection money and didn't get paid for her work.

Compared to the other two, the Valkyrie's life is clearly more carefree and unrestrained.

Therefore, even though Topaz didn't say it aloud, she harbored some resentment towards the Valkyrie. So, after the Grandmaster asked her a question, she said expressionlessly, "Trash~"

“No, not trash, are you deliberately humiliating her? And that’s not the first word…” The Grandmaster was caught off guard by Topaz’s attack and gestured for him to continue.

“'Drunkard'~” Topaz gave his answer again.

“I’m so sorry, but you are the best…” Faced with the Valkyrie’s disdainful gaze, the Grandmaster had no choice but to give the answer directly, and then said in a comforting tone, “I always say that you are the best one, and my favorite champion warrior was brought by you.”

The Celestial Master awkwardly offered a couple more explanations, but judging from the Valkyrie's expression, the effect seemed less than ideal.

Thus, the Celestial Venerable's impulsive little joke had completely failed.

"Alright, could you move me a little closer? Let me get a good look at my gladiator, thank you~" To end this awkward situation, the Grandmaster changed the subject and made a request to Topaz.

Then, at Topaz's urging, the Grandmaster sat in his chair and went to Thor's side.

"What's going on? What gladiator? You really bought me??" Thor, still confused, kept his eyes fixed on the approaching Valkyrie.

Unfortunately, his question was destined to remain unanswered by the Valkyrie.

The reason is a long story.

When Valkyrie was still serving Odin, the last mission she received was to eliminate the "traitor" Hela.

By then, Hela had experienced the Nine Realms War, and her reputation and fighting power were comparable to Odin's.

It has reached a point where Odin is wary.

Therefore, sending the Valkyrie team to deal with Hela was practically suicide.

And that's exactly what happened. Hela quickly wiped out all the Valkyrie warriors, leaving Valkyrie as the only lucky survivor.

However, it was also thrown into the spacetime turbulence and eventually ended up on Sakaar.

To this day, there has been no word of Odin offering any compensation or recall to the Valkyrie team at the time.

In this situation, Valkyrie has every reason to hate Odin.

Because of the saying "hate extends to the house," Thor, the son of the god-king, was naturally also hated.

Of course, Valkyrie's sale of Thor to the Grandmaster wasn't entirely out of malice.

After all, to survive on Sakaar, you have to be valuable, otherwise you'll be treated as trash.

For Thor, who didn't want to collect scraps, becoming a gladiator was a viable option.

By "selling" Thor, the Valkyrie gets money to buy alcohol, while Thor gets a new job and is no longer treated as trash.

It can be considered a win-win situation, albeit barely.

"How much do you want?" The Grandmaster went up to Thor, looked at his strong physique, and nodded repeatedly.

Then he turned to look at the Valkyrie.

"Ten million!" the Valkyrie demanded exorbitantly.

"Give him the money." Perhaps too satisfied with Thor's physique, the Grandmaster surprisingly didn't haggle and directly ordered Topaz to pay.

The deal was struck, and the Valkyrie wore a satisfied smile.

After gently stroking the cheek of the Celestial Venerable, he stepped out of the hall.

As for Thor, well, he can only hope for the best.

Ten million interstellar coins, that's a lot.

"Where are you from? What impressive title do you have? After all, you know, audiences love gimmicks."

"The gladiator of the head..." After watching the Valkyrie leave, the Grandmaster inquired about Thor's condition.

"I am Thor, the God of Thunder, from Asgard. You'd better let me go." Thor, whose hands were magnetically attached to the chair, spoke with displeasure.

“Thunder Man… Ah… Egg Tart?? Never heard of it…” The Grandmaster looked puzzled, clearly dissatisfied with Thor’s name.

As for the Nine Realms of Asgard, geographically speaking, they are considered remote areas.

Therefore, it is normal that the High Celestial Venerable has never heard of him.

“It’s Thor and Asgard…” Thor, feeling offended, corrected him, then said, “Never mind, just let me go, or you’ll regret it.”

"Regret? No one can make me regret. You probably don't know me yet, so I'll show you around..." The Grandmaster ignored Thor's threat and personally got up, pushing Thor's chair towards the next room. "Now, welcome to my kingdom!!!"

Next to the lobby is a lounge, which is currently hosting a salon; the room is filled with lights, music, and fine wine.

As the absolute master here, the Celestial Venerable went directly to the bar, squeezed out the DJ, and became the DJ himself.

"No one cares about Sakaar more than the Grandmaster..."

"He is the creator, the first to forget, and the first to be discovered..."

"He was the founder of Sakaar..."

"He is the creator of the champion's heart..."

……

As the Grandmaster's self-aggrandizing rap began, Thor felt that everything was so surreal.

Bored out of his mind, he glanced listlessly at the other guests in the room.

Upon closer inspection, they spotted Loki in the crowd, dressed in a dark green robe.

“Loki…hey…here…”

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land moved Thor to excitedly call out to his brother.

"Excuse me, just a moment~" Upon hearing the call, Loki greeted the surrounding guests before gracefully approaching Thor with his wine glass in hand.

"Loki, what are you doing here?" Thor asked curiously.

“Actually, there’s a time difference within the spatial turbulence; I arrived here several weeks ago.” Loki finished speaking, then added in a low voice, “And I’ve become good friends with the Grandmaster…”

“Great! Then quickly tell him to release me. The people of Asgard need me.” Thor interrupted Loki’s boasting at the right moment and made his request.

After all, in his view, Loki and the Grandmaster were friends, so the Grandmaster was "one of his own".

It's not difficult to reclaim your freedom.

“Well, that might be a bit difficult. You know, you’re one of the Grandmaster’s most valued gladiators right now.” Loki looked troubled.

Loki only managed to gain his freedom from the Grandmaster through his silver tongue and sycophantic flattery.

In reality, he's more like the Grandmaster's lackey.

In this situation, he has no right to make demands on the other party.

He was just bragging in front of his brother; it was all because of his vanity.

Just then, the Grandmaster, who had just finished a thrilling rap performance, noticed what was happening with Thor.

So he walked over, stared at the two brothers with surprise, and asked, "Do you know each other?"

"Yes……"

"I don't know him!!!"

The former is Thor, and the latter is Loki.

"No, we're actually brothers, he's my younger brother." Thor interrupted, annoyed, as Loki tried to distance himself from the relationship.

"Adopted," Loki quickly distanced himself from the situation.

Judging from his appearance, he seemed very afraid that the High Celestial Venerable would misunderstand.

"Really? Judging from what happened just now, I thought you two had a very good relationship." The Grandmaster looked at Loki with a scrutinizing gaze.

“No, our relationship is actually very bad,” Loki chimed in again.

"That's good. So, you have no objection to me having your brother become a gladiator?" The Grandmaster was able to build Sakaar, this chaotic place, into a thriving place entirely thanks to his business acumen.

Opening the bloody arena was one of his methods to attract tourists and residents of Sakaar to spend money.

If a gladiatorial arena wants to attract attention, it naturally needs its own gimmicks.

That is to forge yourself into the king of the arena through a series of spectacular battles.

Thor's strong physique made him a prime target for the Grandmaster.

Using him to pave the way for the current king of the arena will surely attract more viewers to the arena.

This will also make the title of King of the Arena more prestigious.

Yes, Thor was valued by the Grandmaster precisely because of his strong physique, which made him a potential candidate to become the next King of the Arena.

“I have no objection, I even welcome it.” Loki probably guessed the Grandmaster’s thoughts, so he decisively betrayed his brother.

“Very good. Send him to the gladiatorial arena to prepare well. Next week, I want to see the most spectacular gladiatorial performance.” The Grandmaster nodded in satisfaction, and then pronounced Thor’s fate.

Then, amidst Thor's angry expression and Loki's innocent look, Thor was pushed by his guards into the fighting arena.

According to the rules of Sakaar, which features one gladiatorial match per week, Thor will take the stage in seven days.

Deliver a bloody gladiatorial performance to forge the reputation of the current King of Gladiators.

……

(End of this chapter)