Looking at the object before him, Ye Wen truly hadn't expected the renowned Mjölnir to be so... unremarkable.

It was rectangular, looking more like a large brick with a handle stuck into it to make this so-called Mjölnir. Ye Wen scrutinized it from every angle but still couldn't discern anything special about it. "But why is it just lying here?"

He glanced around; there was nothing but wind and snow. Mjölnir lay discarded in this expanse of ice and snow. If the Valkyrie hadn't pointed out the exact location, and Ye Wen hadn't used his palm force to disperse a snowdrift standing there, he would never have guessed that such a divine artifact was buried beneath that plain, common little mound of snow.

"Because other than the Thor recognized by Mjölnir, no one can lift the hammer... except the All-Father!" The All-Father Valkyrie spoke of was naturally not Zeus, but Odin, the King of the Aesir. Mjölnir was given to Thor by him, so he could naturally lift it.

Ye Wen reached out, intending to test if Valkyrie's words were true. The moment his hand extended, he felt a repulsive force emanating from Mjölnir.

"Careful!" Valkyrie hadn't anticipated Ye Wen making such a move. She knew this Mjölnir was no gentle artifact; its temper was somewhat akin to its owner, Thor, making it very difficult to deal with. But to her surprise, even as Ye Wen’s seemingly effortless palm gripped the handle tightly, the hammer showed no abnormality.

Of course, this was only surface deep. Ye Wen could feel the hammer constantly trying to flick his hand away, the spot where he gripped it erupting with fierce, explosive energy. For anyone else, they would have been flung away long ago, but for Ye Wen, this level of force posed no threat.

Then, Mjölnir began to pulse with light, streaks of lightning mixed within. Ye Wen’s hand went instantly numb, making him momentarily suspect it had been electrocuted black.

After releasing his grip, the abnormality on Mjölnir vanished instantly. But in that mere blink of an eye, all snow within a ten-meter radius centered on Mjölnir had disappeared, revealing the earth beneath, which was still emitting wisps of steam—a testament to the terrifying electrical discharge the hammer had just unleashed.

Looking up, Ye Wen saw that Valkyrie had already dodged away. Mjölnir's sudden outburst had caught her off guard; being accustomed to flying with her wings, her reaction speed was slightly slower. Had Mjölnir not aimed away from her, that single discharge might have been enough to injure her.

"Are you alright?"

After regaining her composure, Valkyrie surprisingly asked about Ye Wen first. This momentarily stunned him, and he realized this woman was perhaps overly kind—a nature evident from how she persistently tried to advise those adventurers.

"I'm fine!" He gently stroked his right wrist, circulating a stream of Zhenqi a few times until the numbness in his right hand gradually faded. "This thing is pretty lively!"

Valkyrie let out a wry smile. The terrifying lightning that had almost made her lose her footing was, to the man before her, merely described as "lively." The vast gap in their power levels was laid bare at this moment. Valkyrie felt happy that Yuwentuo could be mentored by such a powerhouse, while also fostering a slight sense of hopeful anticipation for her own future.

At this point, she was finally certain that having Ye Wen come look at Mjölnir, even going so far as to place a seal upon it so that Yuwentuo could safely obtain the divine artifact without losing himself, had been the correct choice.

"May the All-Father forgive my sins!"

As a goddess of the Aesir, Valkyrie's duty was to guard the legacy of the gods. Now, with the potential resurrection of Thor, she had chosen to bury the last glimmer of hope for his return—a gross dereliction of duty. Yet, in this moment, she believed her choice was justified.

"Lord Thor wouldn't wish to be resurrected this way, either, would he?"

Finding this reason to comfort herself, Valkyrie buried these concerns deep in her heart, then inquired about Ye Wen, who was circling Mjölnir with a furrowed brow in thought. "Have you found a solution?"

"Mhm... I have a few methods!"

Raising his hand, Ye Wen suddenly manifested ten streams of Jingqi. The foremost was a white cloud of smoke, precisely the White Cloud Smoke from the first layer of the Huantian Baojian; following it were Rose Haze, then Earth Kunlun... all the way to Profound Universe. The ten streams of Jingqi flowed seamlessly, almost merging into one, and then shot toward Mjölnir, which seemed to sense the incoming force.

Expecting an astonishing display, Valkyrie retreated slightly, assuming a defensive posture for fear of being caught in the erupting shockwave. However, to her surprise, after Ye Wen struck the hammer, absolutely nothing happened.

Not only did the Jingqi radiating terrifying might vanish from his hand, but Mjölnir, which should have possessed immense power, also became utterly unremarkable.

It simply lay on the ground, slowly being covered again by the gathering snowflakes.

"This..."

Ye Wen looked, then bent down and picked up Mjölnir, which was already more than half buried again. This time, Mjölnir offered no resistance; it was lifted obediently by Ye Wen. This sight astonished Valkyrie once more: had Mjölnir acknowledged this man as its new master?

Tossing it casually in his hand, watching Mjölnir bounce up and down, Ye Wen chuckled. "You don't need to be surprised. I just used my own power to seal the divine energy within this hammer. Now, Mjölnir has no special properties; it's just like any ordinary lump of iron!"

He certainly didn't want to leave such an important item abandoned in this snowy wilderness. Although hardly anyone could reach this desolate place, and Mjölnir wouldn't casually accept a master, there were plenty of people in this world who ran around with 'plot armor' and great luck. Mount Shu alone housed countless such individuals. Thus, Ye Wen wasn't foolish enough to assume this situation was absolutely secure.

Therefore, securing it properly and handing it over to his little disciple at the right time was the safest option. He continued tossing and catching it along the way, often earning displeased glances from Valkyrie, but Ye Wen showed no sign of stopping until they returned to the cave where Valkyrie resided. Only then did he place Mjölnir before her. "Keep it safe. Thor will come looking for it here in the future!"

"You're not taking it with you directly?" Valkyrie hadn't expected Ye Wen to arrange things this way; she thought he would simply take the hammer!

Ye Wen shook his head. "That boy still needs training. He isn't suited to wield such a fine weapon yet." While Yuwentuo had developed considerable strength, his practical combat experience was severely lacking—which was precisely why Ye Wen had kept him in the Sanctuary.

Although the Holy War was a game, forcing Yuwentuo to suppress his strength there would surely allow him to gain invaluable real-world combat experience, which would greatly benefit his future cultivation.

Simultaneously, he could further hone his weapon usage. After the Holy War concluded, Yuwentuo’s strength should increase further, making it a more appropriate time for him to travel to this far north to claim the hammer.

Valkyrie didn't ask further questions, merely nodding. She then reached out and touched Mjölnir, confirming it wouldn't harm her before picking it up and taking it into the inner chamber for safekeeping.

Subsequently, Valkyrie, reappearing while cradling her child, sat down and stared at Ye Wen. Both of them were at a loss for words—the vast difference in culture and mindset left them with no common ground. The only topic was Yuwentuo, but they had already discussed nearly everything concerning that boy.

After a long silence, Valkyrie finally asked, "That... when will the Holy War end?"

Ye Wen, who was playfully making faces at the small child, causing the baby to giggle, calculated mentally before giving an answer. "It shouldn't take more than a few years!"

The first Holy War required extensive preparations. According to the timeline, Zeus’s reincarnation should already be undergoing training in the Sanctuary, meaning the Holy War had officially entered its countdown phase. In another two or three years, it would likely commence!

Once it started, the time taken for it to conclude would actually be shorter. Although the Holy War sounded grand, it was fundamentally a small-scale conflict involving a few dozen, perhaps fewer than a hundred, combatants. Even if it ended only when all of them perished, it wouldn't take long—perhaps a month at best, or less than a year at most.

Hearing that she might see Yuwentuo again in a few years, Valkyrie looked quite happy. She even bent down to tell her daughter, "You'll get to see your father soon!"

Whether the little one understood or not, she giggled even more happily. Then, to the slight surprise of both Ye Wen and Valkyrie, a pair of small, delicate white wings sprouted slightly, even pushing aside the blanket wrapped around her. She flapped them vigorously, sending feathers drifting into the eyes of both adults.

"This..."

Ye Wen looked toward Valkyrie. Curiously, the goddess didn't find this sight inappropriate; she only expressed astonishment. "Awakening her divine power so young?"

Those white wings were a symbol of Valkyrie's divine power, and generally, the younger a child awakened their divine power, the stronger they would be in adulthood—it was said that the most powerful among the Valkyries possessed wings from birth, and in adulthood, their strength rivaled that of the Aesir renowned for their martial prowess, like Odin.

This was the origin of the Valkyries' title. Although this little one didn't have wings at birth, awakening divine power this early was indeed quite rare. Valkyrie was naturally surprised, though a hint of pride also surfaced.

Ye Wen learned these details later. At the moment, he could only watch bewildered as Valkyrie first looked surprised, then happy and proud, as she tidied the blanket kicked askew by her daughter and helped fold the little one's pair of still-flapping wings—one couldn't expect the child to learn how to control her wings until she was older.

Ye Wen looked at the little one, closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and finally took out a pendant. "This will be a welcoming gift for the child. I came in a hurry, and I wasn't expecting this child's existence, so I didn't prepare anything beforehand!"

It was a silver necklace that looked ordinary, featuring a teardrop-shaped gemstone pendant. Though simple, it was quite beautiful. Once hung around the little one's neck, the teardrop gem emitted a soft glow that enveloped the child. Perhaps finding it comfortable, the little one giggled again.

"This pendant has the effect of calming the mind and promoting blood circulation. Furthermore, it forms a protective barrier when attacked, though it's not very strong, it can offer some resistance."

"Thank you!" Hearing Ye Wen's explanation, Valkyrie understood that this unassuming little pendant possessed remarkably magical functions. She didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it immediately. After all, her current environment wasn't ideal, and having something like this would offer her child an extra layer of protection.

However, she didn't realize that Ye Wen was quite dissatisfied with his own gift. That pendant was brought back by Zhang Ling last time; it was the latest type of magic treasure manufactured by the Shu Mountain Sect, but its effect was genuinely mediocre—an item produced while Zheng Ying was honing his skills. If it weren't for the decent design, it might have already been destroyed.

In Ye Wen's mind, he should at least fully arm this 'granddaughter' of his. Armor was a must-have, considering Valkyrie herself favored wearing armor, and her descendant would likely be the same.

Valkyrie had no concerns regarding weapons, so Ye Wen still needed to consider what kind of armament this little one should have.

"I wonder if this little one would accept modern weaponry?" He pondered for a moment. "Should I just gift her a VF or a Gundam?"

After some thought, he looked at the child's tiny hands. Ye Wen decided this issue could be considered slowly. Perhaps he should first focus on improving Valkyrie's strength? If Yuwentuo became strong enough in a few years and cheerfully came to find his wife and daughter, only to discover his wife had already perished, wouldn't that lead to extreme depression?

He wasn't asking Valkyrie to become overwhelmingly powerful, but at least she needed the ability to protect herself. Unfortunately, just as Ye Wen's thoughts took shape, Zhang Ling approached him holding a communication device. "Master, your junior brother is looking for you!" "Is that your junior brother, or that woman?"

Ever since Athena learned Ye Wen possessed such a communicator, she frequently used Yuwentuo, the Libra Gold Saint, as her liaison to contact Ye Wen. She often had Yuwentuo call Ye Wen for trivial matters. Athena had now awakened, and Elizabeth was gradually merging with Athena; the Pope's decree was announced by Athena in the guise of Elizabeth within the Sanctuary.

"It's that woman..."

Ye Wen displayed an 'I knew it' expression, casually taking the communicator and stepping into a quiet corner. "What is it?"

On the other end came Elizabeth's calm and melodious voice, but the tone was increasingly close to Athena's own. "Ye Wen, you've been gone for quite a while, haven't you?"

"Why?"

"I just feel like you should return!" Elizabeth smiled, and Ye Wen could sense her smugness even from this distance. "What does that mean? Has the Holy War started?" "It's close!" Athena's smugness suddenly diminished considerably. "There were some accidents. I don't know what Hades was thinking, but he launched the Holy War ahead of schedule. Thankfully, Nis finally obtained the Pegasus Cloth yesterday!"

"Nis? Who is that?"

"..."

Silence from the other end. Ye Wen turned to look at Zhang Ling, who was nearby. "Who is this person named Nis?"

"He's Zeus's reincarnation!" Zhang Ling adjusted her slightly slipping glasses. Despite her expressionless face, one could sense a hint of helplessness. "Didn't I mention this to Master last time?"

"Oh. I generally don't pay much attention to such minor details!" Without concern for Athena listening on the other end, Ye Wen muttered casually, "Since the Pegasus constellation has awakened, that means the protagonist is in place. It sounds like there's nothing left for me to do, right?"

"You promised... you'd come back to participate in at least one battle!" Athena huffed, almost whining coquettishly. "I was also hoping this Holy War would let all twelve Gold Saints establish their own fame!"

"Fine! I'll hurry back!"

Just as Ye Wen was about to end the call, Athena suddenly laughed strangely. "You better hurry, or you'll regret it..."

Then Ye Wen heard Yuwentuo take over the detector and whisper to him, "Master, the situation has changed!"

Ye Wen remained silent, knowing his disciple would explain when it was appropriate. His silence now simply meant the timing wasn't right... Indeed, Yuwentuo didn't hang up. After a pause, seemingly finding a secure location, he finally spoke. "Master, are you still there?"

"I am! Tell me directly what the change is!"

"The actions of the Hades Army have become very strange. Not only did they start the Holy War early, but it seems they are targeting Athena from the very beginning, which is different from the originally arranged plan!"

"Hmm?"

The original plan was for both sides to array their forces, gradually committing their fighters to battle, leading to repeated, tragic engagements until all the Saints were dead. Athena and Hades wouldn't need to appear until the final moment to briefly conclude the Holy War.

However, the Hades Army didn't seem prepared to follow that script. Not only did they unleash their entire force at the start, but they made a direct thrust toward Athena... using every means necessary!

"Also..." Yuwentuo paused thoughtfully. "That girl, Ekaterina, obtained the Sagittarius Gold Cloth, and Athena sent her out to scout the details of the Specters. Nis, the Pegasus Saint, is accompanying her!"

This sentence made Ye Wen's eyelids twitch violently.