I am Thalos, Odin's older brother

Chapter 359: Kingship Bestowed by the Emperor

Balder's mind went completely blank.

He truly hadn't expected that the Wind God's Sword—meant to be a ceremonial symbol—would actually refuse to accept him as its master.

What did this mean?

Did this imply that his new title as the Sumerian God-King was unjustified?o losing his sense of self.

As long as Thalos was present, Balder could never act naturally.

But the moment Thalos left, Balder's aura changed—he radiated the presence of a true king.

He had his divine attendants read aloud a dozen new policies, all grounded in benevolence and compassion—naturally appealing to the Sumerian gods.

The crowd burst into applause and shouted praises.

Then came the traditional presentation of gifts to the new king.

Only then did many gods realize just how cunning Balder's strategist—an unnamed trickster god—really was.

Loki had discreetly leaked what Thor, as the eldest brother, was gifting Balder, and what he himself was offering.

This was a public signal: anyone giving Balder a gift had better prepare the highest-tier magical artifacts.

Top-tier treasures weren't things one could just summon on demand.

Especially for main gods, the gift had to match their status—a cheap offering would offend the Aesir purebloods and giants alike.

Naturally, Balder wouldn't just hoard gifts. For anything valuable enough, he would offer a return gift of equal rank.

On the surface, this made him seem incredibly proper and gracious.

But in truth, it locked in the highest-tier magical items only for Balder.

Items of this caliber were rare and irreplaceable—even the dwarves couldn't forge that many on short notice.

And those who received Balder's return gifts couldn't just regift them to other god-kings.

This ensured that Balder's coronation would outshine that of all his younger siblings.

Frigg's scheming was spot-on: when the other princes and princesses held their ceremonies, their gifts truly didn't compare to Balder's.

But what Frigg didn't know was that this vulgar display of luxury and vanity only made Thalos more disgusted.

"As expected, Frigg is obsessed with status and extravagance. I was right not to make Balder crown prince," Thalos muttered to himself in the empty throne hall of the Silver Palace.

No one dared reply.

Even the stoic Brunhilde, standing silently nearby, looked thoroughly uncomfortable.

Times had changed. Pureblood Aesir were no longer Thalos's essential military force. As long as they didn't overstep, he wouldn't bother with them.

The world of Ginnungagap was large enough to afford a few ornamental mascots.

In the following months, the remaining five new kings completed their coronations in turn.

Thus, the new structural framework of Ginnungagap's governance was finally established.

Though Thalos himself wasn't entirely satisfied with the system, he understood the constraints—ideology followed position. He could only reform as much as possible without fragmenting the divine alliance.

Too radical a step, and the internal power balance would falter.

As long as Thalos had unmatched force, civil war was impossible.

But force alone couldn't prevent deliberate sabotage from disgruntled factions.

(End of Chapter)

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