There is no rush to recruit the dark elves and it can be put aside for now. When Thor returns with the Aether particles and Malekith's head, even if Odin is dissatisfied with Thor's private actions, he can only affirm his results. After all, the process is not important, the most important thing is the result. Otherwise, even the most perfect plan will be a bad decision if it fails in the end.
Moreover, this time Thor indirectly saved the nine kingdoms, which is a great achievement that can win glory for Asgard!
So even if he secretly let Loki run away, Odin turned a blind eye (wasn't he blind in one eye anyway?) and pretended nothing happened.
Instead, it was Dio who kept looking at him that caught Odin's attention.
"The palace will be repaired in a week. I will hold a ceremony to pass the throne to you on that day. Your friends will also receive the highest courtesy in Asgard." Odin looked at Thor majestically and Frigga also looked at him with loving eyes.
Although Odin had already had this idea when Thor returned from quelling the civil strife in the nine kingdoms not long ago, Thor refused that time for various reasons.
However, after experiencing the invasion of the dark elves, Odin could no longer refuse to admit his old age, and it was unknown how long his body could last, so passing the throne to Thor had become something he had to do.
But Thor didn't seem to be interested in this. At least now he felt that he was not qualified enough to sit on that position. He had not yet taken the step of being ruthless and making choices that a king must learn. He even thought that he would never be as cruel as his father Odin.
So he refused again.
Odin gazed at his child, and echoing in his ears was his declaration that he would devote his entire life to defending the Nine Kingdoms. However, as the rightful new king of Asgard, his child was still unwilling to accept the throne.
Perhaps his parenting method was really a failure. He was indeed not a qualified father and never understood what his children really wanted. This was true for Thor and Loki as well.
After a brief silence, Odin slowly said: "The triumphal ceremony will be held as scheduled. This is what you deserve. If you change your mind, you can tell me at any time."
Thor nodded, then turned and left. He knew that he had disappointed his father, but he also sincerely believed that he was not a good leader yet and he still needed to grow.
After taking a last deep look at Odin, Dio also left. He was not sure whether the old man sitting on the throne was the real Odin or the escaped Loki in disguise. But all this would be revealed in a week, because only Odin and Thor knew what conditions he had put forward.
If on that day he does not get those two things, then this Odin may be fake to a large extent.
. . . . . . . . .
A week passed in a flash, and on this day, Odin, as the king of gods and guardian of the nine kingdoms, held a grand ceremony.
The last time such a grand ceremony was held was a few years ago when the throne was to be passed to Thor. However, as time passed, Thor, who once couldn't wait to become the new king of Asgard, had already seen through many things, which made Odin proud but also helpless.
Although Odin can barely hold on for a short time, he has already begun to pave the way for his successor. This mobilization of troops is not only to demonstrate the power of Asgard and shock the nine countries, but also to take this opportunity to raise Thor's prestige to a higher level.
With his previous achievements and the glory of defeating the dark elves and saving the nine kingdoms, even if one day he really can't hold on, Thor will be able to sit on the throne rightfully. Even if there will be some chaos at that time, Thor will be able to control the situation and prevent the people of Asgard from being caught up in the war.
After all, the current peace was fought for by Odin and his father Baoer through battle after battle. It was a peace bought with blood. There is no better persuasiveness than strength and achievements.
It can be said that Odin has put a lot of effort into Thor.
The ceremony went very smoothly. When Odin slowly stated Thor's contribution in his majestic and proud tone and bestowed the highest honor on Thor, all the people of Asgard who came to watch the ceremony immediately burst into thunderous cheers. They were proud of their future king from the bottom of their hearts!
All the negative impacts caused by the previous attack of the dark elves disappeared in an instant!
Moreover, Thor not only united the people and gained fame, but also made the Nine Nations once again realize the power of Asgard, thus nipping the signs of unrest in the bud.
If Thor used to have to lead his troops and wield Thor's hammer to help the Nine Kingdoms quell the war, then after today, the prestige of Thor, the God of Thunder, will spread throughout the Nine Kingdoms again, and no one will dare to challenge his majesty.
And when Thor inherits the throne, he will probably do as his father Odin did.
Just one name can bring a thousand years of peace!
That is the supreme and greatest honor!
When Thor got everything he deserved, Odin said loudly again: "There is another person who deserves the same honor as Thor..."
Seeing that Dio didn't react, Thor immediately used his arm to push him, "It's your turn now. Just imitate what I did just now."
Dio finally reacted and walked out of the crowd and came to the bottom of Odin's throne. However, he did not kneel on one knee like Thor. He just performed a gentleman's salute and waited for the next step.
Many uninformed people began to talk about it with regret, but Odin didn't seem to care.
"Dio Brando, the brave warrior from Midgard, is Thor's best friend and Asgard's eternal friend. He holds the power of the sun and life..."
Listening to Odin's description without changing his expression, Dio felt extremely ashamed, but he had no choice but to listen to him finish bragging. Under such flattery, who would have thought that he and Odin would start to quarrel with each other on their first meeting? What surprised him even more was that Odin actually said that he had mastered the power of the sun and life. Was there any misunderstanding here
"When the Dark Elves invaded, he not only helped the Asgardian warriors to repel the enemy, but also snatched the Queen of Asgard back from the hands of the God of Death... In the final battle, he assisted Thor in killing the leader of the Dark Elves and taking back the Aether particles, thus preventing darkness from descending on the Nine Kingdoms again!"
"Thus, as the King of the Gods and the Guardian of the Nine Kingdoms, I bestow upon him the highest honor of Asgard."