Chapter 144: The Ancient One Comes Knocking
"So many things?"
Loya raised his eyebrows, feeling a bit surprised in his heart.
He had initially thought that given Dracula's status, it would be good enough if they could separate out something related to immortality.
He hadn't expected to directly separate four items, which was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
With a wave of his hand, the four items flew up out of thin air and fell into his arms.
This "draculas fang" actually had some use. It was decent for temporarily controlling others, or perhaps there would be an opportunity to use it when traveling to other worlds in the future.
Should this be considered separating the dark blessing originating from Chthon?
The effect of the "Regeneration Amber" was very good. With its super-strong regenerative effect and lack of aging, if the guests on a certain island found out about it, it would be a huge deal, and they would probably go crazy.
As for this "resurrection seal", it was a bit below Loya's expectations.
Initially, his expectation was that Dracula's immortality could be separated into an item similar to the dog charm.
The dog charm granted infinite health-locking. No matter how powerful the attack, one would always have a sliver of health left and never die, acting as a complete health-lock cheat.
He expected the thing separated from Dracula to be infinite resurrection.
He didn't expect that it would be far worse than the dog charm.
But thinking about it carefully, it was quite reasonable.
The dog charm originated from Shendu's immortality, and Shendu's immortality was already at the conceptual level. He was a root-level demon, and it could be said that he had no concept of death.
On the other hand, Dracula's immortality was at best only a rule-based immortality, and it was also a loophole in the rules rather than completely belonging to them, so the effect was naturally not that strong.
Dracula's own status was also too many levels lower than Shendu's, so the power gap between what was separated from the two was naturally huge.
Moreover, according to the system's description, the "resurrection seal" itself should be more than this.
It was just that because the separated power itself was related to rules and loopholes, once the loophole was fixed, a conflict arose between them, and the power was naturally weakened.
To make a simple analogy.
It was equivalent to a long-unfixed game bug that only one person knew how to use.
The separation of the immortality ability was equivalent to wanting to transfer the method of using the bug to another person, only for the programmer to fix it first during the process.
But because the bug had existed for a long time and was linked to the underlying program, even though it was fixed, it still had a certain utility, just not as strong as before.
However, the effect of the "resurrection seal" just didn't meet expectations; it wasn't weak either.
It was equivalent to a resurrection coin with a thirty-day cooldown in the current Universe.
This effect was still considered strong; after all, Draculaalso needed time to resurrect.
Furthermore, from what Loya had seen so far, this variant Universe was absolutely extremely dangerous. With such a resurrection ability, he wouldn't panic, even if it could only be used once every thirty days.
And this lump of pixelated mosaic in his hand was the most ridiculous thing.
How could the Separation Magic even separate a loophole?
Separation Magic was indeed worthy of being a magic capable of separating existences at the level of Shendu. After being modified by the system, it was now even more ridiculous, carrying a bit of the flavor of conceptual magic.
In that case, its scope of application would be even broader.
It was equivalent to treating the loophole as a one-time weapon, which could be used to perform a heaven-defying operation outside of the rules.
Loya actually had some ideas; this thing might be of great use later.
As for the final warning on the system panel, it might attract the attention of certain powerful existences.
This was something he hadn't expected—he had actually helped the rules of the Universe without realizing it, which was very surprising.
At the very first glance of this information, Loya had already activated the "Voice of All Things" with all his might.
Fortunately, he didn't hear any ridiculous noises. It should be fine; the truly big shots were busy with myriad affairs and probably wouldn't pay attention so quickly.
When Dracula's power was completely separated into four items, that tense feeling finally disappeared.
How should he describe this feeling?
It was like a lost love that could not be retrieved, leading one to just give up and let things go to ruin.
He was also finally able to speak.
Dracula said in disbelief, "You—you bastard—what did you do? My—my—power?"
Only then did he realize that his soul was extremely weak, and even speaking took all his effort.
It hadn't been like this before. Although he had been sealed in the stone statue, his soul's power had still been abundant, making speaking effortless, and he could even keep talking indefinitely.
Now, saying just a few words made him feel like he was about to die.
Loya looked down at Dracula and laughed out loud, "Old monster, I said I would make it impossible for you to resurrect. With my character, how could I lie?"
He waved the four items in front of Dracula: "These are the source of your power. Now, not only can you not resurrect, but you've even lost your identity as the progenitor of Vampires. What awaits you is endless darkness.
"Didn't you want to plunge the World into darkness? Now you can go right ahead. Isn't this what you wanted? Let's see if you can still resurrect. Weren't you very arrogant just now? Huh?"
Without his immortality and the power originating from Chthon, Dracula was now almost equivalent to an ordinary person.
"No... This... impossible..." Dracula's voice grew weaker and weaker. No matter how much he disbelieved it in his heart, reality slapped him hard across the face. Having lived for an unknown number of ages, he seemed to really be dying.
He simply couldn't believe such a thing could happen.
How could an illusory identity and innate abilities be turned into physical items by magic?
What kind of logic was this? Even in the Darkhold, there was no record of such magic.
Did even God not possess such an ability?
Dracula screamed frantically in his heart, pinning everything on that illusory God.
"Oh God! Save your servant. Why? Why have you abandoned me? Your servant is facing the greatest crisis. I beg of you, save me..."
Unfortunately, no matter how much he screamed in his heart, his so-called God would not respond to him. It was difficult enough for Chthon to enter the Reality Dimension, let alone pay attention to an abandoned pawn.
Out of options, Dracula could only lower his posture to the absolute limit. Having lived for thousands of years, when truly facing death, he was afraid—so afraid that he wanted to cry.
He pleaded, his voice growing weaker and weaker: "Loya... Can... can you... spare me? I... I am willing... to submit to you... I really... know I was wrong..."
"Heh." Loya sneered, lifting Dracula up with one hand and staring straight into his eyes.
"You old pig-dog, I despise heretics, and you belong to the category I hate the most. You are doomed to die.
"Besides, you aren't sorry; you just know you're about to die. What's with the act of sudden enlightenment? It's truly disgusting! You've lived for thousands of years, yet you have no class at all. Shameless bastard!"
"You!" Stimulated by these unvarnished words, Dracula's voice suddenly shot up several pitches. As if experiencing a final rally before death, he hissed and cursed furiously.
"Loya! Fuck—"
"Go to hell! Still trying to curse my ancestors?" Before Dracula could finish his sentence, Loya swung his arm and threw Dracula into midair.
Immediately, the solar judgment appeared in his palm, transforming into an overbearing revolver.
Bang!
A bullet wrapped in flames whistled out, accurately striking the stone statue that Dracula had turned into.
With a soft puff, the stone statue did not explode, but was instead burned to ashes.
At this point, this progenitor of all Vampires, the insufferably arrogant Dracula, was completely dead, with no possibility of resurrection ever again.
Loya spun the gun and smiled slightly.
Even though Dracula's immortality had already been separated, he still chose to use the blazing sun verdict to completely destroy him, prioritizing caution above all.
At the same time, the system prompt sounded in his ears.
"[Task 'Disposing of Trash' Completed]"
"[Reward: EXP +1,000, Item: 'Trash Can']"
"[trash can: This is a trash can that can never be filled with trash]"
"[Evaluation: If one day it is full, it means what you put inside is not trash]"
Venom stared at everything happening before him, completely dumbfounded.
Every time he thought he had seen a glimpse of Loya's upper limit, that limit would be shattered in the very next moment.
It had thought of countless ways to deal with Dracula, but this was the one way it had never expected.
How could someone's abilities, the progenitor power from the blessing, and rule-based immortality all be extracted like this?
And they could even be converted into physical items?
What kind of magic was this?
Looking through the Symbiote Hive memory bank in its mind, Venom had never seen such a thing.
Materializing rules and abilities—this kind of magic was simply too ridiculous.
Did Kamar-Taj have this kind of magic?
It seemed not.
Venom was so shocked that it didn't know what to say. If this kind of magic were brought to the Mutant Universe, wouldn't it be possible to extract Mutants' abilities and turn them into items?
What would that be called? The Twilight of Mutants?
It was simply unimaginable.
Then could it extract the power of that sealed guy?
Many thoughts flashed through Venom's mind, but in the end, they only materialized into a flattering compliment. It was better to maximize the emotional value first and be a good lackey: "Master Luo, you are too awesome! You actually killed Dracula. I've been to so many universes, and I've never seen anything so ridiculous."
Loya put the items in his arms into the System Space, smiled slightly, and put on a little show: "Don't be too surprised. This is all standard procedure. Work hard, and there will be benefits for you in the future."
He was thinking now: if this Separation Magic worked so well, wouldn't going to the Mutant Universe be absolutely thrilling?
Or perhaps separating the abilities of even more ridiculous existences.
But it wasn't that simple. The prerequisite for using Separation Magic was being able to defeat the opponent; if you couldn't beat them, you couldn't use it either.
And if your power wasn't sufficient, you wouldn't be able to separate them either.
"Yes, yes, yes, Master Luo, you're the best." Venom's face was practically splitting with a grin as it nodded repeatedly. His good days depended entirely on Loya.
"Go, go, go. Go play somewhere else." Loya waved his hand and glanced at the time.
Unknowingly, it was almost dinnertime. He should go make dinner first; in a bit, he could ask Thor what had happened to him.
Just as he stepped out of the balcony and was about to go downstairs, a gentle female voice suddenly came from behind him, sounding as if it resonated from the depths of his soul: "Child, do you have some time to chat?"
Loya was startled and turned around stiffly.
On the balcony, a bald woman in a yellow robe was smiling at him, holding the already wilted Venom in her hand.
Chapter 145: Ancient One: That's Right, Kamar-Taj Also Has a Vice Sorcerer Supreme
Why was the Ancient One here?
And she wanted to chat with him?
Looking at the suddenly appearing Ancient One, Loya was completely baffled.
This appearance was far too sudden. Could this be the attention from a powerful existence that the system prompt mentioned?
To be honest, he wasn't ready yet.
If the Ancient One discovered he had borrowed so much power from Dimensional Demon God, wouldn't she view him as an unstable element?
Or maybe she had been watching him all along, noticed his antics were getting a bit too out of hand, and was now here to kidnap him as a research subject? Or was it some other possibility?
Loya's thoughts were in disarray. He opened his mouth, unsure of what to say for a moment, before finally deciding to put on an act.
With a flick of his wrist, he quickly put a pink hat that blocked telepathic perception on his head, then looked at the Ancient One with respect and cleared his throat: "Ahem... It seems you are Senior Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One, whom Venom spoke of."
Facing a big shot of this caliber when his own strength was lacking, Loya remained very respectful.
His main priority was keeping his life intact, and being polite wasn't a bad thing anyway.
Seeing Loya quickly put on a... somewhat ugly hat, the Ancient One felt slightly puzzled.
Upon closer inspection, her expression turned slightly surprised.
She never observed the World purely from the material plane, but across multiple dimensions.
If looking at Loya solely from the dimension of the mind, Loya didn't exist in front of her at all.
In other words, the hat Loya had just put on made him vanish from the mind realm in a sense, rendering him naturally impossible to pry into.
The Ancient One shook her head inwardly; she had never intended to pry into Loya's heart. It seemed the fellow from another Universe in her hand had spouted nonsense, truly slandering a good person.
However, since Loya possessed this vigilance and powerful means to block prying eyes, it wasn't a bad thing.
After all, to be the Sorcerer Supreme, the most important qualities were being sufficiently cautious and having plenty of tricks up one's sleeve. She was very satisfied.
The Ancient One nodded with a gentle smile, her voice warm: "It seems the fellow in my hand told you quite a bit about me."
Seeing the Ancient One's gentle demeanor, and sensing through his emotional perception that she harbored no ill intent but was actually quite pleased, Loya breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't here to cause trouble, so everything was manageable.
He decisively launched into flattery: "Yes, yes, yes! Venom told me you are the hero protecting Earth, an envoy of justice, an expert who beats down Dimensional Demon God, the invincible Sorcerer Supreme! I've always admired you!"
"Is that so?" The Ancient One raised an eyebrow, her expression playful.
She squeezed Venom in her hand and teased intentionally, "Yet I haven't seen you come visit me."
"Uh..." Loya was momentarily at a loss for words. He could only give an awkward laugh and change the subject, "Well, didn't you want to chat with me? I have time, let me brew a pot of tea first."
With that, he turned around to boil water.
He felt that playing mind games against a sly old fox like the Ancient One was a losing battle, so he might as well go along with her honestly and see what she wanted.
After all, one doesn't strike a smiling face; she surely wouldn't embarrass an obedient, honest, well-behaved, cute, and guileless junior, right?
Soon, Loya boiled the water, invited the Ancient One into the living room, and skillfully brewed a pot of tea. Instantly, a refreshing tea aroma filled the living room.
The Ancient One slowly watched Loya brew the tea, her eyelids twitching.
She was also a tea lover herself.
From her perspective, Loya wasn't just bad at brewing tea; he was practically ruining the tea leaves.
The tea leaves in the child's hand looked extremely precious, so why was he brewing them in an iron kettle? And without a single bit of technique.
The Ancient One wanted to speak up several times but held back. After all, she was a guest, and saying too much would be rude.
Loya finished brewing the tea, poured a cup, and handed it to the Ancient One: "Senior, please have some tea."
The Ancient One nodded, took the tea, blew softly on it, took a sip, and her eyes lit up slightly.
Despite the awful brewing technique, the tea tasted shockingly good. She didn't know how to describe it, but it was simply delicious.
She couldn't help but drink it all in one gulp, then naturally picked up the teapot to refill her cup.
Loya was slightly taken aback seeing this. He picked up his cup and took a sip as well, his eyes immediately lighting up—this tea was indeed authentic.
[Delicious Tea: This is a very delicious tea. Um... just plain delicious.]
This tea was a daily quest reward he had gotten long ago. Since he wasn't fond of tea and it had no special effects, he had left it untouched in the System Space.
Loya remembered that the Ancient One seemed quite fond of drinking tea, which was why he recalled using it now.
Seeing her drink so happily, he felt relieved. He really had a talent for pleasing elderly folks.
The Ancient One let out a long sigh; this was the first time drinking tea felt so delightfully satisfying.
She sighed in her heart: Loya truly was a talent. Even stuff he pulled out casually was so miraculous, though she had no idea how he obtained these things.
But what did that matter? As long as he stood on the side of the Reality Dimension, it was fine. Sometimes, turning a blind eye was wisdom in itself.
Loya smiled slightly and asked, "May I ask what you wished to chat about with me?"
He had thought of many things.
If there were quests available without endangering his personal safety, that would be great; he never complained about having too many quests.
In a sense, even if the Ancient One wasn't the entity who handed out quests most frequently, she was definitely among those with the best quest quality—though the difficulty was admittedly rather high.
Everything involved was a major event on the scale of Worlds and dimensions.
The Ancient One leisurely put down Venom in her hand.
The moment Venom hit the ground, it immediately scampered into Loya's pocket, shivering inside.
It had been teased by the Ancient One of another Universe before and still had psychological trauma.
The Ancient One spoke casually, yet dropped a bombshell: "Actually, it's nothing much. I just wanted to ask if you'd like to take my place and become the Sorcerer Supreme?"
"Pfft!"
Hearing this, Loya instantly spat out the tea he had just taken into his mouth.
If not for his quick reactions, using telekinesis to catch the tea spray and throw it into the trash bin, he would've sprayed it all over the Ancient One's face.
He stared at the Ancient One with wide eyes: "Wait, this is only our first time meeting! Isn't this... a bit too hasty?"
Loya had thought of various possibilities the Ancient Onemight mention—like asking for a favor, discussing the separation magic from before, or even taking him as a disciple.
He never expected her to ask right out of the gate if he wanted to be the Sorcerer Supreme.
Even if skipping the plot, shouldn't there be some buildup? There was nothing at all.
The Ancient One shook her head, her expression serious as starlight flashed in her eyes, seemingly witnessing something far deeper: "It isn't hasty. You are very suitable, far more suitable than I am."
Loya paused, saying helplessly, "But with my strength, I can't be the Sorcerer Supreme, right? Elder, please stop joking with me."
Although he had tricked three Dimensional Demon Godinto a miserable state, that was built upon the barrier of the Reality Dimension and Kamar-Taj's array.
If he were to face a Dimensional Demon God directly, he could hold out for five minutes at most—not a single second longer.
Moreover, there was another key issue: the Ancient One's words hadn't triggered a system quest, which meant her current true purpose wasn't this, but something else.
This was experience Loya had accumulated over a long time of triggering quests.
The Ancient One smiled slightly, as if she had expected this, speaking leisurely: "Now is indeed not the right time, but you can start preparing."
She took a sip of tea and beamed: "I recently created a position in Kamar-Taj that suits you very well."
Loya was completely bewildered: "What position?"
The Ancient One smiled, "Vice Sorcerer Supreme."
Only now did the system prompt chime in Loya's ear.
[You have unlocked a hidden main storyline. This is the initial plot. Whether you accept will affect subsequent story quests.]
[Gu Yi has issued a quest to you.]
[Quest: Workhorse of Kamar-Taj]
[Objective: Agree to Gu Yi's request and become the Vice Sorcerer Supreme]
[Reward: EXP +5000, Gu Yi Favorability +30, Random Item *2]
Hearing the system prompt, Loya froze slightly, seemingly understanding something.
Where in Kamar-Taj was there a Vice Sorcerer Supreme? This role was made specifically for him; this was the Ancient One's true objective.
But why? What was the point of adding an extra position? A nominal binding?
Also, was something wrong with this quest title? Following S.H.I.E.L.D. Workhorse and Hydra Workhorse, now came Kamar-Taj Workhorse—this could practically merge into a 2-star upgrade.
Loya had no reason to refuse this simple quest with generous rewards that was also part of the hidden main storyline.
However, he was still curious about the reason, so he asked, "Um... but what's the reason? Why choose me to be this Vice Sorcerer Supreme? Kamar-Taj shouldn't be short on people, right? Plus, this is only our first meeting; you trust me this much?"
Loya knew the Ancient One was looking for a scapegoat/successor to pave the way for her retirement, but not just anyone could be that scapegoat.
The Ancient One's gaze seemed to pierce through space-time, seeing countless futures. Her voice was calm and firm: "The reason is simply that I feel you are very suitable."
In truth, she had also come in a hurry. She originally planned to observe for a while and wait until she finished her ongoing matters before visiting.
However, the commotion Loya made when he played Dracula to death not long ago was quite big, drawing the attention of certain entities.
If she didn't recruit him now, other unforeseen complications might arise, which wouldn't be good.
This would greatly impact her future plans regarding the Dimensional Demon God, as well as a series of subsequent layouts.
And there was one most important point: Loya was simply too suitable to be the Sorcerer Supreme—in fact, making him Sorcerer Supreme was almost an understatement of his talent.
In the Ancient One's alternative energy perspective, powerful energy was being generated and stored inside Loya's body at every moment.
This meant he could not only generate and store energy on his own, but he could also use magic without borrowing power from other dimensions or entities.
This was a trait she had never seen in a human until now, and it was the potential to become an even greater existence.
Perhaps one day, Loya might even become a Dimensional Demon God himself and become another backer for Kamar-Taj.
Furthermore, he had various methods and items—regardless of where they came from, as long as they were useful, it was fine.
Aside from these, his personality and working style were truly to her liking.
He borrowed power from Dimensional Demon Godwithout ever returning it, screwed them over in contracts, and thoroughly enjoyed attacking Dimensional Demon God and cleaning up the messes they caused.
He was simply the perfect candidate.
On top of all this, Loya wasn't afraid of the backlash caused by using the power of Dimensional Demon God at all.
There wasn't a single trace of backlash on his body.
Even the Ancient One herself suffered backlash when borrowing power from Dimensional Demon God; although she had ways to bear it easily, it left traces no matter what.
From every single aspect, Loya was the absolute perfect candidate—without equal!
"Uh..." This extremely subjective reason left Loyacompletely speechless, yet it suited the Ancient One's personality perfectly.
Thinking it over, he stopped agonizing over it. As long as there was a quest, it was fine.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then what do I need to do in this position? What are the benefits? Can I learn Kamar-Taj's magic?"
The Ancient One's smile brightened. Asking this question meant he had basically agreed: "When I need help, you just need to assist me a bit."
"As for benefits," she smiled slightly, "I can find more suitable targets for you to strike down."
"magic can indeed be learned, though I don't recommend you learn Kamar-Taj's magic right now."
The Ancient One's tone turned serious: "Your magic talent is very high, but it's not suited for Kamar-Taj's magic system, nor is it suited for Asgard's rune magic system. Learning these magics will only hinder your development instead."
She paused and added, "However, you may freely enter and leave Kamar-Taj's Library, consult magic grimoires, explore by comparison, and forge your own magic path."
Loya nodded. It seemed the Ancient One saw much further. Having a guide like this wasn't bad; if he ran into someone he couldn't defeat, he could call for backup.
Besides, the Ancient One said she'd find him more targets to strike—in other words, issuing quests! He couldn't refuse this at all.
Loya immediately nodded: "Then I agree to be this Vice Sorcerer Supreme."
He actually understood the Ancient One's thoughts clearly. It was nothing more than finding a successor, intentionally dying, and comfortably retiring to travel the Universe and enjoy her golden years.
But now that he was the Vice Sorcerer Supreme, he had to protect the Sorcerer Supreme well—this was a duty and responsibility!
The Ancient One wanted to escape through death?
Hehehe, not a chance!
Loya couldn't help but chuckle mischievously in his heart: 'Ancient One, oh Ancient One, I'm indeed inferior to you in mind games. But I know some of the plot. Just live peacefully. I'll definitely protect you well, so just comfortably be my quest issuer.'
Hearing this, the Ancient One smiled even more radiantly. She took out a somewhat ancient Sling Ring from her robe and carved a line of words onto it using magic.
"Loya · Vice Sorcerer Supreme"
Then she smiled and handed the Sling Ring to Loya: "Take it. Communicating with this Sling Ring using any magic will bring you to Kamar-Taj, allowing you to freely enter and leave the Library and read the books inside."
Loya: "..."
Engraved on the spot?
And she dared to claim it was a position established recently? It was clearly established just now!
After complaining inwardly for a moment, he still accepted the Sling Ring.
At the same time, the system prompt sounded in his ear.
[Quest "Workhorse of Kamar-Taj" Completed]
[Reward: EXP +5000, Gu Yi Favorability +30, Item "Mage Robe", Item "Knight Armor"]
[Mage Robe: A spotlessly white robe. Wearing it significantly increases physical strength, defense, recovery, and stamina.]
[Evaluation: Perhaps wearing a robe is for the convenience of close-quarters combat.]
[Knight Armor: A piece of golden armor. Wearing it significantly increases mental strength, casting speed, casting efficiency, and mental resistance.]
[Evaluation: Perhaps wearing armor is to gain time to chant magic spells.]
[You have unlocked the hidden achievement: King of Workhorses. Lucky Draw Attempts +1]
Chapter 146 Thor: I Don't Need Mjolnir
Looking at the rewards on the system panel, Loya was somewhat speechless.
Why would a mage robe add strength?
And why would knight armor add spirit?
What kind of contrast bonus is this?
But it's still pretty decent.
Put on the mage robe, make the enemy think I'm a mage, and then turn around and crush them with a punch.
Besides, it didn't say I can't wear both at the same time.
I can just wear the robe and put the armor over it. Best of both worlds, isn't that wonderful?
Surprisingly, another achievement was unlocked, granting a lucky draw chance, so I can draw again later.
It's just that the name sounds a bit unpleasant: King of Workhorses—
Is this combining the three workhorse missions from S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and Kamar-Taj into a 2-Star King of Workhorses?
After handing the Sling Ring representing the status to Loya, Ancient One slowly stood up, a relieved smile on her face: "Then I shall take my leave first. You can come to Kamar-Taj anytime, or you can go to the New York Sanctum to find Wong, he will host you."
She pondered briefly and continued asking, "By the way, are there any limitations to your teleportation ability? Is the consumption high? Can you take people with you?"
Loya froze for a moment, then immediately understood. Earlier, he had teleported to Red Skull's dimension and killed him, so it was completely normal for Ancient One to notice, considering she was always keeping an eye on dimensional changes.
He shook his head: "There are no restrictions, the consumption—is manageable, and I can bring people along, though it consumes more when bringing others."
Although the "eye of aurora" consumed nothing at all, Loya didn't say so.
If it didn't consume anything, how could he farm favorability? How could he scam—cough, earn a little magic materials as a service fee?
Ancient One asking this obviously meant she needed this ability for something.
"Good!" Ancient One nodded with satisfaction. "In a while, I need to handle something, and I'll need you to teleport me there when the time comes."
"Um—" Loya mused for a moment and asked somewhat sheepishly, "I won't be in any danger, right?"
Ancient One shook her head with a light chuckle: "Of course not. With me around, what are you worried about? There will be plenty of benefits when the time comes."
"Alright then." Loya nodded and said solemnly, "I guarantee to fulfill the duties of the Deputy Sorcerer Supreme!"
However, he was a bit puzzled in his heart. Couldn't Ancient One open portals herself? Where else would require his presence?
Could it be—outside the Reality Dimension? Planning something big? Wouldn't the mission reward soar to the sky then?
Ancient One nodded, waved her hand in the air, and a circular portal appeared.
Just as she was about to leave, an ingrained habit made Loya blurt out: "It's so late. Why not have a meal before going back?"
Ancient One paused in her tracks, turned her head, her gentle smile unchanged: "Alright."
Loya: "..."
He was used to polite small talk; this was the first time someone actually took it seriously.
Soon, Felicia and the Cat Goddess returned.
When they saw that there was suddenly a bald woman in the house, they were instantly shocked and looked at Loyain disbelief.
Then, through Loya's explanation, informing them that Ancient One was his senior in magic who came over today to exchange magical insights and just happened to stay for a meal.
Only then did the two women let out a heavy sigh of relief and happily went to entertain Ancient One, though who knows what they were thinking.
Loya was somewhat speechless, while also acutely noticing that Ancient One looked at the Cat Goddess with a very strange gaze. It seemed he had to find a chance to ask about it later.
After a while, the table was filled with delicious food made with the "automatic cooking pot," complete with color, aroma, and taste.
Steve, Thor, and the others arrived with precise timing as if they had known in advance, green light gleaming in everyone's eyes.
Afterwards, Loya introduced Ancient One to them. Ancient One had a gentle expression, looking like a wise elder, which earned her quite a bit of respect from them.
To this, Loya thought: You guys are still too young; you only see the surface.
"Alright, enough talk, dig in!"
Loya waved his hand, and everyone started digging in.
Ancient One was the first to pick up her chopsticks.
She had been craving it for a long time. In all these years, nothing had ever made her want to eat this badly; it was truly strange.
She picked up a piece of potato, put it into her mouth, and chewed carefully. Her eyes widened instantly, as if light burst from them.
"Delicious!" Ancient One couldn't help but praise.
Just like the tea before, this dish was simply delicious without any fancy gimmicks, as if returning to the true essence of food.
It was better than any food she had eaten before. It seemed she would need to visit Loya's house more often in the future.
At this moment, on Loya's panel, Ancient One's favorability increased by five points as well.
Next was an ordinary time of enjoying good food.
What surprised everyone was that Ancient One, who looked thin and frail, actually ate the most.
Furthermore, her method was incomprehensible to everyone; despite barely moving her chopsticks, she cleared away vast amounts of food, looking thoroughly unscientific.
Loya was speechless. Ancient One was actually using magic for this, which was utterly ridiculous.
But it also made him realize that the "automatic cooking pot" was indeed amazing, working wonders for increasing favorability.
After eating and drinking their fill, Loya walked Ancient One to the door, holding a can of the tea from before. He had an entire box of tea like this, which was great for farming favorability.
"The Ancient One, this is for you." He handed over the tea.
"Oh, how embarrassing." Ancient One waved her hands hastily. "I haven't given you anything yet, this won't do, this won't do."
Loya: "..."
Then can you put down that hand pulling open your pocket!
Your actions make me feel like it's Chinese New Year.
After pocketing the tea without batting an eye, Ancient One looked at Loya meaningfully: "Here's a piece of advice. If you encounter a rather strange woman later, don't mind her too much. She is just—a bit special."
Who knows what she thought of, her smile becoming even more intriguing: "Also, I think with your ability, in gaming terms, you should be completely capable of romancing her, just like that Cat Goddess."
Saying that, Ancient One drew a portal and left, leaving Loya standing in place, completely bewildered.
He muttered in his heart: "Good on you, Ancient One, what an improper old person. Talking about romancing? Am I that kind of person? I read the Spring and Autumn Annals, okay!"
"Loya, I have good news to tell you." At this moment, Thor's boisterous voice came from behind, his tone full of excitement.
Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, he stood beside Loya, puffing out his chest, looking triumphant.
Loya turned his head with a faint smile: "Let me guess what the good news is. Is it that you've already restored your power?"
"How did you know?" Thor's eyes widened in shock, completely unable to figure out how Loya knew.
Loya shrugged: "Let me guess again. Was it restored after being burned by my fire?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Thor nodded repeatedly. "Right after being burned by your fire, for some reason—
My father's words, Steve's words, and what you told me before all connected together. I understood everything."
His expression became serious and solemn: "I should become a protector, not a conqueror, just like how you protected us before.
Just like you said before, I should look at what my people think rather than being self-centered. My experiences in Midgard these past few days have taught me a lot."
Thor sighed, a trace of guilt on his face: "Precisely because I understood these things, I realized my father's good intentions.
Only then did I realize what kind of mistake I made before and how much pain I caused him. If my father hadn't stopped that war, who knows how many people would have died."
Loya patted his shoulder: "It's good that you understand. This is the best gift you can give Odin."
Puzzled, he asked: "By the way, why didn't you take back Mjolnir then? Don't you love your hammer the most?"
Speaking of this, Thor grinned and said confidently: "I can see that Steve wants to change the current status of this country, which means challenging its rulers. He needs power to change all this.
He paused, his eyes clear: "Mjolnir recognized him, so let Mjolnir help him. I also realized one more thing: I am the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers.
Mjolnir is my partner, that's true, but it also has its freedom and choices. Fighting alongside Steve might not be a bad choice for it."
"You mean you're giving Mjolnir to Steve?" Loya couldn't help but be shocked. Thor was actually willing to part with even this?
"That's right." Thor nodded, a relieved smile on his face. "It's not giving it to Steve, but rather Mjolnir chose him. I suppose this is fate."
"And there's one more thing."
His expression turned serious again, his eyes filled with confidence as well as a king's pride and majesty.
"A king doesn't need a weapon's recognition; a king recognizes the weapon. I want to crown weapons like you do.
Let others know that if I hold a sword, it is the Sword of the Thunder God; if I hold a spear, it is the Spear of the Thunder God! All of this should be defined by me. The weapon gains fame because of me, not me because of the weapon."
Loya looked at Thor in surprise, marveling in his heart: Is the Eternal Flame really this ridiculous? How did it cleanse Thor's mind to this extent? It must be said, he really has the aura of a king.
He thought for a moment and asked: "Then when are you going back to Asgard? Aren't you going to tell your father the good news?"
Thor chuckled, his kingly aura instantly vanishing: "No rush, no rush. Jane told me she's coming back soon. When she does, I'll take her to Asgard for a tour. You should come with me too, I'll get you some gold."
"By the way." He lightly nudged Loya with his elbow, lowering his voice in slight embarrassment, "When you have time, teach me how to control my power, will you? I've restored my divine power, but without Mjolnir's amplification, I can't channel it out. I'm almost bursting."
Loya shook his head helplessly. Sure enough, figuring things out was one thing, but some core traits remained unchanged.
He nodded: "No problem. I'll use the controller to help you then, trying a few times should do the trick."
"Great! You're a true pal! I'll definitely give you lots of gold later!"
Thor happily slapped Loya's shoulder, then lowered his voice again, speaking mysteriously.
"By the way, don't tell them about my power awakening. Wait until I fully master it before telling them. Let them see how awesome I am."
After saying that, he grinned, his eyes unfocused as if falling into a fantasy.
Loya shook his head speechlessly. No wonder he pulled him aside to talk—turns out he just wanted to flex in front of everyone later and put on a grand show.
In the dead of night, everyone was sleeping soundly.
Loya abruptly opened his eyes, looking at the single lucky draw count on the panel, praying devoutly in his heart: "Three Pure Ones, Jade Emperor, Tathagata Buddha, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Jesus, God—bless me to draw something good.
""
[Congratulations on obtaining the ability: Cosmo]
Chapter 147: Completing Missions With The Shadowkhan
Hell's Kitchen.
A mysterious base hidden underground, unassuming yet heavily guarded, resembling an underground fortress.
The spacious room was dimly lit with a heavy atmosphere.
In the shadows, ninjas wearing strange blood-colored uniforms could be faintly seen.
Half of their bodies were hidden in the shadows while the other half were exposed, gripping various melee weapons in their hands like messengers from hell.
Clearly situated in an underground base with layers of defenses covering the exterior, they still continuously scanned their surroundings with blood-red pupils, guarding against any potential crises.
This was enough to show that their vigilance and the importance of this place were extraordinary.
Not only that, apart from these ninjas, there were also several tall, heavily armed ruffians holding various weapons in the room, standing like iron towers in the corners.
At the central location surrounded and protected by these ninjas and burly men,
sat a large wooden table, which was clearly of great value judging by its material and craftsmanship.
At this moment, Kingpin was frowning deeply, smoking cigars one after another.
The swirling smoke concealed his inhumanly massive body.
After a long while, he crushed the smoking cigar butt in his hand with his bare hands, yet there was not the slightest trace of injury on his hand.
Kingpin gazed at the smiling old woman in the smoke and asked in a deep voice, "Madame Gao, are you saying that Dracula is dead? How is that possible?"
Dracula was his partner, specifically providing special vampire blood to research the most perfect human enhancement genetic serum.
In return, he was responsible for supplying all kinds of living people to Dracula.
Relying on the natural advantages of Hell's Kitchen and the blind yearning of fools from other countries toward America, the number of people Kingpin had trafficked over the years was countless.
Most of them were sent into Dracula's hands, while a small portion was used to research the genetic serum.
Kingpin knew that elegant and noble vampire very well; the other party's ability was extremely powerful, even exceeding his cognition.
It could be said that as far as he himself was concerned, he could not think of any way to defeat the other party.
He just hadn't expected that shortly after he hid in this underground fortress, news of Dracula's death would come.
This made him feel as if he were dreaming, with a sense of being disconnected from society.
Moreover, the news these days really made one doubt life.
Things like a Military Base being destroyed by a wolf god from who knows where, aliens appearing, and an endless stream of superheroes and monsters—what kind of nonsense was this?
He had only been hiding here because of that bastard for a short while, so how could so many changes have occurred?
Kingpin was beginning to doubt life itself; things were quite normal when he was out there, so why did the outside world change by the day just after he hid inside?
Was he some kind of trigger device?
Madame Gao coughed a few times, her complexion somewhat dark and looking much more haggard than before. She sighed helplessly, "It's true. Dracula is dead, and even the dimension he was in was destroyed. All the vampires under his command are also dead, and not a single one survived."
A trace of piety appeared on her face, "My god told me all of this. To be honest, when my god resurrected me and told me these things, I couldn't believe it and found it hard to imagine how all this could have been done."
"Then when will you start the ritual to resurrect him?" Hearing that Madame Gao's news came from the god she worshipped, Kingpin had no choice but to believe this somewhat absurd news.
However, Dracula's death was not the end; he knew this guy would resurrect.
The special vampire blood in Dracula's hands was crucial and indispensable to their research.
Yet unexpectedly, upon mentioning this, Madame Gao's expression instantly turned extremely ugly, "He cannot be resurrected. I have already performed the ritual after his death, but I couldn't resurrect him. I guess he might really be completely dead."
Uttering these words, she herself found it hard to believe; no matter how they performed the ritual, they could not resurrect Dracula.
As for the possibility of being imprisoned or locked away, that was not within consideration.
Because when the ritual was performed, as long as Dracula was alive, he could feel the summon of the ritual no matter what, and only needed to respond to it.
No matter how he was locked up or imprisoned, even if he lost consciousness, this ritual could be accurately transmitted to him.
This was the powerful aspect of Dracula's resurrection; as long as the ritual existed, he could resurrect anywhere.
Yet this time it failed, and Dracula gave no response, as if he were truly dead. This was simply unimaginable; who could accomplish such a thing?
"How is this possible!" Kingpin suddenly stood up, his expression distorted as he roared.
Whether Dracula died or not didn't matter to him at all; he only cared about the special vampire blood in that fellow's hands, which was the key material for the perfect serum.
It contained a special kind of power that simply could not be replicated.
Without that blood, the progress of the research would almost fall into a stagnant state.
Kingpin could not accept this result.
He had already injected two phases of the enhancement serum, and his physical attributes in all aspects exceeded normal humans by several times. With a single punch, he could shatter an ordinary person, growing so powerful that he seemed to have become a deity.
Yet the serum still needed to be injected for one more phase to be truly perfect. Only by then would the serum function at its absolute best.
Seeing success within arm's reach, now they were telling him the research could not continue?
Kingpin felt like killing someone; this was just like downloading a certain movie until 99% progress, only for the data to be lost, forever stuck at the very last bit, driving one to a nervous breakdown!
Madame Gao knew what Kingpin was thinking and motioned to the Shadow Ninja beside her.
The ninja silently presented a sealed box, from which Madame Gao took out two somewhat blackened vials of blood, placed them on the table, and pushed them across.
"This is the remaining special blood we have. I'll give you some first, and we still have more in stock."
Kingpin's eyes lit up; the feeling of a sudden turn of events put him in a great mood, but instead of taking the blood, he asked, "What are the conditions?"
He knew very well that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this World, and Madame Gao coming specifically to find him was clearly not to deliver a gift.
Madame Gao smiled slightly, and the look she gave Kingpin held an indescribable greed, though no one noticed it.
She paused and said, "Our experimental base has been constantly attacked, and only your experimental base remains safe."
"We can only rely on you for our research. Once you produce the complete serum, we want a copy as well."
As Madame Gao spoke, her fingers inside her robe trembled slightly, and wisps of imperceptible black Qi spread everywhere, subsequently merging into Kingpin's body.
Kingpin was silent for a moment and finally nodded, "That's a very reasonable request."
But he wasn't thinking that in his heart: Once my serum is completed, you damned old hag will be the first one I kill, and the entire The Hand must die too! A bunch of cultists even want to lay their hands on my things! The World is mine!
And that bastard who made me scurry and hide everywhere, I will crush your bones piece by piece.
Madame Gao smiled meaningfully, her mouth splitting wide open like an old demoness.
She knew very well what kind of person Kingpin was, and whatever this big guy wanted to do was well within expectations.
But this was the effect she wanted.
From beginning to end, Kingpin never realized that his own sanity would gradually tend toward collapse and chaos over time, ultimately becoming nothing more than a powerful shell allowing the "god" to descend.
As for those serums, they only served to make him stronger, becoming a more perfect vessel.
Humans with such extraordinary talent like Kingpin were truly few and far between, extremely rare.
Killing oneself, how laughable.
Madame Gao's heart was filled with mockery.
This time Kingpin had hidden for so long without any trouble; the plan would definitely not fail.
That fellow who had repeatedly sabotaged The Hand's plans would surely die without a burial site, and the "god" would ultimately descend into the world, leading The Hand toward glory!
After experiencing a wave of mental ecstasy in her mind, Madame Gao slowly stood up and reminded, "Kingpin, remember to stay vigilant and don't mess things up."
"Heh." Kingpin sneered, "Rest assured, I've been here for so long without incident, and this time will be no exception."
"Besides..." He smiled slightly, picking up a steel ashtray on the table with one hand, his five fingers suddenly exerting force.
A teeth-setting screeching sound rang out as the ashtray was actually crushed flat with bare hands, leaving deep finger marks on it, even showing clear fingerprints.
Kingpin's face flushed red, immensely enjoying this feeling, "With this kind of power, even if that bastard comes, I can kill him!"
He had absolute confidence in this; according to the strength previously displayed by that bastard in the dark, he would definitely not be his match.
Seeing this, the smile in Madame Gao's eyes deepened; this was what a perfect vessel should look like.
She smiled and nodded, surrounded by Shadow Ninjas, slowly stepping into the shadows.
Kingpin gazed at Madame Gao's back with flickering eyes, wondering if he suddenly lashed out right now, whether he could kill her before she could react.
Just as he was thinking this, Madame Gao suddenly let out a sharp shriek, "Who are you!?"
Boom!
Before her voice had faded, Madame Gao's body, which had been sinking downwards, instantly flew backwards and smashed straight into the ceiling.
Bang!
Crack!
A clearly audible sound of bone cracking rang out, the immense force instantly turning Madame Gao's body into a V-shape, the bones of her spine directly crushed to pieces by the giant force, and fresh blood gushing out.
"Who!"
Kingpin lost all color in his face from shock, and the moment he let out a furious roar, he pulled away and sprinted toward the nearby safety passage.
He didn't think things that could come out of the shadows were that easy to deal with, so it was better to leave first. Madame Gao could resurrect, but he certainly couldn't, so self-preservation came first!
However, before he could reach the safety passage, his vision suddenly brightened.
Light!
An extremely blinding light suddenly erupted in the room, like a high-wattage lightbulb shoved right in his face.
"My eyes!"
Kingpin let out a miserable scream, tightly shutting his eyes as tears continuously streamed down the corners of his eyes.
At almost the exact same moment, a sound of piercing through the air rang in his ears.
Arriving in a split second!
Kingpin was scared out of his wits, stomping hard with his feet, yet his massively inhuman body flew backwards at an incredible speed.
With a bang!
The massive body crashed into the wall, and the entire room trembled as if it had been struck by an elephant.
Shielding his eyes, Kingpin had no time to ponder who the opponent was before a shrill scream and an incredulous exclamation rang in his ears.
"Shadow Ninja? No! It's holy light! How could dark creatures use holy light! You are—that fellow's subordinates! He actually dares to steal the power of god!"
The exclamation echoed continuously in the room, accompanied by the sounds of numerous sharp weapons cutting through the air.
Puchi!
This was the muffled sound of flesh being sliced.
In just an instant, a heavy stench of blood filled the entire room, making one want to vomit.
When the strong light dissipated, Kingpin took a defensive posture, quickly scanning the entire room with his red eyes.
He saw his most elite bodyguards scattered all over the ground, each of their heads decapitated, and blood gushing out, staining the floor red.
As for Madame Gao's Shadow Ninjas, not a single one was spared; now they truly became shadow ninjas, with even their shadows not knowing where they had run off to.
As for Madame Gao herself, she was grabbed in the hand of a mysterious person wearing black clothes and a hood over their face, revealing only their eyes.
With all four limbs severed, she struggled and wailed in that person's hands, completely losing her previous composure.
And there were a full six such mysterious men in black in this room!
Each person held a long dao in their hands and carried other weapons on their backs.
Their standing postures varied, some casual, some arrogant, and every single one of them was murderous.
Pairs of scarlet eyes stared coldly at Kingpin, as if looking at a dead man.
Kingpin was terrified in his heart, goosebumps shooting straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
Fast, far too fast.
From the occurrence of the event to its end was mere seconds; his bodyguards didn't even manage to fire a single shot before they all died completely.
These people were not only fast, but frighteningly strong.
But he discovered a suspicious point.
The clothes these people wore were somewhat similar to those worn by The Hand's Shadow Ninjas, combined with what Madame Gao had said.
Could it be an internal fight among The Five Fingers? Was he innocently implicated?
Countless thoughts flashed through Kingpin's mind, yet his body did not dare to move at all, for fear that the other party would suddenly lash out.
The sense of oppression these six fellows gave him was far too intense.
He dared to affirm that as long as the opponents attacked together, even with his current physical fitness, he wouldn't last over a minute.
Even ants in large numbers could bite an elephant to death, let alone the fact that the opponents were not ants, but elephants themselves!
Kingpin had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak, "Is there some misunderstanding between us, I—"
Before he finished speaking, his pupils shrank abruptly; he didn't know when, but the one among the six whose standing posture was the most casual had already disappeared!
Behind!
Kingpin's hairs stood on end, his body's instinctive reaction faster than his brain as he abruptly ducked downwards.
Puchi!
A long dao brushed past the top of his head, taking away a tuft of scalp as fresh blood flowed down the wound.
That was close!
Kingpin was filled with lingering fear, intending to roll toward the left side in one smooth motion.
However—
He exerted a sudden force, only to find that his body simply wouldn't obey, as if it had been disconnected.
Before he could figure out why—
his vision spun dizzyingly before his eyes, and immediately afterwards, he saw a familiar headless corpse squatting on the ground, with blood spraying onto the ceiling.
Beside the corpse, another mysterious man in black slowly sheathed his dao, with black sticky liquid flowing and trembling on his body.
Kingpin's pupils constricted in sudden realization: so the head was gone; how could a body without a head possibly obey commands?
So—I died just like this—
I haven't yet—that—damn fellow—
When—did this—happen?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and his consciousness plunged completely into darkness.
The renowned entrepreneur Wilson Fisk, the underground emperor of New York, Kingpin, at this moment, put a period to his sinful life.
The man in black didn't even glance at Kingpin, instead taking out a small bottle flashing with green light and gently shaking it toward the corpse.
An invisible suction force emerged from it, and from those corpses, a faint trajectory surfaced, slowly falling into the bottle.
Faintly, a slight wailing sound could be heard.
Having done all this, the man in black casually threw down a fire, and the flames instantly spread out.
Beneath their feet, the shadows writhed as if they had come alive, and then the men in black, carrying Madame Gao and that expensive table, slowly sank into them and disappeared.