"Slade, you're here, hiss..." The Ancient One greeted him with a face flushed red, her breathing rapid and she continuously inhaled sharply.
Su Ming removed his helmet, glancing down at the package in front of The Ancient One. Gin had given her experimental samples of Devil's Spicy Strips, nearly half a box.
His mouth twitched slightly, but he held back from saying anything.
"Uh, I have something I need to consult about."
The Ancient One nodded with a smile, gesturing for him to sit down and talk: "Hiss, I just saw you return from outside the Cosmos, but I fear that matters of other universes, I cannot provide answers that will satisfy you. Magic, is diverse and different, hiss..."
Traveling between universes had been something he could do since becoming the successor to the Supreme Mage, and as long as he didn't disrupt the world, he could come and go freely.
This was his right.
"I understand, but I now believe the situation in our world holds some reference value for that side." Su Ming sat cross-legged nearby, as a teacup and teapot floated over by themselves, landing in his hand.
The Ancient One showed an expression of appreciation: "Indeed, sometimes magic does share commonalities. It can be referenced but should not be rigidly applied."
For her successor, she couldn't teach much in the way of spells, but felt it necessary to speak more about basic knowledge.
"There are two entities, manifestations of the concept of magic, one representing light, like Emperor Vishanti, the other representing darkness, like Sithorn."
Su Ming made a comparison for The Ancient One, and that's roughly the idea.
The Ancient One nodded, taking a sip of her cool tea: "I understand your metaphor, but Emperor Vishanti and Sithorn do not represent light and darkness; those are merely their Power Attributes... Light isn't necessarily good, and darkness isn't necessarily bad. You must keep this in mind and not be naive."
"I know, Power Attributes are just external manifestations, and it's the actions of the users that are important." Su Ming also picked up his teacup. He had long since figured this out, realizing the same applies to order and chaos.
"Very good, it seems you've grasped this concept yourself, much stronger than Mordo and the others, hiss." The Ancient One smiled with satisfaction, although she was still taking sharp breaths: "Continue telling me about the problem you've encountered."
"The world over there is presently facing a bit of a problem; the one representing the light side of magic intends to abolish all magic and become a super dictator. Yet, coincidentally, the world is set to be destroyed in half a year. I can't let her do that; magic is crucial for maintaining the world's survival..."
The Ancient One understood at this point and also became somewhat solemn. It must be known that consolidating all magic into one was something even Emperor Vishanti could not accomplish.
Altering the concept of a world can easily lead to eternal calamity.
Su Ming didn't think Hecate could accomplish it either, but her attempt was already causing significant damage.
"So you plan to lure the dark side of magic over, using the strategy of 'driving a tiger to swallow a wolf'?" The Ancient One used a standard Chinese idiom; she knew Deathstroke understood.
"That's the plan, but the dark side of magic must also be kept in check. If our negotiations fail, a method to restrain it is needed." Su Ming switched to Chinese as well, finding it more fluid to speak in his mother tongue.
The Ancient One quietly ate the spicy strips, looking like a panda munching on bamboo. She sat straight, while also contemplating.
If this matter occurred in this universe, with the Eye of Agamotto in her possession, alongside her power, even if Sithorn returned, she would have her ways.
But she also knew that the Eye of Agamotto was actually the Time Gem, and this treasure, formed by a Cosmic Singularity, would lose effect in other universes, even parallel ones.
Not to mention, what Deathstroke mentioned seemed to be matters beyond the All-Powerful Universe.
After thinking for a while, she asked another question.
"What is Sithorn's personality? I'm not familiar. The existence you mentioned on your side, I also don't know... But I understand Emperor Vishanti, it more closely resembles a manifestation of order, often appearing very... mechanized in its conduct and attitude."
The Ancient One paused slightly but still found a descriptor.
Emperor Vishanti is the type to stand by its one true word, not allowing others to alter it. Although not to the extent of prospering the compliant and perishing the opposers, it's very inflexible. If you do not heed it, it will simply scatter its connections with you.
In contrast, Sithorn is more human-like, capable of fleeing, feeling fear, and compromising.
"The dark existence you mentioned, does it have a personified character? If so, what kind of personality is it?"
"It's like a creditor coming to collect a debt, but its personality seems immature, full of curiosity, which might even delay its battles."
"You're fighting with the rules of magic?" The Ancient One froze with a spicy strip in hand, displaying an odd expression: "That's like chopping at a tree that's forever unending; there will be no result."
"Yeah, after fighting for a while, I realized that, so I took the opportunity while it wasn't paying attention to again block it outside the World Barrier. Oh, almost forgot to mention, that world has a barrier, and it can only sneak in through loopholes."
The Ancient One understood the situation, just like this universe.
Earth originally had no magic barrier, but after she constructed the Three Great Temples and Kama Taiji, Earth gained Magic Protection.
This saves a lot of hassle, and the world Slade described should be similar.
The Ancient One already had a method. Confronting these personified manifestations of rules is more manageable.
"Do you know why Sithorn is constantly fleeing through different Dimensions?"
"I heard it's due to an ancient god relentlessly pursuing him." Su Ming spoke of information from the comics.
"Exactly, our universe once had many Ancient Gods. They are indescribable, with Divine Power beyond imagination. The Life Court and Eternal, Infinite ones are junior compared to them. They feed on world rules, possessing immense Energy."
The Ancient One briefly explained the existence of ancient gods, but there wasn't much to worry about. The current world is too energy-deprived for those beings; they've long since vanished.
Perhaps they are asleep, possibly perished, overall, she's only read about them in some Ancient Magical Texts.
Of course, the exception is the one pursuing Sithorn.
However, that ancient god holds interest solely in Sithorn, posing no threat to others, so naturally, nobody meddles.
After saying this, she looked at Deathstroke with a half-smile, sipping her tea lightly.
Su Ming had found his direction. Not only does Marvel have ancient gods, DC has them too. Although they all perished ages ago, the Inverted Man doesn't know that.
For an Investigator with insatiable curiosity, what could be more satisfying than an Ancient Evil God?
The Ancient One's idea is to make the Inverted Man feel threatened.
This threat doesn't necessarily need to be real, but making him believe it exists is sufficient. Thus, Deathstroke must figure out how to create a fictional super boss to stand as a deterrent.
Being the Supreme Mage requires not only physical prowess but also quick wits.
Seeing Deathstroke understood, The Ancient One laughed and continued to nibble on spicy strips. If he could assume his role earlier, she might consider enjoying a period of an ordinary person's life, experiencing more of secular flavors in the city.