Beside the neon-flashing Times Square, an inconspicuous alley was hidden.
The cement road outside was bumpy, and the brick walls on both sides were covered with vines.
Sorcerer Ancient One led Gwen and Dr. Paradox, stopping in front of an old shop.
"This is it." Sorcerer Ancient One pointed to the shop; through the glass door, Gwen could see an elderly Asian man inside.
"Don't worry, this place accepts gold for cash, and the price is fair."
Gwen nodded upon hearing this.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a palm-sized suitcase, shaped like a miniature toy.
She gently placed it on the ground, taking a deep breath.
"[Restore]!"
With a burst of White smoke shooting out from Gwen's palm, it instantly enveloped the suitcase.
As the smoke dissipated, the suitcase returned to its normal size.
Sorcerer Ancient One watched this scene with great interest, her eyebrows slightly raised, and a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes: "This magic is quite novel; I have never seen such a direct use of magic."
"This is a unique magic from our World; my teacher is a famous Great Sorcerer in our World." Saying this, she seemed to recall something, and her eyes lit up.
"Sorcerer Ancient One, you can tell that I am not using someone else's magic to cast magic, right?"
"Yes, that's very clear."
"And you yourselves cannot cast magic, so you need to rely on the power of beings like Dimension Demon Gods to cast magic, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Then…" Gwen's green eyes widened, her expression both nervous and excited, "Can you treat me like a Dimension Demon God and borrow energy from me to cast spells?"
Gwen's idea was actually very simple.
If she could also become a being similar to a Dimension Demon God, she could bring the Marvel Universe system of magic to DC and let Zatanna learn it.
Then Zatanna could directly borrow magic (Heavenly Energy) from her.
With her characteristic of almost instantly recovering Heavenly Energy, she could completely turn Zatanna into an automatic magic turret.
The cost? What cost! It's my honor for my good sister to borrow something from me!
Here's an aside: Gwen has now learned to directly manipulate the Heavenly Energy within her body, forming energy beams or protective shields and other energy manifestations.
But in daily life, such as with the suitcase she carried this time, using a spell would be more appropriate.
For example, it's like molding clay with your own hands; the final shape depends on your personal technique.
Using a spell, however, is more like using a mold to shape the clay into a specific form, which is neat, aesthetically pleasing, and effective immediately upon use.
She can also infuse the Heavenly Energy within her body into others through physical contact, creating the effect of lending power to others.
However, she must be in physical contact with the other person to infuse it; she cannot infuse it out of thin air.
So, Gwen was very curious about whether she could lend power like a Dimension Demon God.
After Sorcerer Ancient One heard this question, she first nodded, then slowly shook her head.
Gwen was somewhat confused by this.
What does that mean? Is it possible or not?
Ancient One didn't keep her in suspense and explained directly: "If you grant me permission, I can indeed borrow power from you. However, it's not the same as with those Dimension Demon Gods. You cannot be borrowed from indefinitely by others like them."
"Why?"
"The limit." Sorcerer Ancient One's answer was concise.
Gwen instantly understood upon hearing this.
As an Annosian hybrid, after Ben forcibly activated the Annosian Heavenly Energy within her with the little broken watch, she could indeed fully recover her Heavenly Energy in a single breath, no matter how much she squandered it.
But the problem is, while the Heavenly Energy recovery efficiency is extremely high, the limit is finite.
For example, her Heavenly Energy can support a project that consumes 1000 energy per second indefinitely, but it cannot satisfy a project that instantly requires 1001 energy; roughly speaking, it's like that.
Those Dimension Demon Gods, as their names suggest, their scope of power actually comes from the entire Dimension.
Even if their recovery speed is slow, their limit is there.
Even if they temporarily spend more than they earn, they are still far from being completely bankrupt.
What's more, most Dimension Demon Gods lend power like loan sharks, lending one part and requiring ten times back.
Compared to them, the old Vishanti trio are much easier to deal with.
However, even though she understood, Gwen still planned to ask Ancient One for some magic scriptures to study.
She certainly couldn't borrow power from the entire Universe like a Dimension Demon God, but lending to one or two people was still possible.
But before that, she should exchange the money.
Gwen turned, looking sincerely at Sorcerer Ancient One: "Thank you for clarifying."
With that, she raised her hand and pushed open the shop's door, and the brass bell on the door chimed crisply.
The warm yellow light inside the shop fell on Gwen, and the elderly man behind the counter looked up at the sound, his gaze through his spectacles showing a hint of confusion: "Little girl, can I help you with anything?"
Gwen didn't rush to speak, but instead held the handle of the suitcase with both hands and steadily placed it on the counter.
With two "click" sounds of unlocking, she slowly lifted the lid.
The elderly man leaned in curiously and was immediately stunned.
Inside the suitcase, there were some gold bricks, gleaming dazzlingly under the light.
Before Gwen came, she had thought about filling the entire suitcase.
But unfortunately, she couldn't.
She couldn't drag it, and the suitcase would break.
Gwen's lips curved into a gentle smile: "I heard this place buys gold. What price do you offer?"
Just as the elderly man was about to speak, he inadvertently caught sight of Sorcerer Ancient One standing at the door, his pupils slightly constricted, and the words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.
The elderly man took out an electronic scale from under the counter, placed it beneath the suitcase, then picked up a gold brick, weighed it slightly, and nodded.
After a brief calculation, the elderly man adjusted his glasses and looked at Gwen: "All of it?"
Gwen nodded: "All of it."
The elderly man said no more, laboriously lifting the box onto the scale.
After measuring the weight, he dragged the box and turned to walk into the inner room.
Not long after, the elderly man returned, pulling the suitcase, stopping it in front of the counter, and opening it himself; inside, U.S. dollars were neatly stacked.
"It's all here. Do you accept it?"
"Thank you."
Gwen leaned over and checked the U.S. dollars inside the box, and after confirming there were no issues, she neatly closed the lid and stood up, pulling the suitcase.
She politely nodded her thanks to the elderly man, but he ignored her, continuing to watch the TV show with his head down.
Gwen walked out of the quaint little shop, turned to face Sorcerer Ancient One, and bowed slightly: "Thank you for your help this time; otherwise, I really wouldn't know where to exchange money."
Sorcerer Ancient One nodded gently, a warm smile gracing her lips: "You're welcome. If you need to find me in the future, come to the rooftop where we were before."
At this moment, Dr. Paradox stepped forward, handing the pendant, or rather, the Eye of Agamotto, back to Sorcerer Ancient One: "This marvelous little trinket should return to its rightful owner."
Sorcerer Ancient One took the pendant, and was about to hand the pocket watch in her embrace back to Dr. Paradox, but saw him wave his hand.
"Sorcerer, you keep it. It will always be useful. If the gem ever goes missing, just put my pocket watch into this ornament, and it might still work."
Sorcerer Ancient One thought for a moment, did not refuse, and put the pocket watch back into her embrace… After bidding farewell to Sorcerer Ancient One, the two walked back onto the street.
The suitcase was put away again, and Gwen took a stack of money from it and put it in her pocket.
Looking at the thriving city, Gwen felt incredibly new.
After all, everything here was different from Gotham.
Of course, it was also because Gwen didn't go to Hell's Kitchen; otherwise, she would definitely have a familiar feeling of being home.
Imagine that scene.
Robber: Behave! Don't move!
Gwen: Yes, yes, yes! That's it! The feeling of home!
Strolling around this city, Gwen was in a good mood until… until she saw a newsstand by the roadside.
In the newsstand, a newspaper was hung high.
The newspaper wasn't the main point; there was a photo on it.
It was a red and blue tight-fitting battle suit, a being swinging webs between tall buildings.
And the newspaper's headline was—
"Spider-Man—Guardian of the City or Trouble Maker?"