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"Then quickly tell me the method… You don't know how dangerous the situation is for the various kingdoms within the Nine Realms right now; people are dying every minute from the corruption of chaotic energy."
Thor urged, as if no one else was present, "If we can't deal with the threat of the Eye of Fear in time this time, I'm afraid it won't be long before all other areas of the Nine Realms, except Midgard, are transformed by that evil chaotic energy!"
However, to everyone's surprise, the Ancient One on the other side smiled and shook her head at him, "Sorry, Prince Thor, I am powerless to fulfill your request."
"Huh? This…"
Thor frowned, asking somewhat angrily, "Didn't you just say that Kamar-Taj could resist the invasion of the Eye of Fear with the magic barrier formed by the three Sanctuaries?"
"Why are you refusing now? Do you know how many innocent civilians will die if we delay the optimal timing?"
Facing the irritable Thor, the Ancient One did not get angry, and still softly explained to him, "Firstly, although the three Sanctuaries can most likely withstand the erosion of the Eye of Fear, they were built by the First Sorcerer Supreme using the Source of White magic, so even I do not have the ability to replicate them…"
"Secondly, the mission of our Sorcerers at Kamar-Taj is and only is one, which is to protect Earth from the invasion of mystical forces…"
"As for what threats other kingdoms will encounter, that has nothing to do with us… The residents there can only pray that their 'gods' will save them."
Although the Ancient One's words were very cold, the truth was just so.
From the day Kamar-Taj was established, the area it was responsible for protecting was Earth, and only Earth!
And neither Asgard, nor the other major kingdoms in the Nine Realms, were within the jurisdiction of Kamar-Taj.
Instead, Thor's father, Odin, had always been recognized as the Lord of the Nine Realms, so naturally, when something went wrong in the Nine Realms, they should seek his protection, right?
Could they really blame Kamar-Taj?
"Ah, this…"
Thor, who was always more prone to action than thought and not good with words, was immediately rendered speechless, but just as he was about to try a little harder to persuade the bald individual opposite him, he heard the Ancient One change the subject and continue:
"However, I can give you a small suggestion…"
Seeing Thor cast an eager and longing gaze at her, the Ancient One assumed the air of a wise elder and said meaningfully:
"I suggest you go to Sokovia. If there is anyone in this Universe who understands the Warp and chaotic energy best, it would definitely be Mr. Karl Merks."
"If he is willing to help Asgard, perhaps this crisis threatening the Nine Realms will see a major turning point!"
The Ancient One did not directly reveal that Karl was the Lord of the Warp, nor did she mention the Four Chaotic Gods.
On one hand, her relationship with Asgard was not deep; in fact, one could say there had been no interaction for the past few centuries, so it was naturally impossible to casually reveal such important information.
On the other hand, the Ancient One was still somewhat unclear about the true role Karl played in this incident and his attitude, so it was a good opportunity to use Thor, this simple-minded oaf, to test the waters.
So, after much consideration, she naturally chose to hint at it and leave it at that!
"Sokovia… Karl Merks? Hmm, why does that name sound so familiar?"
Thor squeezed his facial features together, thinking for a long time, when his gaze inadvertently swept over Wanda, and he suddenly reacted, exclaiming loudly:
"Ah, I remember now, you must be talking about that brat who snatched the Aether Particle from me last time, right?"
However, no sooner had his words fallen than a scarlet Chaos Magic directly bound his muscular figure, tightening around him like a pair of giant steel hands.
The one who acted was naturally Wanda.
Who told Thor to be disrespectful to Karl with his foul mouth? Who else would she punish?
"Uh ah…"
Lightning arcs crackled around Thor's body, as if he wanted to use his divine power to forcibly break free from the Chaos Magic released by Wanda, but no matter how he tried, it was futile.
"Prince Thor, perhaps an apology would be a good choice at this moment," the Ancient One said calmly, taking a sip of tea.
What else could the Ancient One do?
This love-struck, saintly girl under her command was terrifyingly strong; perhaps in a few years, even she would not be a match for her.
But she was hopelessly devoted to Karl Merks, that dimension demon with ill intentions.
The Ancient One was very helpless about this!
It really was a case of good cabbage being ruined by pigs…
"That… I'm sorry, I mean Mr. Karl Merks."
Thor immediately caved to Wanda without thinking, after all, his purpose for this trip was not to fight.
For every minute he delayed here, hundreds or thousands of innocent civilians would die in the Nine Realms, so he could not afford to waste time here.
As expected.
The next second, Wanda directly withdrew her Chaos Magic, though her beautiful face was full of warning.
If the Ancient One hadn't been present, she would never have let Thor off so easily.
After all, the last time in Greenwich, Thor and Odin almost directly clashed with Karl and the others.
So, the moment she first saw Thor, Wanda had already remembered his identity.
"Sorcerer Wanda, this matter might also benefit Mr. Karl, so would you mind taking Prince Thor over there?"
The Ancient One turned to Wanda with a meaningful look. Although the latter somewhat disliked Thor, she finally nodded, then put on her Sling Ring and directly opened a portal leading to the main entrance of the Hyperspace Group building.
"Go, Prince Thor… I hope you can find the answers you seek from Mr. Karl Merks!"
The Ancient One flicked her finger forward, and the portal directly hit Thor. The next moment, Thor had already been transferred from the New York Sanctum Sanctorum to the entrance of the Hyperspace Group.
"This thing is much more convenient than the Bifrost Bridge. If Asgard also had such Sorcerers, that would be great!"
Thor looked around, then stepped towards the Hyperspace Group building.
A few minutes later, led by a curvaceous young secretary, Thor successfully arrived at the chairman's office and saw Karl sitting on the Golden Throne, generating electricity.
"We meet again, Thor!"
Karl smiled and spoke first, not only showing no hostility on his face but also a hint of anticipation, as if a 'big client' had arrived.
"Yes, why isn't that man of yours, whose knife burns with fire, here this time?"
Thor said seriously, "The last time we met, I wasn't in very good condition, otherwise I definitely could have defeated those Dark Elves myself and retrieved the Aether Particle…"
Thor clearly had not forgotten his disastrous defeat in Greenwich, but after the little interlude with Wanda earlier, he immediately explained his purpose.
"That… Mr. Karl Merks, please don't misunderstand, I'm not here to demand the Aether Particle this time, but to seek your help…"
"Oh?" Karl's smile grew even wider, "Tell me."
"Many things have happened since our last meeting, but none of that is important. What's important is that the Nine Realms are now facing an unprecedented major crisis…"
Then Thor recounted the events using his rough and verbose narrative style, without logic or focus.
If everything that happened hadn't been orchestrated by Karl himself, he probably wouldn't have understood what the other party was talking about at all.
He truly didn't know how a cunning old fox like Odin could rest assured letting this muscle-brained guy come to Earth alone to find answers.
He might be good at fighting, but for problems that require thinking… forget it!
"The situation in the Nine Realms is roughly like this right now…"
Thor, parched from talking, gestured at his thick hair on top of his head, then continued, "Later, that bald Sorcerer told me that I could find the answers I wanted here with you."
"So, Mr. Karl Merks, I want to know if the person who stopped that chaotic energy from corrupting Midgard… was you?"
Karl didn't speak, just nodded noncommittally. Seeing this, Thor was overjoyed and cheered like a child:
"Yay, this is great! Now Asgard and the Nine Realms are finally saved…"
However, before he could finish his sentence, he heard Karl on the Golden Throne say calmly, "But why should I help you and Asgard?"
"Ah?"
Thor was stunned, then said somewhat unhappily, "Didn't I also help you Midgardians solve those alien armies that invaded New York before?"
"As a reciprocal gesture, shouldn't you help Asgard this time?"
"Prince Thor, I think you might be mistaken about something."
Karl mercilessly exposed him, "The Battle of New York was originally a disaster caused by your brother Loki. It's already very considerate that humanity hasn't held Asgard accountable, okay?"
"What's more, even if you and those so-called Avengers didn't act, those Chitauri ultimately wouldn't have achieved much, after all, Earth has no shortage of super-powered individuals…"
"And this time, the appearance of the Eye of Fear, and the Warp energy storm affecting the entire Nine Realms, were still caused by your mischievous brother Loki…"
"No matter how you look at it, this is a consequence of Odin and Asgard not properly managing that troublemaker… So, why should I help Asgard?!"
"Ah, this…"
Thor was directly rendered speechless and unable to refute. He knew Loki's crimes better than anyone, but that was his beloved, mischievous brother.
Besides forgiving him again and again without limits, what else could he do?
Thor thought for a moment, then said with an incredibly sincere expression, "Mr. Karl Merks, I deeply apologize for the crimes committed by my brother Loki, and in the future, I am willing to use my actions to help Midgard resolve various crises…"
"But right now, the only person capable of helping Asgard and the countless innocent civilians within the Nine Realms overcome this difficulty is you… As long as you are willing to lend a hand, I and all of Asgard will become your most loyal allies in the future!"
Forming an alliance, this was the best method Thor could think of at the moment.
One must know that before the Eye of Fear appeared, forming an alliance with Asgard was equivalent to having an incredibly powerful backing within the Nine Realms.
This was something many kingdoms dreamed of.
But at present, Thor was somewhat unsure whether such terms could move the young man on the Golden Throne opposite him.
"Alliance?"
Karl chuckled upon hearing this, and immediately teased, "Even Asgard can't protect itself now; forming an alliance with you would be of no benefit to me!"
"But…" Thor looked troubled, but was unwilling to give up just yet.
"Don't waste your breath there. It's not impossible for me to help, but Asgard needs to show basic sincerity!"
Seeing Karl relent, Thor's eyes immediately lit up, and he eagerly asked, "Hmm? What sincerity are you referring to…?"
Karl said directly, "I want the Tesseract and the Rainbow Bridge technology!"
"What?"
Thor was clearly startled by such an exorbitant demand. "Buddy, aren't you taking advantage of the situation a bit too much?"
"Don't you know how important the Tesseract and the Bifrost Bridge are to Asgard?"
"Are those things you can just demand?"
"That's too much, buddy!"
So, without thinking, he immediately shook his head and refused, "I'm sorry, Mr. Karl Merks, I don't think my father will agree to such a request, because both the Tesseract and the Bifrost Bridge are extremely important treasures to Asgard…"
"Especially the Bifrost Bridge; it combines Asgard's most advanced technology with its deepest magic. If I gave you the Rainbow Bridge technology, it would be equivalent to giving you a weapon that could destroy Asgard… So, can you ask for something else?"
To his surprise, Karl said with an exceptionally firm attitude, "If I truly wanted to destroy Asgard, I would only need to stand by and do nothing right now; why would I need to bargain with you here?"
"As for what you said about the Tesseract and the Bifrost Bridge being very important to Asgard, I don't deny that…"