◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones. or 500 Collections
◇ You can read 90 chapter ahead on P@treon of which 10 are free Chapters. if you're interested: patreon.com/Heroicverse
------------------------------------------------
Facing the bald Sorcerer Supreme's praise, Wanda remained extremely calm, responding without arrogance or impatience: "Sorcerer Supreme, you flatter me. The progress I have made is entirely due to your excellent guidance…"
Even if Wanda wasn't usually very good at expressing herself, the necessary flattery was indispensable.
Flattery always works!
Every word of Karl's teachings, Wanda had always kept firmly in mind.
Ancient One smiled slightly, the approval in her eyes deepening a few shades, then she asked subtly:
"I noticed you've been practicing the magic of 'Soul Projection' recently…"
"When you enter the 'astral projection' state and frequently travel through the 'Astral Dimension' outside the free-floating real Universe, have you felt anything unusual?!"
"Anything unusual?"
A hint of confusion appeared on Wanda's fair face. After thinking carefully for a moment, she said with some uncertainty:
"If I had to say anything felt off, it would probably be that after I enter the astral projection state, I always feel an ominous aura around the periphery of the Sanctum?"
That's right, don't doubt it. Ever since you arrived at Kamar-Taj, ominousness has already begun to shroud the three Sanctuaries…
Ancient One nodded with a normal expression. "Very good, it seems your perception ability is also outstanding… Just as I taught you before, we at Kamar-Taj are responsible for guarding Earth's natural laws and maintaining the balance between reality and the mystical dimensions…"
"And the Eye of Agamotto is our most important weapon against dark forces!!"
As she spoke, Ancient One formed a magic seal with her hands, and the Eye of Agamotto appeared out of thin air before her chest. Its internal mechanism rotated, revealing the Time Stone, which emitted a brilliant green light, before Wanda.
"This is… an infinity stone?"
Wanda's eyes widened suddenly. Clearly, she had already learned about the infinity stones from Karl before.
After all, the "superpowers" on her and her brother Pietro were all activated by the mind stone.
"Very good, it seems you already know about the existence of the infinity stones."
Ancient One was not surprised by Wanda's reaction; after all, that hateful dimensional demon had an infinity stone in her possession. So she continued to say:
"Then I suppose you also know that, besides the Time Stone, there are actually 5 other infinity stones…"
"It is precisely these infinity stones that together created the flow of time we now experience!!"
"Although the First Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, used the power of the Time Stone at the time out of necessary consideration for protecting Earth and our dimension…
But in this Universe, there are still many people, out of a desire for power, and for various other purposes and ambitions, relentlessly searching for the whereabouts of the other infinity stones!"
"First is the Tesseract, the container of the Space Stone. You should still remember the Battle of New York that happened in this city about two years ago, right?"
Although Wanda didn't know why Ancient One suddenly started explaining the origin story of the infinity stones to her, she still nodded obediently.
Ancient One continued, seeing her reaction: "But what you might not know is that the Battle of New York happened largely because of another infinity stone… which is the mind stone!!"
Upon hearing the name of the Mind Stone, Wanda's beautiful brows couldn't help but furrow slightly.
Karl had told her before that the scepter held by the Hydra organization contained the mind stone.
"Loki, the adopted son of Odin, the King of the Gods of Asgard, brought the mind stone to Earth, then successfully used the Space Stone to open an interstellar portal, allowing the Chitauri army to invade Earth…"
"I have to say, he almost succeeded, but in the end, he failed under the tenacious resistance of the Avengers… Afterwards, Thor Odinson, the son of Odin, took Loki and the Tesseract back to the Heavenly Palace…"
"And that scepter, embedded with the mind stone, after many twists and turns, came into the hands of the Hydra organization, hidden under the guise of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Then, the Hydra organization, led by Baron Strucker, began to experiment on humans using the power of the scepter… which was actually the power of the mind stone on it. And the powers you and your brother possess originated from this…"
"Not long after, another war triggered by an infinity stone broke out again. Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, attempted to use the Aether Particle… which is the Reality Stone, during the cosmic singularity moment caused by the Celestial Convergence in Greenwich, to shroud all Nine Realms, including Earth, in endless darkness."
Ancient One paused slightly, then looked at Wanda opposite her and smiled: "I believe you know the result without me telling you, after all, it was you and Mr. Karl who acted together and successfully stopped this disaster!"
Seeing that the topic had already shifted to Karl, Wanda immediately dropped her obedient demeanor, and her entire being became alert.
Here it comes!
So, after all this beating around the bush, this is what she was waiting for?
Although Wanda deeply respected the Sorcerer Supreme before her, who had diligently guarded Earth for hundreds of years, once her beloved was involved, even the King of Heaven would have to take a backseat to Karl.
Heaven and Earth are vast, but my Karl is the greatest!
"Sorcerer Supreme, what exactly do you want to say?"
Seeing the undisguised wariness on Wanda's face, Ancient One felt a surge of helplessness. This little girl's 'love-struck brain' was truly incurable.
"Sorcerer Wanda, what I want to tell you is that Loki, who twice used the infinity stones to create disasters, has now caused an unprecedented catastrophe in the Universe, and no one knows how this disaster will end…"
Facing such a reply, Wanda couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
Because an event that could make even the Sorcerer Supreme feel apprehensive and call it a 'catastrophe' was bound to be extraordinary, so she instinctively asked:
"Even you, Sorcerer Supreme, cannot predict it?"
"That's right."
Ancient One nodded with an extremely grave expression, but after a slight hesitation, she continued like a riddle-teller, speaking earnestly:
"Facing this epic-level catastrophe, there is only one person who can prevent the situation from deteriorating further… But the prerequisite is that he is truly willing to act to stop it."
Wanda's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she warily asked: "The person you're talking about… wouldn't happen to be my brother… cough… I mean, Mr. Karl, would it?"
"That's right, it's him."
Ancient One nodded without evasion, her profound gaze directly meeting Wanda's. "Although this epic-level catastrophe didn't originate from Mr. Karl, it is inextricably linked to him…"
"Sorcerer Wanda, the reason I've told you so much is simply that I hope in a crucial moment in the future, out of consideration for the survival of humanity and Earth, you can help persuade that man."
"Ah?" Wanda stared wide-eyed with a blank expression, seemingly not understanding the meaning of the other party's words, but Ancient One's next sentence directly made her feel a bit dizzy and overjoyed!
"After all, you should be one of the few people in this World who can truly make Mr. Karl care…"
However, at this moment, Ancient One seemed to suddenly sense something. Her profound gaze passed through the floor and walls, looking towards the location of the door, and she said with a smile:
"It seems we can only talk later, because the uninvited guest who wants to seek answers from Earth has arrived!"
Wanda: "Uninvited guest???"
…
At this moment, outside the New York Sanctum Sanctorum.
Thor, dressed in a denim outfit and holding an umbrella, first looked at the not-so-luxurious three-story building in front of him, then at the address 177A Bleecker Street on the doorplate, and mumbled with some uncertainty:
"Did Heimdall get it wrong?"
"How could that great Sorcerer who can stop the spread of Chaos energy live in such a simple house? The Midgardians should at least build her a magnificent palace, right?"
However, before he could even raise his hand to knock, the scene before him suddenly changed, and he appeared directly inside the Sanctum Sanctorum.
And a bald figure, wearing a simple yellow Sorcerer's robe, whose gender and age were difficult to distinguish from his face, was sitting on an antique chair opposite him, smiling and looking at him.
Beside that bald figure stood a beautiful long-haired young woman, but her face revealed deep wariness and an inexplicable hostility?
Ancient One spoke first, lightly teasing: "Thor Odinson, son of Odin, God of Thunder… Not everyone likes to live in magnificent palaces like you Asgardians."
Thor raised his umbrella… or more accurately, mjolnir disguised as an umbrella, and looked at Ancient One with a wary expression, saying:
"It seems Heimdall was right after all; Midgard truly has its own Sorcerers now… But I'm curious, why didn't I see you during the last two alien invasions?"
"To be precise, we are not Sorcerers, but Sorcerers."
Ancient One corrected with a smile: "And those aliens who invaded New York and Greenwich before are not within the scope of what we Kamar-Taj need to guard against."
"Alright, since you know who I am, then I suppose you must be the Sorcerer Supreme my father and Mother spoke of, who secretly guards Midgard, right?"
Although Thor's mind wasn't particularly sharp, his judgment of people was quite accurate.
Even though Ancient One opposite him looked harmless, she exuded an extremely powerful oppressive aura.
Thor had only felt this oppressive aura from one person before… no, two people. One was, of course, his father, Odin, the King of the Gods.
And the other was Karl, when he was in full power, confronting Thor face-to-face in Greenwich.
So, if there truly was a powerful Sorcerer… ah, no, a Sorcerer on Earth who could stop the Chaos energy overflowing from the Eye of Fear, it must be this bald individual in front of him.
Ancient One nodded slightly at his words. "You can call me Sorcerer Supreme, or you can call me Sorcerer Ancient One… I know the purpose of your visit, but I am powerless to help with the plight of Asgard and the Nine Realms!!"
"What, you even know the purpose of my visit?"
Thor's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with disbelief.
Throughout all of Asgard, besides his Mother, Queen Frigga, who could divine fragments of the future through fire and dreams, he had never seen anyone else who could foresee the future.
"Prince Thor, you needn't be so surprised."
Ancient One said calmly: "To protect Earth from invasions by mystical forces, I have been monitoring people and things from other realms all these years."
"Because they might pose a potential threat to Earth at some point… And your brother Loki, adopted by Odin, is naturally one of them!"
"That's right, I strongly agree."
Thor chuckled foolishly, taking pride in it instead of shame: "My rotten brother absolutely deserves it; this time he's caused another colossal mess… But Sorcerer… ah, I mean Sorcerer Ancient One, what did you mean by 'powerless' just now?"
"Didn't you say that Kamar-Taj has been protecting Earth from mystical invasions all these years?"
"Are the Chaos energy released from the Eye of Fear and the four Chaos Gods entrenched in the Warp not included in that?"
Facing Thor's questions, Ancient One patiently explained: "I apologize, but both I and Kamar-Taj are quite unfamiliar with the recently appeared Eye of Fear…"
"Because the Warp and the Chaos Gods are different from any dimension we've dealt with before. It is more troublesome, more difficult to deal with, and more powerful, so…"
However, before Ancient One could finish speaking, Thor interrupted her hastily: "Wait a minute, wasn't it you who stopped that Chaos energy from corrupting Midgard?"
Ancient One shook her head. "Although Kamar-Taj can indeed resist the invasion of that Chaos energy with the magic barrier formed by the three Sanctuaries, Earth's lack of impact this time has nothing to do with Kamar-Taj…"
Thor was stunned for a moment, then his single-celled brain reacted, and he quickly pressed: "So, you actually also have a way to resist that Chaos energy?!"