Kamar-Taj's "Enlightenment" (Part 1)

The biting winds over the Himalayan Mountains never cease, and the snowflakes blown by the wind resemble pure white blades, darting through the desolate and vast valleys.

The sound of the wind was like the earth's lament, drowning out the horn blown by the traveler at the edge of the sky. He turned to look back, and behind the layers of peaks, wisps of smoke rose like incense sticks.

When the last incense stick in the incense burner burned to the bottom, as the flame went out, the straight incense thread also dissipated. In the last instant the smoke dissipated, the clear sound of a chess piece hitting the chessboard echoed in the quiet room.

A slender, fair hand held a chess piece and gently placed it on the chessboard. The Sorcerer Supreme's hand showed no signs of age, but it carried the rough texture left by years of farming. The lines spread up the back of her hand. Ancient One's gaze toward the chessboard remained calm.

She turned her head slightly, glanced at the incense that had burned out, and said, "Let's stop here for today."

Strange made his final move, glanced at the board. The game wasn't very intense; clearly, both players were somewhat distracted.

Ancient One lightly brushed her robes, and some dust rose around her. She stood up and slowly walked to the incense table, lit another incense stick, Strange could smell that the fragrance of the incense had become faint.

Wang entered carrying a tray. Strange collected the chess pieces and board from the table and placed them under the table. Wang then took out tea and snacks from the tray.

Strange there was a reason why Kamar-Taj was called a holy place; it was a completely different feeling from living in New York.

He looked around the room. It wasn't big, and there was very little furniture. The floor was a rough felt. One entire wall opposite was a wooden display shelf, with an incense table in front of it. Paintings hung on the walls on the left and right sides, and two bonsai trees were placed in the middle.

In the center of the room was a low table. The chessboard and pieces were usually stored under the table. After Strange finished practicing his magic, he would play a game of chess with the Ancient One here.

Strange didn't know how to play Go before, but after practicing for a few days, he became quite proficient.

The game of Go with the Ancient One ended in a draw, with only time taken into account. After an incense stick's time had passed, they would put away the Go board, drink tea, and Strange. It was during this time that Strange learned about the mysteries of the universe from the Ancient One.

The atmosphere here is completely different from Strange had imagined before he came.

In Western mythology, the concept of a sacred site is often described as magnificent and grand, with architecture that is grand and splendid and an atmosphere that is mysterious and profound.

The Kamar-Taj is different. Although the existence of such a building deep in the Himalayan Mountains is already a miracle, its character is more ancient and natural than sacred.

But Strange had to admit that the atmosphere gave him a long-lost peace and relaxation, and his mind, which had almost been blinded by money, gradually calmed down.

But in this atmosphere, Strange felt it would be difficult to begin what he was about to say.

He looked around the room again. The furnishings were simple, but each item was just right and showed signs of age.

Everyone here, whether it's the Sorcerer Supreme or a novice apprentice, possesses a calm yet lively aura, making Strange always seem out of place in comparison.

What he said next might make him even more out of place.

"You seem a little distracted," the Ancient One said to Strange, as she sat back down, blew on her tea.

"I'm sorry, teacher."

"I can see that you have something to say. You don't need to hold back. There's nothing here that can't be said."

Ancient One's tone always carried a calm power that made people involuntarily believe what she said. Strange took a deep breath and then sighed. He said, "Well, but this is just too hard to say."

He watched the tea leaves swirling in his teacup, trying to imagine this place as the financial center of Wall Street, and then began, "Here's the thing, we have a plan..."

As soon as he said this, Strange regretted it. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before he would be thrown out of this place.

So he paused, pressed his temples, and tried to convince himself to grit his teeth and continue.

"I was deeply moved by what my teacher told me about dealing with Dimensional Demon God, so I discussed it with some friends. They all agreed that Earth's prosperity today is inseparable from the Sorcerer Supreme's unwavering faith..."

To avoid looking too awkward when he was thrown out, Strange laid the groundwork first.

"But humanity has never been a species that sits idly by and waits to perish. We do not wish to entrust our safety entirely to the protection of others, so..."

Strange sighed again and said, "I'm sorry, but given that the next twist might be a bit surprising, you'd better not have any tea."

Upon hearing this, the Ancient One put down his teacup, but the King had been distracted since Strange spoke, continuing to sip his tea slowly and deliberately. He blew on the scalding hot tea and was just taking a slurp when he heard Strange say, "... We have devised a financial fraud plan targeting the Dimensional Demon God."

"Puff!"

Wang sprayed the tea he was drinking all over the table.

Strange quickly grabbed a rag to wipe the table, saying helplessly, "I warned you, the next twist might be quite surprising..."

"But this is too amazing! Cough cough!" Wang said, coughing as he was choked.

Ancient One remained calm, even appearing quite interested. She asked Strange, "A financial fraud plan? Tell me more."

Strange took a small projector out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

As all three focused their attention on the device, a projection suddenly popped up, showing Strange's face. He waved at the camera and said, "Hello, I'm Strange, and I'm also the presenter for this project..."

Wang glanced at the projector, then at Strange sitting next to him, and asked in bewilderment, "Can't you just sit here and talk to us? Why did you bring a projector?"

Strange pointed to the projection, indicating that Wang should continue watching.

At this moment, the projector paused for a moment. Just when Wang and Ancient One thought the presentation was about to begin, the camera suddenly zoomed out and filmed the entire conference room, with people in suits on both sides of the long table.

Next, the content of the projected video fully, thoroughly, and concisely explained to Ancient One and Wang what the Cosmic Demons Financial Fraud Plan was.

The plan discussed in the S.H.I.E.L.D.. meeting room was only a prototype. In reality, any such scam involves very complex numerical calculations, such as how to set the promotion requirements, what the ratio of initial investment to later returns should be, and how to arrange the timeline for each step.

Since none of the four people involved in the discussion had a background in finance, after the initial draft of the plan was completed, S.H.I.E.L.D.. brought in some top financial professionals to help them refine the plan.

Most of these people were released from prison, their moral bottom line had been tested, and many of them had practical experience, so the plan quickly became very complete.

They explained how the scam would work in the most meticulous yet easy-to-understand way possible.

The so-called Ponzi scheme, is the most classic and oldest form of financial fraud. However, among all financial fraud schemes, this one can be described as enduring and everlasting, with people from all generations engaging in it and falling for it.

Moreover, as this tactic has evolved, those who fall for it today have changed from the nouveau riche with low education and no knowledge of economics and finance to young people with knowledge, ability, and education.

Many people know it's Ponzi scheme, and can even explain its history and principles in great detail, but they still fall for it in the end.

The reason is that this scam precisely targets the weaknesses in the thinking of intelligent beings, namely, the pursuit of profit and the mentality of taking chances.

Low investment, high returns—intelligent beings are always driven by profit, and many people, even knowing that this High Tower will eventually collapse, still feel that they will be the ones to run away with the money.

After being explained by these financial professionals, this principle became easier to understand and more feasible.

They cited several past examples and various variations based on them, which even Wang, who had no interest in finance and economics, listened to with great interest.

During the lecture, he would occasionally glance at the Sorcerer Supreme out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that the Ancient One's eyes were getting brighter and brighter. Wang instinctively moved to the other side, only to find that the person on his other side was Strange, who had proposed the plan and would become the future Sorcerer Supreme.

A sudden, unspoken understanding arose between the two generations of Sorcerer Supreme, one old and one young, and Wang had only one thought in mind— the Cosmic Demons is in danger.

After the projection ended, the Ancient One calmed herself down before speaking, "I didn't expect you to surprise me like this, Stephen."

"Uh, I know this plan is wicked, but... wait, a surprise???" Strange looked at the Ancient One in confusion, and found that the Ancient One's gaze was indeed filled with appreciation and surprise.

Ancient One picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and said with satisfaction, "It seems that my previous stories were not in vain. I really didn't expect that you could discover the crux of the current situation from these fragmented stories."

"Uh..." Strange was momentarily speechless. He really wanted to ask what the crux of the matter was, but it was clear that the Ancient One had more to say.

Ancient One sighed and then said, "As I mentioned in the stories I told before, there are Demon God in this world, and there are many of them."

"Just like humans, they have intelligence, can communicate, have their own interests and positions, and also have different personalities and individualities."

"They are born powerful, possessing strength that humans cannot comprehend, and most of them also have their own domains, distributed in various corners of the universe."

"And to explain who they really are, we have to talk about what exactly the universe is."

Then, Strange learned the Truth the entire world from the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One's account.