No More Pretending, I'm Coming Clean!

After adjusting his mindset like that,

Carl immediately felt that his current situation did not seem so passive anymore.

He even vaguely held a few advantages when it came to the whereabouts of the [Mind Stone]!

After all, no matter how badass the Ancient One was, she could not just barge into his [Warp Dimension] and snatch the [Mind Stone] away, could she?!

If that was the case, then what the hell was there to be afraid of?

Today, he would properly meet this bald Greater Daemon King!!!

Carl's face promptly regained the composure and confidence he usually showed when negotiating with clients.

His body slowly descended from midair.

But for the sake of caution, he did not completely dismiss the Energy Coat around his body, nor did he rush to speak.

Instead, he boldly met the Ancient One's gaze.

When rivals met on a narrow road, the braver one won!

At the negotiating table, when facing a contest where both sides already knew the answer, whoever lost their nerve and spoke first was most likely the loser!

Thus...

The atmosphere within the [Mirror Dimension] suddenly became somewhat strange.

Carl and the Ancient One simply stood there without saying a word, staring unblinkingly at each other.

It was as if both wanted to dig the answer they sought out of the other's eyes.

"Hm?!"

A rare trace of surprise flashed through the Ancient One's ordinarily placid eyes.

Clearly, she had not expected the youth before her to remain so calm when facing her.

Just as Carl had guessed.

The Ancient One had not originally intended to concern herself with him.

Even though she knew he was a "Trespasser" who had crossed over from another realm.

As long as he did not reach the level of endangering Earth's safety, she would generally turn a blind eye and ignore him.

There was no helping it.

For over a long period in the past, many anomalous phenomena had occurred one after another, with small worlds from different dimensions forcibly merging into this world.

Even now, the Ancient One had yet to determine the cause of these anomalies.

Fortunately, the mergers of those small worlds had all been smooth and seamless...

To the point that, apart from her, no one in the world noticed anything unusual.

It was as though every person and object from those small worlds had always existed in this world.

Naturally, that did not cause any unnecessary panic.

Gradually, even the Ancient One had grown accustomed to it!

However, the instant Carl snapped his fingers,

The Ancient One, far away in [Kamar-Taj], keenly sensed something unusual.

An extremely unfamiliar and mysterious power was disregarding the rules established by generations of [Sorcerer Supremes], forcibly collecting human souls from Earth through slaughter!

Was this treating [Kamar-Taj] as if it did not exist?

Was this treating her, the [Sorcerer Supreme], as if she did not exist?

Thus, the Ancient One rushed over at once.

She had originally assumed that whoever broke the rules would be some demon god from a newly born dimension.

After all, newcomers like that loved causing trouble on Earth to make a name for themselves.

But who would have thought that when she arrived, she would discover that the culprit was actually a human—and seemingly a "transmigrator" at that!

Therefore, in order to figure out what was going on, the Ancient One did not immediately reveal herself.

Instead, she hid within the [Mirror Dimension] and watched Carl slaughter the Hydra base from beginning to end.

Yet even by the end, she still could not figure it out.

How had he bypassed the magical defenses of the Three Sanctums and forcibly collected those souls directly?

"Could he be a follower of some Dimensional Demon?"

"But why can't I sense even the slightest trace of magic or dark energy on him..."

The Ancient One frowned slightly.

Although, on Earth's little patch of territory,

as long as someone had not reached the level of Dormammu, ruler of the [Dark Dimension], they generally could not stir up much trouble before her.

But Carl's identity was highly unusual, and he possessed great power.

So the Ancient One had no choice but to take him seriously.

After pondering it over,

she ultimately decided to show herself personally and ask Carl directly.

"Don't worry. I mean no harm..."

The Ancient One broke the stalemate first and probed with a smile:

"You may call me Sorcerer Ancient One. I come from [Kamar-Taj], and I am the [Sorcerer Supreme] who protects Earth from invasion by magical creatures!!"

"The reason I came to find you this time is that I have a question that requires your answer."

The Ancient One spoke very slowly, deliberately giving Carl enough time to react as she attempted to observe more details from him.

This tactic had never failed her throughout the years.

But this time, she had encountered a top salesman who enjoyed refusing to play by the rules.

"I am Carl Mala, a transmigrator. I arrived yesterday!!!"

To keep the Ancient One from gaining the upper hand in the conversation, Carl opened with his trump card and directly revealed his true identity.

As a qualified salesman,

he understood far better than most people how to earn a client's trust in the shortest possible time.

In his view, no matter what kind of relationship it was, "sincerity" was always the best trump card.

It was also the quickest and most reliable way to close the distance between two people!

So... had you been "sincere" today?!!

The Ancient One was indeed caught completely off guard.

Even though she had lived for more than five hundred years, weathered countless changes, and seen every facet of human life,

Carl's sudden "sincerity" still left her speechless for a moment.

Fine, fine, fine. This kid was refusing to play by the rules, was he?!

"You... are very sincere, and very unusual."

Only after a long silence did the Ancient One nod solemnly.

"It seems you have already realized that this world is different, but that is not why I came to see you."

Carl pretended not to understand and knowingly asked, "Please, Sorcerer Ancient One, speak plainly!"

The Ancient One gave him a deep look.

After a brief pause, she spoke bluntly:

"I sensed earlier that you seemed to have used some method to forcibly seize the souls of those you killed?"

"Such actions clearly violate the rules of [Kamar-Taj]... Is there anything you would like to say to me about this?"

Σ(⊙▽⊙"a???

Huh?

That was it?!

She... had not come for the [Mind Stone]?!!

So he had been worried for nothing just now, and had nearly caused a misunderstanding.

This time, Carl was completely relieved.

Since the Ancient One had not come to seize the [Mind Stone],

then the only point of conflict between them had vanished as well.

Their tense opposition naturally eased.

But the [Warp] absorbing souls had clearly touched upon the taboo of the Ancient One and [Kamar-Taj].

If he handled this poorly, he probably still would not be able to leave this [Mirror Dimension].

"I didn't expect you to discover it..."

As his thoughts turned, Carl had already come up with a way to handle it.

He first cleared his throat, then smoothly and naturally switched his demeanor.

Putting on an intentionally overbearing expression, he said:

"I originally intended to get along with you as an ordinary person, but all I got in return was suspicion and doubt..."

"No more pretending. I'm a Dimensional Demon... I'm coming clean!!!"