"I believe you."
The Ancient One calmed her turbulent emotions, then looked at Carl with a complicated expression and said:
"Actually, it isn't just you... In recent years, this world has undergone one unpredictable and unstoppable change after another. Even I can't be certain which direction the future will take!"
Then, with a sweep of her right arm, curtains of light formed from magical energy appeared in midair.
Within them, Carl saw cities overrun by zombie hordes,
colossal beasts sleeping on the ocean floor,
an aging tough guy making a living as a taxi driver,
aberrations feeding on human blood in the darkness,
and a secret experiment injecting infants with a mysterious serum...
Σ(⊙▽⊙"a???
What the hell was all this?
Carl was genuinely dumbfounded now.
The scenes in those light curtains absolutely shouldn't have existed in the same world.
But now...
Could this not be the Marvel Cinematic Universe of Earth-199999?!!
Then how were the Battle of New York and Hydra's secret Mind Scepter Experiment supposed to be explained?
No wonder the Ancient One so easily accepted what I said earlier and didn't press me about the Mind Stone. This world had already become one giant mess?!
Carl grumbled to himself.
Then he looked at the Ancient One and cautiously probed, "Has this world suffered a multiversal invasion?"
"That's right, but I prefer to call it world fusion."
The Ancient One waved away the magic and spoke earnestly:
"Although the current situation has not yet exceeded Kamar-Taj's capabilities, no one can say what may happen in the future, so..."
"You want to form an alliance with me?!!"
The corner of Carl's mouth curled up slightly as he spoke the answer before she could.
"That's right." The Ancient One nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying it. "From a certain perspective, the Four Chaos Gods are our common enemy."
"However, these powerful demon gods are simply too unfamiliar to Kamar-Taj's sorcerers. Even I had never heard of them before."
"So... as long as you promise never to slaughter innocents or deliberately start wars, Kamar-Taj will not interfere with the souls you reap,
and when your life is threatened, we will spare no effort to protect you."
Nice!!!
Hearing the Ancient One's personal assurance, Carl was instantly overjoyed, though he still maintained an unruly posture on his face.
"I can help you deal with the Four Chaos Gods, but I have to say, your worries are completely unnecessary,
because I neither enjoy killing for fun nor have any interest in ruling Earth."
"However, I absolutely will not show mercy to evil god cultists corrupted by the Four Chaos Gods, or anyone who dares provoke me first.
For example, Hydra!!"
"Besides that, there's one more condition for cooperation."
Carl deliberately paused, then continued under the Ancient One's slightly puzzled and wary gaze:
"Kamar-Taj must find a way to help me reclaim the Warp!"
"That..."
The Ancient One first felt relieved, but then a troubled look appeared on her face.
Though she was the Sorcerer Supreme,
at the end of the day, she was merely a middleman borrowing power from the Vishanti and other demon gods.
She had no standing whatsoever to involve herself in a conflict directly concerning Dimensional Demons.
"I will return and consult the ancient texts, but I cannot guarantee that I will find a solution!"
At this point, the last trace of doubt in the Ancient One's heart was successfully dispelled by Carl.
There was no helping it.
Carl's acting was simply too flawless.
The whole process had flowed as smoothly as water.
He hadn't revealed the slightest flaw!
"Tch, fine..."
Carl deliberately curled his lip, looking thoroughly displeased.
As if he were disdainful of the Ancient One's incompetence.
But inside, he was already bursting with joy.
This had far exceeded his mission objectives!
Not only had he successfully bluffed his way through and obtained permission to "legally reap souls,"
he had also unexpectedly allied with Kamar-Taj, gaining such a ridiculously powerful supporter!
Didn't that mean he could swagger across Earth from now on?
Carl: I just want to ask one thing... Who else?!!
Whoosh...!!!
The Ancient One formed a peculiar hand seal with her left hand, and the Mirror Dimension immediately split open a doorway leading outside.
Seeing this, Carl turned and headed out.
But after taking only a few steps, he abruptly stopped.
"How do I find you in the future?"
"My apologies, that was indeed my oversight."
The Ancient One thought for a moment, then removed a diamond-shaped pendant the size of a bell from her waist.
"This is a magical artifact I have worn for many years. It contains my magical energy. As long as you hold it and continuously call for me in your mind, I will be able to sense it!"
"You didn't tamper with it somehow, did you?"
Carl took the artifact and looked at the Ancient One warily. She merely smiled and shook her head.
"Please rest assured. Aside from allowing you to contact me, it is merely a little trinket that helps one enter a meditative state more easily."
"If you are still worried, I can also leave you Kamar-Taj's phone number..."
A moment later.
Carl walked out of the Mirror Dimension, holding the bell and a slip of paper with a phone number on it, thoroughly satisfied.
The Ancient One, whose expression was somewhat unnatural behind him, did not even give him a chance to wave goodbye before directly opening a portal back to Kamar-Taj.
"Tch, as partners, you can't even say goodbye? Is the Sorcerer Supreme that impolite?!!"
Carl curled his lip and lowered the hand frozen in midair.
He was just about to head for the cells holding Wanda, her brother, and the other volunteers.
But then he noticed another change appear in the light curtain before him.
[Prestige Points +777!!!]
Carl: Mm, Auntie Ancient One, so good.jpg
Meanwhile.
Egypt.
Giza.
The mysterious temple inside the Great Sphinx was brightly lit.
Large numbers of Hydra soldiers were using advanced instruments to scan the intricate murals and writing on the walls.
Baron Strucker, dressed in black leather with a monocle over his right eye, surveyed the temple interior and said with emotion:
"I never imagined Pharaoh Rama-Tut's alchemy was hidden here!"
"But Dr. Fritz, are you truly certain that this ancient civilization, which existed for only ten years in the river of history before suddenly vanishing, could have invented a way to resurrect the dead?"
"Hehehe..."
A chilling laugh suddenly rang out before the stone wall. A bald man in a white lab coat slowly turned around and said:
"Esteemed Baron, first, I must correct one mistake of yours. Compared to alchemy, I would rather call what is recorded in these texts science!!"
"And it is great science far beyond this era..."
"Although I do not know how this pharaoh came to master such a miraculous method, without a doubt, it can absolutely be considered the rarest forbidden knowledge!!!"
Before you continue