Alliance with Kamar-Taj!

"I believe you."

The Ancient One steadied 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, unstoppable change after another. Even I can't be sure which direction the future will take!"

With a sweep of her right arm, curtains of light formed from magic appeared in midair.

Carl saw a city swallowed by a tide of zombies within the light screens,

a colossal beast sleeping on the ocean floor,

an aging tough guy making a living driving a taxi,

inhuman creatures feeding on human blood in the darkness,

and a secret experiment injecting babies with some mysterious serum...

Σ(⊙▽⊙"a???

What the hell is all this?

Carl was genuinely dumbfounded now.

Because, logically speaking, those scenes on the light screens absolutely should not have existed in the same world.

But now...

Could this place not be the Earth-199999 movie universe?!

Then how were the Battle of New York and Hydra's secret Mind Scepter Experiment supposed to be explained?

No wonder The Ancient One had so readily accepted my explanation and hadn't pressed me about the Mind Stone. This world had already turned into one giant mess?!

Carl grumbled inwardly.

Then he looked at The Ancient One and tentatively asked, "Has this world suffered a multiversal invasion?"

"That's right, though I prefer to call it the fusion of worlds."

The Ancient One dispersed the magic with a wave of her hand and said 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 gave the answer before she could.

"That's right." The Ancient One nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying it outright.

"From a certain perspective, the Four Chaos Gods are our common enemy."

"However, these powerful demon gods are simply too unfamiliar to the mages of Kamar-Taj. Even I had never heard of them before."

"So... as long as you promise not to slaughter innocents or deliberately start wars, Kamar-Taj will not interfere with the souls you harvest,

and will spare no effort in protecting you whenever your life is threatened."

Nice!!!

Hearing The Ancient One's personal assurance, Carl was instantly delighted, though he still maintained an arrogant posture on his face.

"I can help you deal with the Four Chaos Gods, but I have to say, your concerns 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 those evil god cultists corrupted by the Four Chaos Gods, or anyone who dares provoke me first.

For example, Hydra!!"

"Besides, there's one more condition if we're going to cooperate."

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!"

"This..."

The Ancient One first breathed a sigh of relief, but a troubled expression quickly appeared on her face.

Though she was the Sorcerer Supreme,

when all was said and done, she was merely a middleman borrowing power from Vishanti and other demon gods.

When it came to disputes directly involving dimensional demon gods, she was not qualified to intervene at all.

"I will return and search through the ancient texts, but I cannot guarantee that I will find a solution!"

At this point, the final trace of doubt in The Ancient One's heart had been completely dispelled by Carl.

There was no helping it.

Carl's acting was simply too flawless.

The entire process had flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water.

He had not revealed the slightest flaw!

"Tch, fine..."

Carl deliberately curled his lips in apparent displeasure.

As if he were scornful of The Ancient One's incompetence.

But inside, he was already overjoyed.

This had far exceeded his expectations!

Not only had he successfully bluffed his way through and obtained permission to "legally harvest souls,"

he had also unexpectedly formed an alliance with Kamar-Taj, gaining such an incredibly powerful ally!

Didn't that mean he could strut across Earth however he pleased from now on?

Carl: I just want to ask... who else is there?!!

Whoosh...!!!

The Ancient One formed a special hand seal with her left hand, and the Mirror Dimension immediately split open a doorway leading outside.

Seeing this, Carl turned and walked out.

But after only a few steps, he abruptly stopped.

"How am I supposed to find you later?"

"My apologies, I did overlook that."

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 magic. As long as you hold it and continuously call for me in your heart, I will sense it!"

"You didn't tamper with it somehow, did you?"

Carl accepted the artifact and looked at The Ancient One warily. She merely smiled and shook her head.

"Please rest assured. Other than allowing you to contact me, it is simply a little trinket that helps one enter a meditative state more easily."

"If you're still worried, I can also leave you Kamar-Taj's phone number..."

A moment later.

Carl walked out of the Mirror Dimension with the bell and a slip of paper bearing a phone number, thoroughly satisfied.

The Ancient One, whose expression was somewhat unnatural behind him, did not even give him the chance to wave goodbye before opening a portal and returning directly to Kamar-Taj.

"Tch, as a partner, you can't even say goodbye? Is the Sorcerer Supreme that rude?!!"

Carl curled his lips and lowered the hand frozen in midair.

Just as he was about to head for the cells holding Wanda and her brother, along with the other volunteers,

he discovered another change on the light screen before him.

[Reputation +777!!!]

Carl: Auntie Ancient One, it really does smell 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 inscriptions 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 expected Pharaoh Rama-Tut's alchemy to be 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 bring the dead back to life?"

"Hehehe..."

A chilling laugh suddenly rang out from before the stone wall. A bald man in a white coat slowly turned around and said,

"First, esteemed Baron, I must correct one of your errors. Compared to alchemy, I would prefer to call what is recorded in these texts science!!"

"And not just any science, but great science far beyond this era..."

"Though I have no idea how this pharaoh mastered such a miraculous method, there is no doubt that this absolutely qualifies as the rarest kind of forbidden knowledge!!!"