"What are your ideas?" Morgana asked.
"Turn Soul Dimension into a universe - not just an ordinary universe, but a perfect universe with its own laws, rules and Authority."
"What you mean is that Arcanist's final evolution is for their spirit to become an independent internal universe and condense the laws according to their understanding or type of magic," Morgana concluded.
"Exactly."
"This does make sense," Morgana thought. "So far, we have only encountered two things that can carry the law: magic items and the universe. My idea is that we can refine Gate of Truth into an object that can carry the law, but your idea is better than mine."
"No, your idea is also excellent," Ian said with shining eyes. "Maybe we can combine the two. We use Power Gate as the core of the law of the soul universe. This will make the universe more stable and easier to control the law."
"We have been too hasty again," Morgana reminded. "Let's successfully get people to contact Dimension Fusion first, and then think about the next thing."
"You're right."
After leaving Black Widow to continue training, Ian used Time Stone and his Cosmic Awareness to track the whereabouts of the shadow Demon Gods Morag. However, that bastard was very cunning, causing Ian to search in vain.
In the end, he had to turn to the Ancient One and Hawkeye. The two of them simultaneously used the power of Time Stone to sift through countless possibilities, and then combined with Hawkeye's Eye of God, they finally found his dimension.
Subsequently, the three of them invaded Shadow Dimension to capture Morag. Ian may have the ability to work alone; but he still relied on the help of others to ensure that everything was safe.
After all, Morag had home field advantage, and his shadow attribute meant that he was extremely good at hiding. In this way, under the siege of two Sorcerer Supreme, and with the cooperation of an archer who could shoot the Tier 10 arrow across dimensions, the Demon Gods was captured and sealed.
After doing this, Ian summoned Cagliostro Library from the river of time and placed all its contents in Kamar-Taj. After mastering the contents of the Library, he returned to the training ground of Natasha.
When Ian walked into the training room and synchronized his memory with the clone, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. "You just can't control yourself, right?"
"I am you, what do you think?" the clone replied. As the original one hit the Snap, the bastard disappeared. Sure enough, the clone tried to pursue Natasha.
Unfortunately, although she also gave a flirtatious response, she still rejected his offensive. Apparently, she was not too cold about the fact that Ian married seven or more wives.
Ian coughed awkwardly to get her attention. Then, he said, "I apologize for his behavior. I take full responsibility for not restraining him better, but you should understand that those are just the actions of the clone, and they are his personal actions."
Natasha took a while to understand what he meant. After thinking about it, she smiled. "Are you trying to excuse your behavior in a strange way?"
"Did it work?"
"No," she replied.
"In that case, it's not. This is my way of taking responsibility for my misdeeds," he declares, matter-of-factly and shamelessly.
"I always laugh when I see the contrast between who you really are and my initial impression of you," Natasha commented.
"What did you think of me before?"
"Pragmatic, cold, calculating, conscientious, very serious... perhaps too serious, and with a sense of Transcendence being alienated from human beings or mortal affairs. In other words, just what a Divine Grade being with your power should be," Natasha replied.
"Do I look that cold?"
Natasha nodded.
"Oh," Ian shook his head. "These traits only account for a small part of my personality. Some are just skills that I had to learn in order to achieve what I am today."
"So, what kind of person are you?" During the five years of training in this place, Natasha had glimpsed a corner of his personality. However, she wanted to know how he viewed himself.
"If I have to put it simply - I am a magic nerd," Ian replied. "If I could let my temper be my own, I would spend thousands of years doing research without communicating with anyone or the outside world. Unfortunately, I have a Empire to manage, a family to look after, wives to cheer up, and people to protect."
"Why does it sound like these other things are just chores you were forced to do?"
"The wording does sound a little off," admits Ian. "But in a way, it's true. I love my family, but I would rather we live in this giant lab and do research together and discuss the results over lunch.
"I love my Empire and my people. After all, I built it step by step, and without it or my people, I would not be able to achieve my goals. Also, there is a sense of power when you realize that there are people behind you that you must protect.
"However, I don't like those tedious politics, even though I know it is Empire prosperous Cornerstone. That's why I leave most of the political affairs to my aunt and Council, while the army is controlled by my wife."
"Ever since you, and I mean your clone, told me how laissez-faire you were about your rule, one thing has been bothering me," Natasha said. "Aren't you worried that your aunt or wife would betray you? If they decided to rebel, considering those who are loyal to you, they are more than capable of splitting Empire in two or even three."
Natasha looked directly into his eyes. "As far as I know, this involves great power, resources and wealth. Not to mention things like immortality, god-like power, etc. Aren't you worried at all?"
"Not too worried," Ian replied.
"How could it be?"
"As you said, I trust these people with my life."
"It can't be just because of this," Natasha continued. "I don't believe in absolute loyalty, especially in the face of such a huge temptation. A smart person like you can definitely realize this possibility.
"You're right."
"Then what's the reason?"
"How do I explain it?" Ian asked. "You said it yourself. There are so many temptations. Considering the way human desires work, with so many people vying for personal, political, military and economic power, how do you think such a Empire can possibly prosper? That's because there is a monster like me above them, constantly suppressing their greed.
"And I didn't do it unfairly. No, I established a system. As long as they are stronger than me, they can take everything away from me. However, a hundred years have passed," Ian made a double quotation mark gesture in the air when he said "one hundred". "I still leave them far behind."
Ian smiled proudly.
"It is no exaggeration to say that Empire cannot survive without me. Anyone with any brains knows that if they successfully rebel (and the possibility is slim), they may be able to get a few pieces of the Empire, but these pieces will soon fall apart due to internal problems.
"In the meantime, as long as I'm alive, I can create a new and better Empire. Then, I can come back and take back everything they stole from me."
Natasha was deeply shocked and speechless for a moment. "Did you deliberately build such a system?"
"Not at first," Ian replied. "However, my Think Tank observed how things were going, and they put measures in place to ensure everything went as smoothly as possible."
"Think Tank?"
"One of my greatest strengths is that I know how to delegate tasks and when to listen to those who know more than me," Ian explains. "I used Empire's brightest brains to build a Think Tank to help me take care of everything. In fact, I have several Think Tanks to cover everything and keep them balanced. I even have a History Committee."
"History Committee?"
"Simply put, it is a Think Tank composed of all famous people in history, such as Einstein, Newton, Plato, Confucius, Al-Khwarizmi, and even Buddha himself. They gained immortality and had access to magic, advanced knowledge, and technology, and in return, they helped me solve problems or develop new things for the Empire."
Natasha looked at him, this time he was really shocked and speechless.
"What can I say? Time Magic is incredible when used correctly," Ian shrugged.