Departure

When Lin Hai and Gwen returned to the cottage in Los Angeles through the Portal, Peter and Harry immediately crowded around them, questions written all over their faces.

"Well? What did the Ancient One say? When is that Demon God coming? Is our trip completely ruined?" Peter fired off the questions one after another.

Lin Hai looked at his two friends and spread his hands helplessly. He gave them a brief explanation. "...And that's where things stand. The Ancient One confirmed that Pluto will arrive soon. So I'm sorry, guys, but we'll have to postpone the trip we planned."

"Oh, man..." Peter groaned and collapsed onto the sofa. "My Hawaiian beaches... my surfboard! I was going to show you all my Surf skills!"

Harry was more concerned with practical matters. "Lin, what safety precautions are in place for this mission? That's a dimensional Demon God."

Lin Hai patted Harry on the shoulder. "Don't worry about my safety. The Ancient One is leading this herself and directing the whole operation. With her there, I'll probably just be a cheerleader on the sidelines shouting, 'You've got this!' The risk should be pretty low."

Then he winked and added mysteriously, "Besides, I might even bring back a few presents for everyone!"

"Presents?" Sure enough, that caught everyone's attention. Even Peter sat up again.

"What kind of presents? The Demon God's clothes? His weapons?" Peter guessed excitedly. "Could you get me a talking skull? Like one from a movie!"

Lin Hai laughed. "If the plan goes smoothly and the Ancient One buries Pluto and all his followers, then the dimension he runs will, in theory, be left without an owner. Or it'll become spoils of war for Kamar-Taj.

"The dimension itself obviously won't have anything to do with me, but the Demon God and