"You're blinking?"
Chen Mo slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to jump upwards.
He pointed at the Ancient One's nose, his face full of pain, and said, "Old Master, do you know that your actions have seriously disrupted the cosmic financial order?"
The Ancient One held her teacup and looked at him calmly.
I would like to hear more details.
"Borrowing money and not repaying it, selling multiple people, and exploiting conflicts between creditors to evade debt collection. If word gets out about your tactics, who will dare to lend money to anyone on Earth in the future?"
Chen Mo became increasingly angry as he spoke.
"I used to wonder why such a small place like Earth was being watched by dimensional demons every day. Now it seems that special locations and dimensional nodes are just excuses."
"They've clearly come to ask you to pay back the money."
The Ancient One remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"First of all, the Earth itself is indeed very special, and of course, there might also be some reason related to me."
Chen Mo's eyes widened.
He had only said it casually, but he didn't expect the old man to actually admit it.
"A little?"
I cannot determine the exact percentage.
The Ancient One took a sip of tea, her tone remaining calm. "After all, many creditors don't reveal their intentions; they usually just try to tear open the dimensional barrier, only to be driven away by me."
"You didn't even ask?"
They didn't give me a chance to ask questions.
Is it possible that they're afraid you'll keep asking them for more money?
The Ancient One continued drinking her tea without answering.
Chen Mo stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly felt that the task assigned to him by Death was very reasonable.
If these customers don't recycle, it will definitely affect the development of the industry.
However, on the other hand...
Death takes the soul, leaving only the physical body. Other creditors hold countless contracts, all waiting to seize their possessions after the Ancient One's death.
When hundreds of dimensional demons are crammed together, who will get a share of the Ancient One's meager legacy?
Let alone eating meat.
Chen Mo doubted he would even be able to get a sip of soup.
Thinking of this, he sat back down in his chair, his expression gradually becoming serious.
"Venerable Master, we've known each other for so long, you should know I'm a man of my word."
"I know."
"So when are you planning to give yourself to me?"
"After death."
"It's too late."
Chen Mo shook his head decisively.
"You owe so many people; your death only makes you one of their creditors. Although I have the collection certificate she issued, there are simply too many others. Once you really die, they'll all swarm you, and my interests won't be protected at all."
The Ancient One put down his teacup.
"So what?"
I want to receive an advance payment of interest.
Chen Mo spoke with absolute certainty.
The Ancient One looked down at her own body, then looked at Chen Mo.
Which part are you planning to take?
Don't be nervous, we won't cut your kidneys.
Chen Mo gave a friendly smile.
"I only need to leave a small amount of the Blacklight Virus inside you. After you die, it will immediately take over your body. At that time, even if other creditors come, they will have to ask me, the primary creditor, for my consent first."
This is, of course, only the stated reason.
The Ancient One's body had deteriorated to its lowest point.
The long-term erosion by forces from various dimensions had brought his flesh and meridians to the brink of collapse. If it weren't for the immense magical power that forcibly sustained him, this old man would have been lying in his coffin long ago.
After the Blacklight Virus enters his body, it will instinctively repair damage, replace aging cells, and adapt to those external dimensional energies.
In other words, Chen Mo was preparing to extend his life.
As for the future Sorcerer Supreme Strange?
Chen Mo felt it was unnecessary.
The Ancient One with white beard is both a formidable fighter and a witty strategist. With a Sorcerer Supreme like him protecting Earth, why replace him with a novice who can't even open a door and fall off?
Of course, these things cannot be said directly.
Otherwise, the old man will definitely tell him about fate and future, and tell him a lot of truths that he doesn't understand.
"You want to prolong my life," The Ancient One suddenly said.
Chen Mo's smile remained unchanged.
Don't flatter yourself; I'm just protecting my legal property.
My body does not belong to you yet.
It's only a matter of time.
"You seem to have forgotten that it also belongs to many other existences."
That's why I need to get it stamped in advance.
Chen Mo tapped on the table and urged, "Hurry up, give me your hand. While you're still breathing, let's get the prepayment done."
The Ancient One did not refuse.
He straightened his large robes, then stretched out his hands and placed them flat on the table.
Chen Mo felt a little uncomfortable with that natural demeanor.
Aren't you afraid I'll take this opportunity to devour you?
You won't.
"You trust my character that much?"
"No."
The Ancient One slightly raised her eyelids.
"If you devour my body now, those creditors will immediately notice you. Besides, this avatar might not be able to withstand the full power within me."
Chen Mo's lips twitched.
The old man calculated things quite clearly.
"Okay, you'd better cooperate."
Chen Mo reached out and grasped the Ancient One's wrist.
A thin, dark red thread emerged from the fingertip and quickly entered the skin. The magic within the Ancient One Body immediately reacted, and countless tiny magic arrays lit up simultaneously, surrounding the foreign cell.
"Do not resist."
"This is not my will."
The Ancient One closed her eyes.
"My body has long since developed an instinctive defense. You need to bypass the magic barrier and directly contact my soul."
"This sounds more and more like a trap?"
You can stop.
"Since we're already here..."
Chen Mo increased his strength.
The Blacklight cells continued to penetrate deeper along the meridians of the Ancient One, encountering different types of energy obstacles at each step.
Golden magic was the most stable, permeating his entire body.
In addition, there was pure white divine power, pitch-black dimensional energy, and several remnants of laws that Chen Mo could not identify.
These conflicting forces, yet they sustain the Ancient One's life.
Chen Mo finally understood why the old man dared not casually repair his physical body.
His body was like a pile of dangerous items forcibly stacked together; if you removed any piece, the rest could explode at the same time.
We wouldn't dare use standard treatment methods.
But the Blacklight Virus doesn't care.
If one cell can't solve it, then use ten.
If ten seeds cannot adapt, then split into ten thousand and try them one by one.
The dark red blood vessels gradually spread, beginning to replace the completely necrotic tissue. The Ancient One's aged hand trembled slightly, and complex energy patterns emerged beneath his skin.
"Can you feel anything?" Chen Mo asked.
"It's very noisy."
What's making that noise?
"Your consciousness remaining in your cells."
The Ancient One opened his eyes, his expression somewhat strange.
They are discussing which power they should devour first.
Chen Mo coughed.
"It's normal for new employees to be proactive."
He controlled the Blacklight cells and continued to penetrate deeper into the Ancient One's consciousness.
Soon, an almost transparent barrier appeared in my perception.
Behind the barrier, the Ancient One's soul sat quietly in meditation. Compared to the aging of his body, his soul was in even worse shape; it was completely dim and its edges were slowly dissipating.
"Found it."
Chen Mo raised his other hand and pointed his index finger at the Ancient One's brow.
The Blacklight Virus penetrated the mental barrier and reached the surface of the Ancient One's soul.
The next second, Chen Mo's expression froze instantly.
He finally saw the full picture of the Ancient One's soul.
The barren walls of the soul were densely covered with IOU marks—red, black, gold, and even several contracts that kept changing shape.
Each mark exuded a terrifying pressure.
A quick glance reveals at least a hundred images.
Chen Mo fell silent.
He originally thought that the Ancient One had simply borrowed a lot.
It now seems that the old man borrowed every dimensional demon he could find.
"Should I get a number first?"
Chen Mo was about to pull his finger back.
The space above the Sanctum suddenly began to distort.
The ceiling melted silently, and a mass of green flesh forced its way in from the void. Then, the flesh split open to reveal a tentacle-like eyeball large enough to fill the entire room.
The surface of its eyeballs was covered with blood vessels, and numerous green tentacles grew around them, constantly swaying.
A terrifying mental pressure instantly enveloped the Sanctum.
The eyeball moved slightly.
Then, it fixed its gaze on Chen Mo was trying to cut in line to collect his debt.