The Use of Spirit Phone
Xiahou looked at Kaecilius, who was still staring at him sternly, and said, "Uncle Mads! You don't have to be so serious. That's just how Ancient One and I get along. I respect her a lot too, you know! It's not like she's that male Ancient One with hair!"
Watching Xiahou spout more nonsense, Kaecilius felt helpless. He didn't like talking to people who were so unpredictable, but he still wanted to change him a little, because Ancient One thought highly of him.
Without waiting for Kaecilius to answer, Xiahou continued, "And I know why you came to study magic! You want to resurrect your loved ones, right?"
When Kaecilius heard Xiahou reveal his greatest secret, his face instantly filled with shock!
Seeing Kaecilius's expression made Xiahou even more certain of what he had been thinking. It also seemed that the phone skill he had drawn earlier had found a use.
"Uncle Mads! Don't look so surprised! I know a lot about this world! Kamar-Taj's resurrection magic is completely unreliable, so you should forget about it. Siding with Dormammu is even less reliable. He does nothing but lie!
"Besides, I have an ability that lets me make one phone call to a dead person. You won't be able to hear what they say, but I can pass your messages back and forth! Want to try?"
When Kaecilius first heard that Kamar-Taj's resurrection magic was unreliable, he didn't believe it. As for siding with Dormammu, he had never even considered it! But the next thing Xiahou said, about being able to call the dead, made his heart race.
He asked with a hint of apprehension, "Can you really call the dead?"
Xiahou nodded with certainty. "Yes, but I'm the only one who can hear the call. You won't be able to! But I can relay your messages!"
Hearing Xiahou's definite answer, Kaecilius's face flushed red with excitement.
He hurriedly grabbed Xiahou's arm. "What do I need to do? Do I need to prepare anything?"
Xiahou understood his reaction. After all, this was far more reliable than those fortune-tellers and spirit mediums who divined with incense.
At the same time, he received a side quest notification: help Kaecilius speak to his wife. Reward: 3,000 energy points and 10 random draws.
After accepting it, Xiahou patted Kaecilius on the shoulder and said, "There's nothing you need to prepare. Let's go to my room! It's quieter there."
On hearing that, Kaecilius opened a portal straight to Xiahou's room, grabbed his arm, and walked right through.
Xiahou didn't keep him waiting. After asking for her name, he took out his phone and activated the Spirit Phone skill.
The phone's green screen displayed "Dialing..."
After three short beeps, a young woman's voice came from the other end.
"Hello! Who is this? What can I do for you?"
"Hello! I'm a friend of Kaecilius. He wants to talk to you, so hold on a moment!"
After speaking, Xiahou looked at Kaecilius and asked, "We're connected. What do you want to talk about?"
Xiahou's expression didn't look like an act, and the phone did show that a call was in progress. Kaecilius thought for a moment, then said, "Ask her if she's doing well on the other side."
Xiahou looked at him, speechless. He really didn't know how to make conversation, but Xiahou passed the question along anyway. "He wants me to ask if you're doing well over there."
"I don't know if this counts as well. All I know is that my consciousness stopped at the moment I died. I only came to when I received your call."
Xiahou... He turned back to Kaecilius. "She says she doesn't know. Her consciousness stopped after she died, until I called her!"
Uncle Mads's expression froze. What did she mean, she didn't know? "What does that mean?"
Xiahou thought for a moment, then said, "It should be because she didn't go to hell after she died. You know, your world doesn't seem to have a heaven, so Death probably took her soul directly, and it fell into stasis."
After hearing Xiahou's explanation, Uncle Mads looked considerably more relaxed. At least his wife hadn't gone to hell to be tortured by demons.
Xiahou continued, "Is there anything else you want to say or ask? There's a time limit on the call! It's only an hour, and several minutes have already passed!"
On hearing that, Uncle Mads hurriedly began telling his wife through Xiahou how heartbroken he had been after she died, how he had come to Kamar-Taj to learn magic, and so on.
Just like that, the call reached its final few minutes. Xiahou listened to the woman's voice on the other end of the phone.
"Your name is Xiahou, right? Thank you for passing our conversation back and forth for so long. Time is almost up, isn't it? I can feel my consciousness growing hazy again!"
"Please tell Kaecilius that he doesn't need to worry about us anymore, and he shouldn't keep thinking about resurrecting us. He's already done enough!"
"Please ask him to live his own life well. If he can, let him find someone else to spend the rest of his life with!"
"And is he protecting Earth now? Please tell him I'm proud of him, and ask him to keep protecting Earth!"
"Lastly, tell him I love him and ask him to take care of himself!"
Xiahou relayed her words to Uncle Mads as she spoke. By then, tears were streaming down his face, and he had gripped his robes and crumpled them into a ball.
The call ended after his wife spoke her last words.
Xiahou looked at the screen showing that the call had ended, and at the same time received a notification that the quest was complete. He turned to Uncle Mads and said, "Time's up! Don't be sad! Want me to have a drink with you?"
Uncle Mads looked at the phone, where the call had already ended, and wiped away his tears. Then he stood up and bowed deeply to Xiahou.
"Thank you, Xiahou! Thank you for letting me speak to my wife again! If you ever need my help, just ask! Whatever it is, I'll make sure I help you get it done!"
When Xiahou heard that, he couldn't resist fooling around again. "Then let's rebel together! We'll knock Ancient One off the Sorcerer Supreme's seat, and the two of us can run Kamar-Taj from now on!"
Uncle Mads Σ(っ°Д°;)っ: "Are you serious?"
Xiahou patted him. "Of course not. Only a fool would be Sorcerer Supreme! Come on! If you want to thank me, buy me a drink! I want genuine Moutai! We're not going home until we're drunk!"
Uncle Mads opened a portal. On the other side was Hong Kong, China, in the Marvel Universe. He turned to Xiahou and said, "Let's go. We're not going home until we're drunk!"
Seeing that he could actually leave Kamar-Taj and go out for fun, Xiahou followed him straight through the portal.
The two found a hotel, and after ordering a table full of dishes and several bottles of Moutai, they began to chat.
Xiahou looked at Uncle Mads and said, "You've talked to your wife now. Are you feeling any better?"
Uncle Mads answered sincerely, "Much better, thank you! From now on, I'll do as my wife wished and protect this world!"
Xiahou grinned mischievously and asked, "Just protect this world? Didn't she tell you to find someone else? Don't you want to?"
Uncle Mads blushed and said, "I won't look for anyone. No one can compare to her. I just want to protect this world! Forget the rest!"
Xiahou put away his teasing expression and looked at Uncle Mads seriously. "Promise me you won't be swayed by Dormammu!"
He thought that if Kaecilius was still swayed after this, he would just go AFK!
Seeing Xiahou's serious expression, Uncle Mads answered with equal determination, "Don't worry! No matter what happens, I'll never join Dormammu's camp!"
Hearing that, Xiahou smiled again and began chatting and boasting about all sorts of things with Uncle Mads. Once the food and drink arrived, they even started competing to see who could drink more.
Back in Kamar-Taj, Ancient One withdrew her watching gaze and sighed deeply. "The future has changed! It seems I'll have to prepare a new training plan for Strange."
Though her words were full of disdain, a smile appeared on her face.
Somewhere in the universe, a shadow watched a plague unfold on a planet. A woman's voice came from it. "How interesting. Someone can actually contact the dead in my realm. Should I go and see him?"