Chapter 175: Echoes of Warning

The Ancient One had been observing John's actions from afar.

The magic sealing the Eye of Agamotto had been temporarily lifted by her. As a powerful ward set by the Supreme Sorcerer Agamotto himself, even if John had obtained the artifact by force, he would have found it impossible to access the Time Stone without damaging the Eye itself.

The advantage of magic over technology is that as time passes, its power may grow, while technology often falls behind. John studying books on dimensional magic, however, was a point of deep concern for the Ancient One.

Recalling his words about invading other dimensions, she couldn't help but frown.

The duty of the Supreme Sorcerer is to protect, and while other worlds were not strictly within her purview, the last mage who intended to invade other dimensions was Dormammu. Seeing John head down a similar path, the Ancient One felt the urge to intervene.

But the moment the thought emerged, she stopped herself.

The Wizard King was now an ally of Kamar-Taj, and she had agreed to let him study the Time Stone. If she were to fall out with him over this, everything she had worked for would be in vain. The Ancient One could now vaguely guess that the mist shrouding the future of this world originated from that very Wizard King. For such an unstable variable, the best approach was to maintain a solid alliance.

Once the Wizard King lost control, she feared that not only this world but the entire timeline of this universe would become catastrophically chaotic.

The Ancient One turned her attention back to instructing the new mages in training, though her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

After she had lent the Time Stone to the future Professor Banner, he had kept his promise and had someone return the stone.

It was just that the person who arrived was Steve Rogers.

...

Time rewound to the aftermath of the New York War.

"The stone is returned to you, Sorcerer Supreme," Steve said, handing the Time Stone to the Ancient One.

She took it, placing it back into the Eye of Agamotto. Steve, his task finished, was about to leave.

"Wait," the Ancient One called out.

Steve turned, puzzled. The Ancient One looked at him, her gaze piercing. "Did Professor Banner relay my words to you?"

"Banner?" Steve looked deeply at the Ancient One. "The killer… the Magical Country?"

"I hope you take this matter with the gravity it deserves," the Ancient One said. "It concerns your world."

"We have already investigated the death of Watson Wick," a different emotion flashed in Steve's eyes as he nodded. "I will keep an eye on this."

Strange had already explained the multiverse to him. What happened in his world had not appeared in this one. But the Ancient One was Strange's teacher, and Strange had been frank about how powerful she was. An existence she repeatedly warned about was one Steve had to take seriously.

There was just one thing.

Taking the killer to the Magical Country…

Steve's expression was complicated. That was his best friend. How was he supposed to choose?

Bucky.

...

With her wisdom, the Ancient One could see more in Steve. That was why she had reminded him again and again. Looking at the trajectory of the Wizard King in this world, he was undoubtedly a dangerous existence. If Steve didn't take her words to heart, then in that other world, a great disaster would likely occur.

"Engaging in dimensional summoning… do you want to become an enemy of all dimensions?"

The Ancient One saw a mage make a mistake and didn't hesitate to deliver a stern criticism. The mages had to become stronger now, to face all possible crises in the misty future. She forced herself to focus on training them and not think about the chaos the Wizard King might cause.

John, meanwhile, stayed in the library, feeling quite comfortable. He routinely put away another bottle filled with the Time Stone's energy. He extracted its power twenty-four hours a day. It had to be said, the Infinity Stones lived up to their name; they were certainly durable.

Wong was very curious about what the portable scroll-shaped bottles were for.

"My dear Wong," John said earnestly, patting his shoulder. "Some things, the more you know, the worse it is for you."

Wong's face darkened slightly. Through their interactions these past few days, John knew that Wong still held some Eastern characteristics; for example, when talking about delicious food, he could speak at length.

"Have you ever met a wizard who likes to collect magical recipes?" John asked subtly.

"A wizard?" Wong didn't even know many wizards, let alone one with such a specific hobby. Seeing him shake his head, John felt a wave of disappointment.

Dismissing Wong, John walked around the library at will. Perhaps people who could use magic were all a bit abnormal. Kamar-Taj placed its forbidden magic books together with the ordinary ones. This practice was exactly the same as the Restricted Section at Hogwarts. Despite being a place where many books were forbidden, Hogwarts only used a simple bolt, not even bothering with a lock. It was no wonder that one of the students' greatest pleasures was sneaking into the Restricted Section after curfew to secretly get a leg up on their studies.

John enriched his knowledge at Kamar-Taj.

But people elsewhere were not so leisurely.

...

The Prince of Asgard had returned home.

Loki was locked up. As for Thor, he had to start working to fix what his younger brother had wrought. What Loki had caused was not just the destruction of Jotunheim, but also fear and apprehension towards Asgard from the other Nine Realms. In the past, Odin had conquered the realms, almost unifying them. If it weren't for his merciful heart in the end, perhaps all of the Nine Realms would have been Asgard's territory.

Now that the Rainbow Bridge was damaged, those restless factions felt they could act up again. The unsettled realms needed someone to suppress them. Thor became that chosen person. Odin intended to train him to become the new King of Asgard, and he needed to prove to his people that he had the qualifications.

Odin arranged for Thor to quell the unrest in the Nine Realms. He led his team, traveling via the Rainbow Bridge to various corners of the cosmos. At this moment, he was swinging his hammer in the midst of an army. Sif and the Warriors Three became his support, allowing him to focus entirely on dealing with the opponents before him.

Suddenly, a huge roar came, followed by the dull thud of heavy footsteps.

Everyone in the battle stopped, turning their heads to look at the tall figure gradually approaching. It was a huge rock creature, clad in armor, and it sent an Asgardian soldier flying with a single strike.

The rock creature walked in front of Thor.

The fighting had stopped, giving Thor a chance to catch his breath. Seeing the rock creature appear, he said, "Perhaps if you kneel, I can spare you."

His humorous words caused the enemy to burst into laughter. The rock creature didn't take him seriously at all.

Thor smiled. He began to swing Mjolnir in his hand.

BOOM!

With just one strike, the rock creature turned into fragments that shot into the air. Thor held his hammer, his expression unchanged. Having experienced things on Earth, he had matured a lot.

With the unrest here quelled, it was time for Thor to return to Asgard. All the rebels were arrested and were about to be escorted back.

Thor called out to Heimdall. A Rainbow Bridge descending from the sky landed on him, taking him back.

Asgard.

Thor, who had suppressed the rebellion, returned. This cemented him as the future new king in the hearts of all Asgardians. A feast celebrating the victory began. Thor looked at all the liveliness, but a sense of melancholy arose in his heart.

He missed a woman.

Thor, filled with thoughts, rejected Sif's advances and went to the Bifrost bridge. Heimdall, who guarded this place, was not surprised by his arrival.

"You're late," Heimdall said.

Thor walked in. "Sometimes joy is more unbearable than war."

"It's your way of being joyful that's the problem," Heimdall said coldly.

"Perhaps," Thor said casually as he walked behind him. "How are the various planets?"

"Still twinkling." For Heimdall, his job was not just guarding the Bifrost bridge, but also surveillance. His eyes gazed at the boundless universe. "From here I can see the Nine Realms and trillions of living beings."

He glanced at Thor, then inserted his sword into the instrument controlling the Rainbow Bridge and walked down. "Do you remember me telling you about the Convergence?"

"I remember," Thor said. "All the realms aligning in a row. It's about to happen, right?"

"Since I began my watch, I have only seen such a cosmic spectacle once," Heimdall stood beside Thor. "Those who know about it are few, and those who understand it are even fewer. Although it carries certain risks," his golden pupils seemed to reflect the Nine Realms, "it is indeed breathtakingly beautiful."

Thor couldn't appreciate it; he couldn't see it.

"Perhaps it's not the kind of beauty you pursue," Heimdall teased. Thor smiled knowingly and asked, "How is she?"

"Your human girlfriend is very smart," Heimdall gazed in the direction of Midgard. "Although she doesn't yet understand the Convergence, she is conducting research. Even…"

Heimdall suddenly paused.

"What is it?" Thor asked, puzzled.

Heimdall stared blankly in that direction.

"She's gone."

[Chapter Complete]

***

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