Chapter 127 - 124 The Price Of Magic, Ancient One's Request.
Luke was silent for a moment. If he compared the Marvel world to a game, then he was deciding on his guild's dynamics right now.
As he thought before, the sole purpose of the Temple of the Three and Sorcerer Supreme is to guard the Earth.
To be more precise, it should be to defend against the alien creatures outside the main universe.
For example, the Annihilation Wave bugs in the Negative Zone that once annihilated the Nova Corps are also a group of more than the usual five people. A bizarre group whose strength directly dropped by 90% at the time.
Then there was Dormammu in the dark dimension, a miserable guy who suffered from Doctor Strange's time cycle and infinite negotiations.
It was the same case with those ancient gods, such as the God of Black Magic, Chthon, the Great Serpent, Set, and so on.
They existed 4 billion years ago, as indigenous gods of the earth, were born in the early ancient comics period, and belonged to the background characters list, with very few appearances.
They were plenty powerful, sometimes comparable to the five gods of the universe.
Due to the defense system established by the Temple of the Three, it was difficult for this group of ancient giants to interfere with the main universe.
Therefore, they either leave the earth or go to other dimensions.
The reason why the Sorcerer Supreme could fight against dimensional demons is mainly because of her excellent backing.
The Temple of the Three, the three Vishanti, composed of Oshtur, Agamotto, and Hoggoth, is worshipped by the many masters of Karma Taj.
They were in charge of white magic.
Among them, Oshtur is an ancient god and has family connections with Gaea, Mother of the Earth.
Agamotto is the first Sorcerer Supreme that she nurtured.
Therefore, in Luke's view, the earth was simply one of the most dangerous places in the universe.
There was Asgard, Odin, the king of the gods, is the pinnacle of the Heavenly Father class.
There the Temple of the Three and the Ancient One, backed by ancient gods.
Not to mention Thanos, even if Galactus came, he would still fall back.
"Why can't there be a third option?"
Faced with Sorcerer Supreme's last question, Luke's mind turned, and he quickly organized his words.
The Ancient One must have a way to ascertain the truthfulness in his words, so deceitful lies wouldn't have any effect.
But, truthfully answering --
Luke suspects that the Sorcerer Supreme will directly enact a set of infinite time loops after hearing this, putting himself into a hellish state.
Therefore, he shouldn't only give a reasonable answer, but also prove that his existence poses no threat to earth.
"A third?"
The Ancient One was a little surprised and asked in a friendly way.
Most of the time, she is a very good-tempered master of the mystic arts.
Unlike the bunch in the temple who carry shackles, hammers, heavy axes, put all kinds of defense spells on themselves, and then yell and smash demons' heads with their muscles.
The Ancient One belongs to the moderate faction, which will only start with reasoning.
Physical violence is the communication solution used to deal with stubborn elements.
From the good attitude shown by Luke, it seems that he could communicate normally.
Therefore, the Sorcerer Supreme is willing to give a little more patience and listen to the other party's explanation.
"For example, unite as one, unite forces, end the war before it begins, and nip the disaster in the bud!"
Luke's eyes flashed, trying to look sincere, and said, "The Temple of the Three's enemies are hell demons and dimensional demons. There are far more people behind the scenes who are interested in the earth. Instead of waiting for the crisis to happen, why not take the initiative to develop and strengthen our strength until we have the confidence to face any storm?"
The Sorcerer Supreme shakes her head. As the owner of the Time Stone and having future foresight, she is more inclined to act conservatively.
Excessive interference in the timeline will only lead to worse results.
"The threats among the stars, naturally, has Asgard and Odin to stand up to them. The task of Karma Taj and the Temple is to hold our line of defense."
The Ancient One replied with a smile.
She has dealt with the Allfather several times. The strength of the other party, even in the multiverse, could also be called superior.
With Asgard as the solid barrier of the Nine Realms, those alien empires and cosmic overlords who dare to provoke should seriously consider the consequences.
Centuries ago, Odin, his daughter Hela, and the great might of the Valkyrie army could be said to have swept through the Nine Realms.
"But the twilight of the gods will come, won't it?"
Luke meaningfully reminded.
Earth can't always rely on Odin and the Sorcerer Supreme, as the old powerhouses will have to retire sooner or later.
When the time comes, Doctor Strange, who will take over the throne, may not be able to cope with the hidden crisis among the stars.
"General Cavill, you really know a lot."
The Sorcerer Supreme's eyes gazed at him like a sharp blade sweeping through.
She is now increasingly curious about Luke's origins. The ancient prophecy of the twilight of the gods was unknown to many, even most people of Asgard.
"So, what do you want to do?"
The Sorcerer Supreme asked with great interest.
"You can change your way of thinking."
Luke said in a determined tone like a tireless interviewer trying to promote himself, "First of all, Temple of the Three has limited power; you should acknowledge that."
The Sorcerer Supreme nodded her head; the number of sorcerers in the groups is less than that of mutants.
It's not that the conditions for becoming a sorcerer are harsh.
But in modern society, with all the materialistic desires, there aren't many ordinary people who were willing to stay in Kamar Taj to practice for that long.
Usually, the purpose is to achieve a goal, such as a cure for a terminal illness, or to get out of a difficult situation and then return to modern society.
For this, the Sorcerer Supreme wouldn't stand in the way.
"We can expand the number of masters, for example, by establishing a specialized educational institution to provide a living force for Temple of the Three."
Luke came up with an idea.
"In this way, the pressure on Karma Taj would reduce, and so there would be enough people to deal with hell demons."
The Sorcerer Supreme was silent for a moment, thinking about the possibilities.
"Major General Cavill, there is a price to pay for using magic. It may also cause great harm if that forbidden knowledge spreads."
After a long time, the Ancient One shook her head and said so.
The magic of the Marvel Universe requires the user to pay the price.
The specific process can be seen as a loan. Each time the users use a high-level spell, it is like an additional charge on their bill.
White magic allows payment in installments, and the cost wasn't so terrible, so many mages accepted it in Karma Taj.
And black magic belongs to the loan-shark kind, which is very cool when used, but very miserable when the payment is due.
"The cost of magic can be circumvented, right? There's no need to stick to the old rules."
Luke was persuasive. He tried to convince the Sorcerer Supreme.
Doom, the master of science and magic in Marvel, tried to pass on the cost of casting spells with machines.
The Ancient One herself often gathers the power of Dormammu and secretly transfers the 'bills' she needs to pay to the Dark Dimension.
"I'll think about it. This is the end of the question and answer game."
The Sorcerer Supreme didn't reject it outright, nor did she nod in agreement.
When it comes to difficult decisions, she prefers to be patient and wait for a while.
"General, for your arrival, I don't know whether it is good news or bad news. However, on my behalf, I welcome you."
The Sorcerer Supreme stood up and gave a very modern handshake.
"Thank you; I hope one day I can set foot in Karma Taj."
Luke also got up and stood; the Ancient One was the most talkative one amongst all the Sorcerer Supremes from previous dynasties.
If the first-generation Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto replaced this, he would take him away in an instant.
"By the way, Ancient One, I have a question." Luke asked curiously, "How can you tell if I'm lying or not? Is it some special spell?"
"Because you answered the same question four hundred and twenty times."
The Sorcerer Supreme seemed to be smiling. The eye of Agamotto hanging down on her chest emitted emerald green light.
'She created a time loop when I wasn't aware of it?'
Luke was dumbfounded, but it was indeed the Sorcerer Supreme's style of doing things.
However, the other party was too patient, and the single infinite cycle wasn't too dull.
"By the way, General Cavill, I just have one thing I want from you."
Before leaving, the Supreme Master smiled mysteriously and faintly said, "When foreign people settle permanently, they always have to pay a little something and do something good for the world."
"You think so, right?"
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