If Dormammu could not come to Earth, then Blaine could accept this fifth-level star core without fighting, and it would be perfectly reasonable.
Of course, it was not that Blaine was afraid of Dormammu. It was just that if there was loot available for free, why not take it? It saved time, effort, and energy, so why not?
Thinking of this, a wicked smile leaked from the corner of Blaine's mouth. Then he turned around and walked out.
However, if someone could see through Blaine's smile, they would know that Blaine was either trying to kill someone, or had already planned something that would require bloodshed.
"Stephen Strange."
"I believe you can make a greater contribution."
"It is just that, in the end, it is not you who will achieve greatness."
"You are not important..."
Blaine had only just walked into the living room of Kamar-Taj when he heard the Ancient One speaking inside. There was no need to think about it. Those words must have been said to Stephen Strange.
It was just that, one moment, she said he could make contributions, and the next, she said he was not important. What kind of trouble was the Ancient One trying to cause? Was this how she instructed people? Why could Blaine not understand it? Or was it that the Ancient One had lived too long, and her level of thought was higher than Blaine's?
"But I'm not ready yet."
At this time, Stephen Strange also spoke. Listening to his answer, it was also irrelevant. Blaine did not know whether he had understood what the Ancient One had just said.
"No one is ever ready."
"We cannot choose our time."
Blaine walked in and sat down at the side. Quietly, he poured himself a cup of tea and tasted it alone.
Although Blaine did not know how to appreciate tea, and could not taste anything unique about the tea brewed from the thousand-year-old tea tree the Ancient One had mentioned, he could understand what the two sentences the Ancient One had just said meant.
"No one is ever ready." It sounded as though she was comforting Stephen Strange, but Blaine felt that she was not only referring to Stephen Strange. It was very likely that the Ancient One was including herself as well.
Even the Ancient One probably was not ready for the day when she would suddenly face death.
Before, when Blaine had spoken with the Ancient One, he had mentioned more than once that the Ancient One's end was approaching, that the Ancient One was dying, and so on. But the Ancient One herself had seemed fine. Facing death, she was not afraid. Blaine could not even see anything strange on her face. She faced it with a smile.
If an ordinary person on Earth, from any country, with sound limbs, a healthy body, a successful career, and a happy family, were told that he was about to die and that his time was near, Blaine estimated that person would beat the speaker half to death and would not take it as a joke.
But if that person were truly forced to face this reality, Blaine felt that very few normal people would be able to hold back their collapse.
Of course, "normal people" referred to the majority. In this world, there were still many people living on the brink of death, suffering from illness, poverty, and other hardships. Some of these people wished to die as soon as possible and be freed sooner.
After all, death itself was not terrifying. What was terrifying was facing death.
"However, I came to Kamar-Taj only to heal my hands..."
"What magic war? The end of Earth? These are not the results I want."
For a moment, Stephen Strange still could not accept it. Although the Ancient One had placed all her hopes on him, how could a person who had only just come into contact with magic not be afraid of such terrifying things?
"Stephen Strange."
"Trust me. If you learn magic only to heal your hands..."
"Then the world will become even more dangerous."
Faced with Stephen Strange's fear, the Ancient One was not discouraged. She did not pay attention to Blaine's presence at all and still earnestly persuaded Stephen Strange.
This was also just right, allowing Blaine to drink tea by himself. After working so hard for so many days, it was rare to have a moment of quiet.
"As a doctor, you can only save one person."
"Yourself."
"You are too conceited."
"You want to return to your own world because there, you can control everything."
"Even death."
"No one can control the field of magic. Not even the most powerful Agamotto."
"This is not just about you alone."
"You said that losing your hands is not necessarily the end. It could be a new beginning."
"That's right."
"There are other ways to save lives."
It had to be said that the Ancient One was not only a majestic Sorcerer Supreme, but in terms of eloquence, she also sounded as though she were at the level of a master. If this person had lived during the Three Kingdoms period, she would definitely have been a military adviser. With that silver tongue, she could directly scare away the enemy general. Forget Zhuge Liang—whether it was Sima Yi or anyone else, they would all have to stand aside. Now, as a teacher, no matter how naughty the students were, she could make them cry for their fathers and mothers.
Both soft and hard, mixed with warnings and principles about life, under the Ancient One's sugar-coated bombardment, Stephen Strange seemed to be confused by what she had said. His mind was a mess, and he would probably need some time to digest it.
Blaine listened without speaking. Thinking about it, could it be that Kaecilius simply could not stand the Ancient One's nagging, like Tang Sanzang reciting scriptures, so he rebelled and became Dormammu's underling?
"Other ways..."
"The harder way..."
Stephen Strange seemed to have realized something and murmured to himself.
"The New York Sanctum will be entrusted to you."
"The other Sanctums no longer need a new sorcerer."
Seeing that her enlightenment had worked, the Ancient One did not continue. She turned around and walked out, though no one knew where she went.
Stephen Strange was the same. He stood stunned for a while, then left as well. From beginning to end, the two of them seemed to have ignored Blaine. They did not seem to see Blaine as anything at all. He was even more transparent than air...
"When did my sense of existence become so low?"
"Do I really make you look down on me that much?"
Helpless, Blaine shrugged, drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, and followed Stephen Strange out.
After receiving the Ancient One's star core, Blaine could be considered to have officially accepted this task. So now, Blaine not only had to be on guard against Dormammu's invasion at any time, but also had to protect this responsibility-bearer who had not yet fully realized himself, the Sorcerer Supreme still in his infancy.
"Infancy" referred to Stephen Strange's magical ability compared to the Ancient One's.
The task had already been accepted, and the system achievement required it, so he had to complete it with the professional ethics of a Bounty Hunter.
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