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Kevin held the teacup, sipping it gently, pondering the Ancient One's intentions.
She knew what she wanted and what she intended to do.
However, she showed no wariness towards him, an outsider from beyond this universe; in fact, she was quite kind.
This couldn't help but make Kevin curious.
After all, whether it was based on fan analyses or fanfiction, the Ancient One was portrayed as someone highly vigilant towards all foreign life.
Some versions of the Ancient One would seal away outsiders without hesitation.
Other versions of the Ancient One would tentatively communicate with outsiders, using the exchange to determine if the other party was an enemy to be dealt with or a partner worth cooperating with.
Logically, the current Ancient One should also be communicating with Kevin to determine which side he belonged to.
But Kevin always felt that her purpose seemed to be more than just that.
He drank cup after cup of tea, and Kevin, who wasn't particularly good at scheming, couldn't figure out what the Ancient One was thinking.
He remained silent for a long time, then decided to skip the thought process and ask directly:
"Then… Ancient One, may I touch this 'catalyst'?"
"Of course, anytime."
The Ancient One generously spread her hands towards Kevin, indicating her welcome.
Her decisiveness, on the contrary, made Kevin a little afraid.
There wouldn't be some conspiracy in this, would there? Like tricking him, an extraterrestrial visitor, into being sealed away or something…
It wasn't that Kevin had paranoia; it was mainly that the Ancient One's current behavior was truly abnormal to Kevin.
Even if Kevin had defeated Thanos, repelled Ultron, and protected this universe, the Ancient One shouldn't have no guard against him, an outsider.
Or rather…
Did she see something with the Time Stone?
Facing this super powerful being who had suppressed several dimensions, Kevin ultimately decided to ask directly, saving himself from constant worry.
Thinking of this, Kevin put down his tea and asked directly:
"Ancient One, your attitude towards me seems overly friendly. May I ask, have you seen any future?"
"I have indeed seen some future related to you," the Ancient One said with a smile.
Kevin felt relieved upon hearing this:
"Then in that future, I must have done something beneficial for this universe, which is why you have this attitude towards me, right?"
"You understand me very well, Kevin."
"Of course."
"Then you will understand that I will not casually disclose matters of the future to others, because I need to ensure that the future I have seen will definitely come."
The Ancient One became a riddler.
But Kevin could understand.
Just as Doctor Strange didn't spoil the Avengers' ending after seeing it tens of millions of times, the Ancient One also had to be responsible for the future she saw and couldn't spoil the ending for relevant parties.
Although Kevin didn't think that the ending of Avengers: Endgame was the only solution, and not telling the ending wasn't necessarily the best way.
But facing the Dimension Guardian, Kevin was willing to understand them and accept their riddler fact.
Well, the main reason was that he couldn't beat her.
However, since the Ancient One was so friendly to Kevin because she had seen his future, Kevin didn't need to be overly reserved in front of her.
He instantly let go and became relaxed, saying to the Ancient One:
"Then Ancient One, there should be no problem with me learning magic now, right?"
"I said, of course."
The Ancient One smiled and stood up, turning to lead Kevin deeper into Kamar Taj.
As she led Kevin to the place where magic was practiced, the Ancient One explained to Kevin:
"Because of future factors, I am willing to trust you and willing to teach you the magic here, but you need to understand one thing."
"What?"
"The spells here are not suitable for you."
"I know, you already said that earlier."
"So, if you want to achieve your goal, you need to use the spells here to build and perfect your own spells."
"...What do you mean?"
Kevin didn't understand the Ancient One's words.
Aren't all the spells in the Marvel Universe borrowed spells? Obtaining power from other dimensions and using magic in this way.
If the power is borrowed, how can Kevin build and perfect his own spells?
"You don't need to understand now."
At this critical moment, the Ancient One once again acted as an annoying riddler. She led Kevin to the door of a room and said with a smile to Kevin:
"You just need to study. When you reach a certain level, you will naturally know what to do."
"Then... do I have to learn magic now?"
"No, you need to rest now, Kevin. You are already very tired and need to rest."
The Ancient One said earnestly, pushing open the door in front of them as she spoke.
Behind that door was not the place Kevin had imagined for practicing magic.
It was just an ordinary bedroom.
It looked like a bedroom specially prepared for Kevin by the Ancient One.
...
Learning magic was not something that could be accomplished overnight, and the Ancient One did not intend to teach Kevin magic immediately.
She first got Kevin a large number of books, asking Kevin to first understand the various terms in these books before letting Kevin touch magic.
Kevin flipped through these books for a long time, but still couldn't understand the meaning of the terms within them.
Seeing that this journey of learning magic was about to become a long drawn-out battle, Kevin found the Ancient One again:
"Ancient One, you should be very clear that I don't have much time to learn magic here. Ultron is still out there."
"I know, but I also didn't say you had to stay here to learn."
"Ah?"
Kevin was stunned.
The Ancient One poured Kevin another cup of tea:
"Mastering theoretical knowledge is not difficult; all it requires is time, and you happen to have a lot of time."
Kevin's eyes moved slightly:
"You mean to say..."
"That's what I mean. Take copies of these books and return to your own world, Kevin. Once you've mastered the knowledge in them, you can come back and begin our next stage of lessons, touching magic."
The Ancient One said softly, once again showing a kind smile to Kevin.
Kevin was not surprised by this. The Ancient One indeed knew that he was not from this universe and had most likely already planned for Kevin to do this.
Otherwise, the Ancient One wouldn't have given Kevin so many obscure and difficult books right away.
Actually, Kevin also wanted to go back to the The Boys world, but Kevin was worried about one thing.
That was the flow of time in both worlds.
When Kevin traveled to the Marvel World, time in the The Boys world would stop under the influence of the Skill Tree.
This was because Kevin had spent skill points.
So, logically, after returning, Kevin could also use skill points to pause time in the Marvel World.
However, until now, the Skill Tree had not given him any hints in this regard.
Not to mention that Kevin only had one skill point now.
This was obtained during his magic studies at Kamar Taj these days.
So Kevin was very worried. What if he only stayed for a few days after going back, but several years or even decades passed here?
Kevin voiced his concerns:
"Ancient One, the time issue..."
"It's fine."
The Ancient One interrupted Kevin, suddenly forming hand seals and extending her arms to both sides.
Only then did Kevin notice that the Ancient One was wearing the Eye of Agamotto on her chest today!
And at this moment, the Eye of Agamotto was slowly opening with the Ancient One's movements, revealing the Time Stone emitting a green light inside.
Green light emanated in front of them, and the Ancient One waved her right hand gently, and both sides turned into mirror shapes.
A simple Mirror Dimension enveloped the two of them.
And after that, green light spread from the Ancient One's chest, extending to every corner of the Mirror Dimension.
"Ancient One, this is..."
"The Time Stone, you understand. It will fix your time at this moment. No matter how long you leave, you will return to this moment."
The Ancient One explained with a smile.
She effortlessly solved the problem that had been bothering Kevin.
Using the Time Stone to help him fix time, what great deeds did he accomplish in this universe in the future to make the Ancient One help him so unconditionally?
Even going so far as to use the Time Stone, which she had always guarded.
To be honest, Kevin now truly felt unworthy.
The Ancient One's optimism towards him was like an elder pointing at him and saying, 'This child will definitely achieve great things in the future; I won't be wrong,' inexplicably bearing expectations he shouldn't have, making him feel immense pressure.
Looking at the Ancient One with a complex expression, Kevin finally suppressed the urge to ask what had happened in the future and expressed his gratitude to the Ancient One:
"Thank you, Ancient One."
"It's nothing, just a small matter."
The Ancient One maintained her benevolent smile.
Kevin took a deep breath, holding a large stack of book copies recommended by the Ancient One, packing them into his backpack, and preparing to return to the The Boys world.
Before leaving, Kevin heard the Ancient One call out to him:
"Kevin."
"Hmm?"
"When you go back, think carefully about what you want to do. What you crave shouldn't be just simple money."
"...?"
Kevin was a little confused by the Ancient One's 'admonition,' but seeing as she had given him so much preferential treatment, Kevin still gave a serious response:
"I understand. I'll think about it carefully when I get back, Ancient One."
"Then see you later."
"Uh... okay, see you later."
For the Ancient One, it was 'see you later,' but for Kevin, he didn't know how long he would stay there before they met again.
Finally, he organized his gains from the Marvel World.
Those alien high-tech items, some biotechnology 'stolen' from the Avengers using Rocket Raccoon's hacking skills.
And the copies of the magic books the Ancient One gave Kevin.
After confirming nothing was left behind, Kevin opened the Skill Tree and confirmed his return to his original world.
The dazzling light shone again, making Kevin unable to open his eyes. After a few seconds, the light dissipated, and when Kevin opened his eyes again, he had returned to the The Boys world.
"Time, time... Hmm, as expected, no changes."
Kevin looked at the night view outside the window and then at the clock in the room.
The current time was exactly the time he left, not a single second off.
The Skill Tree was indeed trustworthy. Spending three skill points could really stop time in the The Boys world, allowing Kevin to travel to another universe without anyone knowing.
Feeling tired, Kevin stretched and flopped onto the bed, his right hand resting on his forehead, intending to rest.
But when he noticed the ring on his hand, Kevin remembered something:
"Oh, right, the Reality Stone hasn't been returned yet."
Kevin had promised the Collector to return the Reality Stone after the threat was resolved, and Kevin had no intention of breaking that promise.
It was just that since Ultron hadn't been dealt with yet, Kevin hadn't returned to the Collector to give him the stone.
Besides, the Asgardian gods didn't seem to have any objections to him holding the Reality Stone now.
But he hadn't expected to inadvertently bring it over.
Looking at the gem, Kevin tentatively used its power, but nothing happened.
"As expected, once it leaves the Marvel World, this thing is just an ordinary gem."
Buzz—buzz—
Kevin was still studying the now useless Reality Stone when a familiar vibrating sound came from his ear.
It was Kevin's phone in the The Boys world.
Having been away for so long, Kevin hadn't used his phone in a long time, and suddenly hearing the vibration sound felt a little unfamiliar.
He fumbled to press the answer button, and a voice came from the other end:
"Kevin, come to my office tomorrow. I need to talk to you about the new member of The Seven, not Shockwave, but another new member."
It was Edgar's voice.
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