After Karl and Tony Stark agreed on a time,
he brought the Sorcerers back to Kamar-Taj.
Once he had sent them back,
Karl went to see the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Ancient One, I have fulfilled my mission and returned."
Karl bowed respectfully to the Ancient One.
In a corner Karl could not see,
the Ancient One could not help twitching at the corner of her mouth.
Fulfilled his mission?
He had gone and killed Dormammu, and he called that "fulfilling his mission"?
Even she could not do that.
This kid had truly exceeded all her expectations. He was absurdly monstrous.
"Ahem. It is good that you returned safely."
"Safety is what matters most."
The Ancient One nodded kindly.
Then she asked seriously,
"How did you kill Dormammu? I only sensed a terrifying surge of energy."
She still found it utterly unbelievable.
Dormammu was a Dimensional demon.
How could he possibly be so easy to kill?
It could be said that,
for many Sorcerers, even if Dormammu just stood there and let them attack, they still would not be able to do anything to him.
And yet Karl had killed him?
One had to remember that
he had not even learned several of Kamar-Taj's most powerful spells yet.
On the other side,
when Karl heard the Ancient One ask that,
he answered calmly,
"It was nothing. I just created a Four-Law Fusion Spell and killed Dormammu with it."
The Ancient One: ???
She drew in a sharp breath on the spot.
What?
A Four-Law Fusion Spell?
Was this a joke?
Every single law had its own independence and its own unique power.
Fusing four laws together?
She did not even dare imagine such a thing.
It was completely outrageous.
Could this kid actually be some Five Great Gods–level existence disguising himself like this for amusement?
The Ancient One gave Karl a suspicious look.
In the end, she abandoned the thought.
An existence on the level of the Five Great Gods probably would not be that bored.
She took a deep breath
and said,
"To be able to create your own spell means your magical attainments are already quite high."
"Very good. Following your lead has a great future."
"Remember to record your spell and place it in the library, so that the Sorcerers of Kamar-Taj can witness a Four-Law Fusion Spell in the future as well."
As she spoke,
the corner of the Ancient One's mouth twitched unnaturally again.
To be honest,
even if that thing were placed in the library,
probably no one would be able to learn it.
Forget a Four-Law Fusion Spell. No one could even understand her own magic now.
Something that monstrous...
Probably no one would master it for thousands of years.
Hearing that, Karl merely nodded.
Then he spoke again.
"Ancient One, there is one more small matter."
"I spoke with Tony Stark before. He hopes to cooperate with us and provide us with a certain amount of funding."
The Ancient One's gaze sharpened as she said,
"Do you understand what kind of effect that would have on Kamar-Taj?"
"When our funding comes from someone else, our impartiality can no longer be guaranteed."
"And a comfortable life can easily erode a person's will. For Sorcerers, that is not necessarily a good thing."
"It could very easily lead to problems."
Hearing that, Karl could not help sighing inwardly.
The Ancient One was the Ancient One indeed. She truly had foresight.
Magic had a great deal to do with willpower.
But once people indulged in comfort for too long, their will naturally weakened.
That was human nature.
It is easy to grow used to comfort, but hard to return to hardship.
From that perspective,
the Ancient One really was far-sighted.
"They protect this world and choose to be good people. Shouldn't they have better conditions?"
"We truly cannot let the Sorcerers indulge themselves, but at the very least, shouldn't we make sure they never have to worry about food and clothing?"
Karl said.
When he said that,
the Ancient One's old face flushed slightly.
It was true.
Kamar-Taj's Sorcerers had nothing to do with living free from material worry.
Their three meals were plain and simple, just enough to fill their stomachs.
Sometimes even the great Ancient One had no breakfast.
The most extravagant thing on the table was an extra bottle of soda.
It could be said
that she was absolutely the most miserable Skyfather-level powerhouse there was.
She did not deny it.
"Karl, you are right."
"I truly am not good at these things."
"Human nature is difficult to defy. I cannot use lofty ideals to force them not to pursue their basic needs."
"At the very least, I should not let them live so harshly."
"If I had understood this sooner, perhaps Kaecilius would not have..."
The Ancient One's eyes dimmed slightly.
She was the Sorcerer Supreme.
When it came to cultivating magic, she was a genius.
But in other areas, she was not skilled.
She was not even good at teaching students.
After so many years, she had not taught a single Sorcerer capable of understanding her writings. That alone showed how unqualified she had been as a teacher.
Before their magical level reached a sufficient height,
it was probably fine to use those few million dollars from Tony.
At that moment,
the Ancient One suddenly felt that she had failed rather badly.
Fortunately,
she had found Kamar-Taj an exceptionally good successor.
A successor even better than Strange.
The Ancient One lifted her head and looked at Karl seriously as she said,
"Karl, you are right."
"It is time for Kamar-Taj to change!"
Karl froze on the spot.
Huh?
He had not even finished preparing his reasons.
Things like cultivation materials for the Sorcerers,
the upkeep and maintenance of the Three Sanctums,
and the daily expenses of the Sorcerers—
he had not even brought those up yet.
And she had already changed her mind?
"It is a good thing that you are willing to change your mind."
"Then let us discuss how we should—"
Before Karl could finish,
the Ancient One stopped him.
"No."
"I leave all of this to you. You can discuss it with Mordo and the others."
"From now on, Kamar-Taj will depend on you."
"You are the best among us. With your leadership, Kamar-Taj will become even better."
The Ancient One patted Karl on the shoulder with satisfaction.
Then she let out a long breath, as if setting down some heavy burden.
Karl: ???
You already wanted to dump all the work and quit, didn't you?
And why did those words sound so familiar?
Weren't those the lines used to describe Strange?
Why were they being used on him now?
So she was really this casual about it?
No wonder
someone as small as Kaecilius had been able to assassinate the great Ancient One.
No wonder that after dying, she had still been able to keep her soul around, wander the cosmos with Eternity, and then return at a crucial moment to guide Doctor Strange.
And even those powers she had borrowed from the gods—after death, she did not have to repay them either.
So she had planned all of this long ago?
And he had just walked right into the trap on his own.
As expected of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Even gods could be used in her calculations if she wished.
Karl looked at the Ancient One with a face full of admiration.
He still had a lot to learn.
(End of Chapter)
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