Karl felt that he had seriously misunderstood the Ancient One.
In the movies, the Ancient One came across more like a wise and venerable figure.
But the more Karl interacted with her, the more he felt that the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One was nothing like that image.
Even though she was no longer young, she still had a youthful heart.
There were some matters she cared about deeply.
But when it came to certain other things, she was unexpectedly open-minded.
For example—
she had handed over everything concerning Kamar-Taj to him without even a second thought.
Wasn't that far too careless?
Shouldn't she at least ask whether he agreed?
"Ancient One, for something like this, don't we need to discuss it first?"
"At the very least, shouldn't we ask the opinions of the Master Sorcerers?"
"After all, I'm only a junior."
Karl spoke in an extremely modest tone.
"A junior?"
"You can hardly be called a junior now."
"As sorcerers, there's no need for us to care about so many formalities."
"If your strength is enough, everything else follows naturally."
The Ancient One said calmly.
Karl's face darkened.
What did she mean, if your strength is enough, everything is easy?
He couldn't exactly go around beating up all the sorcerers who had taught him, could he?
The Ancient One clearly saw the look on Karl's face.
She smiled and said,
"You don't need to burden yourself so much."
"To become the Sorcerer Supreme, strength alone really is enough."
"Look at me. Have I ever seemed especially responsible at Kamar-Taj?"
"Other than occasionally observing the character of some apprentices and making a few appearances now and then…"
"The thing I do most, really, is fight."
"I deal with the opponents ordinary sorcerers can't handle."
"As for all the other trivial matters, the Master Sorcerers handle them very well."
"So you don't need to worry."
"Because there really isn't that much for us to do."
"Of course, if you can bring in more funding for Kamar-Taj and add more books to the library, that would be wonderful."
"But even if you don't want to, no one will say anything."
"So don't feel pressured."
The Ancient One spoke earnestly.
At that moment, Karl finally understood a little.
The Sorcerer Supreme was basically like the grand elder of a sect in those old fantasy stories.
Under normal circumstances, they accepted the sect's support and rarely showed themselves.
Only when a real crisis appeared would they step forward.
So to be the Sorcerer Supreme, what was really required was overwhelming martial strength and enough authority to command respect.
Seeing Karl lost in thought, the Ancient One spoke again.
"Since you do not object, then you will officially succeed me and become the next Sorcerer Supreme."
She patted Karl on the shoulder and spoke with obvious satisfaction.
The Ancient One was genuinely happy as well.
Karl was absolutely a more outstanding successor than Strange.
Not only was his talent superior, his personality was also good.
Aside from being a bit overly cautious, he had no real flaws.
Once Karl became the Sorcerer Supreme, she would finally be able to set down her burden and travel through the distant dimensions with peace of mind, witnessing the grandeur of the universe without worry.
After giving Karl a satisfied look, she spoke once more.
"Your strength is already sufficient. There are some things I should tell you now."
"Please go ahead."
Karl replied humbly.
The Ancient One's expression immediately grew serious.
"Karl, your strength is already extremely great."
"That is both a good thing and a misfortune."
"A misfortune? What do you mean by that?"
Karl scratched his head in confusion.
The Ancient One let out a sigh.
"If you wish to gain something, then naturally you must pay something in return."
"The magic of Kamar-Taj possesses tremendous power."
"We borrow the natural energies of the universe and wield tremendous might."
"So naturally, we must also pay a great price."
"Once you reach the Skyfather level, the gods will begin to demand payment from you."
There was a sighing weariness on the Ancient One's face.
There was a saying that put it well—
all the gifts fate gives you already have their prices secretly marked.
Magic was the same.
The greater the magical power one used, the greater the price one had to pay.
Ordinary sorcerers, after death, would have their souls divided among the gods.
And once one reached the Skyfather level,
the price to be paid became even more severe.
If one wanted to delay paying that price, one would have to endure astonishing suffering.
Her expression sharpened as the Ancient One looked at Karl and said,
"Karl, remember this well. Unless it is absolutely necessary, it is best not to use the power of the gods."
"Otherwise, you will naturally have to pay the price."
"And when you try to delay paying that price, you will have to endure pain."
"Stomach perforation, sores covering the entire body, even being tormented by nightmares to the point that you cannot sleep."
"If you are unwilling to endure all that, then use those great powers as little as possible. That way, the price you pay can be reduced somewhat."
The Ancient One warned him with an extremely solemn expression.
Kamar-Taj's magic was actually this dangerous?
But…
why had he never felt any of that at all?
After hesitating for a moment, Karl asked,
"…What exactly do you mean by the gods demanding payment?"
"If the price can simply be paid, then wouldn't there be no need to endure that suffering?"
Hearing that, the Ancient One gave a bitter smile.
"That's right. In theory, yes."
"But as my cultivation and realm have continued to rise…"
"the gods are not nearly as generous as the legends make them sound."
"The first thing they demand is your Laws."
"Then your soul, and your life."
"Once your Laws are taken away, your power will naturally decline. By then, you won't even have the chance to delay the price anymore."
"So even if you have to endure suffering, you cannot allow the gods to take your Laws."
"If necessary, do not hesitate to let Mordo and the others help you bear part of the burden."
When the Ancient One said that, her expression was grave and utterly serious.
Karl, however, let out a sigh of relief.
So this was the so-called price the gods wanted to extract.
In that case, it had nothing to do with him at all.
Even if all those gods together came to collect their price, what they could take wouldn't even amount to one percent of what he could recover in the blink of an eye.
It had basically no effect whatsoever.
What was more, with his God-Tier Talent, the gods couldn't extract any so-called price from him in the first place.
So if the gods wanted to extract a price, what did that have to do with Karl?
"So it's only a matter of paying with Laws. Then that's not really a problem."
"I've comprehended quite a few Law powers. If I lose one, I can just comprehend another one another day."
Karl spoke lightly.
Ancient One: ????
For a moment, she really wanted to curse.
This was absurd beyond absurd.
She had forgotten.
This kid was a monster.
The Law power other people treasured like their lives meant almost nothing in his eyes.
He had only just stepped into the Skyfather level, yet he already possessed four Laws.
For him, that so-called price wasn't a price at all.
Thinking of that, the Ancient One's face darkened.
This kid really was a monster.
(End of Chapter)
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