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Hearing the Ancient One voluntarily mention these two words, Peter couldn't help but think to himself, "As expected."
"As the Sorcerer Supreme, my duty is to protect Earth and prevent Dormammu's Dark Dimension from seizing any opportunity to invade."
The Ancient One slowly began to explain the origin of the Sorcerer Supreme:
"Earlier in my life, I always strictly adhered to my duties."
"But later, as time passed, I gradually realized that things were not as simple as I had thought."
"Due to the development of the times and technology, people's understanding of magic has become less and less, and the number of outsiders arriving at Kamar-Taj has decreased year by year."
"Most of them are weak-willed, finding it difficult even to master basic magic, let alone inherit my mantle and take over the position of Sorcerer Supreme."
"I gradually grew older and older, yet a suitable successor never appeared."
"In order to hold this line of defense for Earth, I had to choose to steal power from the Dark Dimension to extend my life."
The Ancient One's voice was very soft, but her body trembled incessantly as she spoke:
"I violated the taboos that a Sorcerer Supreme must observe and betrayed the core precepts I had established myself."
"I taught every disciple to stay away from the darkness, yet day after day, I drank poison to quench my thirst."
There was no expression on her face as she said this, but Peter could feel how heavy the burden beneath it was.
"I had assumed that I would have to continue bearing this sin and live on in shame."
At this point, the Ancient One looked up, and an unprecedented light burst forth from her eyes as she looked at Peter,
"But today, I witnessed your power."
"You are far more powerful than I am. With you here, Earth no longer needs a gatekeeper who relies on stealing from the Dark Dimension to forcefully extend her life."
As she said this, the corners of her lips curved into an arc of relief.
"So I think it is time to put an end to this sin."
After listening to these words from the Ancient One, Peter couldn't help but fall silent.
Simply put, the Ancient One, seeing that Peter was capable of opposing Dormammu, hoped to completely sever her connection with the Dark Dimension and end her long life that had spanned several hundred years.
After hearing everything the Ancient One recounted, Peter did not try to persuade her to continue living.
Under normal circumstances, living alone for hundreds of years is already a kind of torture.
Not to mention that the Ancient One had to endure inner torment at every moment over the past hundred years.
For her, having borne such heavy sin and endured it alone for so long, death was the true release.
It's just... if he were to let the Ancient One die now.
What would happen to the "Doctor Strange," Stephen Strange, who hadn't appeared yet?
Although it could be said that even without Doctor Strange, he could easily resolve the crisis with Dormammu, or even that he could go and solve the Dormammu issue right now.
But because of his own existence, letting Doctor Strange lose the opportunity to become the Sorcerer Supreme, isn't that a bit too much of a pity?
The situation with Stephen Strange was different from Sam and Rhodes, who had lost their chances to become Falcon and War Machine.
Those two had lost their opportunities to become Superheroes because they had picked the wrong side and chosen to follow the President's orders.
But regarding Stephen Strange, firstly, Peter had a good impression of him from the movies, and secondly, the other party had never offended him.
If possible, Peter still wanted to give him a chance to "get back on track."
Thinking of this, Peter finally decided to probe and spoke:
"Ancient One," Peter said, "I can understand your desire for release, but don't you think you should consider the issue of a successor first?"
A flash of surprise crossed the Ancient One's eyes; she did not answer Peter's question directly but gestured for him to continue.
"Although you Sorcerer Supremes have likely recorded all magic in books."
"But without someone teaching it, there are bound to be omissions, right? Over time, the inheritance will inevitably be broken."
"If I'm not mistaken, Dormammu is likely an existence that is as difficult to completely destroy as Mephisto, right?"
"If you want to ensure that Earth can still be protected by the Sorcerer Supremes after I am gone in a hundred years, then I think you should finish this last watch, at least to find someone who can fully inherit your mantle."
Hearing Peter say this, the Ancient One couldn't help but frown, clearly considering the validity of Peter's words.
Seeing that she was clearly wavering, Peter added another bargaining chip:
"Besides, the existence of Wanda is also an issue.
She is a natural magician, and previously, because of the Super Skrulls incident, I forcibly activated more of the hidden potential deep within her body.
One day, she will inevitably approach those legendary-level existences. Although I have a way to control her, you know that I never resort to harsh measures against my own people.
Furthermore, I may not always stay on Earth in the future.
So, it would be best to have someone other than me who can restrain her at critical moments."
The Ancient One listened quietly to Peter's explanation, and a moment later, a faint arc appeared at the corners of her mouth:
"Mr. The Arbiter, you are indeed thoughtful."
At this point, she paused, and her tone unexpectedly carried a hint of... probing?
"In fact, regarding a successor, I already have a candidate in mind."
"It's just that previously, I didn't want to break the principle that a Sorcerer Supreme cannot artificially interfere with the selection of a successor and must quietly wait for the destined person to appear, which is why I never considered actively approaching them."
"But thinking about it now, I have already violated the most taboo rules, so what does this dispensable principle matter?"
"In special times, one should use special means."
"Instead of adhering to rules and continuing to make big mistakes, it is better to break and then rebuild, and let all the sins end with me!"
Hearing the Ancient One say this, Peter's spirits lifted.
He thought to himself:
It can't be wrong; it looks like the Ancient One intends to go find Stephen Strange and take him as an apprentice this time!
He was even prepared to put on an "You're so right, sister" expression and then shower the Ancient One with flattery.
But the next second, the name that came out of the Ancient One's mouth left Peter frozen on the spot.
"I was initially worried that such an extreme approach would cause your strong opposition."
"But since you hold the same view as I do, I can now completely set my mind at ease and go talk to Gwen."
Listening to the Ancient One's words, Peter first nodded subconsciously:
"So right... Hmm? No, wait a minute..."
Peter, halfway through his sentence, suddenly realized what was happening, and the calm, indifferent expression on his face instantly froze:
"Senior, who did you just say you were going to talk to?"
"Gwen, of course." The Ancient One asked Peter back, puzzled:
"What's wrong? Do you think there is something wrong with letting Gwen inherit my mantle?"