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Silence. Silence was the theme of the private room in Avengers Tower tonight.
Peter looked at the Ancient One with a stunned expression. A moment later, he couldn't help but repeat:
"The Gwen you mentioned... do you mean... Gwen Stacy?!"
"That's right, your little girlfriend. It's easy to see that she loves you very much, and she is also a responsible and good girl."
The Ancient One praised Gwen generously, her eyes filled with undisguised appreciation:
"Her talent for magic is equally outstanding. I have never seen a child with such exceptional talent."
"Um... if I may say so, would you like to reconsider? Perhaps there is someone more suitable than her?"
Peter was so anxious he scratched his head, thinking about how to recommend that guy Strange to the Ancient One.
If even Strange couldn't meet the Ancient One's standards, he still had a second candidate.
That was the chubby kid Ned, who showed far greater magical talent than Strange in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
Strange was thrown onto the Himalayas by the Ancient One to cultivate bitterly, almost freezing himself to death before he could barely open a space portal using a Sling Ring.
But Ned, this "Sorcerer Supreme," opened a space portal on his very first try.
Additionally, the sentient Cloak of Levitation fell in love with Ned at first sight, treating him even better than it did Strange.
Peter remembered that in his past life, when he watched the movie, he had seen many complaints online: if Ned had been born a few years earlier, the so-called Sorcerer Supreme would have had nothing to do with Strange.
Right now, if he had a choice, Peter would definitely use Friday's highest authority to search for Ned's location and bring him before the Ancient One immediately.
But unfortunately, the Ancient One just shook her head at his suggestion, her expression firmer than ever before.
"I have been observing her for a long time."
"That girl is absolutely the most suitable person to become the Sorcerer Supreme. Both her temperament and talent are one in a billion."
"I can be certain that there is no one in this World more suitable to become the Sorcerer Supreme than Gwen!"
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but look at Peter with some curiosity:
"Mr. The Arbiter, you clearly have some knowledge of magic yourself. Did you not see her magical talent?"
"Not to mention anything else, just look at the affinity and control over light magic she developed immediately after you enhanced her. Isn't that talent visible to the naked eye?"
Reminded by the Ancient One, Peter felt a "buzz" in his head.
That's right. Whether it was the incantations of the Shun Shun Rikka or the light magic she displayed after being enhanced by Apocalypse's power, all of this was enough to prove Gwen's excellent magical talent.
Furthermore, Peter remembered another very important magical item from the original work—the Book of the Vishanti.
This supreme artifact, the only one capable of restraining the Darkhold, had ridiculously strict requirements for the user's character.
If there was even a shred of impure thought or a hint of greed in one's heart, it would be impossible to fully master it.
And Gwen... she was simple, gentle, and kind to the point of obsession, always concerned about the safety of the public. She was practically the perfect vessel for the Book of the Vishanti!
But even so, the more Peter thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Finally, unwilling to give up, he said:
"After all, this concerns the succession of the Sorcerer Supreme. I think we should be more cautious... How about we let Gwen have a trial first? For example, let's see if she can master a basic spell on her first try?"
Hearing this, the Ancient One didn't suspect anything and even nodded seriously:
"That is indeed a good method. Shall we... go and try it now?"
Thus, three minutes later, Peter and the Ancient One returned to the banquet hall.
"Peter, where did you go just now?" As soon as Peter returned to the banquet hall, Gwen subconsciously grabbed Peter's arm.
"Uh... I was just discussing a game with Master Ancient One."
As Peter spoke, he signaled for the Ancient One to place the Sling Ring on the bar counter.
This action attracted the attention of everyone present.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on her, the Ancient One introduced the usage of the Sling Ring and the precautions to take, then demonstrated how to use it to everyone once more.
She put on the Sling Ring and raised her hand to draw a circle in the air.
Following her movement, a space portal instantly opened. Cold wind and snowflakes blew into the banquet hall, causing everyone inside to shiver in unison.
The Ancient One only demonstrated it once before closing the portal, then took off the Sling Ring and signaled that anyone interested could give it a try.
This peculiar "game" instantly piqued everyone's interest.
Harry was the first to grab the Sling Ring. He made exaggerated gestures, praying and pointing at the sky and the ground.
But the result left Harry deeply disappointed. He drew several circles in a row, but couldn't even conjure a single spark.
After Harry, Captain America, Sif, Daisy, Natasha, and others tried one after another, but without exception, none of them succeeded.
At most, they could only conjure a few sporadic sparks, like a lighter out of fuel.
The second to last to try was Tony. In his own words, "The expert always makes the grand finale."
He didn't rush to draw a circle, but closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, seemingly performing some kind of high-speed calculation.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and began to draw a circle with his arm at an extremely precise angle.
This time, the effect was significant.
A circle of intermittent golden sparks lit up in the air. Although it was extremely unstable and flickered like a faulty light bulb, it ultimately formed a blurry circular outline, and one could even vaguely see traces of warped spatial ripples.
But in the end, the space portal dissipated nonetheless.
"Ha!" Although Tony was a bit annoyed that he couldn't open the portal directly.
But such a result was enough for him to show off.
"See that? When it counts, you still have to rely on me."
This smug performance naturally drew a chorus of boos.
After booing, everyone's gaze finally fell on Gwen.
"Gwen, it's your turn." Felicia couldn't help but urge her.
"Me?" Gwen looked at the Sling Ring, her eyes filled with both anticipation and anxiety.
"Relax, trust your own feelings."
The Ancient One smiled and handed over the Sling Ring.
Seemingly infected by the Ancient One's gentle attitude, Gwen took a deep breath, mimicked the Ancient One, put the Sling Ring on her hand, and then somewhat clumsily drew a circle in front of her.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment.
Under the nervous gaze of everyone, especially Peter, without the slightest hesitation.
Streaks of sparks connected into one, and then formed an incredibly stable golden circular portal, which opened with a boom!
But behind that door, it was no longer the snowy mountains of the Himalayas, but the familiar streets of Queens, New York.
In the yard, Grandma Pauline was holding a cat, lying in a rocking chair, listening to the radio leisurely.
The chubby cat, sensing something unusual, meowed and raised its head, immediately bristling with fear at the sight before it.
Seeing that she had scared Grandma's little pet, Gwen hurriedly canceled the space portal.
The portal closed in response, but the tumultuous waves in everyone's hearts were not so easily calmed.
The glass in Tony's hand dropped to the floor with a "clatter" and shattered into pieces.
Harry's mouth was open wide enough to fit a light bulb.
Everyone looked at Gwen, dumbfounded.
Gwen only then reacted, realizing what had happened. She looked at the people around her, who all had different expressions, and offered an innocent smile:
"It seems... it really isn't that hard."