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"This past month, I've thought about many, many things. From the past all the way to the present, I've reflected on my every action and discovered that something isn't right."
Seeing the Ancient One with her back to him, not speaking, Tony continued on his own.
"It's a very subtle change. Originally, my mind was set on revenge, but the goal of leaving Earth to build my own planet was ranked second, or even third. But at some point, I gradually began to forget that objective. My mind became completely focused on revenge, and fantasizing about the thrill that would follow."
"Although the influence of your Mind Magic on me was subtle, and anyone else would have failed to notice it, I'm different. From the very beginning, I knew clearly what I wanted."
There was one more thing Tony didn't say. He knew the dangers and cruelty of this Universe better than anyone. He knew secrets that many others didn't. Coupled with the fact that this was his second life, he understood himself and his position in this world far better than anyone else.
For a whole month, Tony had dredged up all his past experiences from the depths of his mind to reflect on them carefully, and he had found inconsistencies. His goals had subtly and quietly deviated.
Perhaps in the eyes of others, this was just a natural part of growth and experience, but Tony was special. From start to finish, he had always known what kind of person he wanted to be.
Especially since this subtle change occurred in Kamar-Taj, after meeting the Ancient One.
The Ancient One finally turned around, still looking at him with a gentle expression. Her serene face showed no change in emotion.
"Isn't it good to stay on Earth? In the future, numerous Powerhouses will emerge from here. To some extent, they will provide you with a great deal of help, assisting you through one crisis after another. You, and Earth, are destined to be closely linked," the Ancient One said gently.
"I'm sorry, Ancient One, but I've never believed in nonsense like 'destiny'," Tony said with a cold expression, as anyone would look upset knowing that another's will was being imposed upon them. "I believe more in the future I create myself. If anyone speaks to me of destiny, with my temper, I'll definitely shatter that destiny with my own hands for them to see."
The Ancient One was noncommittal.
"Tony, just a month ago, not long after you killed the Hulk, the Timeline changed once again," the Ancient One said. "Numerous chaotic and absurd futures have intertwined. Trying to calculate the most likely future from these scenes has become a very difficult task."
"But you have the Eye of Agamotto. That magical artifact can help control time. Every image you see isn't a prediction; it's something that truly happens," Tony retorted. "What did you see in the future?"
"Crisis, and hope."
"So you think I'm the hope? That I can bring hope to Earth?"
"No, you will only bring crisis," the Ancient One said.
Tony was speechless. *Then why the hell did you use Mind Magic on me? Or did I guess wrong?*
Thinking this, Tony became a little suspicious, then quickly suppressed his doubts, firmly believing in his own judgment.
To a certain extent, the Ancient One was a very "utilitarian" person. She had helped Tony many times, and it seemed their relationship was good, but if Tony were to do anything to destroy Earth, the Ancient One would absolutely be the first to kill him.
In the Ancient One's eyes, face, even personality and dignity, were all disposable. In her heart, in her thoughts, there was only... protecting Earth.
Protect Earth, protect the fragile life on Earth, protect everything she loved—her thoughts were filled with these things.
Rising from obscurity, going against the current, slaughtering a True God with the body of a Mortal, staining the land with blood, causing the lofty Deities to bleed and their corpses to fall upon the small place called Earth.
Dealing with the Ancient One wasn't difficult. In fact, she was far easier to get along with than one might imagine, but this was on the premise that one was harmless or even beneficial to Earth. The Ancient One would never be stingy with her protection and help.
"Since I will only bring disaster, why not banish me? Based on my understanding of you, you should have exiled me to another planet, or just killed me outright," Tony asked.
"Earth is bound to become a brutal battlefield. The strong will rise, the weak will fall. It is not a matter of my willingness, but the fate of the Multiverse, which is concentrated in a few places. Earth is one of them."
As the Ancient One spoke, she poured Tony a cup of tea.
Tony picked it up and took a sip. It was tasteless. He stood up and took his leave.
Whether the Ancient One had truly used Mind Magic on him was no longer important.
Perhaps she really did. Because the Ancient One was optimistic about his future, she wouldn't hesitate to use underhanded means to keep Tony on Earth, so that after he grew stronger, he would take on the responsibility of a Guardian. Although for the Ancient One, there was no such thing as "underhanded"—anything beneficial to Earth was good.
Or perhaps she hadn't, and it had been Tony who was being paranoid all along.
It was all unimportant now.
This wasn't a matter of dignity or trust. Even if the Ancient One really had manipulated him, what could Tony do? Pull out a knife and kill the Ancient One? Then take the seat of the Sorcerer Supreme for himself?
It was all meaningless.
Tony felt aggrieved. Level Four could run rampant on other planets, but on Earth, this important nexus in the Multiverse, Level Four was truly not enough.
*Should I leave Earth and go build my own planet?* This thought suddenly rose in Tony's mind.
He could absolutely take this opportunity to leave Earth. After building the Cybertronian Civilization, he himself would have reached Level 5 or Level Six, and he could return to this chaotic place called Earth with an endless Transformer Legion.
Only a Demigod or someone at the Quasi-Cosmic Level was qualified to participate in major cosmic events.
Finding a Spaceship would also be easy. The ship that transported Superman to Earth—Tony could totally Animate that Spaceship and then enter the Cosmos.
A Spaceship from the Kryptonian Civilization would certainly have the most complete star chart of the Milky Way Galaxy.
"Or I could join some cosmic civilization, guard a Life Planet by myself, and accumulate contacts and resources in the Universe."
There were many methods. If he just let his imagination run wild, it didn't seem too difficult.
Lost in thought, Tony opened a Portal and returned to New York City, where he met the Old Bartender and the others.
As soon as they saw each other, they immediately embraced tightly. There were no grand speeches, only silent trust.
"Where's Betty?" Tony asked, looking around as soon as he arrived.
The Old Bartender shrugged and said, "Who knows? It's been a long time since we've seen that girl. She made a new friend recently, and they've been hitting it off every day."
(end of chapter)
Seeing the Ancient One with her back to him, not speaking, Tony continued on his own.
"It's a very subtle change. Originally, my mind was set on revenge, but the goal of leaving Earth to build my own planet was ranked second, or even third. But at some point, I gradually began to forget that objective. My mind became completely focused on revenge, and fantasizing about the thrill that would follow."
"Although the influence of your Mind Magic on me was subtle, and anyone else would have failed to notice it, I'm different. From the very beginning, I knew clearly what I wanted."
There was one more thing Tony didn't say. He knew the dangers and cruelty of this Universe better than anyone. He knew secrets that many others didn't. Coupled with the fact that this was his second life, he understood himself and his position in this world far better than anyone else.
For a whole month, Tony had dredged up all his past experiences from the depths of his mind to reflect on them carefully, and he had found inconsistencies. His goals had subtly and quietly deviated.
Perhaps in the eyes of others, this was just a natural part of growth and experience, but Tony was special. From start to finish, he had always known what kind of person he wanted to be.
Especially since this subtle change occurred in Kamar-Taj, after meeting the Ancient One.
The Ancient One finally turned around, still looking at him with a gentle expression. Her serene face showed no change in emotion.
"Isn't it good to stay on Earth? In the future, numerous Powerhouses will emerge from here. To some extent, they will provide you with a great deal of help, assisting you through one crisis after another. You, and Earth, are destined to be closely linked," the Ancient One said gently.
"I'm sorry, Ancient One, but I've never believed in nonsense like 'destiny'," Tony said with a cold expression, as anyone would look upset knowing that another's will was being imposed upon them. "I believe more in the future I create myself. If anyone speaks to me of destiny, with my temper, I'll definitely shatter that destiny with my own hands for them to see."
The Ancient One was noncommittal.
"Tony, just a month ago, not long after you killed the Hulk, the Timeline changed once again," the Ancient One said. "Numerous chaotic and absurd futures have intertwined. Trying to calculate the most likely future from these scenes has become a very difficult task."
"But you have the Eye of Agamotto. That magical artifact can help control time. Every image you see isn't a prediction; it's something that truly happens," Tony retorted. "What did you see in the future?"
"Crisis, and hope."
"So you think I'm the hope? That I can bring hope to Earth?"
"No, you will only bring crisis," the Ancient One said.
Tony was speechless. *Then why the hell did you use Mind Magic on me? Or did I guess wrong?*
Thinking this, Tony became a little suspicious, then quickly suppressed his doubts, firmly believing in his own judgment.
To a certain extent, the Ancient One was a very "utilitarian" person. She had helped Tony many times, and it seemed their relationship was good, but if Tony were to do anything to destroy Earth, the Ancient One would absolutely be the first to kill him.
In the Ancient One's eyes, face, even personality and dignity, were all disposable. In her heart, in her thoughts, there was only... protecting Earth.
Protect Earth, protect the fragile life on Earth, protect everything she loved—her thoughts were filled with these things.
Rising from obscurity, going against the current, slaughtering a True God with the body of a Mortal, staining the land with blood, causing the lofty Deities to bleed and their corpses to fall upon the small place called Earth.
Dealing with the Ancient One wasn't difficult. In fact, she was far easier to get along with than one might imagine, but this was on the premise that one was harmless or even beneficial to Earth. The Ancient One would never be stingy with her protection and help.
"Since I will only bring disaster, why not banish me? Based on my understanding of you, you should have exiled me to another planet, or just killed me outright," Tony asked.
"Earth is bound to become a brutal battlefield. The strong will rise, the weak will fall. It is not a matter of my willingness, but the fate of the Multiverse, which is concentrated in a few places. Earth is one of them."
As the Ancient One spoke, she poured Tony a cup of tea.
Tony picked it up and took a sip. It was tasteless. He stood up and took his leave.
Whether the Ancient One had truly used Mind Magic on him was no longer important.
Perhaps she really did. Because the Ancient One was optimistic about his future, she wouldn't hesitate to use underhanded means to keep Tony on Earth, so that after he grew stronger, he would take on the responsibility of a Guardian. Although for the Ancient One, there was no such thing as "underhanded"—anything beneficial to Earth was good.
Or perhaps she hadn't, and it had been Tony who was being paranoid all along.
It was all unimportant now.
This wasn't a matter of dignity or trust. Even if the Ancient One really had manipulated him, what could Tony do? Pull out a knife and kill the Ancient One? Then take the seat of the Sorcerer Supreme for himself?
It was all meaningless.
Tony felt aggrieved. Level Four could run rampant on other planets, but on Earth, this important nexus in the Multiverse, Level Four was truly not enough.
*Should I leave Earth and go build my own planet?* This thought suddenly rose in Tony's mind.
He could absolutely take this opportunity to leave Earth. After building the Cybertronian Civilization, he himself would have reached Level 5 or Level Six, and he could return to this chaotic place called Earth with an endless Transformer Legion.
Only a Demigod or someone at the Quasi-Cosmic Level was qualified to participate in major cosmic events.
Finding a Spaceship would also be easy. The ship that transported Superman to Earth—Tony could totally Animate that Spaceship and then enter the Cosmos.
A Spaceship from the Kryptonian Civilization would certainly have the most complete star chart of the Milky Way Galaxy.
"Or I could join some cosmic civilization, guard a Life Planet by myself, and accumulate contacts and resources in the Universe."
There were many methods. If he just let his imagination run wild, it didn't seem too difficult.
Lost in thought, Tony opened a Portal and returned to New York City, where he met the Old Bartender and the others.
As soon as they saw each other, they immediately embraced tightly. There were no grand speeches, only silent trust.
"Where's Betty?" Tony asked, looking around as soon as he arrived.
The Old Bartender shrugged and said, "Who knows? It's been a long time since we've seen that girl. She made a new friend recently, and they've been hitting it off every day."
(end of chapter)
