Kamar-Taj.
Click!
Rimuru moved the knight, threatening the Ancient One's 'rook' and 'cannon'.
The Ancient One was not in a hurry; her pace remained unhurried. With a backhand move, she placed a 'bishop', directly nullifying Rimuru's chess move.
Rimuru was also not in a hurry. She immediately abandoned that plan, moving a pawn forward to advance into the Ancient One's territory.
"Master, when I returned from Asgard, Brother Odin—"
Pfft!
The Ancient One, who was leisurely sipping a cup of tea, spat it out.
Brother Odin?
Why did that title sound so strange?
Even if she encountered Odin, she would respectfully address him as "Father of the Gods" or "His Majesty the God-King."
This had nothing to do with cultivation; it was purely out of respect for Odin, the Lord of the Nine Realms.
But what the Ancient One hadn't expected was that Rimuru was so quick to seize an opportunity, daring to call Odin "Brother."
This was far too disrespectful!
Seeing the Ancient One choking, Rimuru asked with concern, "Master, are you alright?"
The Ancient One reached out and poked Rimuru's bright forehead, saying exasperatedly, "Little rascal, don't you know why I choked?"
Rimuru chuckled, knowing, of course, she knew.
But being a bit mischievous was truly delightful!
The Ancient One was not annoyed. To be honest, spending time with Rimuru felt very fresh and interesting to her.
It felt like enjoying one's golden years, playing with grandchildren.
To be honest, this made the Ancient One feel incredibly unbelievable!
"What is it? Continue talking!"
"Aye!"
Rimuru immediately and concisely recounted to the Ancient One everything she had seen before leaving Asgard: Odin's raven bringing the agamotto's orb, and her subsequent vision of the Chitauri launching a massive invasion on Earth.
To be honest, Rimuru felt a bit lost.
Although she couldn't reach the noble level of Little Spider, who would even sacrifice his own life to save others.
But within her capabilities, Rimuru was still willing to act as a hero and contribute to the world.
However, the revelation from agamotto's orb was that because of her, this little butterfly, the calamity had grown exponentially stronger!
This was no longer just the Battle of New York; it was a true clash between two civilizations.
Thanos had arrived early!
The Ancient One's eyes sparkled with wisdom. "I have seen countless parallel Universes: HYDRA winning World War II, Tony and Dr. Doom swapping bodies, Odin being defeated by Laufey and Thor being adopted by Laufey, Tony becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, Gwen Stacy becoming Spider-Man—"
"Any small change in detail can cause chaos in the entire timeline, thereby giving rise to a new parallel Universe. Everything happening now is merely a change in one timeline."
"In the Multiverse, this is not uncommon!"
Rimuru understood the Ancient One's meaning: because of her arrival, the MCU Universe was no longer the Marvel Cinematic Universe she remembered.
It was a new parallel Universe!
She was inherently a tiny ripple in the vast current of time; as long as she remained in the current, she would inevitably be affected by the current of time and also influence the current of time.
The Ancient One looked at Rimuru and smiled, "If I asked you to stop now, to peacefully cultivate and become a recluse, would you agree?"
Rimuru's eyes widened, and she shook her head like a rattle-drum.
Become a recluse? Are you kidding me?
There were still so many wonderful things in the world waiting for her; how could she possibly become a recluse?
"Exactly!"
The Ancient One: "People always grow. You will eventually recognize the essence of life. Whether ugly or beautiful, once you recognize everything, please continue it!"
Rimuru was thoughtful; of course, she understood all the principles.
But hearing it from the Ancient One's mouth made it particularly convincing.
Rimuru's eyes became clear, and her thoughts grew increasingly lucid.
Yes, she was a ripple in the river of time. The river of time would affect her, and she could in turn guide the flow of time.
If the Chitauri wanted to launch a full-scale invasion of Earth, they would have to see if she agreed!
"Master, thank you!"
The Ancient One smiled and nodded, "If you've understood, then go. There are still many things waiting for you in Jotunheim!"
"Yes!"
Rimuru immediately stood up and looked in the direction of Jotunheim.
Because she had devoured the casket of ancient winters, there was no problem with directly teleporting to Jotunheim.
Oh, right!
Rimuru suddenly thought of a question, "Master, do you think there are hot springs in Jotunheim?"
Hot springs?
The Ancient One was stunned. What was that all about?
Her train of thought jumped too quickly!
The Ancient One thought for a moment and said, "On the peaks of volcanoes, there is pristine White snow; in the depths of glaciers, hot springs are born. Jotunheim should have hot springs!"
Rimuru smiled sweetly, "Then after I'm crowned, I'll invite Master to soak in the hot springs! Master, you must remember to buy a swimsuit in advance!"
Cough, cough, cough, cough!
The Ancient One coughed violently, her lungs burning as if on Fire.
"You unfilial disciple, so disrespectful!"
The Ancient One was about to scold Rimuru, but where could she see Rimuru's Shadow?
Outside the mountain gate.
The sky was clear and cloudless.
Ciel's voice suddenly echoed in Rimuru's mind: "Rimuru, the analysis of the Infinite Prison has been successful, and the Infinite Prison can be broken at any time to release the Storm Dragon Veldora. Do you want to break the Infinite Prison and release Veldora?"
Hearing Xia Er's voice, Rimuru's eyes suddenly lit up.
The Infinite Prison had been successfully analyzed?
Rimuru looked around. Kamar-Taj was also her territory, so releasing the Storm Dragon here was absolutely no problem!
"Yes!"
Ao Long, it's been a long time.
Xia Er: "Okay."
In Rimuru's mental space, Xia Er began to work on breaking the Infinite Prison.
Outside.
The mages of Kamar-Taj were secretly observing, and many were puzzled.
Not long ago, they had seen silver-haired Rimuru, hadn't they?
How had she become golden-haired?
But no matter what, Mordo decided not to wait any longer.
Mordo walked up to Rimuru and respectfully said, "Junior Sister Rimuru, I would like to request that you return the staff of the living tribunal to me!"
"staff of the living tribunal?"
Rimuru frowned. Did she have that thing?
"It's the weapon I was holding when we first fought!"
Baron Mordo nodded vigorously.
The staff of the living tribunal, that staff, was the most convenient for him to use.
Before, Rimuru always came and went in a hurry; today, he finally caught a chance.
But just then, an incredibly vast pressure enveloped him, and Baron Mordo was directly paralyzed with fright.
Rimuru opened her mouth and spat out a barrier that grew larger and larger, eventually reaching several meters in height.
And the first thing that met his eyes were two blood-red eyes.
"I have been sealed for three hundred years, and exiled from my homeland—"
Baron Mordo looked up, dumbfounded, "Is that a Dragon?"
He just wanted to get his staff back, didn't he?
Was it necessary to release a Dragon?
Was it necessary?
If you didn't want to return it, just say so!
The staff of the living tribunal, he didn't want it anymore, wouldn't that suffice?