"Speak, what do you need me for?" The male Ancient One straightened himself up and asked seriously.
"Master, do you know about the Elder Gods that originated on Earth-616?" Lucas put away his playful expression and got down to business.
His primary purpose for coming to Earth-65 this time was to catch up with the male Ancient One and inquire about the Elder Gods.
If he relied solely on his understanding of the Elder Gods from before his transmigration, it would be too superficial.
As the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-616, the male Ancient One had protected Earth-616 for thousands of years, so he might know some of these secrets.
"The Elder Gods... why are you asking about them?" The male Ancient One asked back, not answering immediately.
Lucas pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and slowly explained his intentions and discoveries.
He had initially thought that the manipulators behind Ragnarok were a group of parasites sucking blood from Asgard.
Although these parasites could affect Asgard in multiple Universes, making them Multiverse-level, he wasn't afraid. So, he thought of helping Asgard in the 404 Universe and, in the process, devouring these parasites to strengthen himself.
He was a principled person, a member of the good and orderly.
He needed to establish an enemy, to have a just cause before making a move.
But as he investigated further, he discovered that Ragnarok was deeply entangled, involving more than half of the Marvel world.
It also involved the remnants of the Elder Gods, who had almost withdrawn from the stage of history, and the 'Creator,' the progenitor of the Elder Gods.
"No, you might have misjudged one thing."
After listening to Lucas's statement, the male Ancient One frowned.
He thought for a long time before slowly saying, "The World Tree is the World Tree, and Asgard is Asgard. The Asgardian Gods and Giants were born from the World Tree, but the World Tree nurtures more worlds than just those of the Gods and Giants."
"The former set includes the latter, the latter is merely a subset of the former."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Lucas suspiciously and, after a moment of hesitation, asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying? If not, I can recommend you to study at a high school."
Lucas's face darkened. "No need, master. Although I don't have a Ph. D like Strange, I did get into college through my own efforts."
The male Ancient One nodded. "Good, since you understand, let's continue."
"First, clarify your goal. Your goal is the manipulator behind Ragnarok, not the World Tree. Once that's clear, the next step is how to find this manipulator."
"Your current suspect is the 'Creator,' the progenitor of the Elder Gods, right?"
Lucas nodded. "Yes, I just want to rule out that possibility first. Master, do you know anything about him?"
This 'Creator,' the progenitor of the Elder Gods, was too mysterious and powerful.
He combined his own power of creation with the natural energy of Earth in the 616 Universe to create the Elder Gods, whose individual combat power was on par with ordinary Celestials and Watchers.
At its peak, the Elder Gods not only left Earth but also ventured out of the 616 Universe, with their footprints spread across the Multiverse.
If not for the God Eater War, and if the Elder Gods's civilization had continued to develop, there might have been a chance for them to become the next Watchers.
If such a powerful being was involved in an event, even if he wasn't the mastermind, he would surely know a lot.
The male Ancient One shook his head. "You might be disappointed, Lucas. This 'Creator' is elusive and mysterious. I have guarded Earth for thousands of years and have never seen him."
Then as if remembering something, he said, "However, there is one who might be able to find him."
"Who?"
"Gaea. The God Eater War was ended by Atum, her offspring with the Creator. She is also the only Elder God who remained on Earth after that catastrophe."
"And she is the mother of the first generation of New Gods, in the literal sense. To some extent, she is the creator of Asgard."
The male Ancient One looked left and right for a while, then lowered his voice. "It is rumored that Thor is her child with Odin."
Lucas also lowered his voice. "Master, that shouldn't be 'rumored.' In this cycle of the 616 Universe, Odin perceived the existence of the Ragnarok cycle, and in order to break this cycle, he and Gaea gave birth to Thor."
"Is that so? No wonder the Thor of the 616 Universe is so powerful."
The male Ancient One pondered, then asked doubtfully, "Is your information reliable? I remember you haven't been to Earth-616, have you?"
Lucas hesitated for a moment before saying, "It should be reliable."
The male Ancient One nodded and asked, "So, Lucas, are you going to Earth-616 to see Gaea?"
A smile appeared on his lips beneath his beard, as if he had thought of something amusing.
"I do have that intention. Can you give me the coordinates of Earth-616?"
"Of course, no problem."
The male Ancient One readily agreed and stood up excitedly.
"Come, I'll take you there now."
"Master, Wanda is still here." Lucas reminded him.
At the same time, he secretly became vigilant.
The male Ancient One's strange behavior...
Surely he wasn't planning to prank him, was he?
No, it was also possible that he was using him to prank someone else.
Like Stephen Strange?
Lucas speculated, slightly relaxing his guard.
Afterward, the two exchanged smiles and dispelled the time magic. The green light disappeared, and the flow of time around them returned to normal.
Only a slight unsettling ripple was born, but before this ripple, formed by the temporal disturbance, could spread, Lucas waved his hand and calmed it.
Soon, Wanda returned with three chairs.
The male Ancient One's beard twitched at the sight.
Although he didn't say anything, the smile on his lips seemed to say everything.
Afterward, Wanda and the male Ancient One chatted, with Lucas listening in and occasionally interjecting a few words.
They first talked about Wanda's studies at school.
The male Ancient One, like an ordinary parent, urged Wanda to study diligently, both humanities and science.
Although she didn't need to rely on this knowledge for a living, humanities would help her understand right from wrong.
At the same time, science and magic complemented each other. It was not good to learn magic purely with scientific methodology, but it was also not good to be completely ignorant of science.
At this point, the male Ancient One gave Lucas a meaningful look.
Lucas responded with a puzzled expression. He just hadn't attended school in Marvel, it wasn't that he had never been to school.
Then, Wanda mentioned the recent war that swept through the Nine Realms—the War of the Ten Realms.
The male Ancient One listened to this part with particular interest.
Before he left the 616 Universe, the War of the Ten Realms had not yet erupted in the 616 Universe.
The two hadn't seen each other in a long time, and for a moment, it seemed like they had endless things to say.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
During these days, Lucas took the time to return to Earth-404.
Thinking that Gwen, George, and Helen hadn't seen each other in a long time, he originally wanted to bring Gwen to Earth-65. However, Gwen refused, citing her studies.
And Gwen complained.
She had stayed on Earth-65 during the period before the War of the Ten Realms began, and Helen and George had made her feel unwelcome.
It had only been less than a month. Most college students wouldn't go home once a month, would they?
Thus, Lucas realized that due to entering a state of supersensory perception, his perception of time had become a little disordered. This was affecting his normal life and needed to be adjusted back with proper rest.
So he resumed a healthy routine of going to bed at ten, waking up at eight, and sleeping for ten hours every day.
However, just after midnight, Lucas was awakened.
Feeling the empty space beside him, he understood.
All talk of studies was false. Gwen didn't want to return to Earth-65 temporarily because the people of New York needed her.
A few mornings later, Lucas, having adjusted his routine, was enjoying breakfast when he received a letter from the female Ancient One.
The letter asked him to go to Kamar-Taj, saying that someone was looking for him.
Lucas could only put down the food and accompanied by the flickering sparks, disappeared from his spot.
Nepal, Kamar-Taj.
At this time, the bright moon hung high, and the night was deepening.
Kamar-Taj, however, was still bustling.
The sorcerers were all gathered at various array nodes, calling out to the apprentices, rushing back and forth to retrieve various materials.
Not long ago, Mordo had discovered a powerful, unfamiliar energy approaching from the depths of the Multiverse. The strength of this energy far exceeded that of ordinary demons and extra-dimensional creatures. It was at least Dimensional Lord level.
As for whether it was more powerful than a Dimensional Lord, Mordo couldn't tell.
"Sorcerer Mordo, this energy is already close to the array, and its speed hasn't decreased."
An apprentice sorcerer rushed into the main hall, reporting to Mordo, who was presiding over the array.
"Understood."
Mordo's expression was calm, completely devoid of the panic of the other sorcerers.
As a high-ranking member below the Kamar-Taj leadership, he knew very well that Kamar-Taj now possessed the 'nuclear weapon,' Lucas.
Although he wasn't sure exactly how strong Lucas was, he knew he was very strong. With Lucas present, this being from another Universe was just experience points for the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
As long as the array wasn't breached instantly, he couldn't cause casualties among the Kamar-Taj sorcerers.