When Kurohane and The Ancient One left the Time Administration Bureau (TVA), everything had returned to its proper course. An eerie silence hung in the corridors, as if a storm had just passed, clearing away all traces of chaos. The villains who had disrupted timelines and the Multiverse had received their just punishment, while the innocent were sent back to their original universes. For instance, all the Deadpool variants returned to their respective worlds, except for the one Deadpool who could travel between universes at will.
This was all thanks to Kurohane. If not for his help, that Deadpool would have never been able to disrupt the flow of parallel universes. After all, Kurohane's "weight" in his universe was much stronger. In Deadpool's universe, the anchor point was Wolverine, but in Kurohane's universe, with Loki's help, he had become that anchor point himself.
Loki explained, in a tone laden with exhaustion yet full of authority, that as long as Kurohane didn't go to another universe, he could do whatever he wanted in this one. This was a gift from Loki because Kurohane had saved Frigga. Loki even named this universe the "Kurohane Universe."
Actually, if responsibility had to be assigned, Kurohane should have worked at the TVA for life. Loki even wanted to drag Kurohane back and seat him on his divine throne so that Loki could go out and have some fun. But Kurohane's power wasn't enough, so this was the only way.
Before leaving, Kurohane also told Loki and The Ancient One about some possible futures he knew of. This included Captain America possibly teaming up with Doctor Doom and then taking over various parallel universes. The first one they would face would be Loki, who had become the World Tree.
Loki had indeed heard the name Doctor Doom before. In the timeline he controlled, there was a line that was an old version of the Fantastic Four, a world where Human Torch and Captain America had the same face. The Doctor Doom in that world was, at best, a small boss who was simply heated up by Human Torch and then put out with a fire hydrant. It was nothing compared to the Galactus that appeared at the end of that story. He couldn't understand how such a character could become a Multiverse-level supervillain. Until Kurohane asked The Ancient One to materialize a scene from his mind, and they both witnessed Doctor Doom ripping out Thanos's spine with his bare hands. Even Loki and The Ancient One were shocked, because in the hand of that Thanos whose spine was ripped out, there were six complete Infinity Stones!
Loki wasn't too worried. After all, not many superpowers could be used in the TVA. Coupled with The Ancient One's existence, who could use magic within the TVA, he could still ensure his safety. In return, Loki gave The Ancient One a period of no time, which was equivalent to extending his life, that would allow The Ancient One to continue living without absorbing the Dark Dimension.
The problem with Dormammu was imminent, but Kurohane and The Ancient One both knew how to solve it. However, neither of them could go to negotiate with Dormammu. It would be a bit of a loss of face for The Ancient One to go. Imagine, someone who dumps trash into your home all day, then casually takes something from your house, comes over and wants to negotiate, would you negotiate?
As for Kurohane, that was even more ridiculous. With the Holy Energy throughout his body, his presence in the Dark Dimension was tantamount to coming to destroy the Dark Dimension itself. Dormammu wasn't a fool, who would believe what his nemesis said? Coupled with the Lucifer mark on the back of Kurohane's right hand, there wasn't even anything to talk about!
The Dark Dimension and the Hell Dimension were almost the same, everyone attacking and devouring each other was a normal thing. This kind of hatred was naked, the kind that could beat each other to a pulp!
As for the Holy Dimension, as long as you didn't actively provoke them, they were usually quite easy to talk to. Just avoid them!
However, Kurohane still didn't return to Earth with The Ancient One. The one-year agreement hadn't arrived yet. He had arranged for Yondu and the others to work in Null Space, and there was a huge amount of Justice Value he hadn't yet harvested. It would be too much of a loss if he didn't go and get it! The Ancient One didn't force him either. Kurohane wasn't a flower in a greenhouse, and it was good to see him go out and have fun while he was still young.
So, The Ancient One simply handed Kurohane a book. Unlike most of the magic books in Kamar-Taj, this book was all written in Chinese characters, with delicate and clear handwriting handwritten by a girl. "This book is my experience using the Book of Vishanti, specially compiled for you. It's a book that can enhance your power. Even if you don't want to study it, it's best to, you don't need to return it to me, just keep it for yourself."
Kurohane's heart was complicated now. The Ancient One was truly good to him. But this method of gifting was really not commendable, he really didn't like studying! He took the very heavy and thick magic book, and then directly threw it into his Space Ring. Now was not the time to read. Kurohane's mind was full of the large amount of Justice Value waiting to be harvested! The Ancient One was also very considerate and opened a portal for Kurohane, sending him directly to Null Space.
Seeing the familiar Null Space in front of him, Kurohane finally found a sense of reality. Spaceships and robots mining in Null Space were everywhere, and the ground was also dirty, muddy soil with puddles. The only difference was, the popularity of Null Space didn't seem to be as high as before! The people walking on the streets seemed to have become much wealthier, not looking like refugees as before.
Kurohane felt the aura of Null Space, wanting to find someone he knew. But he found that besides the Collector who wouldn't leave Null Space, there were only two people who could barely be considered acquaintances, and both were living together! He casually opened a portal, and Kurohane entered even before he could see the situation on the other side.
Then he was caught by a telekinetic force. Before his feet could touch the ground, a ferocious dog jumped up and crashed into Kurohane's arm, almost knocking him back to the other side of the portal! "Kurohane! Where did you go? Why are you only just coming back!" A standard Russian accent sounded in Kurohane's ears. Cosmo, the dog with telekinesis, licked Kurohane's face excitedly. After all, using telekinesis to control speech didn't require her tongue.
"Okay, okay, I didn't go out to play, it was really dangerous out there, okay!" The effect of the telekinetic control on Kurohane's body disappeared as Cosmo touched him. His hands were not idle at all, he hugged the dog's head and started stroking it.
Kurohane's other acquaintance was the little pink-skinned secretary, Karina. "Mr. Kurohane, you've been gone for 199 days in the Universe." Karina's tone was full of grievances, looking very difficult to coax!
"You're being paid without working, does that make you feel wronged?"
"But I have no salary!"