"You actually used the abyss as a contract?"
Dormammu looked at the energy on the parchment that gave him a headache and nausea, and looked at Mephisto as if he were a madman. Who would dare to sign such a contract?
"Because only the abyss can ensure that both of us abide by the contract. Our worlds have experienced the erosion of the abyss, and have dealt with and come into contact with the energy of the abyss, so no one understands the difficulty of the abyss better than us. Precisely because of this understanding, we will not easily violate the contract." Mephisto said confidently.
Dormammu was speechless for a moment. Although he felt that Mephisto was playing tricks on him, he was powerless to refute anything he said.
"The contract is two-way. If we fulfill our promise, then as long as you pay the fee, the deal is done. The abyssal energy in the contract will not affect us. But if either party fails to do what is said in the contract, they will face a deeper abyss again. This is not a threat, but a guarantee for both of us!" Mephisto spoke eloquently, "Only by signing this contract can we establish initial trust. You don't want your dark dimension to be occupied by the abyss, right? Or do you just want to take advantage of us for free?"
Mephisto's tone and expression became serious as he spoke. Odin and Ancient One also turned their gazes towards Dormammu's clone, which made Dormammu feel a little pressured.
"Of course I will abide by the contract." Dormammu's eyes flickered, "If you can really help me solve the problem of the abyss."
"We can't help you solve the problem of the abyss. All we can do now is to help you prevent the abyss from spreading. Do you understand this concept? You are sick, we can't cure your disease, we can only maintain your disease and prevent it from getting worse." Mephisto shook his finger and carefully corrected Dormammu's concept.
Indeed, Luke's technology could seal the abyss energy and transfer it to other places for storage, but that was a privilege and technology only enjoyed by partners like them.
Dormammu?
Well, from the perspective of maximizing profits, continuously demanding fees would definitely cost more than a one-time settlement. After all, they were the only ones who could solve the Abyss. As long as Dormammu didn't want his Dark Dimension to be transformed into the Abyss, he had no choice but to agree to Mephisto's terms and accept his technology.
The technical and unique business is so domineering.
Of course, they couldn't go too far. If they did, Dormammu might turn around and leave, looking for other ways. With the erosion of the Abyss's energy, it would take a long time to completely occupy the Dark Dimension.
Mephisto has been waiting for a long time for the largest amount of energy to be deposited into his account since the bank opened.
The condition was that the Ancient One would make the final decision and make the revisions at the meeting. After all, if anyone present knew the Dark Dimension and Dormammu best, it would undoubtedly be the Ancient One, who had confronted Dormammu in more than one timeline. She could grasp Dormammu's psychological bottom line.
If it were Mephisto himself, out of greed, he might have been desperate to make a quick buck before he could worry about anything else. He had always enjoyed playing games with words, but there wasn't much he could do with the Abyssal Contract, so he could only use a cautious, word-for-word approach to minimize any loopholes on his side.
"This is different from what you promised." Dormammu's pupils narrowed. Although his clone came over, he did not have much trust in the people on the field.
An energy thief.
A war fanatic in his youth.
The other is a cunning demon who is good at bewitching people.
Although he is also good at deceiving and disguising himself, if he is not careful when facing these old rivals, he might be sold out by the other side.
"We never said we could completely eliminate the Abyssal Energy for you. All we've said is we can help you control its spread. Also, a friendly reminder: the wider the Abyss spreads, the more dimensional energy it erodes and assimilates, the more difficult it will be to manage and control, and the higher the price you'll have to pay!
Ideally, we should address the abyss at its infancy, when it's easiest to address and with minimal costs and risks. If we wait until it's spread beyond a certain point, even if you're willing to give up everything and come back to us, we'll be powerless.
My advice is, don't hesitate, don't delay." Mephisto reminded indirectly.
Stephen Strange, a former doctor, felt a sense of familiarity when listening to Mephisto's words. It seemed as if he had often heard and seen these words in his field of activity.
"Are these all the conditions in this contract?" Dormammu's broad chest expanded and contracted like a bellows. Finally, he asked absentmindedly while flipping through the densely packed clauses on it.
"This is just the basic clause, used to ensure the trust between us. There will be a specific supplementary clause, which requires us to understand the extent of the abyss erosion on your side to determine whether the contract in your hand is valid. If the erosion on your side is too serious, for our own safety, we may give up this business." Mephisto said seriously.
"When can I go over and confirm?"
"That depends on when you pay off the initial labor bill. It includes labor costs, travel expenses, personal insurance, and so on. As soon as the money arrives, I'll bring my people over immediately."
"I hope to see results as soon as possible."
Dormammu's mouth twitched at Mephisto's businessman-like demeanor, and he was too lazy to bargain with him any further. His dimensional power mark, a signature, flashed across the contract, which he had carefully considered hundreds of times.
As Dormammu's clone disappeared from his seat, Luke granted him access, and a vast amount of energy from the Dark Dimension poured in. After undergoing the energy conversion process set by the Data Dimension, it was transformed into pure energy and stored in the energy storage area specially opened up for the Energy Bank in the Data Dimension.
"I love the abyss!"
Seeing the energy pouring into the Energy Bank, Mephisto's eyes lit up like high-wattage lightbulbs. The losses he'd incurred in the past few years since the Energy Bank's establishment had not only been completely recouped, but he'd even made a profit! This was just the beginning!
The sealing materials for the abyss require money, right?
Does technology require payment?
Abyssal energy is so corrosive that it's only natural that the seal needs constant reinforcement and maintenance, right? He can't afford these expenses, right?
In that short moment, Mephisto's mind raced through a number of items that could be charged for. Even if he charged a little less for each, the cumulative income would still be considerable. Even if he had to share the profits with Luke and the others present, there would still be some profit.
Although Mephisto was greedy, as one of the few dimensional demons who could control his desires and assess the situation, he became more and more convinced of the small group he had joined. Whether it was Luke's technology or the Ancient One's understanding and insight into the various dimensions, including the Nine Realms he controlled, they could all play a corresponding role.
The energy bank has developed to this point. According to the Dimensional Demon's time perspective, it can barely be established, but it has begun to show potential and become profitable?
Mephisto pondered the situation from his seat, realizing that while the Energy Bank's business was scarce, it seemed to be high-quality. Aside from the New God Loan, which hadn't yet seen a return on its profits, the others were either about to turn a profit or already starting to do so.
What are these dimensional demons tossing around for? Mephisto, the other less intelligent demons, doesn't know, but he is definitely doing it to collect energy and the souls needed by Hell.
The Energy Bank perfectly met all the needs of the Hell Dimension, practically tailor-made for him. And now things were looking good. Once the Abyss expanded a bit, it seemed like the deposit and loan business would be a possibility, too.
"I'll split myself up and go check on Dormammu first," Mephisto volunteered, full of motivation. His body quickly disappeared from the venue.
The God King Odin squinted his eyes and glanced at the place where Mephisto disappeared, then looked at the Ancient One who turned around and opened the portal to leave, thinking about something.
Energy Bank seems to be rising?
Should he consider a career change, perhaps joining the Energy Bank and securing a place for Asgard? After all, both the Ancient One and Luke were indispensable, and he and his Asgard weren't as irreplaceable as the Ancient One and Luke. He simply had the status of a preconceived elder.
…
Just as the Asgard Alliance meeting was disbanding and Odin was thinking about his retirement time, several people suddenly appeared in the atrium.
"Are you sure it's this time period? The date doesn't seem to match." A handsome man with strong features looked at today's date and turned to ask the person next to him.
"Maybe something unexpected happened. We must contact Stark first." A beautiful lady with burgundy hair, a slim figure and a charming face looked at the environment that was somewhat different from her memory and said with a frown.
"Where's Dr. Banner?" Captain Rogers asked. He didn't want to know where Dr. Banner was. He knew exactly where Dr. Banner was headed according to the plan. What he wanted to know was whether there would be any accidents on Banner's side.
Agent Natasha Romanoff understood Captain Rogers's intention without any difficulty. She asked tentatively, "Can we try to contact Dr. Benner?"
"No, we can all find the abnormality. Dr. Banner is so smart, it is impossible that he didn't find it. Let's go to Stark Tower first." Rogers paused and shook his head. He still planned to go to the place where they were responsible for to find out the situation according to the plan.
After all, no one had ever time traveled before them, and there was no experience for them to draw on. The only thing they could do was to first understand the situation as best they could, and then analyze and re-plan accordingly.
Rogers believed that once the companions who had come with him realized something was wrong, they would definitely find a way to reunite here, even if they were not in the same time period.
…
"Dr. Banner?"
When Strange walked out of the portal, he saw a green giant jumping onto his roof.
"Strange?" Dr. Banner, upon seeing Strange appear, was filled with surprise. "Aren't you dead?"
"I'm dead?" Strange, who was stunned by Hulk's nonsensical words, frowned. He also noticed the abnormality of Dr. Banner at this moment.
With Luke's help, Dr. Banner does not have to worry about causing widespread destruction after transforming into the Hulk and becoming an irrational saboteur. But at the same time, when the other party transforms into the Hulk, he is definitely not as rational as the Hulk in front of him.
If I have to say, it is that the Dr. Banner he knows and is familiar with is clearly different from the Hulk in his body. They are two fused but different spiritual bodies.
The Dr. Banner before him seemed to have completely merged with the Hulk. He had the Hulk's form and strength, but also Dr. Banner's rationality and thinking. In other words, it was as if the Hulk's consciousness had disappeared from him.
This situation aroused Strange's curiosity.
"Are you from the future? No, the access to the timeline is a bit rough. Are you from other universes?" Strange used the Eye of Agamotto, and the Eye of Agamotto worn on his chest also attracted Hulk's attention at the moment of shining light.
"Give it to me." Hulk opened his big hand and grabbed the Eye of Agamotto on Strange's chest with his bare hands. The purpose of his coming here was to obtain the Time Stone sealed in the Eye of Agamotto. The first time he saw the gem, he acted almost subconsciously.
"Wow, stealing someone's things right off the bat? That's not nice." Strange had been trained and honed by the Ancient One for so many years, and the fact that he could retire with confidence and leave the responsibility to him meant his skills and strength had long since improved. Despite Dr. Banner's quick and furious movements, Strange dodged them by stepping back and sideways. The moment Dr. Banner got close, he stepped forward and delivered a palm strike of astral projection.
He knew Hulk's body very well. It would be difficult to hurt him simply by using force or other means, and it would be too ostentatious to restrict him by other means.
The energy that Strange had injected into Dr. Banner's spirit body was directly knocked out of Hulk's body. Banner felt that the flow of time around him slowed down and the space became lighter. He floated out of Hulk's body backwards.
"Now we can have a good talk." Strange came to Dr. Banner's spirit body, looked at the somewhat confused Banner, and said with a smile.
"What did you do?" Banner looked at Strange in surprise.
"It's just a spell. Didn't Strange over there show it to you?" Strange asked back.