New York Sanctum, morning of October 31, 2010.
"So, Blood God just left, no fight?"
The Ancient One smiled and nodded. "He didn't want to lose another avatar, and I didn't want to waste energy."
Lucas asked again, "So, is this matter over?"
"It's over."
Lucas said excitedly, "Good. Then shouldn't I get my payment?"
"Payment?" The Ancient One was puzzled.
"Blood God's power." Lucas reminded her.
"Didn't you take it yourself?" The Ancient One countered.
Lucas had absorbed a lot of energy when he was beating Deacon Frost.
"That was something I took by my own ability, it doesn't count as payment." Lucas argued.
"Then how much payment do you want?" The Ancient One couldn't help but laugh.
"Hmm..."
Lucas was silent, he didn't know how much was appropriate either.
"Sorcerer, how much energy did you gain this time?"
Saying that, Lucas released energy equivalent to one stat point, indicating it as a measure.
The Ancient One slowly extended two fingers.
"Twenty million?" Lucas asked.
He had absorbed about 20% of the energy the Blood God had transmitted to Earth, around 3.4 million.
Did the Ancient One trick some more from the Blood God? Otherwise, how could it be twenty million?
The Ancient One shook her head.
"Two million? That's too little." Lucas shook his head, considering whether to forget about the payment.
"Two hundred million." The Ancient One said with a smile.
Lucas suddenly stood up, incredulous. "How is that possible? The total energy the Blood God transmitted to Earth wasn't even that much. Even if you snatched it all, it wouldn't be two hundred million."
The Ancient One smiled meaningfully. "What you see, and what the Blood God sees, may not necessarily be true."
Crack! Crack!
The surrounding space cracked open, and the Ancient One pulled Lucas into the Mirror Dimension.
"When the Blood God was transmitting energy to Earth, I used the Mirror Dimension to divert it."
The Ancient One explained, pointing to the largest pool of blood in the Mirror Dimension, "Look, the energy there is the total amount the Blood God transmitted to Earth."
Lucas looked around the Mirror Dimension. Closest were several pools of blood, large and small, and in the distance were various energy clusters with different attributes.
I originally thought I wouldn't encounter a sugar daddy like the Blood God for a long time, but I didn't expect the rich guy to be right beside me.
"Do you want it?"
The Ancient One's calm voice was now full of temptation in Lucas's ears.
"Yes." Lucas nodded weakly.
"Then it's all yours."
"Huh?"
Lucas woke up. "What's the condition?"
There is always a motive behind every gift. His relationship with the Sorcerer Supreme wasn't that good yet.
"All this energy is what I've accumulated over the years, and it's also my main source of magic for combat."
The Ancient One continued to explain, "As long as you become the Sorcerer Supreme and take over my duty of protecting this world from magic erosion, this energy will be useless to me, and naturally, I can give it to you."
Is this a handout from a big shot?
Lucas was hesitant.
"Are there any restrictions to becoming the Sorcerer Supreme?"
"Lucas, the Sorcerer Supreme has never had restrictions." The Ancient One's voice was distant, as if she was recalling something.
"It's a responsibility. Accepting it will mean losing a lot."
Lucas asked, "Sorcerer, what did you lose?"
The Ancient One sighed slowly, "Freedom, and a night's peaceful sleep. I bear the weight of this world, year after year."
"Lucas, you will become stronger than me, and you will do better than me. This is a heavy burden for me but in the future, for you, perhaps it will be nothing more than a bit of hardship."
"Sorcerer, are you gaslighting me?" Lucas said faintly.
He believed the Ancient One's words, but he wouldn't listen.
The Ancient One skipped the question. "You don't need to make a choice now, Lucas. You can take your time to consider."
His talent was too restrictive for magic life.
Especially against those Dimensional Rulers who were mediocre in strength but relied on endless energy to cheat.
Lucas, walking out of the Sanctum Sanctorum, suddenly remembered a question.
Where's my payment?!
Using a massive amount of energy and the position of the Sorcerer Supreme to confuse him, then taking the opportunity to renege on his payment.
Cunning Ancient One!
With a heavy heart, Lucas returned to the bookstore and saw an intriguing scene.
George Stacy from Universe 404 and Gwen were staring at each other.
Today was Halloween, and it also happened to be Sunday.
George came to the bookstore to invite the owner to a community party to celebrate Halloween together.
After a long stare, George was the first to recover and asked, "Hello, young lady, although it's very presumptuous, I still have to ask. Do you know Helen? You look so much like Helen when she was young.
"Helen? She's my... aunt."
Is Helen still alive in this world?
In Universe 65, Helen passed away when Gwen was a child.
"I am George Stacy." George extended his hand proactively.
"Helen never told me she had such a similar-looking niece."
Gwen was a bit flustered, hesitated for a moment, but still shook George's hand. "Gwen Stacy."
George exclaimed, "Oh my, your name sounds just like my daughter's. But she's only 8 years old."
Saying that, George scrutinized Gwen again and praised, "You're really beautiful. I hope my Gwen grows up to be as beautiful as you."
Lucas approached and said, "I'm sure she will, George."
George replied with a smile, "Thank you for your kind words, Lucas. By the way, are you two coming to the Halloween party tonight?"
Hearing about the party, Gwen's eyes lit up.
At the party, she could meet her mother, Helen—this Universe's Helen.
Seeing Gwen's expression, Lucas readily agreed, "Of course. Gwen and I will be there on time."
"Alright, then I'll go notify the others."
With that, George left the bookstore.
After George had walked away, Gwen asked Lucas, "Do you know George?"
Lucas withdrew his gaze, looked at Gwen, and nodded. "Yes."
Gwen asked eagerly, "Can you tell me about George? And his wife, Helen?"
She urgently wanted to understand the situation of the Stacy family in this Universe.
Lucas said meaningfully, "Gwen, why don't you go see for yourself?"
He had said long ago that Gwen should see a doctor.
A heart ailment requires a heart medicine.
Letting Gwen interact with George's family would be good for her mental health.
Lucas and George had already known each other.
During his investigations, George discovered that Lucas had appeared multiple times at gang shootouts and various murder scenes. This was clearly not normal.
Initially, he suspected Lucas was not only a ruthless gang member but also a serial killer. But after investigation, he found that these cases were all independent, not serial cases, and the culprits were others.
Lucas was just a passerby who "coincidentally" appeared at the scene.
Sometimes, Lucas would also reveal some information to George. Over time, he became familiar with George.
As for Lucas's true purpose in frequenting these places, it was naturally for the energy left behind after the villains' death.