Lucas and Ancient One exchanged glances.
Atum's expression made it seem as if they were bullying Gaea.
Lucas picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup, and drank it in one gulp.
The tea was bland and tasteless, not as sweet and mellow as Gaea had just praised. But it also had no bitterness or strange taste.
This was just plain clear tea!
Lucas hesitated, picking up Gaea's cup and examining it closely.
Could it be that her cup wasn't clean?
At this moment, Gaea, who had just straightened up, saw his actions and asked, "Sorcerer Lucas, what are you doing?"
Lucas asked, "Gaea, does this tea have a strange taste?"
"No."
"Is there something wrong with the cup?"
"No, there isn't."
"Then why does he have that expression? Anyone who didn't know would think Master and I were making things difficult for you all." Lucas said, pointing at Atum behind Gaea.
Gaea turned to look, only to see Atum staring at Lucas and Ancient One with a look of grief and indignation, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Atum, what's wrong with you?" Gaea asked, puzzled.
"Mother, you don't have to humble yourself for me. I can find a way to recover."
"What am I humbling myself for?" Gaea asked, confused.
"They are humiliating you."
"Ancient One and Sorcerer Lucas are just joking with me, there's no humiliation." Gaea shook her head and chuckled.
Then she looked at Atum with concern.
This child hasn't had his mind twisted, affecting his intelligence, has he?
"Earth Goddess, were you just tricking me when you praised the tea as delicious?" Ancient One's faint voice sounded.
Lucas looked at him in surprise.
This old man isn't serious, is he? I thought he was acting too.
Gaea said with some apology, "Ancient One, I don't know much about tea."
"It was all for naught in the end." Ancient One looked up at the ceiling, sighing deeply.
"Oh, vast Heaven, why are you so unkind to me?"
"Master, that's enough. Also, Gaea is the Earth Goddess."
Lucas covered his face helplessly, he now believed the Ancient One was acting just now.
But who could be sure that he wasn't acting now?
After the playful banter, Ancient One proactively brought up the main topic, "Earth Goddess, you just said you requested me and Lucas to examine Sun God Atum, did you mean to resolve the problem of the foreign energy within him?"
Gaea nodded. "That's right, I ask the two sorcerers to lend your help."
As she spoke, she was about to bow again. This time, Lucas timely put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"Gaea, you are too polite. Who in the Multiverse doesn't know that Sorcerer Supremes are always eager to help others? I just don't know if this Sun God trusts me."
Seeing that she couldn't bend down, Gaea stood up with the flow.
She heard Lucas's sarcastic words, and her divine power surged, sending Lucas a private message.
"Sorcerer Lucas, didn't you say you had already forgiven Atum?"
Lucas smiled helplessly, this was using his own words to corner him.
He nodded imperceptibly to Gaea, indicating that he wouldn't make things difficult for Atum.
Afterward, Gaea sternly admonished Atum, telling him to cooperate with Lucas and Ancient One. Although Atum was unwilling, he did not defy Gaea.
"Standing or sitting is fine, just try not to resist. Lest you accidentally trigger the foreign energy in your body and hurt yourself." Lucas said casually.
Atum stood stiffly in place.
Lucas looked at Atum, and the next moment, his perception spread out, flowing into his body.
Atum frowned uneasily.
That feeling again...
The feeling of being seen through and it was even stronger than last time.
Mixed.
This was Lucas's first discovery when his mental power entered Atum's body to investigate.
Atum's situation was much more complex than he had anticipated. Not only did he have various foreign energies absorbed during his recent battle with the Ultron Legion, but he also had countless other energies. These were the primordial powers from numerous Elder gods devoured by Atum.
At this moment, these primordial powers were intertwined with each other, giving rise to countless new powers. And the types of these powers were constantly increasing. Like cancer cells endlessly dividing and proliferating.
Compared to these powers, the foreign energy from the Ultron Legion absorbed previously became a minor issue.
However, many big problems are formed by the accumulation of small problems.
Thinking of this, Lucas raised his hand and pulled at Atum in the void.
Atum felt the energy within him surge uncontrollably. The foreign energy that had been tightly entangled with his primordial energy seemed to be pulled by something, gradually separating.
During this process, waves of pain, as if from the depths of his soul, emanated.
!!!
Atum was tough, he endured and didn't make any sound. But his uncontrollably trembling body still revealed his current pain.
"Atum."
Gaea looked at Atum worriedly but dared not disturb him. By now, she had also seen energy gushing out from Atum's pores.
"Open your mouth."
Lucas's helpless voice sounded, and Atum subconsciously complied.
The next moment, the energy threads that had been continuously emerging from his tiny pores turned into a torrent of energy spewing from his mouth. It looked much more spectacular. However, it still hurt just as much.
"Roar!"
Atum, with his mouth open, could no longer suppress his painful howl.
Seeing this, Lucas muttered, "Is opening the mouth useless? I see others who absorb or release energy like to open their mouths. I thought the esophagus could also be used as an energy channel."
Gaea was somewhat dumbfounded.
At a time like this, Lucas was still joking.
Ancient One, however, looked at Lucas thoughtfully.
This disciple of his was a bit petty.
Lucas noticed Ancient One's gaze and guessed what he was thinking.
"These foreign energies come from the Infinity Stones, and the energy of the Infinity Stones is somewhat repulsive to me, so the commotion was a bit big."
"Oh, is that so? Is Atum alright then?"
Gaea, unlike Ancient One, did not think Lucas was deliberately retaliating against Atum. She only knew that for Elder gods, stripping away foreign energy was exceptionally difficult.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. It's just minor injuries, the Sun God will recover very quickly."
As Lucas's words sounded, Atum nodded cooperatively.
With most of the foreign energy stripped away, he was no longer as pained as he was initially.
Moreover, his appearance gradually transformed from the bloated and twisted demon form to his normal form of a chicken-headed human body with wings on his back.
A moment later, no more foreign energy gushed out from Atum's body.
Lucas withdrew his hand and casually flung this energy into the depths of the starry sky.
"Thank you so much this time, Sorcerer Lucas. I thought it would take a long time to…"
"Gaea, you're celebrating too early."
Gaea was interrupted by Lucas before she could finish her sentence.
"The Sun God's situation is very complex. Removing these recently absorbed foreign energies is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause."
Gaea looked at Lucas with some surprise and asked, "Sorcerer Lucas, what does this mean? Has Atum not already purged the anomalous energy and returned to his normal form?"
Lucas gestured towards Atum. "Gaea, you'll have to ask the Sun God about this."
Gaea then turned her gaze to Atum. "Atum, tell me honestly, what's going on?"
Perhaps realizing that Atum had been deceiving her for a long time, Gaea's voice carried a hint of sternness.
A trace of unease flashed across Atum's eagle-like face. His eagle beak moved, as if a human were pursing their lips. "Mother, I feel fine now."
"Sun God, it's not good to hide your illness from the doctor."
"Atum!"
Lucas fanned the flames from the side, and Gaea indeed grew even more annoyed.
Atum gave Lucas a helpless look, with a hint of resentment in his eyes, but not a trace of hatred. His normal human form and his Demogorge form seemed like two different people.
"Sorcerer Lucas, I apologize for my previous offense." Atum bowed to Lucas, mimicking Gaea's earlier gesture.
Then he sighed deeply and slowly began to speak, "Mother, it's not that I intentionally deceived you. It's just that this problem was buried too deep. By the time I discovered it, it had already taken deep root in my primordial energy."
Gaea did not pursue Atum's concealment further. She frowned and asked, "What exactly is going on?"
Atum did not speak. He gave Lucas and Ancient One an apologetic look, his meaning clear.
Regarding the issue of his primordial energy, he wasn't sure if he should let Lucas and Ancient One know.
Seeing this, Lucas shrugged.
He stood up and said to the Ancient One and Gaea, "Master, Gaea. I have something else to attend to, so I'll be leaving first. Black-robed Strange has an appointment with me to discuss the Universe Energy Furnace."
Ancient One stood up as well. "I'll go help you two with some suggestions."
The two were about to leave the lounge together, side by side.
"Ancient One, Sorcerer Lucas, you don't have to do this." Gaea smiled bitterly and helplessly.
She quickly stood up and took each of them by an arm.
Lucas and Ancient One stopped in their tracks. They were just playing hard to get, not actually leaving.
Then Gaea looked at Atum and explained, "The lineage of the Sorcerer Supreme is inherited from Agamotto, and Agamotto was born from the tears of Oshtur. In a sense, they are descendants of Oshtur. They have deep ties with the Elder Gods and are not outsiders."
"Moreover, this matter is not much of a secret. If Sorcerer Lucas and Ancient One want to know, it wouldn't be difficult to find out."
"Alright."
Atum once again gave Lucas and Ancient One an apologetic look, then slowly recounted the God-Eater War that erupted among the Elder Gods billions of years ago.