Frigga took a deep look at Ryan and finally sighed, "Sigh, even if I don't agree, with your personality, you would still find a way to get the Aether Particle and the destroyer armor yourself, wouldn't you?"
"Exactly. Although it's a bit of a hassle, there's no reason I shouldn't get what I want!" Ryan nodded bluntly, not feeling embarrassed in the slightest.
Hearing this, Frigga shook her head helplessly. "The emergence of the Aether Particle will cause the Dark Elves to resurge, and the destroyer armor is the final insurance guarding the treasury of the Asgard. I cannot make the decision for these two things directly. I need to go back and discuss it with Odin first..."
"How about this? The day after tomorrow is when we plan to release Hela and banish her. You and Thor can come to the Asgard together then, as guests. What do you think?"
"Fine." Ryan had no objection to this.
It was only a day or two later; he could afford to wait. He wasn't in that much of a hurry.
Besides, he had just promised Sylvie to accompany her back to Jotunheim. It just so happened that he could spend these two days in Jotunheim with Sylvie and make some modifications to Jotunheim while he was at it.
After all, he did have the status of the King of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Occasionally, he needed to fulfill his duties as a king, didn't he?
Seeing that Ryan agreed, Frigga didn't stay any longer. After calling out 'Heimdall', a rainbow beam of light enveloped her, and she disappeared from the Spider Base.
Clearly, Frigga was in a hurry to go back and discuss her daughter's 'life-long affair' with Odin.
Frigga left, but the Ancient One remained where she was.
Holding Sylvie in his arms, Ryan looked at the Ancient One in front of him and raised an eyebrow.
"Sorcerer Ancient One, you really lack situational awareness. Your good friend has already left, so why are you still lingering in front of me with your bald head shining like a giant lightbulb?"
The Ancient One wasn't angered by Ryan's words at all. With that eternally calm expression, she said indifferently:
"Queen Frigga's business is finished. I've come to find you because I naturally have my own business as well..."
"Oh? What is it?" Hearing this, the expression on Ryan's face became a bit more serious.
He understood this old fox who desperately wanted to retire. If it weren't for something very important, she wouldn't even bother leaving Kamar-Taj. Now that she had actively sought him out, it certainly wouldn't be a trivial matter.
Sure enough, the Ancient One's next words made Ryan's expression even more solemn.
The Ancient One pointed to Ryan's iron ring embedded with the Time Stone and said leisurely:
"Two years ago, I gave the Time Stone to you. Since then, Kamar-Taj has lost its most powerful weapon against the darkness. And you, having inherited the Time Stone, naturally inherited the responsibility that comes with it..."
"Now, darkness once again shrouds Earth, and Dormammu has set his sights on Earth once more. My new disciple, Strange, does not have the Time Stone. I'm afraid he won't be able to negotiate with Him and make Him give up on Earth as he did in the original timeline..."
"Therefore, the task of 'negotiating' with Dormammu this time can only fall on you, who holds the Time Stone~"
Hearing this, Ryan frowned slightly and asked, "How long until Dormammu descends upon Earth?"
The Ancient One shrugged slightly. "How should I know? I don't have the Time Stone now. If you want to know, look for yourself through the Time Stone..."
"However, I must warn you. Now that the timeline of the Multiverse has had its rules rewritten by the New King, every timeline is developing freely. The future you see through the Time Stone may not be accurate. The future you see might even set you up for all I know!"
"Mm." Hearing the Ancient One's reminder, Ryan nodded in understanding.
In fact, he himself had no psychological dependence on the Time Stone's ability to peer into the future.
To be honest, in the two years since he got the Time Stone, he hadn't used its future-peering ability even once!
At most, he used conventional time abilities like time stop, time acceleration, and time reversal...
Because just as the Ancient One said, he didn't believe in any future timeline seen through external objects; he only believed in the future he carved out with his own fists!
Those half-true future timelines would only bring unnecessary trouble if seen!
The Time Stone didn't have the final say on his future; he did!
"Fine, leave Dormammu to me. Have Strange notify me when He appears. No matter where I am, I'll come back immediately to mess Him up."
Ryan didn't refuse the responsibility the Ancient One gave him.
After all, the Time Stone was indeed in his hands, and when Dormammu descended, it would be his Earth that was destroyed.
Whether out of emotion or reason, he couldn't just sit back and watch!
Hearing this, the Ancient One was slightly surprised. "You don't plan to snuff out the spark before it causes a fire?"
Ryan glanced at her, naturally understanding the Ancient One's meaning.
She simply thought he would directly kill those so-called followers of Dormammu.
But his thoughts were completely different...
Ryan looked at the Ancient One and chuckled, "Heh, I've found that whether it's Odin or you, you old folks are all quite conservative..."
"It's already a new era of free timelines. It's time to put away your conservative old-school tactics and try the new tactics of us young people, which is..."
"The best defense is always offense!"
"This time, I not only plan to let Dormammu come to Earth, but I'm also going to fight directly from Earth to His home in the Dark Dimension. I'll tear a huge piece of flesh off Him in the Dark Dimension to let Dormammu know what pain is, and let Him know who the hell calls the shots on Earth now!"
Looking at Ryan, whose eyes were gleaming with ferocity, even the Ancient One couldn't help but take half a step back.
Because Ryan had been acting relatively 'low-key' and 'gentle' lately, she had almost forgotten that this kid had fought and killed his way to his current status and strength!
However... the kid's words weren't entirely without merit...
The best defense is always offense?
It seems feasible!
A mischievous smile curled at the corner of the Ancient One's mouth, and a mark of the Dark Dimension appeared on her forehead.
"Who said I didn't know that? Why do you think Dormammu hates Earth so much? It's because I already snatched a piece of flesh from Him in the Dark Dimension long ago!"
"This time, I'll go with you. You tear off a huge piece of His flesh, and I'll take the opportunity to have some soup and seize a portion of the Dark Dimension's Authority!"
"So you're the one who bites without barking! Hahahaha!" Ryan pointed at the Ancient One. The two looked at each other and laughed out loud.
With one of them in the light and the other in the dark, Dormammu was likely going to suffer a massive loss this time~
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