Ancient One

This bizarre situation had surely already been investigated by S.H.I.E.L.D.

But according to their investigation, 177 Bleeker Street was just an ordinary antique shop.

They sold some old furniture and antique clocks, that sort of thing.

The people inside also had spotless backgrounds, with not even the slightest hint of anything unusual.

It makes sense; Ancient One the Sorcerer Supreme, a being with the power level of a Skyfather, is extremely skilled in space magic.

If she didn't want to be found, even if S.H.I.E.L.D. turned the world upside down, they wouldn't find a single flaw.

The sudden appearance of the Ancient One, and the fact that she threw a business card with an address near Thor's hammer, means this situation must have something to do with Thor or Asgard.

As for what the connection is, Blake will have to go and find out in person.

It looks like there's no way to skip the opening ceremony of the Stark Expo.

Unable to wait for Thor, Blake had no choice but to take the initiative and seek him out again.

To his surprise, that big oaf had somehow already made up with Jane.

The two were back to their old ways, exchanging glances that sparked fireworks in the air.

To have calmed this girl down so quickly, he must have sweet-talked her a lot—what a scoundrel.

Blake felt indignant.

But on the surface, he still consoled Thor with a few words, saying he had something to do and had to go out for a while, and asked Thor to wait for him to return.

As for the Ancient One, no matter how Coulson reported to Nick Fury, Blake would go if he needed to go, say what needed to be said when he came back, and not say a single word of what shouldn't be said.

He flew all the way from New Mexico to New York, hitched a ride with Stark Industries' car and driver, and was dropped off at 177 Bleeker Street.

This street was located in the most bustling part of Manhattan, New York.

Who knows how the three Sanctums operate—if their locations could change, Blake would rather rent out the Sanctum and move somewhere cheaper.

It would save him from being as broke as Wong.

Standing at the entrance, he muttered to himself about how it was a bit wasteful for the Sanctum to occupy such a prime spot on a bustling street.

After hesitating for a moment, Blake was just about to knock on the door.

Suddenly, a flash of golden light appeared beneath his feet, and a portal opened up right below him.

The ground vanished in an instant, and he fell straight down through the portal.

He landed directly on a single-seater sofa in a study on the second floor of the Sanctum.

The study was a small, square, doorless room with three walls lined with fully stocked bookshelves.

Three single-seater sofas were arranged facing the bookshelves. After Blake fell in, the sofa to his right was empty, and directly in front of him sat the Ancient One, reading a book with her head bowed.

It was just now that the Ancient One cast a spell to bring Blake directly from the entrance to the second floor.

But after he arrived, the Ancient One didn't say a word and just quietly continued reading her book.

This is the advantage of being powerful—you can put on airs, and others won't dare to say a word.

If it were an ordinary person who called him over and then just silently read a book, Blake would absolutely slap them so hard they'd be sent flying, with the book soaring into the air as well.

But the person in front of him was the Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One, so Blake could only grumble in his heart without daring to act.

Of course, Blake was never one to just sit around quietly.

Seeing that the Ancient One was engrossed in her book and hadn't even glanced at him, he pulled out a cigar and started puffing away right in front of her.

If you're not going to talk, I'll blow smoke in your face and see if it bothers you.

Full of mischievous intent, Blake took a deep drag and then casually blew a large puff of smoke towards the Ancient One.

But the Sorcerer Supreme was indeed supreme.

Without even lifting her head, a small, golden portal, about the size of an ashtray, suddenly appeared less than half a meter in front of Blake.

As soon as the small portal appeared, the smoke Blake exhaled was sucked right into it.

Blake focused his gaze and saw that on the other side of the portal was a snowy mountain, covered in white. Although he couldn't tell where it was, it was definitely a high-altitude location.

The weather was clear with little wind, and due to the difference in air pressure, the air around Blake moved on its own, pulling the smoke and even the ash from his cigar towards the small portal.

It was like the effect you get when driving at high speed with the window cracked open while smoking. (If you were actually to open a small portal to a high-altitude location in a room, the books on the shelves would probably all get sucked in, but let's not worry about those details. After all, the Ancient One must have a way to handle it, right?)

Impressive—a self-ventilating ashtray.

"Nice ashtray. If I had one in my bedroom, I wouldn't need an air circulation system, and I could even save on trash bins!"

Blake tried to make small talk, feeling a bit pressured by the Ancient One, especially since he didn't know why she had summoned him.

"If you had one in your bedroom and there was a snowstorm, within an hour, your house would be filled with snow. Are you sure you want one? I can help."

The Ancient One smiled as she looked up and spoke.

"I brought you all the way here, and you don't have anything to say, or nothing you want to ask me?"

The Ancient One finally closed her book and set it aside.

"Of course I have questions. Since I was already at the door, why did you pull me up here with a portal instead of bringing me directly from New Mexico? Plane tickets are expensive, you know."

Now that the Ancient One had started talking, Blake tossed his cigar into the "ashtray" and asked a question that was far from being the most important.

"First, I don't need to pay for plane tickets. Second, whether I come down to open the door for you or open a portal to bring you up, the energy consumption is about the same for such a short distance."

The Ancient One waved her hand, closing the small portal, and answered Blake's question in a serious manner.

There was no arguing with that—Blake hadn't expected the Ancient One to seriously calculate the energy costs for him.

So Blake could only follow her lead and ask, "I wonder why you called me over?"

It seemed he had finally asked the right question. The Ancient One looked at Blake and spoke seriously.

"Odin is somewhat of a friend of mine. He banished his son to Earth and then fell into a deep sleep, so of course, I'm keeping an eye on things. But I was surprised because someone appeared who shouldn't have been there. You weren't supposed to be in that place."

"So I'm curious—why were you in a place you shouldn't have been, and why hasn't the Time Variance Authority caught you yet?"

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