Chapter 53: Follow-up

Chapter 53: Follow-up

Kamar-Taj!

Kaecilius, sat in front of the Ancient One and respectfully said, "Master, you're back."

"Hmm."

The Ancient One nodded, preparing tea by placing tea leaves into a cup. Although she had just returned from outside, there was not a speck of dust on her, and she exuded the same elegance as always.

The news of the Ancient One allowing Andrew to enter Earth had been propagated by a certain demon king. Under the guidance of that demon king, other demon kings and extra-dimensional beings began to suspect that the Ancient One had gone astray. As a result, they grew restless and started making small moves, such as instructing their followers to summon their projections.

Naturally, the Ancient One would not indulge those demon kings. She severed all their connections and demonstrated that she remained the same as before. The demon kings, seeing the unchanged Ancient One, immediately chose to retreat and even had a certain demon king's projection beaten up.

"Master."

Kaecilius went straight to the point, saying, "During this time, I've been observing that demon king. He does have a moral bottom line, willing to sacrifice the opportunity to acquire more souls in order to protect the contractors."

"The problem is, I don't know if he's just pretending. If he is, once he grows stronger, he will surely turn against us and Earth.

Even if he's not pretending, people can change, Master. I feel that it's too dangerous to let that demon king into Earth. The Lord of Hell is not trustworthy."

"He's not pretending, but people do change."

The Ancient One looked deeply into Kaecilius' eyes and said, "The problem is, we must do it this way."

Kaecilius was surprised, "We must do it? Master, is there something wrong with Earth?"

The Ancient One did not answer directly. She said, "Kaecilius, it's right to uphold principles, but sometimes, for the greater good, we must be flexible."

"Flexible? I understand, Master."

Kaecilius' gaze flickered, and he rose to take his leave. The Ancient One watched his departing figure and gently placed the teacup in her hand. The future was undergoing changes.

In the room, Kaecilius carefully contemplated the words of the Ancient One. "Being flexible? If I make a deal with that demon king and gain immortality, will Master blame me?"

Immortality had always been Kaecilius' pursuit. Besides that, he also wanted to resurrect his wife and child, to be with them forever.

Just then, a voice rang in Kaecilius' mind, "Kaecilius, do you want to know the secret of the Ancient One's immortality?"

Kaecilius turned abruptly and found a book he had collected earlier emanating a dark aura. If he sensed it correctly, it should be the aura of the Dark Lord, Dormammu.

Without hesitation, Kaecilius immediately constructed a golden magic circle to completely seal the book. The consciousness of Dormammu within the book wore a bewildered expression. How could this happen? Based on his observations of Kaecilius, he should be very interested in this matter.

Dormammu's consciousness became somewhat frantic, but Kaecilius was oblivious to all of this. His mind was filled with thoughts of immortality.

Kaecilius exhaled and made a decision. "I will observe a little longer. If that demon king truly keeps his word, why not make a deal with him?"

...

The next day, the news of Magneto's rampage in Manhattan spread through television stations, newspapers, and the internet. The public grew increasingly hostile towards mutants, with some even calling for the President to lock up all mutants.

Senator Kelly took advantage of the situation and proposed the Mutant Registration Act, gaining significant support from the citizens. The living conditions for mutants became increasingly dire.

Ironically, this was considered good news for Andrew, as it would lead more mutants to choose to revert to being ordinary humans.

Business at Times Square would continue to thrive for a long time.

Unlike other newspapers, The Daily Bugle didn't blame mutants. Its content mainly focused on three parts: Blaming Spider-Man, mocking Iron Man, and praising the mighty Ghost Rider.

"Damn Daily Bugle! Not only did they choose the most embarrassing photo of me, but they also treat me as a stepping stone while praising the Ghost Rider. Is the Ghost Rider your father? Moreover, he didn't even show up this time! It was some unscientific Kung Fu kid who dealt with Magneto."

Tony was furious and considered buying The Daily Bugle, but Andrew outright rejected the idea. After putting so much effort into establishing The Daily Bugle as the conscience of Manhattan, how could he sell it?

On the other hand, Peter was almost fired because of abandoning Roxanne. In the end, J. Jonah Jameson reluctantly kept him on as a freelancer due to exclusive Spider-Man photos.

Leaving aside the angry Tony and the pitiful Peter, Professor Charles Xavier sighed as he looked at the newspaper in his hands. He had anticipated that there would be an attack on mutants today, but he didn't expect things to turn out this bad.

After some hesitation, Professor Xavier called Nick Fury. He said, "I agree to preliminary cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D., but as for Logan's matter, you should talk to him yourself. I won't interfere."

"Okay, don't worry. I will prevent the Mutant Registration Act from passing," Nick Fury said with a smile. In reality, S.H.I.E.L.D. was secretly manipulating several newspapers to criticize mutants.

Nick Fury didn't want to exterminate mutants; he only wanted to control them, as that would make the world a safer place.

"It shouldn't be difficult to persuade Logan, especially with Tony, Barton, and Natasha. The Avengers would have four members," Nick Fury said excitedly. With the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be able to handle future disasters on their own, without having to seek help from the Ghost Rider.

Nick Fury had become increasingly wary of the Ghost Rider. The reason was simple—he was truly too powerful. Just the thought of being unable to deal with him made Nick Fury restless day and night.

...

In a training ground in New York, Andrew swung a wooden stick and swiftly attacked Gwen. Gwen constantly retreated, dodging the strikes in a somewhat panicked manner. However, in critical moments, she miraculously managed to narrowly avoid the strikes, much to Andrew's surprise.

"Calm down. The most important thing in combat is to stay calm, and also, believe in your instincts. Your talent is quite remarkable."

Andrew shouted, and Gwen tried to calm herself down, but it disrupted her rhythm and resulted in chaos. She was struck on the shoulder by Andrew's stick.

Gwen let out a muffled groan of pain, but Andrew didn't approach to comfort her. Coldly, he asked, "Do you want to continue?"

"I do."

Gritting her teeth, Gwen stubbornly replied. Last night, she saved people in Manhattan and keenly felt her own inadequacy. That's why she requested Andrew to teach her combat skills.

Gwen didn't aspire to become a superhero; she just wanted to save more people.

"Then let's continue."

Andrew didn't expose Gwen's identity and instead taught her combat through practical training. Only by persisting could she qualify as a superhero.

Gwen had a soft exterior but a strong interior. Not only did she persist, but she also gradually learned to stay calm during combat.

Spider-Man possessed a miraculous spider-sense, and when Gwen became calm, Andrew's stick could no longer hit her. Andrew nodded and stopped his attack.

"Take a rest. We'll start the next phase of training later."

Andrew said, and Gwen exhaled deeply. She earnestly said, "Andrew, thank you."

Andrew smiled and replied, "You're thanking me even though I hit you. My dear Miss Gwen, do you have any special hobbies? If you do, I can reluctantly accompany you to try them out."

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