Net of Zoroaster

All right, great reason. That just made Ancient One seem even less reliable.

"Anyway, this Altos failed at the final step. Though he had mastered power greater than that of some Dimensional Demon Gods, he still fell short at the very end.

He had wanted to use runes to unify magic and technology. His ultimate failure created spatial storms and temporal turbulence, shattering and distorting space-time. The entire Antuavah Dimension collapsed as a result and was carved up by various Dimensional Demon Gods. Only one final dimensional fragment remained, evolving into a miniature dimensional world known as the Altos Dimension, drifting through the endless multiverse.

That Book of Altos may be a work no less significant than the Book of the Vishanti or the Book of Darkness. Goddess Oshtur, one of the Vishanti Trinity, once foretold that the Book of Altos was within that miniature dimension."

"And this is the treasure you were talking about?"

Shimizu rubbed his chin.

The moment there was something to gain, his form of address for Ancient One changed from old man to sir.

A work on Rune Magic written by a great mage who had nearly become a multiversal god.

Its value was indeed close to top-tier knowledge artifacts like the Book of the Vishanti. The value contained within it was impossible to measure.

"Yes, that book may suit you very well. The Antuach people once used runes to perfectly combine magic and technology. You know magic and understand technology, so it’s quite compatible with you. Once you obtain that book, as long as you don’t imitate Altos and try to unify science and magic here, causing space-time to collapse, the knowledge within will be enough to make you one of the foremost great mages."

"Then how do I get to that dimension?"

"You needn’t worry about that. Once you’re prepared, just pay the Vishanti a price sufficient for a round trip between the two universes."

Ancient One answered bluntly.

"All right, then next we—"

"I know, I know. We agreed on this. You can take at most two!"

Ancient One emphasized it again.

"All right, all right. I get it."

Ancient One opened a golden portal.

Shimizu stepped through after him and arrived before a massive metal door.

A bronze incense burner stood before the door. An elderly man in monk’s robes, his arms missing, sat cross-legged on a cushion before it and opened his closed eyes.

"Master Hamir, so you’re on guard duty today."

Ancient One pressed his palms together toward Hamir and bowed slightly.

Hamir was a follower of Tibetan Buddhism.

"Ancient One."

Hamir rose from the ground.

"I’ve come to select magical artifacts for Master Wade."

Hamir glanced at Shimizu, who returned the Buddhist salute, nodded slightly, and stepped aside.

With a wave of one hand, Ancient One threw open the metal doors, revealing the true appearance of the temple’s storage chamber.

It was a grand hall lined with glass display cases, with countless magical artifacts hanging on the walls and placed on tables and shelves.

The moment Shimizu stepped inside, several artifacts within the glass cases began to tremble. Some even slammed against the glass, only to be blocked by glowing mystic formations the instant they touched it.

Many artifacts on the surrounding walls, tables, and shelves also lit up at that moment.

In the blink of an eye, the entire artifact vault became lively.

"Sigh… this is why I didn’t want to bring you here in the first place."

Ancient One looked at Shimizu with undisguised envy.

"Ah… so I’m just as popular among magical artifacts as I am among people."

Shimizu immediately beamed.

He was popular among people because he had money and was willing to spend it.

But why were these magical artifacts so restless the moment they saw him?

"Of course it’s because of the energy inside you. Other mages borrow their energy from outside sources. They barely have enough for themselves, much less enough to nurture magical artifacts. The energy inside you may not be as high-quality as that of a Dimensional Demon God, but you have plenty of it and can produce it steadily. Regular nurturing can make magical artifacts stronger, which is why they’ve taken a liking to you.

Don’t tell me you think it’s because of that face of yours, which is only worth ninety points at best."

Ancient One practically sprayed Shimizu with spit as he spoke.

"Ninety points? That’s still a pretty high score for my face. It’s perfectly normal for these appearance-conscious magical artifacts to choose me because I’m handsome and charming."

"Normal my ass. Even your ninety-point face can’t earn the favor of so many magical artifacts. Why can’t my perfect hundred-point face do the same? Clearly, these artifacts don’t choose people based on looks."

Ancient One argued.

"If they really did choose based on looks… it would be perfectly normal for you to be less popular than me among magical artifacts."

Shimizu examined Ancient One’s old face and gave his verdict.

Ancient One: ╬▔皿▔╯!!!

"I’m not giving you any magical artifacts. No matter what you say, you’re getting nothing."

"After all, the value of these artifacts alone can’t possibly match your perfectly handsome face, which has achieved a perfect score. Perhaps only a divine artifact like the Eye of Agamotto, which can be held only by successive Sorcerer Supremes, would barely be worthy of you."

"Ahem, keep it low-key, keep it low-key. Which ones do you like? I’ll pick out two good ones for you."

"Can’t I take one more?"

"No."

All those compliments had been for nothing.

I take back every compliment I just gave Ancient One and automatically transfer them all to myself.

"Then introduce them to me?"

Shimizu had no idea which ones suited him.

"Wait. Let me see which ones are suitable for you."

Ancient One removed the Eye of Agamotto hanging around his neck and used the Time Stone to peer into the future, his head twitching as he looked all over the place.

"I’ll introduce a few for you to consider."

A few minutes later, Ancient One scratched his ear and walked toward the wall.

"You aren’t checking which ones are the worst, are you?"

"How could I?"

Ancient One paused, then naturally moved his hand away from a set of bamboo armor before him and toward a necklace hanging nearby.

"The ones I choose will all be the most suitable for you. You have great potential in both wind and lightning, so every treasure I pick will fit your abilities well. For example, this Gers’ Wind Necklace can convert energy into extraordinarily docile wind, granting you the power of flight and the ability to create wind blades."

"How fast can it fly?"

"For a normal adult, about as fast as a motorcycle?"

"That’s kind of mediocre."

Shimizu shook his head.

His armor could fly far faster than that. This boost was not much use, and he could already create wind blades with his own Wind Release.

"Strom Arc is an ancient magical artifact. It can summon large-scale thunderstorms and enhance one’s ability to manipulate lightning, making it useful for long-range offense and defense…"

"That sounds pretty good. Let’s look at the others. I don’t lack offensive methods."

If it enhanced lightning manipulation, it should also enhance Lightning Release.

"You don’t lack offensive methods? The Mechanical Soul Casket was a core created by Sir Newton in his youth to control magical puppets. It can grant a certain degree of intelligence to mindless objects. I suggest you take this along with this Storm Amber. Storm Amber contains immense energy. It can enhance all wind-related spells and provide power for puppets."

"No need. I have Artificial Intelligence and other energy sources. I don’t need that."

"The Stavros Disk…"

"And this Veiled Eye…"

Ancient One introduced another seven or eight artifacts in succession, and his impatience became increasingly obvious.

As Ancient One introduced them, Shimizu silently ranked the magical artifacts in his mind.

The artifacts hanging on the walls varied in quality, but the ones inside the glass display cases had to be exceptional.

Their spiritual nature was simply too strong.

For example, that Magic Cloak.

It curiously pressed itself against the glass as though it had eyes, watching Shimizu and Ancient One pass by.

It had provided Strange with tremendous assistance. If given the choice, Shimizu naturally wanted it too.

However, the Magic Cloak was one of the few artifacts that barely acknowledged Shimizu. It probably looked down on the quality of the Chakra inside him.

It was likely kept inside the case because they feared that one day, these artifacts would simply run off on their own.

Like the Magic Cloak, the ones that looked down on Shimizu were generally the very finest among the finest.

But that did not mean every artifact that liked Shimizu was mediocre.

"The Net of Zoroaster. In the sixth century BCE, the then-Sorcerer Supreme Zoroaster defeated the Master Weaver and refined this artifact from the spoils of war.

This net can absorb and store energy. It is incredibly durable and can be used for defense or to capture energy-based creatures such as spirits and elemental sprites. When spread open, the threads of the Net of Zoroaster can reach up to a hundred kilometers away, and it can passively detect energy fluctuations within a hundred kilometers.

It also has a few minor functions. For example, it can attach and enhance the user’s senses through its threads, and it can automatically help an injured user mend their wounds."

A handkerchief-sized mesh pouch floated in the glass display case, extending several loose threads and desperately trying to squeeze through the gaps in the case.

Several threads had already slipped out, unnoticed even by the detection magic set within the case.

Shimizu took a liking to it at first sight.

He was a Puppeteer. This sort of thread- and net-type magical artifact suited him perfectly.

The little thing was quite appealing.

Since it came from Zoroaster, it was certainly no ordinary item.

He was also a renowned historical figure because he had founded Zoroastrianism.

Its functions were excellent, and it could enhance his senses.

The range and strength of the Transparent World’s perception were tied to his Mental Power, and it could be blocked.

For example, Mordo’s Valtor’s Mist had successfully suppressed his perception earlier.

The threads of this net could enhance his senses and even extend them as far as a hundred kilometers away. It could practically serve as a Mind’s Eye of the Kagura.

Meanwhile, Shimizu’s Transparent World only had a sensory range of a little over a thousand meters.

Although his perception range had continued to expand as his Mental Power increased, he estimated that without some fortunate opportunity in this area, his original body’s Mental Power, relying on the Puppeteer inheritance, would only become roughly twice as strong as it was now by the time he reached its limit with age. It would probably be around Chiyo’s level.

That was more or less the limit traditional Puppeteers in the Naruto World could achieve, and even then, it would take quite a while.

Combined with its additional abilities of close-range protection, capturing spirits, and repairing wounds, it was an exceptional defensive support artifact.

"I’ll take it."

Shimizu reached out a finger and teased the few floating threads, releasing a little Chakra.

Those threads immediately wound themselves around him and began drawing Chakra from his fingertip.

"For the other one, I choose the Eye of Myriad Phenomena."

Shimizu pointed at a simply designed monocle hanging on the wall.

It was not inside a glass display case, which likely meant that this artifact did not possess much intelligence.

But Shimizu considered its function the most suitable for him among all the artifacts.

Once worn, the monocle allowed its wearer to see the flow of energy and granted the ability to see through nearly all Genjutsu.

Combined with the Transparent World, Shimizu could be like the Uchiha—able to see not only an enemy’s physical movements, but also the ninjutsu and spells they were about to cast, then copy them on the spot.

As for things like the Stavros Disk, they could only be discarded for now.

They could strengthen his upper limit of offensive power to a certain extent, but his current combat strength was already enough to handle most threats on Earth.

And the things he could not handle did not need to concern him too much over the next few years.

With Ancient One and Odin, two Celestial-level powerhouses protecting Earth, anything beyond his ability would not fall on his shoulders.

As for a few years later…

Maybe this entire artifact vault will belong to me by then?

I may not be strong yet, but once I am, things will change!

You old bastard, Ancient One. Just wait! One day, every magical artifact here will…

"Why do I feel like you’re thinking something extremely disrespectful?"

Ancient One suddenly turned his head and looked at Shimizu, who was putting on the Eye of Myriad Phenomena.

"Ah, no, no, no. You’re overthinking it, Ancient One. I was only thinking about how to handle the task you assigned earlier."

"You think I believe that?"

"Ahem, well, I’ll be going now!"

Shimizu pretended to cough twice and moved to open a portal.

But though sparks flashed, the portal did not open.

"Go outside to open one. To prevent anyone from stealing artifacts from here, this place has spatial seals."

Spatial seals?

"Ancient One, could you explain how these spatial seals work?"

Shimizu asked curiously.

If they could suppress space, could they also restrict Flying Thunder God, Kamui Space, and the like?

If he could master them…

"Next door is the Sanctum Sanctorum that monitors Earth’s space-time. The Orb of Agamotto, which can detect dimensional rifts, is kept there. This is one of its side effects."

Well then, it was accomplished through a divine artifact. It seemed he could not learn it.

"If there’s nothing else, hurry up and get lost."

"Got it!"

Shimizu quickly walked outside, pressed his palms together toward Master Hamir, who was waiting at the entrance, and offered another salute before opening a portal and leaving directly.

Ancient One stared deeply at Shimizu’s departing figure, his brow tightly furrowed.

"The future has changed again."