Spoiler Syndrome

Perhaps because practicing magic had sufficiently strengthened his mental power, Josh found that his memory was getting better and better.

It was not simply better memory. He could recall many things he had once forgotten. For example, the young Black Widow behind him and the bald mage before him. Josh knew very well that there were many versions of Master Ancient One. In the comics, Master Ancient One was a man, but only in the movies did she dress like a bald monk.

While Josh and Garen sized up Master Ancient One, she was also observing the two young men before her.

Well, they could be called young for now. She did not know their true ages, since sufficiently advanced magic could prolong one’s lifespan. Even Master Ancient One herself had lived for several centuries, and her appearance had barely changed.

"Who are you? Why have you come to Earth? And can you understand my language?"

After observing them for a long while without learning anything, Master Ancient One tentatively spoke. It was not that she could not establish a mental bridge, but doing so would be impolite—especially before a mage of no small ability. It could practically be regarded as a provocation.

As for Garen, she could tell at a glance that he was a warrior. He even had a giant dragon as a mount, so these two were clearly no ordinary people.

"I think so. Hello, mage," Josh said with a shrug. After thinking for a moment, he added, "I learned English on an Earth in another world."

Josh did not believe that Earth’s guardian had come all the way to this freezing place just to find him for no reason. Clearly, the Sorcerer Supreme had discovered that he and Garen were otherworldly travelers from another world. As for how she had discovered them, Josh did not yet know.

"An Earth in another world? So that is indeed the case." Master Ancient One nodded, then glanced at Hosdena, who was lying nearby and yawning. "I thought I had sensed wrongly. To be honest, I did not notice how you entered this world. It was only when a magical fluctuation that did not belong to this world appeared that I realized something was wrong."

At that point, Josh immediately understood what had happened. Put simply, Hosdena’s appearance and Josh’s intervention had been discovered.

It had to be said that although Master Ancient One’s duty was to protect Earth from invasions by forces from other dimensions, when such an obvious magical aura, completely unlike anything in this world, appeared on Earth, even a blind man would sense it—especially Earth’s guardian.

"What is your purpose in coming here?" Master Ancient One’s expression became much more serious as she asked. Although she knew full well that these two young men were not her match.

"If I said I was just here sightseeing, you probably wouldn’t believe me, right?"

"What do you think?"

"Fine, fine. Just don’t act rashly. You’re an Eighth Tier mage. I’m no match for you."

Josh promptly admitted defeat. He could not help it—Master Ancient One was far stronger than he was. Akathosh had told him Master Ancient One’s level directly through their soul contract. Besides, even if he were evenly matched with her, Josh would not make things difficult for this mage. She was someone who truly devoted herself to Earth in silence and deserved respect.

"Let me put it this way. My friend and I are time-space travelers. I think you understand that term, right? My friends and I can travel through and study all kinds of parallel and nonparallel worlds, but our method of travel is extremely random. That is why we came to this world this time."

To be honest, Josh felt rather helpless. Having to explain himself every time was truly irritating. He decided that in the future, unless necessary, he simply would not bother explaining, because it was too troublesome. However, Josh’s words caught the attention of Natasha, who had previously looked utterly hopeless.

She had thought she was finished. She had even planned to ambush these two and die with them rather than become anyone’s plaything. But Master Ancient One’s appearance made her feel as though she knew nothing about this world, and after hearing Josh’s explanation, she was even more shocked.

"Randomly choosing worlds?" Master Ancient One understood such matters fairly well, but she was astonished by time-space travel. Up to now, she had only traveled through parallel universes and had never truly left this world. Yet these two young men seemed to have achieved exactly that?

"Yes, not merely parallel worlds." Josh nodded firmly. "For example, I learned my magic in my own world, which is called the Muya Continent. I learned English in the United Kingdom of the 1990s, from a student at a magic school on another Earth."

"Is that so?" Perhaps because she sensed no hostility from Josh, and because she was confident in her own strength, she lowered her guard and smiled faintly. "Then should I welcome you to Earth in the 1940s?"

"To be honest, I don’t feel much about this place." Josh shrugged. "There’s obviously not much here worth traveling for. I learned from the history of the previous world that World War II is being fought in this era."

"Then who won?" For some reason, little Natasha suddenly spoke up. The moment she did, however, she regretted it somewhat.

"The Allied Powers." Josh did not care who had asked and answered immediately. "The Axis Powers were utterly defeated in 1945. Unless something unexpected happens, this world should be more or less the same."

Master Ancient One nodded, seemingly agreeing with Josh. After all, she possessed the Time Stone. Observing the future through it was nothing difficult for her. She had long seen through the course of the war, and now she believed even more that Josh was a time-space traveler capable of breaking through the barriers of the universe.

"You still haven’t told me why you came here, child. Oh, forgive me, I do not know your age. Magic allows us to preserve our appearances and live for a long time, but you look far too young. Also, what do you mean by an Eighth Tier mage?"

"It’s fine. I’m only sixteen… seventeen. At first, I wasn’t sure where this world was, but now I am. To be honest, I know something about this world, but those are matters of the future. So now I plan to study this world’s magic. Mm, it would be a good reference."

After some thought, Josh stated what he wanted. Since he had already encountered one of the strongest people in this world, he had no intention of hiding anything further.

"As for Eighth Tier mages, that is what we call them on the Muya Continent. An Eighth Tier mage, also called a top-tier mage or Magic Controller, has transcended the ordinary and entered a level close to that of a demigod. Of course, not quite there yet. I’m only a mage close to the Fifth Tier."

"God, you’re only seventeen? To possess such magical power at seventeen, your future is immeasurable, child." Master Ancient One looked at Josh in amazement. "When I was your age, I was still a little girl who knew nothing. And this is your companion?"

"Hello, mage." Garen nodded to Master Ancient One. He still had great respect for someone with strength at this level. "You may call me Garen. I am his companion, though he and I are not from the same world. I come from Valoran. This giant dragon is my friend and partner. His name is Hosdena."

"Truly remarkable. But this girl seems to be just an ordinary person, doesn’t she?"

"Yes, she really is just an ordinary person." Josh could not be bothered to hide anything anymore. He felt that he would definitely return in the future, so building a good relationship with Master Ancient One beforehand could only be beneficial.

"But she will not be ordinary in the future. I know a little about this world’s future. This girl will definitely become a top-tier agent—someone exceptionally skilled at gathering intelligence. Someone like me, constantly moving between different worlds, has great need for such talent, so I brought her here."

Master Ancient One said nothing. She merely smiled at Josh for a long while before finally nodding, as if accepting his explanation.

With a casual wave, Master Ancient One opened a Magic Gate. Josh knew she probably intended to take them away from this place, and he was eager to leave as well. He could not stand this freezing wasteland at all.

After passing through the Magic Gate, the three of them immediately arrived in a library that had a very distinctive atmosphere. Josh guessed this was probably Master Ancient One’s residence. Sure enough, she soon explained, "Welcome to Kamar-Taj. This is my residence, and many mages like you cultivate here. By the way, how long do you intend to stay?"

"I think I’ll leave after I finish reading the magical materials here. I’ll return again in a few decades. This era is too unfamiliar to me. Perhaps it will be much better in the future."

Josh thought for a moment and answered naturally. He had no interest in meeting Captain America or anyone else right now. The difficulty of this world was not even comparable to the previous Wizard World. None of the people lurking in the shadows had revealed themselves yet. He was practically invincible in this era—unless Master Ancient One decided to interfere.

"Oh? Do you truly know how things will develop in the future?"

"Of course. For example, I know quite a bit about you as well."

"How so?"

"The Time Stone, and the erosion of Dark Energy."

Josh had never realized that he had such a habit of compulsively revealing spoilers, but seeing Master Ancient One’s shocked expression, he secretly laughed. It was actually quite thrilling.

However, Master Ancient One was, after all, the Sorcerer Supreme. After her shock, she quickly regained her composure. She gave Josh a deep look, then a streak of light suddenly appeared in her hand. Closing her eyes, she seemed to peer into the world itself. After a long time, she opened her eyes again and smiled faintly.

"It seems you really are quite extraordinary. I imagine you may help me resolve quite a few troubles in the future."