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*****
"Hello, Stephen. To achieve this level of proficiency in just one year... it seems your talent is exceptionally high."
George looked at Doctor Strange standing before him, smiled, and extended his hand.
Doctor Strange reached out and shook George's hand in return.
"I didn't expect the renowned Mr. George to be a sorcerer as well. It is a pity that when I went to the Academy to seek help for my hands, you happened to be away."
As the principal of the Super Academy—the man who had led Earth into the cosmic age—George was a figure known throughout the world.
Every year, not only did he accept several high-profile interviews, but his name and photograph appeared in school textbooks across every nation. Of course, Stephen recognized him.
What surprised Stephen was that this principal was apparently friends with his teacher, the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One.
But thinking about it, it made sense. They were both extraordinary figures.
"You went to the school?"
George feigned a look of surprise on his face.
Stephen nodded. "A year ago, while piloting my flight vehicle, I accidentally collided with a spaceship transporting alien artifacts. It caused comminuted fractures in both my hands and tainted them with a peculiar curse."
"I visited famous doctors everywhere and utilized a great deal of alien high-tech, but the results were all failures."
"So, I specifically visited the Super Academy, hoping that the teachers and students there with superpowers could assist me."
"But that ended in failure as well."
"Professor X told me that only you, the Principal, might be able to cure my hands. However, you had left Earth to travel the universe, and no one knew when you would return."
"Then, by chance, I learned about Kamar-Taj. Holding onto that last shred of hope, I came here and joined the order."
"While it is regrettable that we missed each other, I think your current state is quite good. You solved the problem in the end."
George listened and smiled faintly. "Perhaps this is the arrangement of fate. You were destined to become a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj."
When Doctor Strange had come to the school for help, it was impossible for George to have been there.
The reason was simple: George had arranged that accident. The curse on Strange's hands had been personally placed by him.
With Earth now integrating alien technology and medical standards rising drastically, ordinary accidents were easily recoverable.
The purpose of doing this was to ensure Doctor Strange entered his correct destiny, preventing him from darkening into 'Black Strange'—an entity that could eventually destroy the entire universe.
The power of Black Strange was already at the Multiverse level. Although he wasn't the type of Multiverse entity that possessed his own internal worlds, his individual power was at that level, making him incredibly difficult to deal with.
Therefore, George could not allow Doctor Strange to walk down that dark path.
This was also a promise he had once made to the Ancient One.
"I don't believe in fate, but I am indeed grateful to my teacher for helping me heal my hands."
The rational Doctor Strange spoke with a look of emotion on his face.
In this short year, he had truly experienced and seen a great deal at Kamar-Taj.
"I'm going to find the Ancient One now. Please, continue."
With a simple greeting, he turned and left the rooftop training grounds.
However, as he walked away, Doctor Strange glanced at George's back and couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
"How odd. Although this is the first time we've met, I feel as though I've seen him somewhere before."
Walking into the main hall of Kamar-Taj, George saw the Ancient One in the middle of brewing tea.
"I've noticed you really do enjoy drinking tea," George said as he sat opposite her.
"How is it? are preparations nearly complete? I saw you've already given him the Time Stone."
Just moments ago, when he saw Doctor Strange, he had noticed the Eye of Agamotto hanging around his neck—the vessel for the Time Stone.
"I have lived for too long; this is the only bit of joy I have left."
The Ancient One poured a cup of tea for George.
"Yes. In just a few days, I can be thoroughly liberated. In the future, I hope you will look after Kamar-Taj and Stephen."
"No problem. A small matter," George waved his hand, dismissing the concern.
The Ancient One lifted her own tea and smiled. "Thank you. You coming here so suddenly... surely you have business to discuss?"
"Ancient One, I really can't hide anything from you. I want to ask you a question."
George didn't mind being seen through and asked honestly, "Say, if I were to completely resolve Dormammu and swallow his Dark Dimension, would there be any negative repercussions?"
According to what he had learned from the Ancient One, combined with the intelligence he possessed from his previous life, Dormammu originated from a race of extra-dimensional energy beings called the Faltine.
Because of his penchant for devouring physical matter, he was banished by his people to the Dark Dimension.
Later, relying on various magics—especially those created by the God of Dark Magic, Chthon—he unified the entire Dark Dimension.
He stole the power of the Dark Dimension, devouring it and expanding it into his own dimension, thereby ascending to become a Single Universe level powerhouse.
Later, to strengthen the Dark Dimension and increase his own power—and also due to his own preferences—he began to constantly invade major parallel universes.
He attempted to devour the core of these universes, Earth, to consume the entire universe and thereby advance to the Multiverse level.
Unfortunately for him, he was frequently beaten by the Ancient Ones of various parallel universes relying on the Three Sanctuaries, and was even forced to lend out the dark power of his own dimension.
George's goal was simple.
He wanted to use this invasion by Dormammu to swallow all his dark power and, while he was at it, merge the Dark Dimension into his own world.
His clones had already begun swallowing and fusing worlds; his main body naturally couldn't fall behind.
However, devouring Dormammu and the Dark Dimension would certainly have an impact on the entire Marvel Universe.
So, he had to consult the Ancient One first.
Behind the Ancient One stood Eternity, one of the four great abstract entities of the universe. Born at the instant of the Big Bang, Eternity represented the concrete manifestation of time for the entire Marvel Multiverse and was the collective consciousness of all life in the universe.
In short, Eternity was an existence George absolutely could not offend right now.
If Eternity did not agree, then killing Dormammu and swallowing the Dark Dimension would inevitably bring trouble upon him.
"Of course not. If you can achieve it, that would naturally be a good thing," the Ancient One said, looking at George with some surprise.
"However, killing Dormammu is not such an easy task. The one coming this time won't be his main body; at most, it will be an energy clone."
Dormammu was an extremely cautious dimensional demon god.
Although he constantly attempted to invade various parallel universes, he always used energy clones instead of his main body. The strength of these clones usually hovered around the Skyfather level.
This way, even if the clone was killed, he would at most lose some dark energy, posing no threat to his true self.
His main body remained in the Dark Dimension, and the Dark Dimension did not stay in one fixed location.
Even if one were to find the Dark Dimension, killing Dormammu inside it would be incredibly difficult.
Because within the Dark Dimension, Dormammu's strength was already at the Single Universe level—and a fairly powerful Single Universe level at that.
(End of Chapter)