Support Me: https://ko-fi.com/arcaneyes123
When Strange entered the Ancient One's library, someone was already there. Two people, a man and a woman, were dressed in wizard robes. The woman seemed engrossed in the magic tome in her hands and didn't notice them entering. The man tried to approach, but the Wizard King stopped him with a wave of his hand.
The Wizard King did not bother the two of them and took Strange around the area and into another bookshelf compartment.
"Those two?" After they walked away, Strange instinctively sensed something strange about them. Both of them possessed some special energy.
"They are two apprentices from another world, sent here for further training. They are the prince and princess of two human kingdoms from another world. After establishing diplomatic relations with us, they were sent to Kamar-Taj to learn its magic," the Mage King explained. "Their world is the source of the spells from the previous Magic Library. There are energies known as arcane and fel energy. Jaina, the princess, once studied in Dalaran, the human magic sanctuary of that world, and she has considerable talent."
"It seems this isn't an isolated case? Aren't you worried about aliens affecting your universe?" Strange was somewhat surprised. Normally, life from another universe would be considered an invader and a danger to be expelled to prevent it from significantly impacting the original world and the universe. But that didn't seem to be the case here.
Especially Kamar-Taj, as the guardian, should be more in line with this theory.
"This is indeed not an isolated case." The Mage King nodded. "This universe is different from other universes. Strictly speaking, it has been strengthened and transformed. This makes it more resistant to risks and more stable.
Anyone entering the area generally needs permission from three organizations to reside there permanently. For example, you need permission from Kamar-Taj. Of course, if something goes wrong, Kamar-Taj, as the one who granted permission, must also take responsibility for resolving the problem.
The other agencies are Hebron and S.H.I.E.L.D. If Kamar-Taj is responsible for mages and mystics, then Hebron is responsible for researchers and the wise. The rest will be handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D.
"So you don't mind the changes to the universe caused by outsiders, right?" Strange understood the Mage King's words. Since such an organization existed, it was obvious that this situation was already a common practice and was aboveboard.
"As long as this change is beneficial, I don't mind." The Mage King replied.
"Wouldn't this have a disruptive effect on your duties?" Strange demanded.
"Which aspect are you referring to? If it is the impact on the formation of the universe and the world, then that's not the case." The Mage King looked at Strange and said.
"I mean, what if there are stowaways? There must be outsiders who haven't been registered by you, right? If they do something that affects the balance of the universe, and you can't discover it in time..."
"That's impossible." The Mage King interrupted Strange and replied under his gaze, "In this universe, no outsider can escape the detection of the Hyperion monitoring system."
"Monitoring?" Strange showed interest in Heberon, who appeared very frequently. He had keenly discovered that many of the changes and modifications here seemed to be related to this organization that was very unfamiliar to him.
"Yes, the Data Dimension! You can think of it as the shadow of the universe, or the heart of the mind. Its monitoring methods were previously integrated with Kamar-Taj's magic, but now they have been modified by Hebron to be more complex and sensitive. Different levels of outsiders will trigger different levels of alarm.
If you were feeling unwell somewhere, you'd definitely feel it, right? The sensitivity of the data dimension far exceeds human perception of physical discomfort. The Mage King knew exactly what Strange was trying to find out. After all, he knew Strange all too well: clever and curious, arrogant and stubborn. Of course, he was referring to the Strange of other universes. The Strange of this universe was already a seasoned expert. But he didn't mind talking more about it. After all, it wasn't a secret, nothing worth hiding.
"I think this data dimension is also related to Heberon, right?" Strange guessed.
"It was first discovered, or rather created, by the ruler of Heibollen. In the past, it was just an existence similar to the initial network, playing the role of energy distribution and communication. But now it has long become a behemoth that no one can do without." The Mage King nodded and gave an affirmative answer.
"When I traveled to other universes, I also saw many organizations, such as the Illuminati. The philosophies they uphold seem to be inconsistent with yours." Strange beautified his escape journey. Although this Mage King was not the Mage King he was familiar with, looking at the other's face that was exactly the same as the twin of the Mage King in his memory, he subconsciously saved himself some face.
"What do you want to know?" the Mage King asked directly.
"I want to know what kind of organization Heberon is?" Strange expressed his wish without hiding anything.
"It depends on how you look at it. If you look at the early days of Heybollen, it was just a high-tech company, albeit a little bit special." The Mage King shrugged. "But after the emergence of the data dimension, it's no longer a simple high-tech company. Now it's more like a research brain. It guides and leads the Nine Realms to undergo tremendous changes.
Now if you ask me to define it, I'd find it difficult to give a relatively accurate answer. But if it's just my personal opinion, a cross-dimensional multiverse organization?
"What do you mean? Have your tentacles extended to other multiverses?" Strange looked surprised.
"This isn't a surprising question, is it? In fact, with this universe as its core, there are a great many multiverses extending, converging, and establishing close connections. I'd need to research the exact number before I can give a definitive answer.
Based on the contributions of these attached universes, Heibolun determines the amount of energy within its own universe. This may be a bit vague and difficult to understand, but to put it another way, you can understand the power it can achieve. It can determine the upper and lower limits of a universe! If necessary, such as in the event of a disaster that could affect the multiverse crisis, it can even completely lock down a universe.
"This is a little different from what I imagined," Strange couldn't help but say. From the Mage King's words, it seemed that Heberon was not a just and lawful organization in the moral sense.
"There is a slight difference between what you know and what I know." After hearing Strange's words, the Mage King looked at him with a special look.
"You talk as if you know me very well. Well, in a sense, you do know me very well." Strange was about to mock him, but then he seemed to think of something and his face fell.
"I've met Stranges from many universes, and they all share a common trait. They know how to assess the situation, or when faced with no other options, they choose the best course of action. They're both rational and ruthless.
When a universe falls into a huge crisis and there is a great possibility that it will spread to the multiverse like a virus and become a multiverse crisis, if it is possible to lock down this universe and let it fend for itself without affecting other multiverses, then Strange will eventually make this decision.
When disaster is inevitable, choose the one with the least loss. The Mage King turned and continued to lead Strange through the library, stopping and starting. Whenever Strange paused to browse a tome of spells from the shelf, he would stop and join him. When Strange replaced the book, he and Strange would move again, changing places, without interrupting their conversation.
"This is something I can do." Strange thought about it and found that he also had this part of the trait. If the situation really came to the point, he felt that he would most likely make the same choice.
"But you are different from those Stranges. There is still some emotional bias in your mind. Or should I say, you are more paranoid?" The Wizard King gave another answer.
"What do you mean?" Strange was a little confused by what the Wizard King said.
"What I mean is that there are some differences in your behavior style from the Stranges I have met. To be honest, I prefer your type. At least when I need you, you will calmly abandon me for some just reasons. Although my mind can understand the decisions and actions you make in that situation, I still feel lost and depressed." The Mage King narrated in detail.
"How do you know I'm different from the Stranges you've met? You know, strictly speaking, although we belong to different universes, our lives, experiences, everything is similar, even identical. Our personalities will naturally be the same." Strange paused, glanced sideways at the Wizard King who was walking beside him, and waited quietly for his answer.
"Shouldn't you have already noticed it in your heart?" The Wizard King faced Strange's gaze with a simple smile on his face.
"Is it the kind of energy that is unique to your universe?" Strange asked with certainty.
"To be precise, psychic energy has begun to spread and has taken deep root in the multiverse. Just like the powers of magic and chaos, it does allow people to more accurately and sensitively interpret emotional fluctuations." The Mage King answered with certainty, then continued, "Also, while experiences may be the same across the multiverse, these experiences generally refer to major events, the kind that can change your life and reshape your outlook and personality.
For example, in every universe where you become Doctor Strange, you will inevitably experience a car accident, inevitably injure your most important hand, and inevitably search the world for a cure. After repeated disappointments, you will finally place your hope on some illusory mysterious power.
Strange fell silent. The car accident and his search for magical redemption seemed like truly significant events he couldn't avoid. These hardships tempered him, and also gave him a new lease on life.
"But the details are still different. For example, do you still remember the gender, skin color, and appearance of Master Ancient One?" The Mage King asked the question with a hint of meaning.
"Of course it's a man. No," Strange blurted out, and then the next moment he frowned, he found that there seemed to be some gaps and changes in his memory. The Ancient One in his memory was a man, but his subconscious told him that this was wrong! The Ancient One was a woman!
A normal person, faced with a flood of memories, would undoubtedly disregard their own inexplicable subconscious and accept their memories as the true and only correct answer. But a mage, especially one as gifted as Strange, sometimes trusts his subconscious even more than his memories. After all, the mystical side possesses a vast array of powers capable of twisting and altering a person's memories.
If the memory is wrong, then everything that follows may also be wrong. This thought made Strange break out in a cold sweat.
"My memory tells me that Master Ancient One is a male, but my subconscious tells me that my memory is wrong."
In the end, Strange expressed all his feelings and psychological fluctuations.
"Sure enough, your emotional paranoia may have made you gain the favor and love of psychic energy during your travels through time and space, causing your trajectory to be corrected to a certain extent." The Mage King finally showed a look of interest on his face, as if he had been testing for a long time and finally found out some information that he cared about. He forced a generous smile on his face again, but this time the smile seemed much more friendly and familiar.
"What do you mean?" Strange was a little unsure.
"This is actually a hidden test. If you can't give me a satisfactory answer, then you are just an ordinary Strange to us, dispensable. But your answer did not disappoint us. You are a candidate to join the Doctor Strange Team and become its official member." The King of Wizards said, looking at Strange's calm expression, he explained again: "Master Ancient One is a woman, but the moment she embarked on the path to godhood, her multiverse began to shrink. She disappeared from the multiverse. But as an important link in the time node of the multiverse, Ancient One, this character will not disappear. Do you understand what I mean?"
"In other words, my subconscious is not wrong. The one who taught me magic was indeed the female Ancient One, but later because the Ancient One in your universe embarked on the path to becoming a god, the power of the universe modified our memories?" Strange seemed to be thinking about it.
"It's also possible that your universe has already been restarted. After all, the universe appears powerful, but it is also very fragile." The Mage King gave another possible answer.