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"You guys are crazy." Strange smacked his lips. Although he had only been in this universe for less than a day, his worldview had already been repeatedly shaken. If he hadn't seen that everything in this universe was still functioning normally and that order still existed, he wouldn't have believed that the world hadn't yet ended.
Could a manipulator like Mephisto actually become a partner of Kamar-Taj? Could a dark lord like Dormammu, who wanted to devour the planet and was Kamar-Taj's archenemy, actually cooperate and communicate with Kamar-Taj?
Having faced Dormammu once before, Strange knew full well that if a being of this caliber lacked strength or a threat to their countermeasures, they would have no intention of engaging in communication or negotiation with a mere ant in their eyes. As for getting them to sit down at a table and negotiate a long-term, stable relationship with humans, that was even more of a fantasy.
Strange used to have a high opinion of himself, even having his teacher, the Ancient One, say: "You are the best of us." But this interdimensional escape, and what he saw in this world, really woke him up.
The best?
So those who are not as good as him have become dimensional demons one by one, and he, the best one, is being chased across the universe by Scarlet Witch?
Strange didn't know whether the Ancient One of this universe would be more powerful than Wanda of this universe, but he was sensitively aware that everything in this universe might be beyond the standard for other universes!
For example, oneself in this universe?
In his perception, that Doctor Strange was far more powerful than he was. At least so powerful that Scarlet Witch couldn't easily defeat him. This alone made him infinitely more powerful than he was now. He was also far more powerful than the most powerful version of himself he had ever seen in other universes!
"Crazy? No, no, no, this is nothing." The Mage King subconsciously shook his head after hearing Strange's words, "We are already very normal! It's not us who are crazy, it's those researchers in Heberon! It's those dimensional demons whose power is rapidly growing at an inexplicable speed.
Do you know why Heberon's lab has to move off this planet, or even off the material plane of this universe? Because their research is too dangerous to the universe! Even if it's moved to the data dimension, there's still the occasional risk of it detonating on the material plane, forcing us to handle it.
"Give me an example. I want to know how crazy they are? Have they created some weapons or viruses that can destroy the universe?" Strange was a little curious about this. He heard that the core of this alliance was Hyperion, which was headed by Luke.
"Destroy the universe? Since Heberon can determine the upper and lower limits of a universe and lock onto a particular one, destroying it? Wouldn't that be easy?" The Mage King said calmly, leaving Strange somewhat stunned. A thoughtful look crossed his face as he spoke. He pondered for a moment, then continued, "Let me think, what was the latest important research topic they presented to us at the Energy Bank meeting? Research on the mass production of dimensional creatures? And the mass production of dimensional demon gods?"
"Can this be done?" Strange really couldn't control his emotions this time, and asked in a somewhat inappropriate manner.
What are dimensional creatures and dimensional demons?
Is there anyone in humanity who understands this better than these mages, who have been fighting and battling these beings since their very existence? They understand, better than anyone else, the sheer terror and difficulty inherent in this. It sounds like the Heiboren organization is a core human research organization, primarily focused on science from the beginning. But is this the extent of science? Judging by the definition of science, it seems to encompass this. But this is only an assumption, a possibility.
"If you're talking about others, I'm not sure. But if you're talking about those crazy people in Hyperborean, I'm very sure they can do it. Just like the core rules of Mephisto's abilities have been adjusted to a contract, Hyperborean, the research organization founded by Luke, has been influenced and endowed with rules that are forcibly analyzed and summarized. In other words, there is no power or technology that they cannot analyze and replicate. This is true for magic, and it's also true for dimensional power. Otherwise, why do you think the world hasn't been destroyed yet and can still maintain its current order? Some unknown benefits are one reason, and the other is that Luke and his Hyperborean are simply too powerful!"
"I can't quite imagine it." Strange listened in silence and responded somewhat dazedly.
"I can't imagine it either, but they always seem to have a language system that can explain the incomprehensible mysteries. To use some simple metaphors they once said that people can understand, as long as we force them to be understood as a kind of explainable high-dimensional life, and then distinguish and compare them with humans and various life forms, we can conclude how life forms like humans should evolve into similar high-dimensional life forms. This is my understanding, because the person who told me this at the beginning gave me a headache." The Mage King said with a helpless look on his face.
"But any research isn't based on imagination; it requires experiments and samples." Strange might be a doctor, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of certain things. He looked at the Mage King with a nervous, dangerous look.
"If necessary, they can do this. Because they are constantly exceeding the defined limits of science. They can not only study existing things and their laws, but also study things that cannot be understood. It's just that those madmen, except Luke, can't do it easily.
As for samples and experimental subjects? I suggest you visit the prison in the data dimension when you have time. It's filled with creatures from various dimensions, as well as pitiful demons who owed huge debts to the energy bank and had to "voluntarily" serve as guinea pigs for a period of time.
In fact, they've already achieved quite stable results. They're grafting parts of dimensional creatures onto the bodies of various races, giving them traits unique to certain dimensional creatures! "The Mage King sighed. He felt that if Heberon continued this research, mages would become ubiquitous, becoming a completely obsolete profession.
"Impossible!" Strange exclaimed. Human-to-human organ swaps inevitably involve rejection, and exchanging limbs and organs between dimensional beings and life within the universe is even more challenging on a completely different level. In fact, Strange didn't think it could possibly work!
Perhaps there are similar examples in the universe, but these are generally unrepeatable and extremely unexpected. They are not the controllable mass reproduction that the Mage King seems to have truly researched.
"We can see for ourselves." The Mage King wasn't surprised by Strange's disbelief. He'd been equally incredulous when he'd first heard the news. But those researchers at Heberon had managed to pull it off. Their constant technological innovations constantly refreshed his understanding of the mysterious world. So, seeing Strange's face filled with disbelief, he felt as if he were seeing himself back then.
For a moment, the Wizard King suddenly thought that it would be a good idea to shatter Strange's worldview a little more?
"Seeing is believing?" Strange was stunned by the words of the Mage King.
"Yes, nothing can prove something better than seeing it with your own eyes, hearing it with your own ears, touching it with your own hands, and feeling it with your own hands. There happen to be several such grafted people undergoing psychological conditioning and living in Kamar-Taj now. Do you want to go with me to take a look?" The Mage King stopped and turned to Strange to invite him.
Although Strange remained silent, he followed the Mage King's footsteps. His curiosity was beating wildly in his chest, urging him to keep up.
Together, they arrived at a newly constructed hall. Much of Kamar-Taj's layout and architecture was unfamiliar to Strange. There were more mages here, but the atmosphere was also more lively. This liveliness was defined by the presence of people.
The Kamar-Taj he remembered was mostly populated by ascetics and hermits, separated from the outside world. But here, there was no such isolation. People could be seen everywhere, and everywhere, there were mages wearing robes of various colors, radiating power.
"I wanted to ask before I came here, what's with all those different robes they're wearing? I remember that Kamar-Taj doesn't have this kind of clothing style." Before entering the hall, Strange looked at the wizards walking back and forth in the hall in front and asked subconsciously.
"Are you referring to the colors or styles of the robes? The symbols here are used to distinguish between different schools of magic," the Mage King replied after a quick glance. Seeing Strange's curious expression, he patiently explained, "The current magical divisions within Kamar-Taj are complex, so complex that even those who don't understand will be completely bewildered. There are the old factions that adhere to tradition, and the new factions that embrace change. These two factions also maintain detailed internal divisions based on the different powers they employ."
Generally speaking, many new mage apprentices entering Kamar-Taj learn new schools of magic, primarily the elemental school of the Ancient One. This school is relatively safe, stable, and possesses powerful spells. However, the downside is that many possess only theoretical knowledge, lacking a specific level of talent. Upon reaching a certain level of proficiency, one must forge new paths, creating unique spell models and formulas tailored to their specific skill level.
The other school adheres to certain traditional spells. With the ability to replace powers from other dimensions with psychic powers, mages can use the replicating properties of psychic powers to safely use the powerful spells passed down from Kamar-Taj. The disadvantage is that the entry threshold is a bit high and it is quite picky.
Whether new or old, the core of both schools is psychic power, without a doubt. However, mastering psychic power presents numerous challenges. Different psychic powers enhance spells and influence the mind in different ways. They subtly influence the user's mind, causing them to continuously veer in a certain direction. The colored robes represent the psychic power they master. Those in blue robes here belong to this hall. They practice the psychic medicine lineage created by Stephen. Their mission is to guide and eliminate the hidden dangers of personality changes caused by long-term psychic practice, as well as provide psychological counseling.
"Psychic doctor?" Strange was very interested in the spells created by this universe itself.
"You are talented. Many Stranges have great talents in this area, provided they have worked as doctors before." The Mage King glanced at Strange and forced a smile. No matter what, Kamar-Taj has a huge demand for psychic doctors! They even need support for places like S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Time Administration.
"This spell faction is still under construction and growth. Currently, the most complete and widely used system is the Soul Scalpel. This spell can be used to remove psionic growth, reverse personality distortions caused by psionic influence, dissect the soul and emotions of living beings, and process materials formed by dimensional life and organisms."
"Sounds dangerous. Is it really okay to spread it?" Strange immediately understood the power and danger of this spell. It could do so much, and if used to commit evil and kill people, it would be a great tool.
"What spells are safe? The mysterious world is like this. We can only screen them. But there is no need to worry about this. Generally speaking, mages who practice soul medicine are sensitive to souls. An evil person cannot hide here at all. They can easily perceive the good and evil of a person's soul in an environment where they spend every day together. A sophisticated person can even tell at a glance what color the other person's soul and personality are." After asking back, the Mage King patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.
They now came to a room in the hall. After some gentle cleaning, they entered a small, somewhat empty room.
The room contained a man in a blue robe, and several beings who appeared to be from various races. Some looked like insects, some had skin colors different from those of the Nine Realms, and only one looked human.
"Langlom." The Mage King invited the human and motioned him to come over.
"I seem to have some impression of this name and person." Looking at the murderous man walking towards them with sharp steps, Strange was temporarily disturbed by his memory.
"People from S.H.I.E.L.D." The Mage King replied in a low voice.
"S.H.I.E.L.D.? This is Hydra!" Strange was surprised for a moment.
"What's so surprising? I know a lot about the history of the universe. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. is still here at this point in the universe, then Hydra is also here. Isn't that normal?" The Mage King shrugged. "Relax. The current Hydra has long since given up on their unrealistic goal of controlling the world. They may still have some ulterior motives, but overall they're very honest. Nick really likes these elite agents. Don't you want to see it for yourself? Langlom is part of the grafting operation.
The Hydra members' thirst for power, their devotion to becoming experimental subjects, has always been fanatical and incomprehensible to me. But I have to say that Rumlow is truly a leader among them.