The system notification sound arrived just as Mordo started laughing.
Kei looked towards the other side at Kaecilius, who had already stood up, and gestured with his hand, indicating that he could ask any questions he had.
"You just said that magic is all-powerful. Does that mean resurrection is possible as well?" Kaecilius clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the pressure. He had studied magic for the sole purpose of resurrecting his wife and child.
If it couldn't be done... Then what was the point of all his efforts?
"It is possible. In fact, it's even simpler than many might imagine. I have at least five or six different spells that can bring back the dead. But, you should know, casting any spell comes at a price. Even the least costly resurrection spell will shave off at least a hundred years of your lifespan." Kei deliberately exaggerated the side effects of resurrection magic. Even so, the mere existence of magic capable of bringing back the dead left many sorcerers utterly stunned.
But just considering that even the smallest price would cost over a hundred years of one's lifespan… The vast majority of sorcerers immediately abandoned any thoughts of learning such magic. Some even resolved never to mention its existence to others.
What if someone with ill intentions used their loved ones to blackmail them into performing such a spell? Wouldn't that mean certain doom for them?
"May I learn it?" Kaecilius' eyes shone with an almost frightening intensity. Among sorcerers, he was already an accomplished practitioner, easily capable of living over a hundred years.
The price of resurrecting two people might be too much for him to bear. But if he could bring back his child, he was willing to accompany his wife to the afterlife. He would atone for his failures as a husband in the depths of the underworld.
"You may. But I do not wish for Kamar-Taj to lose an excellent sorcerer, nor do I want to see a motherless child kneeling before me, begging me to teach them how to resurrect their parents."
Kei gently stroked the Eye of Agamotto hanging on his chest. The green glow of the Time Stone made Kaecilius instinctively feel that the Sorcerer Supreme before him had truly glimpsed into the future. And in that moment, he realized how cruel his previous thoughts would be for his child.
He found himself at a loss for words, unsure of what else to say.
"Let's make a pact under the constraints of the Oathbinding Law. When your strength reaches the point where you have more than three hundred years of lifespan, I will teach you the spell that can bring back your wife and child."
Kei waved his hand, summoning a replica of Gungnir, and drove it into the ground before Kaecilius.
Feeling the Supreme Contract burrowing into his soul from the spear, Kaecilius let his tears flow freely. Crying and laughing at the same time, he knelt down, bowing his head in deep gratitude.
The wish he had long pleaded for had finally seen a glimmer of hope. And under the constraints of the Oathbinding Law, the pact he made was unbreakable.
Excitement, relief, and a sense of having endured all hardships for this very moment left him completely at a loss for how to express himself.
[Significant alteration to a well-known supporting character's fate.]
[Slight interference with the timeline detected.]
- 1 trait extraction & gifting (Purple)
- 1 trait upgrade (Green)]
[Trait Copy & Transfer Opportunity (Purple):
Allows the user to copy and transfer a purple-tier or lower trait from themselves or another person to someone else or themselves.]
The system notification chimed again. Kei glanced at this new function and raised an eyebrow slightly.
In simple terms, this was a combination of the Trait Duplication and Trait Gifting.
For example, if he saw a trait on someone that he didn't need but wanted to give to another person, he could use this ability, skipping the extra step of copying it first before transferring it.
Purple-tier or lower? Not bad, I guess.
He glanced at Kaecilius, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, unable to calm his emotions.
The movie version of Kaecilius was strong, but ultimately, he was still just a mid-tier villain, not deserving of high-level rewards.
If he really wanted big rewards…
He'd have to look at major figures like Iron Man!
In a seaside mansion in Malibu, a robotic voice echoed through the luxurious rooms.
"Sir, I have detected an abnormal surge in communication network activity. A high volume of mentions of the terms 'magic' and 'Sorcerer Supreme' have appeared within a short timeframe. Furthermore, over 60% of these signals have undergone location shifts of over 1,000 kilometers in an instant, all now appearing at the base of a snowy mountain. This suggests the presence of a concealed organization."
The man, who was busy working on the leg cross-route design for the an armor, paused and stretched lazily.
"Over a thousand kilometers in a short time? How short?"
"Less than thirty seconds. If we exclude factors such as mobile signal reconnections, then less than ten seconds."
"You sure it's not just some glitch in the signal towers, ?"
"This involves seven continents, 49 countries, and 8,125 signal towers. The probability of signal interference or coding errors is below 1%."
"Haven't found Hammer yet, but now we've stumbled upon an organization with supernatural abilities? Hack into their phones, I want to see what's happening."
"Sir, I must remind you that our actions—"
"Stop! There aren't any laws against this yet. And all I'm doing is borrowing their cameras for a peek, okay? I'm not stealing their meager savings or checking if their wives are hot. Got it?"
"Understood." As the robotic voice responded, the 3D virtual display in front of Tony flickered, revealing a series of images from inside Kamar-Taj's temple.
Sorcerers from all over the world, after expressing their gratitude for Kei's teachings, activated their Sling Rings one after another, creating glowing golden portals and quickly returning to their respective countries.
Some passionate and fiery female sorcerers even approached Kei, asking if they could take a photo with him.
The images kept shifting.
Using Kamar-Taj's WiFi and massive data algorithms, Kei's figure was locked and labeled with the title "Sorcerer Supreme Kei."
"GOD! JARVIS, if these are doctored images, I'm tearing you apart!"
The man stared at the figures disappearing into the portals, his mouth slightly agape.
This world actually had magic?!
Meanwhile, back at Kamar-Taj, as Kei wrapped up his lecture and took photos with the enthusiastic female sorcerers, he distinctly felt a sense of being watched, and the source of this surveillance came entirely from the cameras of smartphones.
He had taken pictures with Tsunade and others before, but he had never felt this kind of sensation. Yet, when the female sorcerers used digital cameras or other devices, the feeling disappeared.
Remote access to someone else's phone camera… In the 2011 Marvel Cinematic Universe, only two entities could achieve such a feat:
Tony Stark's AI, Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, better known as JARVIS.
The HYDRA scientist, Arnim Zola, who had transferred his consciousness into a supercomputer.
As the mastermind behind the Projekt Insight, Zola had spent his life in hiding and would never expose himself this early. Even if he wanted to investigate something, he would first send HYDRA's underlings to probe around or use other organizations as cover, he wouldn't just recklessly charge in.
So… this kind of direct, impulsive approach, was there even a need to guess who it was?
You just can't keep quiet, huh? Kei maintained his usual smile as he bid farewell to the enthusiastic female sorcerers.
By now, he had a pretty good idea why Tony had suddenly pinpointed Kamar-Taj's location.
At the end of the day, while Kamar-Taj's setup was old-fashioned and its buildings were falling apart, it wasn't some isolated tribal village cut off from the world, it had WiFi.
In the age of the internet, keeping something completely secret wasn't that easy.
Besides, in the original timeline, Kamar-Taj's sorcerers had never gathered on such a large scale before 2016, prior to the Ancient One's death.
A mass gathering involving sorcerers from all over the world? That was bound to attract attention.
After watching the departing sorcerers vanish into their portals, he took out the smartphone in his pocket.
As he sensed the faint surveillance presence again, he spoke directly. "JARVIS, how's the weather in Malibu today? Good for surfing?"
Back in his California mansion, Tony smacked his forehead. There was no doubt, his actions had been discovered. And the guy had instantly figured out who was watching him.
Furrowing his brows, Tony waved a hand at JARVIS, signaling him to just answer the question.
Tony bit his thumb, trying to extract as much information as possible from the conversation.
"Today in Malibu, the weather is warm and sunny, with temperatures ranging from 13°C to 21°C. The waves are between knee-height and waist-height, better suited for a beach party."
"A beach party, huh? Sounds good. Tell Tony Stark to get ready, we'll be there in two minutes."
Kei's lips curled into a smirk. Look at that, trouble had come knocking on his door, saving him the hassle of finding an excuse to approach Tony himself.
"What's going on?" Mordo curiously asked from the side. He knew about Tony, the biggest shareholder of Stark Industries and the current Iron Man. But the Sorcerer Supreme actually knew him?
"That guy found Kamar-Taj." Kei casually explained, then turned to Wong.
"Wong, is celibacy required at Kamar-Taj?"
"There are no such rules." Wong was briefly stunned before answering promptly.
"Then you… never mind. Mordo, are we short on money lately?" Kei patted the young disciple on the shoulder, then turned to Mordo.
"...Very short! The temple's facilities are completely outdated, we need renovations and reconstruction." Mordo, being of noble lineage and in charge of managing Kamar-Taj, immediately understood. Their new Sorcerer Supreme had just found a rich sucker to squeeze.
Discovering Kamar-Taj wasn't that big of a deal. Plenty of ordinary people stumbled upon it every year, otherwise, how would they even recruit new sorcerers?
But… the buildings at Kamar-Taj really did need renovations.
"Let's go, let's go, this is an opportunity!" Kei extended a hand, summoning a glowing Sling Ring portal.
He waved at Wong, Mordo, and Kaecilius to follow him.
Wong scratched his head, trailing behind Kei while muttering under his breath, "...Celibacy is a form of training too, you know."