After settling in, the Ancient One invited Mavuika to the tea room next to the main hall for a detailed discussion. This time, no other sorcerers were present, only the two of them.
Amidst the curling tea aroma, Mavuika explained her purpose: "Hela's work in the Underworld has entered a new phase. She needs to connect the Reverie Rule to the other Worlds of the Nine Realms through Midgard. This process involves complex cross-dimensional energy weaving. I lack the skills in this area. I heard that Kamar-Taj has deep attainments in space and dimensional magic, so I came to ask for guidance."
The Ancient One nodded after listening: "No problem, leave it to me."
Mavuika's eyes lit up: "The Sorcerer Supreme indeed understands my needs."
"Then stay for a while," the Ancient One said simply. "This will take quite some time. During this period, Your Highness can also arrange your time freely, whether it's reading the classics in the Library or communicating with other sorcerers of Kamar-Taj."
Subsequently, Mavuika stayed at Kamar-Taj. Not long after, the outside World began to fall into turmoil.
The sound of artillery fire penetrated the magical barriers and faintly reached Kamar-Taj.
The armies of various nations slaughtered each other, and the battlefields were strewn with corpses. Innocent civilians were displaced, their wails intermingling with the sounds of explosions. The entire European continent was shrouded in the smoke of gunpowder.
This was World War I in human history.
"In the face of such a war, will the Sorcerer Supreme's side intervene?" Mavuika was somewhat curious about this.
The Ancient One shook her head bluntly: "No. This is a necessary process of human development itself, a price they must pay when choosing their path."
"The responsibility of Kamar-Taj and the Sorcerer Supreme is to block external threats—dimensional demons, otherworldly invaders, and dark existences trying to devour this World. We will not interfere in wars between humans."
She walked to the table and sat down again: "It's like a high fever; it's the body's natural reaction when fighting an infection. Forcing the temperature down might be counterproductive and hide the true cause. Humans need to walk this path themselves, bear the consequences of their choices, and learn to rebuild from the ruins."
Mavuika nodded, understanding clearly.
This was the same as her and Asgard's current thinking. Asgard guarded the overall peace of the Nine Realms but would not casually interfere in the internal conflicts of a specific World.
Unless the conflict was intense enough to shake the foundation of the World and threaten the stability of the Nine Realms, only then would they step in to mediate.
"Then," the Ancient One refilled their teacups with hot water, "let us begin today's work."
Mavuika smiled: "I'll trouble the Sorcerer Supreme then."
Kamar-Taj was like an isolated paradise; while the outside World was in the heat of battle, it remained peaceful.
The Ancient One taught Mavuika the relevant spells without reservation: how to perceive the root system of Irminsul, how to build cross-dimensional energy channels, and how to merge the rules of the Resurrection Poem with Midgard's ley line energy.
These spells were exquisite and saved Mavuika countless hours of trial and error.
Every morning, they held discussions in the tea room or a quiet room in the Library.
As time passed, she learned how to construct energy bridges spanning dimensions, how to adjust frequency differences between different Worlds, and how to 'translate' and 'amplify' the rule fluctuations coming from the Underworld.
Every time she mastered a new technique, she would contact Hela via the Bifrost Bridge to apply these skills to the actual rule weaving.
Hela's work efficiency significantly improved because of this. The connection work, which was originally expected to take hundreds of years, was accelerated by at least thirty percent after Mavuika learned Kamar-Taj magic.
Mavuika was very grateful to the Ancient One for her selfless teaching: "Thank you for your careful guidance, Sorcerer Supreme. Without the Kamar-Taj magic system as a foundation, it would have probably taken me hundreds of more years to figure it out on my own."
The Ancient One shook her head: "Your Highness is too modest. With your foundation of divine power and understanding of the essence of energy, even without Kamar-Taj's magic, you would eventually find your own way. We are just providing you with a faster path."
She paused and suddenly said, "In fact, if Your Highness is interested, Kamar-Taj has more and more powerful spells to learn. As long as Your Highness wants to learn, I can teach you."
Mavuika was a bit surprised: "These... should be the core inheritance of Kamar-Taj, right? Is it really okay to teach them to an outsider like me?"
She had always been careful to maintain boundaries, only learning spells related to the Reverie Rule and Hela's work.
She had never proactively requested or thought about learning those powerful magics that clearly belonged to Kamar-Taj's core inheritance.
The Ancient One smiled, a rare look that was almost sly: "Your Highness worries too much. In fact, if Your Highness is willing to learn these more powerful spells, it would actually be a good thing for me."
She gestured for Mavuika to sit down and then began what was perhaps the most straightforward and 'honest' explanation of the nature of magic in Kamar-Taj's history.
"First, it must be explained that so-called 'magic,' especially those powerful spells, is not essentially a power generated by us sorcerers ourselves." The Ancient One's voice was calm, as if stating a very ordinary fact.
"The vast majority of them are 'borrowed' from higher-dimensional existences."
Mavuika blinked: "Borrowed?"
"Yes, borrowed," the Ancient One affirmed. "For example, the 'Sword of Vishanti' derives its power from the trinity of the Vishanti deities; the 'Shield of the Seraphim' comes from the Archangel Seraphim; the 'Ancient Body of Hoggoth' comes from the God Hoggoth..."
"Through specific incantations, gestures, and willpower, we establish a connection with these existences and borrow a portion of their power."
She paused and added, "Since it is borrowed, it needs to be repaid."
"It's just that the way of 'repaying' is not returning the energy, but paying a price. It could be life force, memories, emotions, or other more abstract things. This is why magic cannot be abused, and why every spell has its price."
Mavuika listened intently; this explanation completely overturned her traditional understanding of magic.
Asgardian divine power is innate or obtained through cultivation; it is a part of oneself.
But Earth's magic was actually... a loan?
The Ancient One continued, "However, there is a 'loophole' here."
"If the borrower themselves is strong enough—strong enough to ignore or resist the rules of 'repayment'—then they can keep borrowing without having to return it. Just as a poor person must repay a bank loan on time, but a country's central bank can print money indefinitely."
She looked at Mavuika with a serious gaze: "With Your Highness's strength, if you want to learn these magics, you can directly ignore the repayment rules for the vast majority of 'loans,' because your fundamental status is already high enough that those dimensional existences cannot forcibly demand a return."
Mavuika was stunned. This logic was simple and crude, yet it seemed to make a lot of sense.
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