Ancient One's expression became even more "honest": "In fact, that is exactly how I handle things myself now."
"As the Sorcerer Supreme, I need to protect Earth and deal with various dimensional threats, so I have to borrow a large amount of power. To prevent these 'debts' from crushing Kamar-Taj, I choose... mostly not to pay them back."
She spread her hands: "It can't be helped. Earth needs protection, and my lifespan is limited. I can only borrow first and worry later."
Hearing this, Mavuika finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
She hadn't expected that this usually serious and profound Sorcerer Supreme would privately be such a... 'deadbeat'?
"Sorcerer," she said, suppressing her laughter, "won't those dimensional entities cause trouble for you if you do that?"
Ancient One shrugged: "Of course they will. So, part of my job is to deal with their debt-collecting messengers."
"However, in most cases, they can't do anything to me because most of them are not my match."
She looked back at Mavuika, her gaze becoming eager: "So, if Your Highness is willing to learn these magics, it would be equivalent to sharing the pressure for me and Kamar-Taj."
Mavuika was completely speechless.
She looked at Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme who had guarded Earth for centuries, who now seemed like a shrewd merchant pitching a 'win-win' cooperation agreement.
"Sorcerer..." Mavuika finally sighed, a helpless smile on her face: "You are truly... surprisingly candid."
Ancient One also smiled: "There's no need to hide anything before Your Highness. We both know each other's power levels and positions. Being direct is better for everyone."
She stood up and extended her hand to Mavuika: "So, what does Your Highness think? Would you like to learn some magic that 'doesn't need to be repaid'?"
Mavuika looked at that hand, then at the rare sincerity mixed with humor in Ancient One's eyes.
Ultimately, she still shook her head slightly.
"Although it sounds quite interesting..." she said, "For now, I'll pass."
"At least not until Hela and I have completely finished this task..." Mavuika added.
"No problem," Ancient One nodded.
"Whenever Your Highness has the inclination, Kamar-Taj is always welcome!"
Looking at the Ancient One who appeared like an unfathomable master, Mavuika suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for those dimensional entities.
Having the power they painstakingly accumulated borrowed and never returned—that feeling must be terrible.
"So it's not just the physical World..." she lamented. "Life isn't easy for dimensional beings either. To run into someone like you, Sorcerer Ancient One... it's simply rotten luck."
Ancient One was unashamed: "To protect Earth, necessary sacrifices are worth it, even if they are the ones being sacrificed."
Thus, Mavuika continued to assist Hela at Kamar-Taj in advancing the connection work for the Reverie Rule.
The war outside intensified, but inside Kamar-Taj, the peaceful atmosphere of study remained.
The sorcerers would occasionally discuss the progress of the war and worry for their relatives back home, but no one proposed intervening. This was Kamar-Taj's principle for thousands of years and an oath every sorcerer took upon entry.
The war lasted for four years. In the fifth year after the war ended, Ancient One began implementing the plan she had mentioned before, establishing three Sanctums globally to construct a defense array covering Earth.
The first Sanctum was built in London, the second in Hong Kong, and the third in New York.
When the New York Sanctum was completed, Ancient One invited Mavuika to visit together.
They arrived directly inside the Sanctum through a portal. It was a mystical space hidden within an ordinary building in New York's Greenwich Village.
From the outside, it was just a three-story red brick building, but inside, the space was expanded several times over by magic. Star charts were painted on the high dome, protective runes were carved into the walls, and a complex energy-guiding array was inlaid in the floor of the central hall.
Ancient One led Mavuika to the deepest part of the Sanctum, where there was a specially designed platform three steps above the floor. In the center of the platform was a circular groove carved with patterns of the Sun and fire.
"This is the altar reserved for the Holy Fire," Ancient One explained.
Mavuika stepped onto the platform and crouched down to examine the groove carefully.
The craftsmanship was extremely exquisite, and the material was a type of magical metal capable of withstanding extremely high temperatures and energy impacts.
The pattern at the bottom of the groove was cleverly designed to both guide fire energy and prevent energy leakage from causing destruction.
"The location is indeed good." She stood up and nodded in approval. "The energy node is stable, the spatial structure is solid, and it fits perfectly with the entire Sanctum's array."
"So," Ancient One looked at Mavuika, "what is Your Highness's choice?"
Mavuika was silent for a moment. Finally, she gave her answer.
"Let it be here," Mavuika's voice was clear and firm.
Ancient One smiled: "Then, once Princess Hela completes the final rule inscription and the time is ripe, I shall await Your Highness at the New York Sanctum for the moment you ignite the Eternal Holy Fire."
The morning mist of Kamar-Taj still lingered, the dew on the stone steps reflecting faint light. The sounds of the sorcerers' meditation and the turning of pages intertwined, forming a peaceful World apart from the rest.
Yet beneath this tranquility, the flames of war outside had begun to spread once more...
Less than twenty years after the end of the First World War, war swept across the globe again. The sound of artillery was more intense than ever, and smoke filled even more continents.
The Great War ended, and after a brief peace, an even more tragic World War II followed.
Mavuika saw the chimneys of the concentration camps, the smoke of Pearl Harbor, the blood-soaked beaches of Normandy, and the Mushroom cloud over Hiroshima.
Seeing people struggling in the fires of war, she felt pity in her heart, yet she strictly adhered to the principle of non-interference in internal conflicts.
Ancient One and Kamar-Taj did the same.
World War II lasted for six years, finally ending with the roar of the atomic bomb, but what followed immediately was the shadow of the Cold War.
Mavuika poured all her energy into the follow-up work of the Resurrection Poem. Her conscious communication with Hela became more frequent, and she strove for perfection in every detail, from the calibration of energy channels to the reinforcement of rule nodes.
Several more decades passed, and the setup of the Resurrection Poem entered its final closing stage. Hela sent word from the Underworld that the remaining work only required her to complete it alone; Mavuika no longer needed to expend her effort and only needed to wait for the right moment to go to the New York Sanctum and ignite the Holy Fire.
"It is estimated to be completely finished within ten to twenty years," Hela's voice echoed in her consciousness, carrying a hint of relieved exhaustion that couldn't hide her sense of achievement.
"You've worked hard," Mavuika responded softly, her eyes full of tenderness.
As the days went by, the outside World developed rapidly in peace, while Kamar-Taj remained that pure land untouched by the dust of the World.
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