Anton didn't know that Carol and the others had gone to the Moon Base overnight to inspect the situation.
For him, the most important thing right now was to follow through on his promises.
Thus, he sought out Daniel Drumm at the New York Sanctum, requesting a meeting with the Sorcerer Supreme.
It was natural — at this point, Anton could only think of the Sorcerer Supreme.
On Earth, there were few who could prevent Thanos from invading via magical means.
Aside from the Sorcerer Supreme, there was probably no second candidate.
Besides, the Sorcerer Supreme had never excluded herself from participating in the coming battle.
It was only that something seemed to be holding her back.
Now that the timeline had shifted, Anton urgently needed to speak with her.
Daniel didn't refuse; on the contrary, he readily agreed to Anton's request.
Huh!
Opening a portal, Daniel motioned for Anton to step through.
It was around midnight in the United States, meaning it was daytime at Kamar-Taj in Nepal.
Anton stepped into a temple filled with an exotic and ancient atmosphere.
The old stone walls were lined with yellow talisman papers, fluttering gently in the breeze.
"The Sorcerer Supreme is in the room ahead,"
Daniel said, following through the portal but stopping short.
"I won't go in with you."
"Thanks a lot,"
Anton said sincerely, then stepped forward and pushed open the door.
Inside the room,
The Ancient One was calmly sipping tea.
She showed no surprise at Anton's arrival — just her usual serene demeanor.
"Anton, please sit,"
the Ancient One said with a nod.
Anton sat down on the futon in front of her, and she poured him a cup of tea.
"I don't know exactly what brings you here,"
she said,
"but you should know — the timeline we're in has become completely chaotic."
The Ancient One's voice was calm, but her words were heavy.
"Even the Time Stone can no longer accurately predict the future...
The Justice League you represent already holds at least three of the Infinity Stones...
In fact, you should have come to see me long ago."
She was right.
The Justice League did indeed possess at least three Infinity Stones — technically, four.
The Power Stone was among them.
Superman had seized it during a battle in deep space, though few people knew that his conflict with the Kree Empire had originally stemmed from that gem.
It was natural that the Ancient One might not know every detail — powerful though she was, she was neither omniscient nor omnipotent.
"The timeline's chaos has brought us into an unknown future,"
the Ancient One continued,
"but if one truly wished, it would still be possible to use individual power to guide the timeline back to its original track."
Anton smiled.
"But you didn't. Does that mean, deep down, you don't mind the chaos — maybe even prefer it?"
"You could say that,"
the Ancient One admitted.
"But I must also acknowledge — the timeline's chaos has caused many things to slip from my control."
"Such as?"
Anton asked, curious.
"Stephen Strange,"
the Ancient One said without hesitation.
"He was meant to be my successor. Right now, he should be here, studying magic at Kamar-Taj...
But instead, he remains the best surgeon in New York — perhaps even the world."
She didn't bother hiding the truth.
After all, with the timeline already in chaos and the future so unpredictable, there was little point in secrecy.
If Strange had deviated from his destined path and would not become Doctor Strange, then revealing this information wouldn't change anything.
"Strange..."
Anton mused.
"I've heard of him. But why? What happened that changed his destiny — saved him from becoming your successor?"
"..."
The Ancient One was silent for a while.
She looked at Anton with a faintly amused expression and spoke slowly:
"Originally, Strange's fate was to have his hands destroyed in a car accident.
As a top neurosurgeon, losing the ability to operate would have devastated him.
Although he would still possess vast medical knowledge, he couldn't accept becoming a man with knowledge but no ability — a hollow, helpless figure."
"In his desperation to heal himself, Strange would exhaust his wealth, abandon his once-privileged life, and wander the world seeking a miracle — until he eventually found Kamar-Taj.
It was there that his destiny would change... and I could finally find peace, knowing a worthy successor had arrived."
"But I didn't anticipate the timeline becoming chaotic... and Strange veering off the path fate had written for him."
The Ancient One sighed.
"It seems I won't find my release so easily."
Anton noticed something:
The Ancient One didn't fear death — in fact, she seemed to have long wished for it.
Compared to the Elders of the Universe and the Celestials, whose lifespans stretched into the unimaginable, a human living for hundreds of years, bearing the duty of protecting Earth, must feel exhaustion on a scale few could comprehend.
She had once sought eternal peace.
The power that prolonged her life came from the Dark Dimension — a compromise she made not for personal gain, but for duty.
Yet, such an act inevitably led to feelings of betrayal among her disciples.
Perhaps Kaecilius's betrayal of Kamar-Taj had roots in this very truth.
From what Anton understood — and from the information he had — it was likely that Mordo, her once-proud apprentice, would become the main villain of the second Doctor Strange installment.
"The reason I've lived so long,"
the Ancient One said lightly,
"was partly because I knew my successor would appear in this era.
And partly because of my duty.
The Sorcerer Supreme must stand to defend Earth against multiversal threats..."
"But now, with Strange having veered off his destined path, and no new successor guaranteed to rise, if I were to die now, it would leave Earth vulnerable.
Yet if I continue to cling to life... how many more years must I endure, waiting for a successor who may never come?"
She paused, then looked directly at Anton:
"I know Daniel has already given Shazam the role of guardian of the New York Sanctum...
In fact, I believe Shazam could also be a candidate to inherit the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
Even though he hails from the multiverse, it seems the chaos is not confined to our universe alone.
The multiverse itself is already in disorder.
I no longer feel the need to be so... conservative."
What?
Anton was stunned.
Listening carefully, it sounded like the Ancient One wanted Shazam to inherit the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
Good news.
He quickly realized:
If Shazam inherited the title... wouldn't that put the Time Stone right into the Justice League's hands?
"I'll persuade Shazam,"
Anton said, hiding his excitement beneath a calm smile.
"By the way — why did Strange veer off his destined path in the first place?
Even considering the butterfly effect, there must be a specific reason, right?"
"A reason?"
The Ancient One smiled lightly.
"The reason is sitting right in front of me."
Anton blinked, then pointed to himself in confusion.
"Me?"
Wait a minute...!
A realization struck him.
"Yes,"
the Ancient One said, seeming to read his thoughts.
"Strange did have his car accident — his proud hands were destroyed, just as fate had written.
But he didn't fall into despair.
Because the Earth today, thanks to certain advancements, had a way to solve it."
The Ancient One continued calmly:
"He underwent an amputation, cutting off his ruined hands.
Then, he found Wayne Enterprises, became a beneficiary of their limb regeneration technology —
and in doing so, he changed his destiny.
Instead of becoming a sorcerer who would shake the magical world, he returned to being a miraculous doctor in the medical world."
"..."
Anton had nothing to say.
Shouldn't it be true that truly remarkable people should always stay remarkable?
Even if Strange couldn't be Doctor Strange or the Sorcerer Supreme, he could still be a legend in the medical world.
Strange had originally been an authority in medicine, and as he aged, he would only grow into an even greater authority.
The medical world held as much sway as the magical one, and it was likely just as revered as being the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Well..."
Anton struggled to find the right words.
Strange's story was truly astonishing.
Limb regeneration technology...
Anton hadn't expected that the technology Dr. Lizard had developed after his fall and redemption would be used in this way.
Speaking of it, Anton had heard many rumors about this technology.
One rumor in particular was about a man who, after undergoing surgery, had crazily sought after growth for his... um, "personal assets" during his recovery period. Whips, sheep whips, bullwhips, and more.
He wondered if it had worked.
Logically, frequent head-shaving was supposed to make hair grow thicker...
Could the same principle apply to the other "growth" he'd heard about?
Anton shuddered and quickly decided not to think further about it.
"The discussion is over."
The Ancient One spoke calmly.
"You didn't come here to talk about Strange, did you? You've got other matters on your mind."
"Yes," Anton said frankly.
"It's likely that Thanos' army will arrive on Earth within the next month. Our preparations seem to be mostly in place, but there's a major flaw in our battle plan... It concerns teleportation magic. Thanos has a powerful mage under his command, and we need to stop him from using teleportation magic — or some form of teleportation technology — to bring Thanos' forces to Earth."
"I understand."
The Ancient One nodded, agreeing without hesitation.
"I can't speak to everything else, but I can guarantee that Thanos won't enter Earth through any portal."
She paused, then served tea as if signaling the end of the meeting.
Anton stood, ready to leave, but then the Ancient One spoke again.
"Remember to discuss the matter of Shazam succeeding the Sorcerer Supreme with him."
Anton, as if struck by a thought, turned back.
"I've noticed, though... He doesn't seem to be on Earth at the moment."
A cold sweat broke out on Anton's forehead, and he quickly turned to leave.
Once outside, he made his way back to the New York Temple.
"The discussion is over already?"
Daniel, seeing Anton's return, shrugged and asked, "What did you two talk about?"
"About the successor to the Sorcerer Supreme..."
Anton thought for a moment before looking at Daniel with a strange expression.
"The Ancient One might be planning to take someone from you."
"Take someone?"
Daniel looked bewildered.
"What do you mean?"
Then it clicked.
"Wait, what?!" he exclaimed.
"Ancient one wants Shazam to inherit the position of Sorcerer Supreme?"
Later, on the Moon.
After seeing the progress on the moon base and the technology level involved, Carol and the others no longer questioned Earth's plans.
Now, as long as Anton's promise held true and the loopholes in the plan could be fixed, Earth's war — which many believed was already lost — would have a chance at a turning point.
"Cybotan Civilization..."
Carol's eyes drifted over the huge Autobots.
She turned to look at Nick Fury again.
"You said they've been on Earth for nearly a hundred years. Why haven't I heard of them before? I thought... the Kree and the Skrulls were the first aliens to show up on Earth. You, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., should have known."
"I'm not the director anymore,"
Nick Fury shook his head.
"Even when I was the director, I didn't know everything. Before the Transformer and Hoover Dam incidents, I always thought the Kree and Skrulls were the only aliens I'd ever seen."
"On Earth now, it's difficult for S.H.I.E.L.D. to have any room to operate."
Coleson spoke bluntly, his eyes scanning the massive base in front of him, which radiated an impressive sense of advanced science and technology. He continued calmly, "The power of the Justice League surpasses all other organizations by a significant margin, whether it's technological strength, the number of extraordinary individuals, or even their alien allies who can surprise us at any moment. No one knows what else they might be hiding."
"Fortunately, it's clear they're not interested in dominating the world. That's why the World Council and individual nations are so tolerant of the Justice League..."
These words caught Nick Fury, Carol, and the others off guard.
Especially Nick Fury.
He hadn't expected that the Justice League would have advanced to this point after only being absent from Earth for a little over a year.
The nations of the world were in awe of them...
How much power must they have accumulated?
That's right—given the current technological level on Earth, it's nearly impossible to construct the moon base in front of them.
It was clear that the Justice League had contributed significantly to its development.
In practice, the foundation of the lunar base was built by the Skrulls. Later, Anton provided a lot of Cybertronian technology he had acquired during his interactions with the Transformers. Eventually, Cybertron itself requested assistance.
Additionally, Earth's intellectual elites—Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and others—were now contributing to the moon base's development.
Even the other two individuals at the Sewer Base, Dr. Lizard Curtis Connors and Hulk Bruce Banner, had become leaders on the moon base.
Such a massive team was all under the control of the Justice League.
Although Earth had its own array of brilliant minds, they simply couldn't compete with the exceptional figures revealed in the story.
"Tony's here."
Coleson suddenly noticed a figure approaching.
Nick Fury looked up and saw Tony Stark, sporting a mustache and heavy dark circles under his eyes, yet still looking energetic.
"Hey, long time no see."
Tony greeted Nick Fury without missing a beat, seemingly unfazed. His eyes briefly flickered over to Gamora.
He hadn't yet encountered an alien woman who resembled a human but had green skin.
…
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