"I always feel like you're thinking of something very disrespectful."
The Ancient One pointed at Qingshui, who was deep in thought, and said.
"Of course not."
"I don't believe you. It's definitely 'of course' and not 'not'."
The Ancient One asserted.
He must be thinking about holding a Sorcerer Supreme Funeral Feast Karaoke Contest, right?
Damn it, why is this guy always wanting to do something like that?
Could it be that after the Ancient One in his original world died, someone else also held one?
Should I ask the Vishanti about it and see which universe's Ancient One was so unlucky?
"I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."
Qingshui denied it firmly, a triple rejection.
"Then tell me, what were you just thinking about?"
If Qingshui couldn't give him a clear answer, then he…
Then he wouldn't have any choice.
The Ancient One, in a fit of anger, got angry for a moment.
After all, his current physical condition wasn't ideal. Although he could still eat, run, and jump like a normal person, he could no longer withstand too much energy erosion.
Given that Qingshui was indeed quite strong and also possessed an Infinity Stone, unless he risked his life to unleash his full power, it seemed he really couldn't defeat him.
Qingshui casually blurted out:
"I was thinking, old man, if you can't hold on, and the new Sorcerer Supreme hasn't emerged, what if a new Dimensional Demon God invades? You died after the last one, what if a second one comes?"
"You're not dead. You just go ahead, and I'll cheer you on from here."
The Ancient One took a big bite of braised shrimp.
He was about to die and join the great Eternal, so he had to eat more good food before he died.
"Can use magic, has an Infinity Stone, and his strength is decent enough. It's not impossible to…"
"Not impossible to be the Sorcerer Supreme?"
Qingshui's eyes lit up.
"…a Temporary Worker."
The Ancient One chuckled mischievously.
Qingshui: (￢_￢)凸
A look of disdain + a raised middle finger.
"Ahem, of course, it's not impossible to become permanent, after all, I see that problem with the external will on you has been resolved, it's just…"
"Just what?"
"Just that you have to agree to a few small conditions of mine."
Qingshui frowned.
"You don't have some trap waiting for me, do you?"
"Is the trust between us really so fragile?"
Qingshui touched his chin again and nodded.
"Alright, you were indeed thinking of something that wronged me just now."
"You old fool, you think too highly of yourself."
Qingshui looked at the Ancient One's aged face.
Who would ever make a mistake with that face of yours!
"No trap, you really have a chance now."
"Master Ancient One, you are indeed the most handsome, most wise, and most insightful Sorcerer Supreme in history, possessing a noble and admirable spirit of fearlessness, tirelessly guarding Earth for centuries. Even at the final moments of your life, you still…"
"Still what? Keep going?"
The Ancient One put one foot on the chair, gnawing on a chicken leg, his mouth greasy.
"You also don't waste food…"
"Huh?"
"And you don't forget to fill your stomach, paving the way for future generations with the most robust and spirited posture…"
"Keep going, why did you stop?"
The Ancient One, who was enjoying the flattery, heard Qingshui suddenly stop and couldn't help but spit out the chicken bone from his mouth, looking at Qingshui.
"I understand."
"What do you understand now?"
"So this was a trap all along? You deliberately tricked me into flattering you, and after I did, you reneged on all your promises. Hmm… that does sound like something a shameless person like you would do."
Ancient One: (￢_￢)
"It's rare for me to be this serious, yet you judge a gentleman's intentions with a villain's heart."
"Huh? You mean you're actually serious?"
"You have to agree to a few conditions first. If you can't meet them, then the position of Sorcerer Supreme definitely won't be yours."
"Ahem, honored Master Ancient One, please tell me."
"First, every year you must burn a set of the latest high-end computers and the newest PS gaming consoles at my grave. They must have the top one hundred single-player games, movies, anime, and novels from the previous year's major comprehensive rankings downloaded onto them."
So you can still play games even after you're dead, huh?
"Why not? It's just a shame I can't connect to the internet."
"Then is that even really death?"
"Just tell me, are you going to be the Sorcerer Supreme or not? If not, fine. Anyway, if you do, you'll be working like a dog for several hundred years, constantly worrying about things."
Qingshui waved his hand and said, "Then tell me what the rest of the conditions are."
"Hmm…"
The Ancient One suddenly straightened up, becoming very serious.
If you ignored the grease on his messy white beard, that is.
"This next condition is one you absolutely must abide by and fulfill if you are to become Sorcerer Supreme. If you can't, there's absolutely no way I'll agree to let you be Sorcerer Supreme."
Seeing the Ancient One's attitude, Qingshui also sat up straight.
"Please tell me."
"It's that you must promise me that after becoming Sorcerer Supreme, no matter what, you cannot hold a Sorcerer Supreme's 'First Seven Cup' singing competition on the day of my first seven."
Huh?
So this old man knew I was planning a First Seven Cup!
Of course, with the Time Stone, if he had looked at the timeline of my future as Sorcerer Supreme, he would certainly have known about this.
"Alright, I promise!"
Qingshui said generously.
It's no big deal to just change the name of the First Seven Cup!
Hmm, I just don't know what a good name would be…
"You can't change the name either. In short, on that day, you cannot hold any similar activities!"
Hiss…
It's not like I can't agree to that.
Wouldn't it be fine if I just didn't hold it on the First Seven day?
I could just change it to the Sorcerer Supreme's Death Anniversary Cup Singing Competition, or something like the Memorial Cup. The first event could be held on the very day the Ancient One kicks the bucket!
"And also, the Kamar-Taj Wi-Fi password cannot be changed to HHHHGYSL, absolutely not! I'm going to ask the Vishanti to bear witness for us. Whoever violates this will have to flick the other person's little 'GG' a thousand times."
That's even simpler!
"Alright, I promise that too!"
If the password can't be HHHHGYSL, then I'll just change it to HHHHHGYSL.
One more H!
No one said a Wi-Fi password could only be eight characters; that's just the minimum requirement.
He, Clearwater, has a plan!
The Ancient One saw Qingshui agree so readily, and a look of suspicion immediately appeared on his face.
Could this kid be trying to trick him?
Does he have a backup plan?
But he's asked the Vishanti to bear witness, so it shouldn't be possible to violate it…
It's a shame he can't use the Time Stone right now; he has no idea what this naughty kid is planning.
"How about you reconsider?"
The Ancient One said to Qingshui, a hesitant look on his face.
"Hey, hey, hey, reconsider what? Let's just cast the spell and have the Vishanti bear witness…"
"Uh, no rush, no rush. We can talk about this tomorrow. First, let's talk about Strange. Even if he can't be the Sorcerer Supreme, with his talent for magic, he'll be a huge help to you in the future. Then you can be a hands-off boss like me. When they can't solve a problem, you can just step in with the Infinity Stone."
"Eh?!"
Qingshui raised another finger.
He had another idea.
"So, if Strange can't become a sorcerer, then there'll be no one to compete with me for Sorcerer Supreme, right?"
The Ancient One clutched his head, looking at Qingshui as if he were a genius.
Could he really be a genius?
"Strange... Although he's a bit arrogant, he doesn't deserve to die, does he? He's one of the most outstanding doctors in this world, he's saved many lives, and he's accumulated merit. If you kill him, wouldn't that go against what it means to be Sorcerer Supreme...?"
"Who said I was going to kill him? As long as I don't guide him towards magic, won't that be enough?"
Does this old man really think I'm that ruthless?
However, if necessary, he truly could be ruthless. But for now, as long as Strange wasn't in the way, there was no need to bother him.
Every qualified ninja wasn't a good person; without exception, they were executioners with blood on their hands, often madmen and psychopaths, but that didn't mean all ninjas were like that.
At least Qingshui's moral compass was relatively normal; it was just that, like other ninjas, his bottom line was a bit lower.
Hmm, judging by the Ancient One's reaction, the moral bottom line for being Sorcerer Supreme shouldn't be too high. After all, flexibility is required, and too high a moral bar can lead to extremes, like Mordo.
Of course, the bottom line couldn't be too low or nonexistent, or Earth and humanity would be doomed.
The Ancient One shook his head again.
"That won't quite work either. Strange's magical talent is already incredibly rare; he's naturally destined to attract magic. With even the slightest opportunity, he can achieve great magical aptitude. So, if he encounters dark magic and goes astray, it could lead to major trouble in the future."
Qingshui immediately mumbled, "So, it's still best to just kill him, right?"
"You're supposed to be the Sorcerer Supreme, not a bandit or a villain, hey!"
"Relax, it's fine. Don't forget my identity. Tomorrow, I'll acquire the hospital where he works, so he'll be my employee. Then, I'll specially recruit him into S.H.I.E.L.D. and arrange for professional agents to guide him."
Qingshui waved his hand dismissively and continued, "Come on, old man, let's get back to discussing the pre-contract with the Vishanti..."
The Ancient One hesitated, staring at Qingshui. "This... fine, but I want to add some supplementary clauses!"
...
...
A week later.
Early morning, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new headquarters.
Qingshui sat cross-legged in a swivel executive chair, eating donuts.
"The Special Forces have been rebuilt and are now led by Captain Steve Rogers."
A crisp voice broke the crunching sound of Qingshui eating his donut.
Maria Hill held a paper document in one hand, reporting to Qingshui.
A pair of black tactical boots paired with long legs, combined with a form-fitting black slim-fit agent uniform, collectively outlined the tall, slender, graceful figure of an ice beauty, like a straight bamboo shoot, with clean lines.
It was very pleasing to the eye.
Not to mention, Maria Hill's abilities in all aspects were outstanding; she was a first-class agent and manager. She could arrange everything for Qingshui in an orderly fashion, practically the best secretary candidate.
Unfortunately, she was too deeply intertwined with Nick Fury. No matter how useful she was, Qingshui didn't dare to give this woman full authority.
Otherwise, he would have truly wanted to bring her over to his own company.
"Sharon Carter has begun contact with Stephen Strange. She is currently a colleague of his ex-girlfriend, Clea. The plan has officially begun implementation, as reported by Level Eight Agent Romanoff."
Regarding Strange, Qingshui had entrusted this matter to Black Widow, asking her to devise a plan to trick... recruit this top surgeon into S.H.I.E.L.D.
As an all-around super agent, this kind of thing shouldn't be difficult for Black Widow.
Once he was in the agency and became a S.H.I.E.L.D. member, subsequent matters would be much easier to handle.
The report continued.
"Newly promoted Level Five Agent Daisy Johnson has retrieved Item 84, the Obelisk Cup, which is now sealed in the Science Department, with Dr. Banner leading the research. This information is recommended to be restricted to Level Eight clearance."
"Level Eight Agent Coulson has contacted Dr. Hank Pym. He refused to cooperate, but his team has successfully infiltrated Krauss Tech and is expected to successfully steal Pym Particle Shrinking Technology."
...
Qingshui finished his donut, resting his chin on one hand, and gave his approval for the reports Hill had presented.
Most matters could be handled appropriately with Hill and other S.H.I.E.L.D. high-ranking officials, but for some more important events, he still had to give personal instructions.
He was busy but didn't want to be tied down by the position of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, taking up too much of his time, so this was the only way.
But thankfully, Hill, as a tool, was truly both beautiful and useful.
And with Watos's presence, almost no information within S.H.I.E.L.D. could be hidden from him, so he wouldn't lose authority or be sidelined by Nick Fury.
The latter was currently leading Shadow S.H.I.E.L.D. in Europe, pursuing another Hydra head, Baron Strucker, with rapid progress.
Agents were expected to be deployed from headquarters soon, with the Avengers taking down this particular Hydra cell.
Though Black Halogen Egg could be annoying at times, his capabilities were undeniable. Perhaps that was why Alexander Pierce, despite being his adversary, had such high regard for Nick Fury.
After finishing his official duties, Qingshui looked up at Hill again and said, "Right, where's that thing I asked you to bring?"
"Here it is."
Hill pulled a USB drive from her uniform's inner pocket.
This USB drive contained a video Howard Stark had filmed for Tony Stark before his death.
The secrets of the palladium isotope were hidden within it.
Qingshui wanted to try and see if he could create a second-generation Arc Reactor.
Back at Watt Manor.
In the lab.
The USB drive was inserted into a port, and a holographic projection immediately displayed a flat screen, revealing Howard Stark's face.
"Tony, you're still too young to understand this now, so I've recorded it as a video for you. One day, you'll find that this represents everything…"
"This is the key to the future. I was limited by the technology of my era, but one day, you'll be able to solve it. When that happens, you'll change everything for humanity…"
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------