Although there was a minor hiccup when they first met, Ancient One and Bayonetta's subsequent conversation was very pleasant.
It even exceeded Shi Xiaolei's expectations.
This was evident from the topics they chatted about... Bayonetta, a witch whose powers were half-tied to her hair, unreservedly asked, 'Why would you shave your head?' What surprised Shi Xiaolei even more was that Ancient One didn't mind the question at all.
Not only did she not get angry, she even gave a 'serious' answer: "Initially, it was to make it easier to take on disciples."
As she spoke, noticing Shi Xiaolei's slightly bewildered expression, Ancient One smiled again: "You know, dozens or even hundreds of years ago, the status of women wasn't as high as it is now. And Kamar-Taj is in Nepal, where the problem of gender inequality is even more severe. If I didn't shave my head and project an image of a master..."
So, it wasn't natural baldness, but intentionally shaved, and initially, shaving her head was to create the persona of an otherworldly master?
In relatively backward regions where many old customs hadn't completely disappeared, and this was decades or even a century ago... From a temporal and geographical perspective, Ancient One's actions weren't entirely incomprehensible. However, upon reflection, Shi Xiaolei still felt that this reason affected her image in his mind.
"After shaving it for a while, I got used to it. Now, I actually think a bald head is quite good. It's cool, not to mention, and very convenient." As she spoke, Ancient One stroked her forehead: "No need to worry about what hairstyle to do today, just wipe it when washing my face, and it even saves me from washing my hair."
Hey, the Master's persona is shattered to pieces, stop talking~!
Well, he only complained internally. Shi Xiaolei wasn't as free-spirited as Bayonetta and wouldn't dare to say such things directly.
Speaking of which, some might find it strange and think Shi Xiaolei was overly cautious in front of Ancient One, even to the point of being subservient.
In terms of strength, during their first meeting, with 2B and Kanna as support, the combined combat power of the family of three, even if not superior to Ancient One, wouldn't be much worse. And now, having witnessed Bayonetta and Ancient One fighting to a draw, his confidence should be even stronger... So why did he still maintain such an attitude?
There were two reasons.
Firstly, because Shi Xiaolei knew what was good for him.
Silently protecting the safety of the Earth for several centuries. And for this work, not hesitating to pay the price of his own body, borrowing power from extremely dangerous dimensional demon gods to extend his life... In the mortal world, there are some unsung heroes who silently contribute to maintaining the stable lives of ordinary people. Compared to them, Ancient One has contributed more and persevered longer. Based on this achievement alone, it's not an exaggeration to call her a 'sage'.
Although his early life was difficult, it was precisely this hard-won normalcy that filled Shi Xiaolei with gratitude and respect for the unsung heroes. Therefore, upon arriving in the Marvel universe, and combining his understanding of Ancient One, he naturally lowered his status and regarded Ancient One as someone he must treat with respect.
Secondly, it was due to the inertia of preconceived notions.
Strictly speaking, the Marvel series of films didn't truly showcase Ancient One's full strength. And judging from the plot where she 'died at the hands of Kaecilius,' there's even suspicion of intentionally downplaying her abilities.
But as a forum lurker, Shi Xiaolei had gathered some information from the lore enthusiasts.
Coupled with his habit of reading novels when he had nothing to do... almost all authors categorized Ancient One as 'Skyfather level,' considering her the ceiling of Earth's combat power. Therefore, a deep impression of 'Ancient One is incredibly powerful' was left in Shi Xiaolei's mind.
A giraffe weighing over a ton still flees when it sees a lion.
Having reached a conclusion based on preconceived notions,
believing that Ancient One should absolutely not be provoked, he naturally acted more cautiously when he saw her.
That's right, even with barbarian blood, he still wouldn't dare to act out in front of Ancient One.
After all, barbarians are only good at close-quarters combat, and facing a mage who specializes in magic damage and is a ranged class, they are naturally at a disadvantage. Think about the abilities Ancient One demonstrated in the plot. If Shi Xiaolei dared to mess around, she could just open a Mirror Dimension and turn him into a 'hamster on a treadmill.'
Believing that he was no match for Ancient One, combined with his inner respect for her... so what if he seemed a bit cowardly? It was perfectly normal.
"Demons?" Having been a diligent listener, Shi Xiaolei only regained his enthusiasm and joined the conversation when Ancient One brought up the main topic.
"Yes." Ancient One nodded: "They look somewhat different from what I've seen before, but the aura they carry is not much different."
As she spoke, she opened a small portal about twenty centimeters in diameter, reached in, and pulled out a piece of red and black fragment, gently placing it on the coffee table.
"Bayonetta, do you recognize this?"
"A Hideous's tail." Nodding, Bayonetta put down her teacup, and a hint of solemnity appeared in her eyes: "Yes, I'm very familiar with it."
Speaking of which, the entire plot of Bayonetta 2 actually only lasted less than a day.
In the game, to earn achievements, players might have controlled Bayonetta to hunt down thousands of demon enemies.
But for Bayonetta herself, during that trip to hell, she actually only killed about a hundred enemies; it really wasn't that exaggerated.
Of course, her understanding of demons wasn't solely derived from that one incident. After all, Bayonetta's contract partner was Madam Butterfly, and she was a native resident of Hell.
Angels who disrupt the world's balance need to be eradicated, and demons who leave Hell to cause trouble in the human world also need to be cleared out. In Bayonetta's witch career, she had faced demon-type enemies more than once, and some of them, powerful unlucky souls, not only lost their lives at Bayonetta's hands, but their bodies were even sent to Rodin to be crafted into weapons.
When she first started out, as a novice, she once owned a set of scimitars made from Hideous tails. Counting it up, that set of blades accompanied Bayonetta for about two years. Although she didn't have the habit of 'taking out weapons to play with when idle,' with each battle, Bayonetta's familiarity with that set of blades certainly wouldn't be low.
"I'm suddenly a bit nostalgic for those little darlings." Bayonetta's fingertips caressed the crescent-shaped red and black chitinous plate, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly: "Where did you find it? Can you take me to see?"
"Of course, that's what I came for today." Ancient One nodded, stood up, said to Shi Xiaolei, 'The tea is very good,' and then raised her hand to open a portal: "Follow me. Oh, and Lock, do you want to come along?"