If the entire Milky Way is compared to a silver disc, its planar diameter is roughly 100,000 light-years across.
The solar system, where Earth is located, is on one of the Milky Way's spiral arms, approximately 24,000 to 27,000 light-years away from the galactic center. Through observations by scientists, it has been found that the center of the Milky Way mostly consists of old stars, predominantly white dwarfs. In contrast, the outer regions are mostly home to young or newly formed stars.
In terms of age, the solar system, having been formed 4.6 billion years ago, is neither old nor young. In terms of location, it's roughly equivalent to a suburban area… No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem particularly special.
But why is it that among so many star systems, only the solar system is 'blessed with exceptional talent,' attracting the attention of countless people? One must know that in the entire Milky Way, the number of stars is at least 100 billion, and if estimated generously, it could even exceed 400 billion.
There's only one answer: it's all the fault of writers and screenwriters. To increase dramatic tension, they arbitrarily designated the solar system as the protagonist and added all sorts of background settings to it.
They had a great time writing, and the audience enjoyed watching, but the characters within the story might not share the same sentiment.
"In the hundreds of years I've presided over Kamar-Taj, I've encountered countless invasions from outside. I remember, about seventy or eighty years ago, around the time of World War II…" Leading Bayonetta and Shi Xiaolei away from the place where the demon corpses were stored, and walking leisurely along the quiet valley, the Ancient One recounted her experiences in a calm, unruffled tone.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance of a cave. Standing before a stone door carved with reliefs, the Ancient One made a conclusion while forming several hand seals to open the stone door: "Generally speaking, alien forces that also originated in this universe are quite easy to deal with. The truly tricky ones are those coveting from other timelines and dimensions. Both of you, come in with me, let me show you Kamar-Taj's 'VR Training Center.'"
Despite being called a VR training center, there wasn't a single piece of high-tech equipment inside the cave.
In the spacious area, resembling an indoor stadium, magic circle patterns covered every corner. Some were directly carved into the stone walls, some floated in mid-air, and some were hidden in the void, completely invisible to the naked eye.
Following the Ancient One's gesture, certain parts of the magic circles were activated, transitioning from standby to active status.
The next second, as if they had crossed time and space and teleported to another planet, the scenery around the three of them abruptly changed.
The dark blue, demon-etched stone walls vanished, replaced by a landscape of bizarrely shaped, craggy mountains.
Clusters of crystals, purple liquid flowing from rock crevices, plants so hideous they twisted one's mind, and wisps of black mist that resembled smoke yet lingered endlessly… Looking at the scene before him, a word suddenly popped into Shi Xiaolei's mind.
Sanity, plummeting.
What made Shi Xiaolei even more unable to look directly was that the Ancient One had just summoned a few bizarre creatures.
"They call themselves Evangelists…" Pointing at these monsters, which resembled insects more than humans, the Ancient One's lips curled into a faint sneer: "Simply put, these are invaders from other dimensions. They possess powerful telekinesis, and creatures with weaker wills are more susceptible to their influence. Have you heard of Khepri, the scarab god in Egyptian mythology? His iconic image originates from these interdimensional beings who call themselves Evangelists."
Shaping themselves into deities, bewitching humans in their ignorant early stages, and accumulating all sorts of benefits they desired… "Tsk." Clicking her tongue with a strong sense of disdain, Bayonetta crossed her arms and made her judgment: "Indeed, just like those sanctimonious bastards in Heaven, they reek of scum from head to toe."
"They call themselves Evangelists, after all."
The Ancient One smiled: "How about it, can it replace the angels you mentioned?"
"Emmmm." Bayonetta pondered for a moment: "Whether it can replace them aside, are there any that aren't quite so disgusting? I can accept getting some blood on me in battle. But if it's juice bursting out of an insect's belly… Ugh, let's not."
"Then let's change it."
From their previous sparring, the Ancient One had a rough idea of Bayonetta's strength.
It just so happened that Bayonetta had a need at the moment, so the Ancient One had an idea, intending to seize the opportunity to bring Bayonetta into the fold.
Well, to say 'bring into the fold' isn't quite accurate.
More precisely, it should be 'external consultant.' After all, Bayonetta doesn't seem like the type to abandon her own sense of purpose and easily join other forces. Moreover, a large part of her abilities is related to 'demon contracts,' meaning even if she were willing to teach, not all Kamar-Taj sorcerers would be able to learn them.
Her close-quarters combat skills could be taught, and then there's psychological guidance for dealing with situations—nothing more.
Forcibly bringing Bayonetta into Kamar-Taj wouldn't offer much benefit and could even harm their relationship. It would be better to settle for a secondary option: a cooperative relationship. On her side, the Ancient One could provide Bayonetta with opportunities to hunt interdimensional creatures, helping her continue to fulfill her contract with the higher-ranking demons. In turn, Bayonetta's process of hunting interdimensional invaders would also be helping the Ancient One.
The saying "old people become shrewd" perfectly describes the Ancient One.
"This one is good."
"Emmmm, this kind is also acceptable. Keep it, as a backup."
"Wow, what is this? It looks quite cute. Ancient One, are you sure it's a dangerous enemy and not a pet specifically for cuteness?"
"Ugh, quick, change it, change it~! It's too ugly, my eyes~!"
Over hundreds of years, having resolved countless interdimensional invasions on Earth, the Ancient One had encountered hundreds, even thousands, of different types of monsters in her lifetime.
Displaying them one by one… Although it couldn't compare to a certain online marketplace, it was pretty much equivalent to a supermarket.
Shi Xiaolei, accompanying her on this 'shopping trip,' had his eyes opened, and Bayonetta, as a VIP customer, had already selected several targets under the recommendation of the Ancient One, who was like an ace salesperson.
If this were a business negotiation, reaching this point would mean it was time to sign the contract.
And now…
After leaving the so-called 'VR Training Center,' the Ancient One opened a portal and led Shi Xiaolei and Bayonetta back to New York, appearing in the New York Sanctum at 177A Bleecker Street in Manhattan.
"Supreme." Sensing the magical fluctuations, Master Daniel Drumm, who was guarding the Sanctum, arrived at the customary 'teleportation room' and immediately greeted the Ancient One's arrival.
"Hello, Master Drumm." Nodding slightly, the Ancient One said with a smile: "You've come at just the right time. Let me introduce you to Lockon and Bayonetta, my friends and partners of Kamar-Taj. They both live in New York and might visit here often in the future. If I'm not around, please help me look after them."
"Yes, Supreme."
After Daniel replied to the Ancient One, Shi Xiaolei, half a beat before Bayonetta, raised his hand and greeted him: "Hello, Daniel."
As he spoke, Shi Xiaolei noticed that the other party seemed somewhat familiar, and an expression of thought appeared on his face.
"Um, have we met somewhere before?"