If it were only to send Shi Xiaolei and Bayonetta back to New York, opening a portal would suffice; the Ancient One herself didn't need to come along.
In fact, the Ancient One had another purpose in personally bringing the two back to the Sanctum in New York.
First, it was to let Bayonetta recognize the place.
Speaking of which, on the day she met Shi Xiaolei, the Ancient One had already told him the address of the New York Sanctum.
Because Shi Xiaolei wasn't a sorcerer, nor did he seem particularly interested in magic, the Ancient One didn't really expect him to visit the New York Sanctum often. But after so many days, he hadn't come once, which was a bit... Well, actually, the Ancient One herself was too busy and forgot that Shi Xiaolei had been traveling for the past ten-plus days and simply couldn't visit the New York Sanctum.
Unaware of this, and worried that Bayonetta, like Shi Xiaolei, wouldn't visit often, the Ancient One simply brought them over personally to let them recognize the place—whether they forgot, were too busy, or perhaps felt that the first visit was important and shouldn't be taken lightly, it didn't matter. After experiencing the 'first time,' subsequent visits would naturally be much more relaxed and casual.
Second, she wanted to give Bayonetta a Sling Ring.
The reason for this will not be repeated here. In short, with the Ancient One and Bayonetta reaching a cooperation agreement, both parties were already on the same side.
Since they were cooperating with Bayonetta and asking for her help against invaders from other dimensions, it was only natural to equip her with a Sling Ring to enhance her mobility.
After all, the appearance time and location of these invaders were not fixed, and their numbers and strength varied greatly.
If the Ancient One was entangled with an enemy Boss and couldn't break free, and the elite minions below were too strong, not only would ordinary sorcerers be unable to cope, but even self-preservation would be a problem... If they were barely holding onto their lives, how could they have time to open a portal for help?
And in such an emergency, relying on the Ancient One, who couldn't spare a hand, to open a portal for Bayonetta?
That also wasn't very reliable.
Therefore, equipping Bayonetta with a Sling Ring, giving her the ability to open portals and teleport herself, was the most convenient and secure arrangement.
As for why they came to New York instead of directly giving her one in Kamar-Taj... The reason is simple: Sling Rings may seem like common goods, as if every sorcerer has one, but in reality, the ability to have one for everyone is only because the supply of Sling Rings exceeds the number of sorcerers.
A few hundred sorcerers, over a thousand Sling Rings, supply greater than demand, which is why people mistakenly believe they are common goods not considered valuable.
But what's the truth? With only a thousand or so, are Sling Rings really so numerous that they can be wasted carelessly?
The answer is clearly no.
To manage these precious resources well, the Ancient One established some rules.
Sorcerers belonging to the New York Sanctum need to receive their Sling Rings from the New York Sanctum. Similarly, sorcerers permanently stationed in London or Hong Kong must register their Sling Rings at the local Sanctum. And Kamar-Taj, as the main base, is responsible for safekeeping Sling Rings that have not yet found their owners.
For example, if Daniel Drumm passed away, and a sorcerer originally stationed at the London Sanctum was assigned to New York to take Drumm's place, then that sorcerer would have to surrender the Sling Ring they received at the London Sanctum and take the one left by Drumm instead.
If they insisted on keeping the one they had always used, it wouldn't be impossible, but the registration information for that Sling Ring would need to be updated, and the one left by Drumm would also have to be returned to Kamar-Taj headquarters.
It sounds complicated, but it's not that much trouble to do. However, no matter how simple the procedure, there's always a protocol.
Unless it's an exception like Strange... Let's put it this way: if he hadn't been chosen by the Ancient One as her successor,
without the title of 'Head of Kamar-Taj,' he wouldn't have received his Sling Ring in Kamar-Taj. According to the rules, he would have to return to New York to be allocated his own from the Sanctum.
As for Bayonetta, she was neither the Ancient One's chosen successor nor did she have the potential to become the next Sorcerer Supreme.
Considering the fact that she would accompany Shi Xiaolei and reside in New York with him in the future, allocating her a Sling Ring from the New York Sanctum's inventory was the most suitable and convenient arrangement for management.
I've strayed a bit; let's get back to the main topic.
Perhaps due to some differences in the nature of her own magic compared to the sorcerers, Bayonetta didn't immediately learn how to use the Sling Ring after receiving it.
She tried it over and over again more than a dozen times, stopping intermittently to listen to the Ancient One's guidance and explanations... Unconsciously, more than two hours passed, and the sky outside the window had already turned pitch black, with the moon high in the sky.
Spectators, after all, are always more prone to distraction and thus boredom.
Noticing that it was getting late and having nothing else to do, Shi Xiaolei seized the moment when Sister Bay stopped to rest and interjected.
"It's getting late, Sister Bay, we should probably head back soon." Pointing out the window, Shi Xiaolei gently advised, "I just got back to New York today, and I haven't even seen Connie and Sylvia since I returned home earlier. How about we stop practicing here for today, and tomorrow during the day... Anyway, you don't have work, so you can come over anytime."
"Uh~." Only after Shi Xiaolei reminded her did she notice the passage of time.
Looking out the window, then at the Ancient One's gentle smile, Sister Bay made her choice: "Alright, so I'll come back tomorrow?"
"Anytime." The Ancient One nodded, "If I'm not here, you can consult Master Drumm. The portal is just an entry-level spell, and with his ability, he's more than capable of guiding you to learn it."
Following the Ancient One's words, Drumm subtly stepped forward and nodded to Bayonetta: "You're welcome anytime; I actually don't have much to do these days, and I'm bored staying in the Sanctum all the time."
"Haha, isn't that perfect?" Seeing things developing in the direction he hoped, Shi Xiaolei was in a great mood: "Daniel, didn't you say you've been craving my food lately? Tomorrow, I'll drive her over and bring you a portion to eat, too?"
"Free?"
"Of course." Pointing at Bayonetta, Shi Xiaolei shrugged, "I'm counting on you to put in more effort to teach her. Some food is just tuition for you. What do you think?"
"Deal." Extending his hand to shake Shi Xiaolei's, Drumm unconsciously licked the corner of his mouth: "If possible, I'd like a portion of fried noodles. Emmm, with an extra egg pancake on top, and a spicy flavor."
"No problem, I'll take care of it. Hehe, speaking of which, this is my first time personally delivering takeout..." As he mentioned takeout, a thought suddenly flashed through Shi Xiaolei's mind, and he chuckled unconsciously: "Or you could open a portal and go straight to my house to eat it fresh out of the pan. Hehe, looking at it that way, portals are quite useful, aren't they?"
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