Atrium.
Three-wing building.
"Listen, Master Strange, we need closer cooperation! More in-depth cooperation! Only in this way can we cope with the increasingly complex situation." Nick Fury poured Strange a cup of coffee. "Try something from the Gesha Forest in Ethiopia."
The levitation cloak that Strange was wearing obediently handed out a piece of cloth, and like human fingers, it nimbly helped Strange take the coffee that Nick handed to him.
"What do you mean?" Strange took a sip of coffee, crossed his legs, intertwined his fingers, and hung them above his knees. He glanced at Nick's face and said.
"Luke's getting more and more out of control." Nick turned around and got himself a cup of coffee. "We have to plan ahead and prepare for the worst."
"Excuse me, Luke still has some sense. You are a little too worried." Strange said.
"Just think of me as worrying too much. But you have to understand, I've been on guard against all kinds of accidents my whole life. I always want to nip them in the bud, or resolve them before the danger causes greater harm to the world." Nick said seriously, "I believe Luke knows his limits, but there are always accidents, right? Like the last invasion of the Dark Lord..."
"That was part of the plan," Strange explained. "In fact, I later learned that the entire barrier had been quietly upgraded by my teacher, the Ancient One, and she had a spare. According to her, with the support of new energy, she could rebuild the barrier at any time and drive out the lord of the dark dimension. I suspect she wanted to give the Sanctuary a major upgrade."
"Do you think this behavior is reasonable?" Nick frowned.
"If you're referring to the Ancient One's actions, then I can only say that she saw far more than you did." Strange stroked a gemstone on the inside of his clothing and spoke softly. Only by using the Eye of Agamotto could one understand the terrifying power of controlling the future.
"Master Ancient One must have seen the outcome. She simply followed the future she chose."
"I have no intention of questioning Master Ancient One, because as the guardian of this planet, her contribution to the safety of this planet is unmatched by anyone else. I'm just a little worried." Nick smiled helplessly.
"What are you worried about?" Strange asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We are worried that we can't contribute when the need arises. In fact, this feeling of powerlessness has become stronger and stronger over the past few years. I once thought that I could control everything, but it turned out to be a delusion. I thought I could isolate the supernatural forces of this planet and prevent them from affecting the normal world, but then I found that I couldn't do it. In the end, I wanted to contribute to the comfort of this world, but now I find that if there is a real danger of destroying the world, I seem to have no choice but to watch. This feeling is very bad, and I can't accept it." Nick leaned against his desk and said to Strange who was sitting opposite him.
"I can see that." Strange shrugged. "You're not someone who likes to be idle."
"I'd actually like to take some time off, but the premise is that there's always peace. I don't want a world-destroying crisis to appear every few days, and I can only play a supporting role. Sometimes I even have to accept that I'm not even worthy of being a supporting role." Nick grinned.
"That's a bit exaggerated." Strange smiled.
"Exaggeration? Ever since Thor from Asgard arrived here, do you really think the world is still normal? Can it still maintain the relative peace it once was? I've painstakingly assembled a powerful team, hoping to use them as a trump card for this planet's counterattack. But in reality, they're powerless against many disasters." Nick said slowly, "So I think I should take a step further."
"So you chose the wizard?" Strange placed the coffee cup in his hand on the coffee table supported by his body in the levitation cloak. He rested his right elbow on the armrest, with his palm in a fist, against the side of his face.
"In fact, there are others. But I think I should talk to you first. You hold a very high position in my heart." Nick also put the quilt on the desk behind him, stretched out his arms, supported on the edge of the desk, and said seriously and solemnly.
"But magic is not a common force that can be universally applied. It is magical and it selects people," said Strange.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has plenty of people. This world also has plenty of people. If we work together, S.H.I.E.L.D. can provide you with the talents you need. And it will not prevent you from selecting and cultivating your own core forces in your own way." Nick leaned forward slightly.
"I don't think this is a good idea. In fact, instead of expecting us to cultivate your magical powers, you might as well seek out Luke or Stark and use the power of science and technology to improve them." Strange spread his hands. "I don't know what magic means to you, but it may be an omnipotent force, beyond human imagination. It is indeed powerful, but this power comes with great risks. Perhaps the rule of selecting people from the mage lineage is the best.
Believe me, if your agents mastered magical powers, that would be a disaster for you and the world. Those sources of magic are not to be trifled with. You don't want to see a constant stream of random dimensional creatures on this planet, do you? Who knows if those mages will summon some formidable characters? Even if the barrier is in place to keep the larger ones out, a smaller one could still be enough to wipe out an entire city.
"I know what you're thinking, and I understand your concerns. The power of mages in the past was indeed immense, yet it came with enormous risks and crises. After all, back then, mages' power was essentially a form of borrowing and exchange. But things are different now." Nick had clearly guessed what Strange would say, and pointedly hinted, "We have our own new energy. As Luke and you have said, this energy is versatile and can serve as a source of energy for mages."
"The new energy also has various side effects, which I believe you are aware of. However, compared to the risks and costs that mages have taken in borrowing power in the past, the new energy carries fewer risks and is more easily accepted.
My advice remains: just use the superpowered equipment Luke made for you. Magic isn't suited to an organization like yours. Besides, the other wizards wouldn't agree. "Strange finally spoke the truth."
"But you are the Sorcerer Supreme," Nick reminded Strange.
"I am the Supreme Sorcerer, but I am not my teacher, the Ancient One. Almost all of today's mages were trained by her over hundreds of years. They will not refuse any suggestion from their teacher, but this respect and fanaticism will not be passed on to me.
To be honest, everything might be fine now, but in the future the wizard community will inevitably be divided by the new energy." Strange felt a headache as he thought about the corner of the future he had glimpsed.
"Split?" Nick's eyes became deep.
"The nature of this new energy is contagion and assimilation. The more you exploit a certain emotion, the closer your personality will become to similar emotions. And the closer you are to similar emotions, the greater the power you gain from them. Look at that captain; he's practically become the embodiment of a certain virtue. Even more terrifying, this is his own choice. Imperceptibly, it's become deeply ingrained." Strange smiled wryly. "I suspect that even if we use magic to warp his mind and personality, the power of the emotions won't be matched for a while. He'll either shrug off the magic's influence or his combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced."
"Luke did tell me about these hidden dangers, but I didn't think they were this serious?" Nick couldn't help but express surprise. He had indeed heard Luke talk about these things, and he was nervous for a long time. He mobilized a group of top psychologists to constantly monitor and record the psychological state and personality changes of his agents who had been using the new energy for a long time.
But in the long run, whether it was the psychologist's work or Luke's exaggeration of the hidden dangers, the agents who used the new energy didn't change much. Especially the elite agents themselves have the ability to regulate their emotions and psychological problems.
"You are using filtered and purified energy, which reduces its power while also bringing you correspondingly milder effects and a longer period of safe use. But it's different for mages. To put it scientifically, we must at least master the techniques of high-power output and input! We must get in touch with and understand its essence more deeply. It's a double-edged sword." Strange said.
"In the magical world, all power comes at a price. It's just a matter of how big the price is. Compared to those dimensional powers, the cost and consequences of the new energy are smaller, and it's more easily accepted. The only thing I'm uncertain about in the future is whether Luke can come up with newer technology to upgrade and help minimize the hidden dangers."
"God knows how embarrassed I am now facing Master Mordo. Under the influence of the new energy, his jealousy towards me is almost uncontrollable."
At the end of his speech, Strange sighed deeply, looking helpless.
Mages often harbor certain obsessions, and exposure to new energies often magnifies these obsessions. Strange has always believed that Kaecilius's corruption wasn't solely due to Dormammu's influence, but perhaps also due to the influence of the new energy. After all, Kaecilius himself was a relatively gloomy and somewhat extreme individual. He possessed natural talent and abilities, and without any protection, his single-minded pursuit of power meant he was more deeply affected by the new energy than most mages.
More power to draw.
Higher energy supply.
Equals deeper infection and assimilation.
Most mages would use other emotional energies to neutralize and buffer the situation, rather than dwelling on a particular emotion. However, this was clearly not the case with Mage Casillas and his followers.
It was fine when Master Ancient One was around, but now that he has become the Sorcerer Supreme, Master Mordo, who had been able to mediate well before, seems to be showing signs of being immersed in certain emotions for a long time and unable to extricate himself.
Nick was speechless for a moment. He noticed that some unfortunate shifts seemed to be taking place within the current mage community. Or perhaps it was always the beginnings of such changes, but the Ancient One's prestige and power had kept them dormant until they finally began to blossom. But now that the Ancient One had stepped down as Sorcerer Supreme and departed, Strange, his successor, couldn't yet match the Ancient One's godlike status in the mage's heart. Clearly, due to various factors, some mage's psychology had undergone some subtle shifts.
It is not known whether this change is good or bad, but it is likely not good for Strange.
"You have your own difficulties." Nick recalled the time when he had just taken over S.H.I.E.L.D., and with empathy, he stepped forward and tried to pat Strange's shoulder. However, before his hand could even touch Strange's shoulder, the hem of his levitation cloak blocked it like a fly.
"I can't help you train mages for the time being, but I can let some mages who are willing to interact with the real world come here to work part-time. I believe some young mages would be happy to earn some extra money or gain some combat experience or something." Strange thought about it and made a promise.
"Thank you so much!" Nick, who had felt hopeless, was suddenly delighted upon hearing this. Failed communication wasn't a big deal; Nick had plenty of confidence and time to slowly achieve his goal. While he hadn't achieved his original plan this time, it was a good start.
Strange wanted to allow those young mages to hone their character in the world. Because of the emergence of new energy, the number of mages has increased, and not everyone is suitable for the ascetic training of a mage.
Strictly speaking, S.H.I.E.L.D., which owns shares in New Energy, can barely be considered a profit group. You can't just let those mages work for Luke, that black-hearted guy, for free, right?
"I can provide you with a low-interest loan, and you can buy some of the latest equipment from Luke. Believe me, he has good stuff! If you can dig it out, you don't need your agents to be converted into mages, and you can still have powerful power. I believe Luke has a plan." Before leaving, Strange instigated Nick and provided him with a batch of bullets.
He was currently overwhelmed with a myriad of issues, not just internal ones. He had a vague feeling that some major trouble was imminent. He had used the Eye of Agamotto to foresee and observe multiple timelines, but had found nothing. This meant he was either overthinking things, or some powerful dimensional demon was involved. In other words, he was in deep trouble!
Could it be Dormammu?
I haven't had time to observe His situation.
The abyss can't erupt so quickly, right?