"Currently, S.H.I.E.L.D. has two methods of revival."
"One is GH.325, and the other is dragon bone."
"GH.325 is a resurrection drug developed by the Kree, a technological method. The side effect is intense pain during revival. And after revival, it will worsen the target's psychological condition, requiring memory replacement to resolve."
"Dragon bone is a mysterious substance extracted from the fossilized remains of a magical creature, an older magical method."
"The side effect is that after revival, some humanity and memory will be lost. Furthermore, dragon bone, being derived from a magic item, may have unknown hidden dangers."
After Nick Fury introduced them in detail to Hope, he asked, "Hope Van Dyne. Your soul has been well nourished, so the second method will have almost no side effects. Which one do you choose?"
"The second one, dragon bone."
Without any hesitation, Hope made her choice directly.
Unknown hidden dangers?
If there really were any, let Mephisto worry about them. Anyway, her soul didn't belong to her now, so why would she suffer the pain of the first option?
In a trance, Hope recalled the day she had signed the agreement with Mephisto.
"Hope Van Dyne. Become my apostle and return to reality to do one thing for me. As compensation, I can allow you to move freely in reality. For example, visiting your aging father."
Hope asked, "What thing?"
Mephisto said, "Find Agatha the Witch."
"Okay."
"Sign the agreement."
At that time in Hell, facing the mighty Mephisto, Hope dared not refuse. Confused, she signed the agreement with Mephisto.
Only after returning to the real Universe and waking up did Hope realize she had been tricked.
Even if she didn't agree to Mephisto, he would still have to hand over her soul.
However, during the time she was being revived, Mephisto never contacted her once. It was as if he didn't care at all about the task he had instructed her to do.
Suddenly, Hope felt a suction from somewhere, pulling her soul. That was her physical body, a body already repaired by the dragon bone.
Following this suction, Hope's soul returned to her body. During this process, the body and soul rubbed and adapted to each other again. Finally, the soul merged with the body.
The pure, unaligned energy given by Lucas, which had been protecting Hope's soul, also integrated into Hope's body and completely dissipated.
"This is..."
Hope, after a long time, felt the weight of her body under Earth's gravity.
Before she could re-familiarize herself with the feeling of having a physical body, a voice sounded in her ear.
"My apostle, Hope Van Dyne, find Agatha the Witch for me."
Hope's expression changed.
This was Mephisto's voice.
The moment Lucas's energy ran out, he came knocking.
Within Hell, Mephisto suddenly burst into laughter.
This time, he didn't plan to completely get something for nothing. Once Lucas's energy disappeared and he no longer paid attention to Hope, he would transform Hope into a demon, allowing her to move in the real world.
Unexpectedly, someone helped revive Hope, saving him a step. Moreover, this way, Hope would not have his aura on her, making her harder to detect.
Seeing the succubi who were playing music look at him in confusion and stop, Mephisto waved his hand. "Continue the music, continue the dance."
—
Just as Lucas was sitting in a corner, drinking one coconut water after another, Tony came over.
"You've been making quite a stir lately, Sorcerer Lucas." Tony's voice arrived before he did.
"Sorcerer Lucas?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow, nodding with satisfaction. "Hmm, that nickname does suit me quite well."
"Oh, please. Everyone in Kamar-Taj knows you can't even speak the simplest magic language."
"Let alone more profound mudras, runes, and spell theories." Tony's tone was sour.
From the perspective of a traditional Sorcerer, he was a perfect student, 100 out of 100.
Theory and practice, proficient in everything.
And Lucas was a zero, not even a bad student.
But now, the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. members were starting to think he was a fake.
Lucas smiled, not minding Tony's sour words, and explained, "It's not that I can't, it's that I don't need to learn. Just tell me, what magic can't I do?"
Tony smiled. "You can do it, but can you teach others?"
"I heard that someone brought back two young people from Sokovia, wanted to take them as disciples, and were snatched by Ancient One."
Hearing this, Lucas's face darkened. "Who spread that rumor? When did I ever want to take disciples? I'm only 26, and they are already 20."
"Disciples? Brother is more like it."
"Hahahahaha."
"Hahahahaha."
Tony laughed.
Lucas also laughed along.
After the laughter subsided, Tony got straight to the point, "Tell me, what do you need me for?"
Lucas was also direct. "I plan to borrow a mature cloning technology from a certain place to create a new body for Matt. At that time, I'll need your help to check if there are any backdoors."
"Mature cloning technology? Backdoors?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Tell me more in detail."
Lucas explained, "The cloning technology comes from the Inheritors in the Multiverse. When they die, their souls can automatically return to a pre-cloned spare body."
"The technology looks quite mature. As for backdoors, they seem to be able to occupy the cloned bodies of others as well."
The key was the last point. If it couldn't be resolved, it would become a hidden danger, constantly tying up Lucas's attention.
And among the people Lucas knew, Tony was undoubtedly the best at technological matters.
As for whether the profession matched, that was not within Lucas's consideration. Tony would handle it himself.
Lucas continued, "Tony, your parents and butler can also be revived through this technology."
Lucas thought Tony would be happy to hear this, but Tony shook his head. "No need."
Tony explained, "I asked them before. They said there's no one they know in the real world anymore. Not only would they be lonely after revival, but they might also not keep up with the times."
"It's better to start anew in the spiritual world where the Vishanti are located."
"Is that so?" Lucas nodded, no longer asking.
"But Matt is still young, he doesn't have that kind of worry."
Tony asked, "When are you planning to act? Take me with you. It's best if I'm there to watch. Otherwise, when copying data and moving machines, letting you do it might easily miss some crucial information."
"Still looking, I will act when found."
Lucas pretended not to hear Tony's complaints, replying while pondering in his mind.
'Bring Tony along? That's not a bad idea.'
'I can also bring Wanda, take the Sorcerer Supreme Team out for a spin, let them see more of the world, and maybe they'll grow faster.'
As for what Pietro would think...
Lucas was just his senior, not a teacher, so he didn't need to comfort him.