After speaking, Lyon turned to Wong beside him.
"And also—though Dormammu promised that Kamar-Taj can draw on his power without limitation in the future, you two still need to warn the sorcerers. Unless it's the most desperate situation, they should avoid using the Dark Dimension's power whenever possible."
"Even though it doesn't require a price, that kind of energy naturally carries a corrupting effect on the mind. I really don't want to come back one day and find everyone's turned into a bunch of extreme lunatics," Lyon said.
Mordo nodded solemnly. "With Kaecilius as a cautionary example, I believe the sorcerers will think twice. And don't worry—I'll keep an eye on them."
"Mordo's right," Wong agreed.
"There shouldn't be many people who would willingly use Dormammu's magic."
He pointed toward the library, smirking teasingly.
"After all, not everyone's like you, daring to read any restricted text in there, am I right?"
Lyon shot him a sideways glance. "You're starting again, huh, Wong? Still hung up on that restricted books thing? If you want to blame someone, blame the Ancient One—she was the one who gave me permission."
At the mention of the Ancient One, Wong and Mordo's expressions turned wistful. "Master Ancient One…"
The truth about the Ancient One secretly using energy from the Dark Dimension was now known only to Lyon.
In the minds of the sorcerers, the Ancient One still remained that sacred and powerful figure.
Mordo sighed. "I wonder how the Ancient One is doing in the realm of the Vishanti."
As part of the price for drawing power, Kamar-Taj sorcerers' souls were said to return to the Vishanti after death.
But the Ancient One was an exception.
"In fact, her soul didn't go to the Vishanti," Lyon said. "She went to seek out Eternity instead. She's probably living quite comfortably."
"At least she no longer has to worry about protecting Earth. Honestly, she's probably enjoying her days more than either of you two are, and you're still alive."
"Eternity?" Wong and Mordo were both surprised, but quickly found it fitting. "That's just like the Ancient One."
Someone as powerful as her naturally belonged at the side of someone as great as Eternity.
"So, from what you're saying, the last Sorcerer Supreme was also really strong?" Tony cut in.
"Of course. She guarded Kamar-Taj for hundreds of years—she was the Supreme among Supremes!" Mordo began recounting her legacy enthusiastically, pulling Tony along, while Wong added in details from the side.
Lyon simply shook his head… then turned to look at Banner.
After the barbecue feast ended and all the octopus was eaten, Hulk finally returned to his slumber.
Banner, who hadn't gotten to participate in any of it, took control of his body once again.
His eyebrows drooped, his expression was awkward, and he looked quite regretful.
Lyon placed a hand on Pietro's shoulder beside him. "Banner, want to come back to New York with us? You've already achieved your initial goal—learning astral projection."
Banner shook his head. "Can't. My level's still far from enough. I need to stay here and keep learning."
"Besides, the magical creature breeding base in Kamar-Taj is still under construction. I need to keep an eye on it."
"What about Betty, then? Don't you miss her?" Lyon asked.
"Well… could I maybe have her brought here?" Banner scratched his head in embarrassment. "She's a biologist—she'd probably love those magical animals."
"You can take that up with Wong and Mordo," Lyon replied without hesitation. "They're the ones managing Kamar-Taj now."
He casually tossed away the administrative duties that technically belonged to the Sorcerer Supreme.
Then he turned, half-smiling, and looked toward the Maximoff twins.
"Hey, you two—haven't had enough of touching me yet?"
Right in front of his chest, two hands of different skin tones were still wandering, occasionally pressing or groping curiously.
"Nggh!" Wanda let out a low animal-like squeak and quickly yanked her hand away the moment Lyon turned his head.
Her pale, snow-like face flushed with red in an instant, and she quickly looked down to the ground to cover her embarrassment.
Pietro, on the other hand, laughed carelessly, his palm still resting on Lyon.
"Damn Big bro! No wonder you're like Superman—this muscle is incredible!" He even gave a big thumbs-up.
After watching the memory of the battle, Lyon's status in Pietro's mind had skyrocketed—once again reaching idol level.
Now that he was up close, he couldn't help himself.
He just had to reach out and feel Lyon's explosive muscles for himself.
Imagining that one day, maybe those same muscles could be his.
He even roped Wanda into it too.
Pietro's wide grin revealed sparkling white teeth, and his eyes gleamed with something… slightly unhinged.
Under that stare, Lyon didn't feel even a hint of flattery—instead, a chill ran straight down his spine.
"Pietro, if you keep looking at me with those groundhog eyes, I swear I'll turn you into one! If you want muscles like me, go home and train yourself!"
With one slap, Lyon sent Pietro spinning three and a half times through the air, landing flat on the ground with his butt sticking up.
Finally, peace returned.
Then Lyon traced a line through the air with his finger and opened a portal.
He grabbed Pietro by the collar and tossed him through it.
Then, turning to the stunned Wanda, he asked, "The other side leads to your apartment. You walking through yourself, or do you want me to toss you too?"
Wanda shuddered. "I-I'll walk myself!"
She quickly bolted through the portal like a rabbit escaping a trap, half-running, half-leaping.
As she looked back, Lyon waved. "You both did well today. Get some rest. In two hours, it's time for class—don't skip!"
With that, he shut the portal.
Just before it closed, he could still hear the siblings' cries of anguish at the mention of school.
Though the two of them were the same age as Lyon and attended the same university, the pressure they faced while studying couldn't have been more different.
"School… that's such a nostalgic word," Banner said, hands on his hips, smiling like the professor he once was.
"If you're feeling nostalgic, you can always go back," Lyon replied. "In the future, I plan to have Wong build a magic academy—to form a more systematic training program for sorcerers. When that happens, you'll get your chance again."
Banner scratched his head. "Sounds pretty good. Ever since coming back from Hogwarts, Wong's been feeling like something's missing around here. He even wanted to get a train like the one they have…"
"Then he's definitely going to love this future responsibility."
Lyon first sent the MIB agents—who had just watched a grand spectacle and eaten their fill—back to New York.
Only then did he walk over to Tony and the others, who were deep in cheerful conversation.
At that moment, Mordo was in the middle of transitioning from stories about the Ancient One to an explanation of dimensional demon gods, carefully describing how terrifying each one was—but how none of them had ever managed to take advantage of the Ancient One.
Tony's eyes were darting around, clearly lost in thought about something.
"There are centuries' worth of stories about the Ancient One," Lyon interrupted Mordo's enthusiastic rambling. "You're not gonna finish them in one sitting. It's time to go. Tony, don't forget—you've got work today at the Avengers."
Lyon called Tony to leave with him.
"Mordo, make sure you guys keep the Sanctum protected. And don't forget to send in a video report to JARVIS about operations in a couple of days!"
As he stepped through the portal, Lyon left one final reminder.
...
Peaceful days passed quickly.
It was a brand-new morning.
Lyon awoke from the soft embrace of a pair of pale arms.
When he walked into the dining room, Sherry had already prepared breakfast and was setting the table.
"Good morning, Sherry."
"Brother Lyon, you're up!" Sherry sat in her chair, swinging her legs. "Where are Sister Natasha and Yelena?"
"They probably won't be making it to the company today," Lyon replied, taking a seat. "And by the way, I didn't just wake up—I just finished cultivating!"
"Alright, alright… but if they're not going to work today, what about the company? Who's going to handle everything?"
"Same as always—JARVIS can take care of it," Lyon said.
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Read ahead of WN at Patreon.com/LiveLifeLove