My family runs an adventurer's guild.

In short, through a clever "transfer of events," Firi described the dystopian post-apocalyptic society of Earth in 2138, before Ainz's time travel, to Captain America and Black Widow, and then happily saw expressions of horror and fear on the faces of these two superheroes.

After all, the 22nd-century Earth society where Ainz lived sounded like a living hell.

—Resource depletion, environmental destruction, national collapse, frequent wars, deteriorating public security, drastic population decline, and widespread suffering...

The air around the Earth has become so polluted that it is impossible to breathe outdoors, and the most common plants and animals have become rare species in greenhouses.

Government and law have become mere formalities; human rights, welfare, and the right to vote have vanished. Large conglomerates have effectively sidelined the government, acting with impunity.

Ordinary people, like British workers in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, had to work more than ten hours a day, yet still couldn't afford a bite of fresh fruit or vegetables. They could only barely survive on tasteless synthetic foods, numbing their minds with video games, living in a daze, and dying exhausted.

Even this nightmarish life took place on the relatively stable Japanese archipelago. As for the people in those turbulent places, by 2138, they couldn't even afford synthetic food, and cannibalism was not a rare occurrence but a widespread phenomenon.

Even more despairing is that, even in this critical situation where the flame of civilization is dying out, those greedy and wealthy tycoons are going to further stifle the last hope for human civilization to save itself, and are doing their utmost to deprive the poor of everything, not only of wealth and human rights, but also of knowledge and education.

Education is restricted, knowledge is blocked, technology is forgotten, and society is degenerating.

Human civilization on Earth has completely lost its former glory and vitality. Even the last embers that linger on are slowly but surely heading towards destruction amidst the complete collapse of the natural environment, the decadent lifestyle of the upper class, and the ignorance and apathy of the lower classes.

Compared to such a bleak future, even Hitler's Third Reich could be considered a hopeful and beautiful country!

What terrified Captain America and Black Widow, the two superheroes present, as well as the bigwigs eavesdropping behind the scenes, was that the nightmare version of the future Earth described by the other party was not some absurd fabrication, but a rational deduction that could indeed become a reality!

However, if the future world really does turn out like this, for those with a strong sense of social responsibility, it would be a complete negation of their entire careers—although, according to them, such a nightmare world wouldn't appear for another hundred years…

This distant despair both relieved them slightly and made them feel deeply powerless, leaving them in an extremely agonizing state.

"...Tonight's conversation was... well, very fruitful for us. Thank you very much for your candid exchange."

As they parted ways after the tea party, Black Widow Natasha said to Phil, looking somewhat haggard. It was clear that the "messages from the future world of 2138" had a significant impact on her, almost to the point of shaking her worldview.

Since the Industrial Revolution, although human society has been plagued by constant wars, conflicts, changes, and upheavals, it has generally been a period of continuous development and progress. With the emergence of various high technologies, people's lives have been steadily improving.

Therefore, the vast majority of people believe that the world is becoming more and more progressive, and that life in the future will definitely be better than it is now.

The superheroes in the Marvel universe, in particular, have a stronger belief than ordinary people.

However, the future Earth in 2138 that Phil just described undoubtedly slapped the aforementioned naive idea in the face.

Let alone Captain America, a "righteous man of God," even his archenemy, Hydra, simply cannot accept such a tragic and hopeless future for Earth! They are merely an ambitious far-right force, not some superstitious doomsday cult! The struggle between Hydra and Captain America is simply a competition for hierarchical order and freedom and equality, but both sides believe that the future should be better.

However, the future that Phil told them was so cruel and hopeless that it was impossible not to feel decadent and depressed.

—So, Pierce, the Hydra boss who was listening in from behind the scenes, also felt a restless flame burning in his heart.

Of course, as a female agent who has been naively naive in the world of deceit and intrigue for many years, Scarlett Johansson is not so innocent as to believe everything Phil says. So, as they parted, she tentatively pressed Phil for more information.

"...Also, out of a woman's curiosity, could you perhaps arrange for Mr. Suzuki Satoru to meet us sometime?"

"...Ah, well, that seems a bit difficult at the moment. After all, you haven't agreed to our Lord of Sleep building a temple and spreading your faith here yet, so we can't bring you into our world. But, when the conditions are right, I will definitely make arrangements."

Phil smiled and chuckled, "...Mr. Suzuki must also miss your Earth, which hasn't collapsed yet."

Nostalgia? Does this mean they're treating us like the dead?

Black Widow Natasha's eyebrows twitched, and she rolled her eyes inwardly, but still politely said goodbye to Firi and Lulutia.

However, after seeing off Black Widow Natasha and Captain America Steve, and dismissing the maid who came to pack their things, Phili and Lulutia, who had returned to the living room of the luxury suite, did not go to the bedroom to rest.

Instead, he set up a magic circle in the suite's living room and then stared with interest at an empty, deserted corner.

"...Please come out! Sir, Earthly magician, you've been here for quite some time, haven't you?"

The next moment, as expected, Phil and Lulutia discovered that the entire living room space had suddenly distorted...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

As space distorted and fluctuated, a bald, middle-aged woman in a yellow robe appeared leisurely in front of Firi and Lulutia.

He is of medium build, with a kind face, and like Nick Fury, he has a shiny bald head.

Moreover, her role is very similar to Nick Fury's; both are responsible for protecting the safety of the Earth.

However, S.H.I.E.L.D. is at least a legitimate organization authorized by the United Nations, while the Ancient One's Order of the Ancient One can only be considered a product without any authorization.

"...It is a pleasure to meet you, Guardian of Earth, Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj, the revered Ancient One."

Feline the cat and Lulutia the silver dragon bowed slightly to the Ancient One as a sign of respect, saying, "...It is an honor to meet you."

"...It seems you all know me quite well? But I know absolutely nothing about you, which is really unfair!"

Ancient One slowly stepped out of the mirror space, speaking with a relaxed expression. However, her immense magical power, comparable to that of a god, instilled deep fear in Lulutia, the silver dragon, who dared not speak or move rashly. "...Tell the truth, little kitty, have you ever disguised yourself as a stray cat and sneaked into Kamar-Taj?"

“…Ah, this is really not available, meow!” Under the Ancient One’s smiling gaze, Phil couldn’t help but shiver.

"...Please stop bullying my pet, Master Gu Yi. We truly came with good intentions, both for you and for the world."

Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia took a deep breath. "...I think we need to have a serious talk, a frank and open talk."

"...Yes, we do need to have a serious talk. For example, on your very first day on Earth, you almost exposed our Kamar-Taj Order's New York shrine. Then, you revealed the secrets of magic to the governments of mortals."

The bald Ancient One still smiled, but her words carried a sharp edge: "...Where is your goodwill?"

"...This...I'm sorry to disturb your secluded life. But there are only three magical beacons on Earth that allow entry from other universes, and they happen to be your three great temples. We have nowhere else to enter, meow!"

Phil quickly explained, "...Once we've reached an agreement with the United Nations and the White House, we'll set up magic arrays elsewhere and build altars or temples as gateways between the two worlds. That way, we won't need to go through your three great temples anymore..."

The Ancient One nodded noncommittally. "...Then, why reveal the secrets of magic to mortals? Why would you do that?"

"...Well, before that, I'd like to ask you something, Your Excellency the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. Please answer truthfully."

The silver dragon, Lulutia, asked with a somewhat strange expression, "...You and your disciples, do you not consider all the magic on Earth as your private property, wanting to monopolize everything related to magic and not allow any other spellcasters to exist on Earth?"

"...Monopolize magic? Do you think I'm some hoarding profiteer? My goal in establishing Kamar-Taj has always been the same: to protect Earth and prevent human society from being corrupted by the dangerous Dark Dimension." The Ancient One shook her head and said, while simultaneously withdrawing her magical power.

"...Then why do you hide from the sight of ordinary people and refuse to reveal the secrets of magic to the secular world?"

Seemingly sensing that the other party's attitude had softened, Phil also calmed down and spoke eloquently, "...Nowadays, the practice of burning witches at the stake is probably no longer popular in Europe and America, right? And magic on Earth is not so scarce; it won't be depleted as quickly as endangered species."

"...That's because you don't understand the dangers of magic." The Ancient One shook her head. "...It can turn people into demons!"

"...Like you, drawing power from the dark space? That's certainly dangerous. But there must be some less dangerous little tricks, right?"

Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia said, "...For example, those things you taught your disciples in Kamar-Taj..."

"...It seems that your understanding of me has once again exceeded my expectations and knowledge, two guests from another world."

The Ancient One gave her a deep look. "...Indeed, if magic were exposed to everyone, it could potentially enhance humanity's overall strength. And Earth's magic is inexhaustible. However, once the world becomes aware of magic's existence, it will inevitably lead to more conflict."

Because they will use science and logic to analyze magic, try to develop its uses like they use oil and coal, and eventually invent machines that can collect and utilize magic, making magic one of the energy sources that sustains society, just like fuel and electricity.

Then, in order to obtain more and better magic nodes, all sorts of conflicts will erupt, which may even lead to things getting out of control..."

"...Conflicts? Aren't there enough conflicts in this world?" Phil laughed. "...To fight for oil fields, for minerals, for fishing grounds and water sources, or even just for land, humanity has waged countless wars, and even now, the flames of war are still burning. But human civilization on Earth has not been destroyed in wars; instead, it has survived and progressed through fierce battles of blood and fire, ultimately leading to what we have today—even if the target of these nations were to fight for magic, I don't think it would make any difference."

"...In our world, magic has never been a secret from the beginning, but has been closely related to daily life and war conflicts."

Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia chimed in, "...But this did not lead to the destruction of civilization or the end of history..."

"...In my opinion, the main reason you want to keep your magic secret is because other magicians are of no use to you, right?"

Ferry added, "...Throughout the entire Earth, only you possess such vast and boundless magical power, easily crushing powerful beings from other worlds. As for the other magicians of Kamar-Taj, even if you combined them all, they wouldn't be enough to defeat you with one hand."

This isn't because they weren't diligent in practicing magic, nor is it because you were withholding knowledge from them and unwilling to teach them properly. It's simply that the amount of magical knowledge accumulated on Earth is limited. Unless you, like others, draw power from the dark dimension, there's no way to fight against powerful demons from other planes...

However, this approach is far too risky. Aside from your isolated case, everyone else on Earth who has tried it seems to have fallen, becoming henchmen and lackeys of evil. Given these lessons, you wouldn't dare let your disciple attempt such a suicidal method, would you?

"...You're absolutely right. Earth's conventional magic level is far too backward, making it meaningless for resisting otherworldly demons. While extracting power from the dark space might provide temporary strength, the risk of being corrupted and fallen is far too high."

Ancient One sighed and said, "...That's why I'd rather rely entirely on myself to resist the invasion of the Dark Dimension than let my disciples take risks."

Chapter 221, Conversation with the Ancient One (Part 2)

"...However, mortals will eventually die, and gods will eventually perish. You cannot protect the Earth forever. Ancient One."

Phil turned and sat back on the small sofa in the living room, advising the Ancient One, "...If we don't take advantage of the relatively calm situation to let more people come into contact with and learn magic, then who will be able to save this planet if you fall behind in the fight against the evil forces outside?"

"...No need to be so subtle—you mean if we continue to restrict the spread of magic and fail to cultivate qualified successors to strengthen Kamar-Taj's actual combat power, then Earth will be finished as soon as I die, right?" The Ancient One rolled her eyes and said.

"...Moreover, as far as I know, Kamar-Taj has devoted almost all its manpower and resources to the task of fighting Dormammu, the ruler of the dark dimension. I'm afraid they haven't been paying much attention to other magical and supernatural events on Earth," added the silver dragon, Lulutia.

—Although the Kamar-Taj Sorcerer's Guild, led by the Ancient One, is hailed as the S.H.I.E.L.D. of the Marvel universe's mystical side, the guardian of the entire Earth, the problem is that Kamar-Taj only has about a hundred members, and in reality, only the Ancient One is truly capable in combat.

Even more critically, in order to suppress the erosion of dark forces, the Ancient One had to frequently go into seclusion to cultivate, and could not be deployed at any time.

Therefore, despite their severely insufficient combat power, the Kamar-Taj Sorcerer's Guild, relying on ley lines and magical nodes, established a system based on the three major temples in New York, London, and Hong Kong, utilizing all the magical nodes in the world to monitor abnormal magical fluctuations.

However, detecting unusual activity does not mean that the problem can be solved.

Just as the detection of an unidentified flying object by air defense forces using radar does not necessarily mean that they can shoot it down with missiles and anti-aircraft guns.

This doesn't even take into account the possibility of accidentally shooting down friendly forces or civilian aircraft, or using anti-aircraft guns to shoot down birds.

Just like early radar systems often experienced inexplicable false alarms and missed detections, Kamar-Taj's magical monitoring system wasn't 100% accurate. Not to mention, those who genuinely wanted to use magic to cause trouble mostly possessed some skill in concealing their magical energy fluctuations.

Therefore, due to its severely insufficient armed forces, Kamar-Taj's control and deterrent power over the mystical side of Earth is actually negligible.

In the United States alone over the years, there have been Ghost Riders crawling out of hell to kill people, Inhumans from the moon and Kree from another planet causing all sorts of trouble, plus all kinds of superpowered individuals, countless witches and dark magic groups, and spellbooks and cursed items scattered everywhere... Not to mention that Hydra also has such a large obelisk city in its hands, it's no exaggeration to say that it's filled with evil.

However, given the sheer number of terrifying magical events, the Kamar-Taj Sorcerers' Order has made very few appearances.

—If Kamar-Taj could manage all of these “core tasks” properly, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn’t be so busy.

In fact, just defending against the invasion of Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, and other otherworldly demons had already exhausted the Ancient One's energy. As for other magical issues, she could only deal with them as they came up—she would tend to them when she had time, and when she didn't, she could only slack off and let them grow wildly.

While this does not diminish the Ancient One's sacrifice and greatness, she was clearly unqualified as the administrator of the mystical side of the entire Earth.

Not to mention her traitorous disciples, including Kaecilius, who defected to Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, thus strengthening the enemy's forces.

Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D., which could have been an ally, was kept completely in the dark by the Ancient One. Otherwise, they could at least have sent S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to help hunt down Kaecilius and his group of fallen traitors. And S.H.I.E.L.D. definitely had the capability to do so—while the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were indeed weaklings, Kaecilius and his group, the lackeys of Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, had not actually been strengthened much in terms of individual strength.

In terms of combat prowess and the bizarre nature of their abilities, these Fallen Ones are no more difficult to deal with than the super-powered criminals suppressed by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. is heavily infiltrated by Hydra, it doesn't matter much in this crisis—because Hydra, after all, considers itself the best representative of humanity, and its goal is to rule rather than destroy the Earth, so it's impossible for it to join forces with Dormammu...

However, due to their long-standing sense of mission to protect the Earth from the invasion of evil spirits from outer space, and their natural distrust of the government after experiencing the vicissitudes of life, the entire Kamar-Taj community, from the ancients to the apprentices, has the illusion that they are superior.

Although Kamar-Taj has only been around for a little over two hundred years, it is already a very ancient and venerable one in this ever-changing world!

Even S.H.I.E.L.D. is a junior of Kamar-Taj!

Therefore, even in dire straits, as long as they can barely maintain their existence, mages will be reluctant to cooperate with other forces out of pride.

However, they all seem to have forgotten that in the tumultuous Marvel Cinematic Universe, they are not the only ones busy saving the world every day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"...I admit that Kamar-Taj is indeed not capable of resolving all magical events on Earth. After all, the world is too vast, and there are far too many extraordinary people and events; it's not something a small organization like Kamar-Taj can handle."

After a moment of silence, the Ancient One sighed and nodded in acknowledgment, “...In fact, even the core mission of the Order of the Ancients—resisting the invasion of Earth by extraterrestrial demons—is becoming increasingly beyond our capabilities. But...is it really the right thing to do to suddenly lift the veil and reveal all the secrets of magic to the world like this?”

According to internal discussions within the Secret Order, mortals on Earth are probably far from ready to enter the magical age!

"...Wait, you're saying that mortals on Earth aren't ready to enter the magical age? But hasn't Earth always been in the magical age? Who came to that conclusion? And how do we know when we're ready?" Phil couldn't help but ask immediately.

"...Probably when the monks of the Hermitage are ready to accept it," Ancient One replied.

"...Hmm, I understand. Based on this standard, it's estimated that Earthlings won't be able to prepare for it even in another thousand years."

Ferry nodded—meaning that when ordinary people on Earth would be qualified to understand and use magic was up to the Kamar-Taj Order. This clearly showed that the Order's magicians wanted to monopolize magic and prevent outsiders from getting involved!

It's exactly the same thing my parents did when I was a kid, always confiscating all my New Year's money under the pretext of "it's for your own good"!

Author's message

P.S.: The US government is becoming increasingly shameless lately. During the South China Sea arbitration, they mobilized public opinion demanding China abide by the international court's ruling. Now that they're confronting the International Court of Justice in The Hague, they're directly threatening sanctions against the court, issuing sanctions orders against every judge and staff member! Where has the international spirit gone?

Who knows if they will impose sanctions on the United Nations in the future, causing the UN headquarters to run out of water and food, reminiscent of the West Berlin crisis?

Chapter 222, Conversation with the Ancient One (Part 2)

"...Please do not assume such malice about my disciples. They may have many shortcomings, but they would never be so selfish and stingy."

Despite being mocked by Phil, the well-mannered Ancient One maintained a compassionate expression, "...What do you think a mortal government would do first after suddenly gaining magical power? Create magical flying cars, or magical bombs?"

"...Without a doubt, all the latest technologies are always first used in the military field, and magic is no exception."

Phil shrugged. "...But so what? Don't you and your disciples mainly use magic in combat?"

“…Kamar-Taj’s enemies have always been the demons of outer space, while governments around the world use magic to kill each other,” the Ancient One replied.

"...Perhaps such a development is indeed possible, but if you don't teach magic to ordinary people, can peace be achieved on Earth?"