The Legendary Mechanic in Marvel Universe - Chapter 280
Chapter 280 Ancient One’s Disappearance
TL: Kyous
Leo had no reservations about mentioning Ancient One directly. After all, Ancient One who possessed the Time Stone and the ability to peer into the past and future probably already knew everything about him.
He had carefully considered this before arriving in Nepal. His ultimate goal was the Time Stone, and looking at the subsequent wielders of the Time Stone; Doctor Strange and Thanos; neither of them were as friendly as the Ancient One.
Needless to say, Thanos was an adversary. As for Doctor Strange, while Leo had a pleasant encounter with him several years ago at the British Museum, it wasn’t enough to convince Doctor Strange to hand over the Time Stone.
Thus, reaching out to the Ancient One beforehand wasn’t the worst-case scenario for Leo.
Otto didn’t show much surprise when Leo mentioned the Ancient One. Leo had always struck him as a mysterious and all-knowing person, so knowing about the Ancient One didn’t make Otto feel odd.
What puzzled him though, was why Leo wanted to meet the Ancient One. Without further ado, he decided to ask Leo about it.
And Leo had prepared an excuse in advance, “Well, I have a reason to meet the Ancient One. More than a year ago, I took down Sinthea Schmidt, H.Y.D.R.A.’s leader, and before her death, she cursed me with a malevolent spell. I seek an audience with the Ancient One to implore her assistance in dispelling this curse.”
“Curse?!” Otto cried out, clearly intrigued by Leo’s explanation. “I’ve only read about them in books but never witnessed one firsthand. Maybe we don’t need to trouble the Ancient One. With my brain and intelligence, I might be able to help you break this curse.”
Otto appeared eager and determined as he spoke, leaving Leo little choice but to accept his well-meaning offer.
Fetching a stool, he motioned Leo to sit in an open space. With a solemn expression, he began to demonstrate what he claimed were his magical abilities. He stacked his half-curled fists together before pulling them apart abruptly, causing a golden line that spark with energy to materialize before him.
Continuously brandishing his, Otto drew semi-circles back and forth, constructing a mystical symbol with peculiar Sanskrit characters encircling the edges and two interlocked squares in the center.
Once the spell’s rune was complete, he clenched and then pulled his hands apart, making the rune split into half and slowly rotating between his palms.
After five or so seconds, Otto exclaimed, “How strange. Really strange. Why can’t I see any trace of a curse on you?”
Observing for another two seconds, he couldn’t resist expressing his confusion, “Mr. Erwin, are you certain that woman, Sinthea, placed a curse on you? Of course, I’m not doubting you, it’s just that I really can’t see it.”
Leo nodded, “I’m one hundred percent certain that Sinthea cursed me.”
‘Because that curse is still shining brightly in my system panel!’
Slowly furrowing his brows, Otto muttered to himself and manipulated the mystical runes in his hands as he circled Leo.
As Leo stared at the runes in Otto’s hands, he felt something was off. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, “Oh, Otto Octavius the Great Conm-, I mean the Great Conjuror. If I’m not mistaken… those runes in your hands are meant for combat, right?”
“Oops! You caught me! How do you know everything?” Otto looked embarrassed before hastily retracting the runes in his hands. His expression and actions resembled an actor in a sketch comedy.
Jolting up from the ground, Leo pointed at Otto with frustration and disbelief.
So, Otto had been fussing around all this time just to show off in front of him?! Perhaps, during his year-long stay in Kamar-taj, all Otto learned was this one flashy combat spell.
Believing that Leo was genuinely upset, Otto hurriedly said, “Mr. Erwin, please don’t take it seriously. I was just joking. You know, I thought, you would be amazed when you saw the mystical runes in my hands…”
‘Amazed? Yeah, right!’
Feeling speechless, Leo helplessly said, “Otto, please stop messing around. I have been cursed and I need you to introduce me to the Ancient One, so she can have a look.”
Setting aside his joking demeanor, Otto revealed an embarrassed expression.
“What’s wrong? Can’t you introduce me to the Ancient One?”
“No, of course, I can. The Ancient One is very approachable. As long as you’re a sorcerer from Kamar-taj, you can consult her anytime.” Otto explained, “The thing is, the Ancient One has been away from Kamar-taj for the past few days, and I’ve no idea where she went or when she’ll be back. Neither of us can see her right now, so that’s why I’m joking with you. I wouldn’t want to waste your time without reason.”
Worried that Leo might not believe him, Otto added, “But if you really want to lift the curse, I’ll ask Master Hamir to take a look. He’s the sorcerer who guided you when you first arrived. Hamir has been following the Ancient One for over a decade and is well-versed in various spells. He’s much more experienced than me and should be able to deal with the curse.”
But Leo waved his hand, “Don’t worry about it, I’m not in a rush. I can wait for the Ancient One.”
After all, his main purpose in coming to Kamar-taj wasn’t to resolve the curse. If the curse was lifted by Master Hamir, what excuse would he have to get closer to the Ancient One?
Leo continued, “Otto, here are my numbers. If the Ancient One returns, please give me a call.”
Then, Leo pull out a pen and a piece of paper and jotted down a series of numbers. Otto was a bit startled by Leo’s actions but didn’t question further. After all, Leo was his benefactor, so he accepted the piece of paper and put it in his pocket.
At that moment, the Parkers had finally returned from the washroom. They had no clue about what had transpired in the hall earlier. According to the original plan, they invited Otto and Leo to join them for sightseeing.
Neither Leo nor Otto mentioned the earlier incident, and they all left through the small wooden door. Otto acted as the tour guide, showing the Parkers the delicious cuisine and beautiful sights of Kathmandu.
Although they were sightseeing, Leo’s mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the Ancient One.
As a figure who lived for at least a millennium, what kind of matters would require several days of her time?
Social gatherings? Food? Leisure times? If that were the case, Leo was truly unlucky.
But what if it was something serious? What was the Ancient One busy with? Did Kaecilius’ betrayal occur earlier than expected and the Ancient One went to deal with it?
However, after some subtle probing, Leo learned from Otto that Sorcerer Kaecilius had left with the Ancient One, and they hadn’t experienced any kind of conflict.
‘Maybe the Ancient One is purposely avoiding me?! But what have I done to deserve it? To make this great figure to avoid me…’
With so many possibilities, he couldn’t speculate further and could only wait patiently.
As time passed, the sightseeing came to an end and soon it was evening. After having a hearty dinner together, Otto returned to Kamar-taj while the Parkers went back to their hotel. Leo also checked into a room at the same hotel.
At around 2 AM, while lying on the bed, Leo was practicing his ‘Mechanical Force Extraction’ when all of a sudden, his phone rang.