"You know me?"
"Of course."
Lake chuckled lightly, looking at the white-robed Ancient One with her hands behind her back, "You called me a god yourself. Omniscience and omnipotence are just part of a god's domain."
Gods are all-powerful.
Lake is a god, so Lake is all-powerful. Well... theoretically speaking, that's how it works.
The Ancient One pulled her right hand from behind her back and waved it in front of Lake.
Buzz!
Time is a long river, and with the Time Stone in her grasp, the Ancient One could slip through its back door to gaze upon both known and unknown timelines.
"Unknown god, because of your arrival, the future now holds 44,444 possibilities."
"So... whose fault is that?"
Lake kept his smile, "I don't think it's mine, do you? I was just passing through this universe on my way home, and what happens? Boom, I get hit with an unprovoked disaster. And you, Supreme Sorcerer, as the guardian of this planet, someone threw a punch at your doorstep that shook spacetime, and you didn't even blink."
Damn it.
Did Lake want to stay in this Marvel Universe?
Half and half.
But that was when he had all his mighty powers intact. A max-level character strolling through a beginner's village—where he landed didn't matter much then. But now, Lake found himself missing his origin universe a bit.
Sure, he liked being a max-level character in a newbie zone, but he didn't enjoy being a max-level character stripped down to nothing and forced to start over.
The former was a横推—a satisfying sweep.
The latter was a struggle—a process.
Lake had already struggled enough. His legends were scattered across the Valoran starfield. Male heroes wanted to tear him apart, while female heroes loved and hated him in equal measure.
The Ancient One said, "If that new god hadn't left, I'd have settled the score with her. But alas, she's gone, and you're here."
Lake blinked.
New god?
Captain Marvel, transformed by the Space Stone from the Cosmic Cube. Could it be that Captain Marvel took off with the Kree to find a new home in the cosmos because she was worried the Ancient One would come knocking?
...It's possible.
After all, Captain Marvel became a god through the Space Stone, meaning she undoubtedly wielded a sliver of spatial authority. And as a new god, cosmic distances meant nothing to her—especially not to someone with spatial powers.
Just finding a new home—how long could that take? Ten days, maybe? But how long had Captain Marvel been at it?
Ten years had passed so far, and she still hadn't found one. Who'd believe that? Lake sure didn't...
Thinking this over, Lake listened to the Ancient One and spread his hands, "Alright, she's gone, and I'm here. So what? Supreme Sorcerer, I'll remind you—I may be an outsider god, but I'm a victim here too."
The Ancient One nodded, "I know. That's why I invited you here as a guest instead of banishing you into the cosmos."
Lake forced a smile, "Thanks."
Banished into the cosmos? With his divine power and the stars still stuck in the spacetime corridor, he wouldn't die out there, sure—but he'd be no different from the lifeless stars drifting in the endless void...
"You need to leave this place."
"Sorry, can't do that."
"..."
Lake shrugged, "Come on, Supreme Sorcerer. Do you think if I could leave, I'd still be sitting here talking to you?"
The Ancient One's face remained expressionless, "I'll send you away."
Lake flashed a brilliant smile, then shook his head, "Sorry, still can't."
The Ancient One's brows furrowed slightly.
Lake set his empty coffee cup aside and stood up slowly, "Supreme Sorcerer, a god doesn't make promises lightly. But once made, they must be kept. I promised someone here I'd bless them and raise them to godhood."
A man's word is like water spilled—once it's out, it's out.
For a male god, even more so.
He'd said he'd bless Michaela and make her a god, so he had to do it. That was the底线—the底线—a great male god like him held firm to.
A promise is something you do, not just say!
The Ancient One said, "Michaela Vicks, a mortal with a decent heart."
Lake smiled faintly, "But the Supreme Sorcerer can rest easy. You must know my current situation. The moment my divine power and the stars shine on me again, I'll leave. When that time comes, even if you begged me to stay, I wouldn't."
With that.
Lake pointed to a door not far off, "That's the way out, right?"
The Ancient One gazed at Lake and nodded.
Lake said a quick "Thanks" and walked straight toward the door.
Soon enough.
Lake's right hand gripped the doorknob. Just then, the Ancient One, who'd been standing still and watching his back, spoke up, "The moment you fell here in that spacetime turbulence, another presence from your universe landed here too."
Lake's right hand trembled, but he didn't respond.
The Ancient One continued calmly, "I've had contact with her. She said she came here to hunt down someone who calls himself the God of Miracles but is really the God of Weirdos. Oh, do you know who these two might be?"
Lake let out a hearty laugh, turned to face the Ancient One, and met her gaze with a calm, innocent shrug, "Sorry, no clue. Maybe if the Supreme Sorcerer gave me her name, I'd recall something."
The Ancient One gave a mysterious smile, "Sorry, I may not be a god, but like a god, I keep my promises too. Farewell, outsider god. I wish you a pleasant stay on Earth."
With that.
Thud!
Lake's vision blurred. When he came to, he was back on the couch in Michaela's repair shop.
Lake stared at the slightly blackened ceiling.
Her?
Who?
And God of Weirdos?
I'm clearly the God of Miracles, blessed by the stars, walking with the Sun and Moon—a great male god. God of Weirdos? Nonsense. This was a blatant, barefaced slander against him...
Lake fumed a little. He'd once gone out of his way to cement his title as the God of Miracles, flying a Hydra jet across the Valoran starfield, scattering leaflets bearing his name—[God of Miracles].
The stack of those leaflets alone would've reached the height of Mount Targon.
"Agatha!"
"Here, sir."
"How much longer to break through Heimerdinger's restrictions?"
"...Estimated at three months in Earth time."
"Speed it up. Looks like it's not just us who crashed into this world—someone followed us here."
"One of the ladies?"
"...Probably. I mean, I stole the great clock, snatched the Void energy, destroyed two artifacts, and left without a word. Only the stars know how furious they must be right now."
"Good luck, sir."
"...I hope it's not Miss Fortune. If it's her, she'll pull out both guns and pin me to the wall."