Kamen Rider ZZZ from the American comic book world

The Holy See was built in three cities: New York, London, and Kowloon.

Li Ai wanted to contact these mages through the New York Sanctum Sanctum and learn some magical knowledge.

Because the memory is somewhat distant, Li Ai only remembers that the New York Sanctuary is roughly located in Greenwich Village on the West Side of Manhattan. She can no longer recall the specific building number or the appearance of the sanctuary, which is why it takes her time to find it.

"I remember the stained glass windows of the New York Sanctuary formed a pattern similar to a magic circle," Li Ai said, searching through the building based on her limited memory.

As dusk fell and the streetlights came on, Li Ai stopped in front of a building.

Both his eyes and the camera told him that this was just an ordinary building, but his intuition told him that this building was not simple.

"Could this be the place?" Li Ai knocked on the door tentatively, then waited quietly for a response.

A few breaths later, a figure dressed in a yellow robe opened the door. He looked Li Ai over, a hint of certainty flashing in his eyes, and said:

"Welcome, friend of the Sorcerer's Priest."

Chapter 40 A Veteran's Reminder

Li Ai also sized up the person in front of her.

He had dark skin, wore a yellow robe, and his forearms and calves were tightly bound with strips of cloth. He had a serious look in his eyes and appeared very capable.

"You seem to have known I was coming?" Li Ai asked curiously.

“My name is Daniel Drum, and I am the sorcerer who guards the Sanctum Sanctum in New York. The Sorcerer Supreme told me that a guest might knock on the door of the Sanctum Sanctum today,” the black sorcerer said calmly, as if he had known this possibility all along.

The future 'Doctor Strange' Stephen Strange has not yet been in a car accident and does not need to use magical powers to heal his injuries, so naturally he is not the one guarding the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York.

The Sorcerer Supreme is a title that can only be bestowed upon a sufficiently powerful mage, and only one person in an era can receive this title. It can be said to represent the authority in the magical world.

As the black sorcerer Daniel opened the door, he said, "The Sorcerer Supreme has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Thank you," Li Ai replied, then followed the black mage Daniel into the Sanctuary.

The interior of the Sanctuary is decorated in a simple and warm style, with a slightly shiny dark brown floor and a pleasant fragrance in the air.

The two stepped onto the winding oak staircase. Although the building looked like a four- or five-story townhouse from the outside, the actual space was much larger, probably even larger than some medium-sized libraries.

Finally, the two arrived at the top floor of the Sanctuary, where many dangerous magical artifacts were displayed. In the most conspicuous place was a circular skylight with four eye-shaped patterns made of arcs.

A figure dressed in a yellow robe stood beneath the window. Master Daniel bowed slightly to this person and respectfully said:

"Supreme Master, your guest has arrived."

“Thank you, Master Daniel.” The man known as the Sorcerer Supreme responded, then turned and walked downstairs, making room for Li Ai and the Sorcerer Supreme.

After Daniel left, the Sorcerer Supreme smiled slightly at Li Ai and said:

“I have seen many futures, and in different futures, the scenarios in which we meet are also different. There are peaceful dialogues like we are now, there are encounters on the battlefield, and there are even confrontations.”

In addition to being an authority in the magical world, the Sorcerer Supreme was also responsible for the safekeeping of the Eye of Agamotto, a magical artifact.

The Eye of Agamotto was crafted by the First Sorcerer Supreme and contains the Time Stone, one of the Infinity Stones.

The Infinity Stones originated from the Big Bang, where six forces condensed into crystals, corresponding to power, space, time, mind, soul, and reality.

As time passed, these six Infinity Stones, which contained immense power, were scattered throughout the universe, but the Sorcerer Supreme before Li Ai carried the Time Stone with him.

The Time Stone is mysterious and unpredictable, allowing one to control the flow of time, but it is also extremely dangerous. If it disrupts spacetime, it will cause a huge disaster, so it needs to be strictly controlled by the Sorcerer Supreme.

But the Supreme Mage in front of Li Ai was not a conventional person. For her, even if it was a dangerous power, she would use it without hesitation as long as there was a reason to use it.

She must have observed the future with the Eye of Agamotto in some unknown place... Li Ai thought to herself.

"That's why I chose to visit you today, Ancient One." Li Ai also directly stated the other party's name.

The Ancient One is not the other party's real name. People, including Li Ai, only know that the Ancient One has lived for hundreds of years and is a Celt. Other information has been buried in the corners of time.

Upon hearing this, the Ancient One said, "It seems you have already foreseen me and magic in your dream."

She was referring to precognitive dreams, which are dreams in which one can foresee future events.

Although Li Ai has not yet had any precognitive dreams, the Ancient One believes that this is a manifestation of his dream abilities.

This also made things easier for Li Ai, as it saved him from having to explain further.

“Yes, I also want to make a group of friends,” he said.

"Making more friends and fewer enemies is indeed a good choice," Gu Yi nodded in agreement.

"Although you are still a bit inexperienced, you have a bright future, and Kamar-Taj is happy to accept you as a friend."

Kamar-Taj, hidden in Kathmandu, Nepal, is a place where monks hone their skills and a command center for harmonizing the three holy sites.

“However, I must remind you of something.” Gu Yi’s tone suddenly turned serious as she spoke to the exceptionally promising young man before her:

"There are others in this world who, like you, can harness the power of dreams."

"Someone like me?" Li Ai subconsciously placed her hand on her chest.

"Don't worry, he can't fight in reality like you do with mystical artifacts based on dream power." The Ancient One raised her right hand and snapped her fingers, sending golden sparks flying.

The next moment, the scattered golden sparks turned into a cloud of black mist, and a figure vaguely formed.

The figure sat on the pitch-black throne, his expression arrogant and confident, as if he believed he could control everything.

This figure was unfamiliar to Li Ai; he had never seen this person in any Marvel-related movies in his previous life.

"What is this?" he asked, frowning.

“He is the controller of the Nightmare Dimension, the ‘Nightmare’ that draws the power of fear from the dreams of all beings,” the Ancient One explained.

"It's normal that you didn't see him in your precognitive dream, because similar abilities often cancel each other out."

The "Nightmare" mentioned by Koichi is not an enemy in the Kamen Rider ZZZ series, but a special existence in one of the many outer dimensions of this world.

Nightmare's origins are shrouded in mystery, his active period is unknown, and he possesses immense power. He once fought against the first Sorcerer Supreme, and the records he left behind serve as a warning to all subsequent Sorcerer Supremes.

He draws power from altered nightmares, while the master of the nightmare dimension does the opposite.

Thinking about this, Li Ai raised another question.

"Master, could you explain the Nightmare Dimension to me in detail?"

“The dream world is the physical manifestation of the collective subconscious of all intelligent life in the universe. This collective subconsciousness allows the dream world to extend infinitely and can now be divided into multiple regions, the most dangerous of which is the nightmare dimension,” the Ancient One explained.

The nightmare dimension is only a part of the dream world. Li Ai grasped this point and pressed further:

"So, the Nightmare doesn't have complete control over the dream world?"

“You could say that,” the Ancient One nodded, looking at Li Ai earnestly.

“Under normal circumstances, people don’t have nightmares every day. As long as there are positive and uplifting dreams, nightmares cannot completely control the dream world.”

"Looks like I'm trying to poach his man," Li Ai chuckled, but there was no fear in her eyes.

Chapter 41 Mithril Glasses

"The Nightmare will discover your existence sooner or later. Right now, you're like a local area network that can only connect to nearby devices, but as the number of devices connected increases, your local area network will overlap with the Nightmare's range."

The Ancient One extended her left hand, her five fingers spread, and a rectangular walnut box appeared in her palm.

"Is this a gift for me?"

"Yes, a little help."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Li Ai reached out and took the walnut box.

The box had a warm, smooth feel and a unique wood grain on the outside. He gently pushed the box open and saw a pair of silver-framed double-bridged glasses lying quietly in a red velvet cloth.

Li Ai's eyesight has always been excellent; she has never been troubled by nearsightedness and has never needed to wear glasses.

However, he believes that since the glasses were made by the Sorcerer Supreme, they are most likely not an ordinary souvenir.

“I’ve enchanted these glasses so that you can see magic, spirits, and curses that ordinary people can’t, and they also provide you with simple disguises,” the Ancient One explained.

"The frames are made of a mixture of mithril and high-purity silver, and the lenses are polished from white crystal that has been bathed in moonlight for many years, making them lightweight yet strong enough."

Li Ai took the glasses out of the box and put them on her face.

The frames were surprisingly light, and the lenses were polished so thin that the wearer could barely feel their weight. He turned his head and glanced at the magical artifacts in the room, where he saw lights of various colors.

Gentle green light, warm white light, dark red light... each color represents the level of danger of this magical item, but these magical items are all bound to the spot by a golden chain.

With a thought, all the colors disappeared, leaving only the magical items neatly arranged in the glass display case.

He plans to try the second function at home.

Li Ai removed her mithril glasses and thanked the Ancient One, saying, "It is indeed a very useful item. Thank you for your gift, Master."

She was willing to act as a guide for the young man in front of her, as long as he was willing to approach Kamar-Taj.

Thinking of this, the Ancient One smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. If you want to learn, just come to the Sanctum Sanctum in New York and find Master Daniel. He can provide you with introductory books for beginners."

“I understand.” Li Ai nodded, then changed the subject and asked, “Can I learn magic?”

"What do you think magic is?" The Ancient One didn't answer his question, but instead posed a question.

Upon hearing this, Li Ai frowned slightly and thought for a while before replying, "An ancient technique that achieves various special effects by manipulating energy?"

"We draw energy from dimensions and reshape them with spells and gestures, much like the relationship between a programmer and code, and aren't you doing something similar?" the Ancient One said meaningfully.

As expected of the Sorcerer Supreme who has lived for hundreds of years, Gu Yi's riddle-solving skills left Li Ai completely baffled. He pondered the sentence repeatedly before finally understanding its meaning.

The mages draw energy from various dimensions to cast spells, while Li Ai obtains feedback by transforming into Kamen Rider ZZZ to change nightmares, and then transforms the feedback power into various capsules and equipment.

Based on some of the results, Kamen Rider ZZZ's power can be made to resemble magic, a magical power beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

“I think I understand.” Li Ai nodded. “You want me to focus on my own power.”

"Your power, in my understanding, doesn't belong to any kind of magic, yet it is no different from magic." The Ancient One once again placed her hands behind her back, her tone calm:

"You already possess amazing 'magic,' why go to such lengths when you have it all?"

"Thank you for your guidance, Master," Li Ai said.

"It's getting late in New York. Minors should be aware of the curfew. You should go home."

The Ancient One suddenly changed to a teasing tone, stretched out her right hand and drew circles in the air, creating a glowing golden ring.

The circle was large enough for one person to pass through, and the other end was at Li Ai's door.

This is a portal spell in Kamar-Taj, similar to a wormhole, connecting two locations. It's practically a must-learn skill for Kamar-Taj mages.

Li Ai stepped through the portal, stood on the asphalt road leading to his own front door, and then said to the Ancient One on the other side of the portal:

"Thank you, Master."

"The Sanctuary of the New York City welcomes you anytime." After saying this, the Ancient One closed the portal.

Li Ai glanced at the spot where the portal had disappeared, then turned and went inside. After making herself a simple meal, she returned to her room to test the second function of the Mithril Glasses.

Li Ai put on his mithril glasses in front of the bathroom mirror. As he imagined a different face in his mind, the face in the mirror also changed.

"What a useful tool."

Li Ai looked at the blond handsome man's face in the mirror, whose features were more deep and three-dimensional, and sighed. He leaned closer to the mirror and examined it carefully. He couldn't find any flaws. Even if he pulled on it with his hand, there would be no abnormal reaction. Even the style of his glasses and the clothes he was wearing could be changed at will.

However, the camouflage function of the Mithril Glasses cannot significantly alter body shape, and therefore has some limitations.

Looking at the somewhat unfamiliar face in the mirror, Li Ai had a thought, and the face in the mirror returned to its original appearance. He took off his mithril glasses and went to the training area of ​​the operations room to complete his daily training.

Then, Li Ai, with a towel around her neck, stood in front of the gashapon machine.

"Let me try my luck today." Li Ai took a deep breath, gently turned the knob with her right hand, and after a series of crisp clicks, a purplish-red dream capsule fell out.

He took out the capsule and placed it on the ZZZ phone's interface to read it.

【Wing: A capsule capable of soaring through the skies at supersonic speeds】

"Now we have all three types of capsules for the muscle system, plus the restoration capsule for the spirit system, making a total of four capsules." Li Ai smiled as she looked at the wing capsules.

The Impact Capsule provides direct combat power, the Transformation Capsule allows for unexpected attacks, the Recovery Capsule offers powerful support capabilities, and this Wing Capsule compensates for another of his weaknesses.

The transformation using the Wing Capsule allows Li Ai to fly at supersonic speeds, greatly enhancing his mobility and preventing him from being unable to catch up with others.

After receiving the new capsule, Li Ai took a shower, quickly went to bed, and entered the dream world.

He stood in the corridor looking at a row of dream doors with nameplates, and noticed that one of the doors leading to the shared dream of Obadiah and Tony had changed.

The door was originally wide enough for a car to pass through, but today it has been transformed into a modern, red and gold blast door, with Tony Stark's name engraved in the center.

"It seems that this door will now only lead to Tony's dream, but I've already helped him resolve the Arc Reactor's hidden dangers, so there's no need to keep paying special attention to him."