In the evening of New York, Finney opened a portal and arrived in Kamar-Taj. Having not seen this familiar scenery for nearly half a year, he felt a deep sense of nostalgia.
Due to the time difference, it was only early morning in Kamar-Taj. The resident sorcerers had just finished washing up and were preparing to begin their day's practice.
"Sorcerer Finney!?"
Finney's fame in this Kamar-Taj was practically comparable to that of the Ancient One. They might not know how powerful the Ancient One was, but they certainly knew how delicious the Violet Chicken Wrap was.
"Good morning!"
Finney smiled and nodded in greeting.
"It really is you!"
The sorcerer looked surprised and came to Finney's side, asking, "Where have you been all this time? We thought you'd left Kamar-Taj!"
"How could I? I just went on a trip. It's a bit far, so it's hard to come back," Finney explained, shaking his head.
"Master Finney, you're back?"
"Welcome back!"
"Long time no see, Master Finney."
"Great! The fried chicken rolls are finally back! Cough, no, Master Finney, you're finally back!"
While chatting with the mage, more and more mages noticed Finney and came over to greet him joyfully, like old friends, incredibly warm and friendly.
If it weren't for their eyes shining and mouths watering, Finney would have been moved.
But Finney didn't dare move now. Looking at the group of mages who were vaguely surrounding him, he stood still and obediently said, "It's been a long time. I didn't bring any gifts for everyone."
"Please have some fried chicken rolls as a small token of my appreciation!"
Finney quickly summoned 'Violet Fried Chicken Rolls', summoning them directly into the hands of everyone within his sight, three per second. Soon, everyone had a fried chicken roll in their hand.
The aroma filled the air, and Kamar-Taj finally tasted as it had before.
With the food in hand, the sorcerers finally showed satisfied expressions. Having achieved their goal, they didn't make things difficult for Finney anymore and happily ate their breakfast.
After not seeing each other for over half a year, most of the sorcerers, who had gained weight, had finally regained some of their pre-pregnancy figures.
This made Finney wonder if the Ancient One hadn't brought him back so that she could use this opportunity to make the sorcerers lose weight or give up their 'Violet Chicken Rolls'!?
Filled with deep 'malice,' Finney headed towards the Ancient One's meditation room.
On the way, he encountered many more sorcerers, each one showing him concern and care. Finney could only repay them with chicken rolls in return.
The training grounds in Kamar-Taj weren't very large. Before Finney even reached the Ancient One, he ran into an acquaintance—the long-lost Mordo, the experience-boosting baby.
"Good morning, Senior Brother Mordo!"
Mordo seemed lost in thought and didn't immediately notice Finney. It was only after Finney greeted him that he reacted.
"Finney!?"
Mordo looked up, surprised, and blurted out, "Where have you been all this time?"
"I accidentally went on a trip in space."
Finney shrugged, continuing with his previous excuse, only now with more details. After all, he still had a very good impression of Mordo, who genuinely cared about him.
"Space!?"
Mordo was taken aback. Although many people had dared to ask the Ancient One where Finney was or when he would return,
the Ancient One hadn't given a definite answer or revealed Finney's location. Even Mordo hadn't known, so he only found out where Finney had been all this time now.
"Is everything alright?"
Mordo looked at Finney with concern, and breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that he wasn't missing any limbs.
"No!"
Finney shook his head. Although life on Vormir was a bit boring, it wasn't dangerous. There weren't any wild beasts, let alone any living creatures, on the entire planet.
"How did you end up in space?"
Although Finney said he went on vacation, Mordo was there when Skye came to find the Ancient One. If Finney had been prepared, he wouldn't have been mistaken for someone who had disappeared.
"It's a bit complicated, but it's all over now."
Finney didn't want to explain, because it involved why the Tesseract teleported him, and why his soul was special, etc.
Seeing that Finney didn't want to talk about it, Mordo frowned slightly and didn't press further. Instead, he encouraged him, "You haven't been training for the past six months. Your magic hasn't fallen behind, has it?"
"While you were gone, Kaecilius has improved rapidly. I feel that it won't be long before he surpasses you."
"Heh!" Finney smiled contemptuously. Now he possessed seven skills, two Infinity Stones, and had even just wiped out a cosmic army.
Surpass him!?
That's like saying a sliding tackle can kill a tiger—try letting him try to surpass it.
"I have to talk to you later, I need to see the Ancient One. I'll come find you then."
Finney didn't discuss Kaecilius with Mordo. As his strength grew, his mindset changed; he no longer felt the same way about having to get rid of him.
"Okay."
Mordo nodded, and just as he was about to leave, Finney suddenly handed him several fried chicken rolls, saying, "I went to this wretched place with nothing, so I can't bring any gifts. I can only treat you to some fried chicken rolls!"
After several months, Mordo thought he had given up this kind of food, but now he knew he was wrong. The moment he smelled it, his mouth started watering.
Looking at the fried chicken rolls in front of him, Mordo swallowed hard, feeling the aroma was even more tempting than before.
Although he wanted to refuse, before he could even open his mouth, his body had already involuntarily accepted the 'Fried Chicken Rolls' Finney offered.
Looking at the food in his hand, Mordo sighed, his face a picture of struggle and complexity, leaving Finney utterly bewildered.
"What's wrong? Have you had breakfast?"
Finney assumed Mordo had already eaten and couldn't eat, so he prepared to take the 'Violet Chicken Roll' back.
"Nothing!"
Seeing Finney about to take it back, Mordo stopped arguing and quickly took a bite. The drugged deliciousness made him involuntarily smile.
Hmm, still as ugly as ever!
Finney gave Mordo a disdainful look, ignoring him as he continued walking towards the Ancient One's room.
This was the Sorcerer Supreme's daily training and rest area, rarely visited by sorcerers, so Finney didn't encounter anyone along the way.
Reaching the Ancient One's room, Finney knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
The Ancient One's steady voice came from inside. Finney pushed open the door and went in.
Wearing her ever-present greyish-white robe and sporting a gleaming bald head, the Ancient One sat cross-legged on a futon, eyes closed in meditation.
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