House of Mystery Surveillance Room.
This was the designated space for the Overseers to monitor and oversee the timeline of the Wasteland Universe. Hundreds of screens of varying sizes displayed real-time surveillance footage from different locations within the Wasteland Universe.
At the center of these screens stood a purple holographic projection, marked with a circular, pure white ring—representing the Wasteland Universe's timeline, also known as the so-called "Sacred Timeline."
"So, magic has truly returned."
Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman, held a white tablet, examining its unique readings while simultaneously scanning the large screen. She spoke softly.
"It has indeed returned. According to observations from the cosmic energy detector, after the explosion of Peregrine Child and its aftershocks rippled through reality, numerous planets across the universe experienced frequency resonance. Some even began exhibiting unfamiliar energy reactions."
Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, adjusted his glasses, responding with a hint of excitement in his tone.
Behind Reed, his two children stood still, curiously observing the various surveillance screens before them.
Aside from them, Alex—who had already settled the Lightbringer—had also arrived.
Alex placed great importance on the resurgence of magic in the Wasteland. After all, it had taken a tremendous effort to make it happen, and he had to prioritize it.
The resurgence of magical energy would not only bring prosperity to the Wasteland but also significantly enhance his own combat abilities.
Being a ruler in a dimension devoid of magic—could that even be considered a worthy title? The answer was obvious.
"I once spoke with the Watcher about the multiverse, and he told me that in different parallel universes, the strength of magic—or rather, energy—determines the overall strength of the entire universe."
Alex gazed calmly at the large screen, placing a hand on Franklin's shoulder as he slowly explained.
"I had long suspected this. Back in the Zombie Hero Universe, I already had doubts—why do heroes with the same abilities exhibit such vast differences in strength?"
"Does it have to do with magical energy?" Franklin looked up at Alex.
"Exactly. But it's not just magical energy. It also relates to certain unique cosmic energies. However, we can collectively refer to them as 'magic.'"
Alex lowered his head slightly, meeting Franklin's gaze with a smile.
"These energies can be divine power, cosmic mystic energy, or even the Celestials' innate energy.
They form the framework of the universe, acting as the supporting pillars of the world. Without them, the universe would become highly unstable, potentially even affecting the lives that inhabit it."
At this point, Alex couldn't help but think of the Ruins Universe—Pietro's home.
That universe was a prime example, or perhaps an even worse case. Not only was there no magic, but even magical dimensions themselves didn't exist.
Although the Wasteland Universe had experienced an era where magic had disappeared, the magical dimensions still remained. Casting powerful spells had indeed been difficult, but not entirely impossible.
This was evident from figures like Red Skull and Baron Mordo, as well as beings like the Shadow King, who was a pure magical entity. They were still able to exhibit some of their combat prowess within the Wasteland.
But in the Ruins Universe, all of that was gone. That universe had been completely stripped of magical energy—and more than that, even the concept of "miracles" was absent.
It was the complete absence of these vital energies that led that universe to its downfall.
Thinking about the heroes who had tragically perished, and the mutants who had been reduced to either lunatics or inferior beings, Alex wondered—if gods truly existed, then that universe was surely a forsaken land.
"The Watcher categorizes different multiverses based on their energy levels. Universes with immense energy reserves are classified as 'High-Tier Universes.' These universes are more stable and tend to produce extraordinarily powerful beings."
Alex provided a simple example.
"In some universes, Storm is capable of wielding Mjolnir and even summoning solar flare storms—destructive forces that pose a massive threat to civilizations.
Yet, in lower-energy universes, Storm can merely summon wind and rain. In fact, she might even struggle against an average Tier-3 mutant. That's the fundamental difference."
"So, Alex, what you're saying is that the strength of a universe's energy is directly tied to the beings that inhabit it, right?" Reed Richards summarized.
"Exactly. And that's one of the reasons I care so much about this."
Alex looked at Reed and Susan.
"Right now, the Wasteland is undoubtedly powerful. With the heroes from the Apokolips War Universe aiding us, Earth has reached the status of an advanced civilization on a cosmic scale. One could say that within the Wasteland Universe, nothing poses a real threat to Earth.
However, our threats don't just come from within. The multiverse is full of dangers we don't yet understand or know how to handle."
"You're referring to contamination, aren't you?" Reed Richards immediately understood Alex's concern. He knew this issue had troubled Alex for a long time.
"That's one way to put it. But as long as I'm here, contamination won't affect the Wasteland. What I'm actually referring to is the fact that our universe is situated in the 'Multiversal Junkyard.' Around us, there are countless worlds on the brink of destruction—or already annihilated.
We can't guarantee that those universes don't harbor uncontrollable entities that might threaten us. But what we can ensure is that when those threats come, we are prepared to face them."
Alex's expression was serious.
He never intended to protect the world by himself. Protecting the world should be the responsibility of every being that lived in it.
If the Wasteland grew strong enough, then every creature—regardless of their civilization—should be able to hold their own. In such a scenario, would he still need to worry about unknown external invasions?
By then, the only ones who should be worried would be the fools foolish enough to try invading the Wasteland.
"But it's still too early to dwell on this. You don't have to feel too pressured."
Sensing the tension in the room, Alex quickly smiled and continued.
"We'll take things step by step. Right now, our main task is handling the 'shockwave' caused by the resurgence of magic."
This revival of magic was far from gentle. Since it had arrived with the aftershocks of an explosion, the chaotic and unregulated magical energy had a massive impact on the physical dimension.
The good news was that this impact would only last for a while, gradually stabilizing over time.
The bad news, however, was that this shockwave was affecting the entire universe—and no one knew where the first major eruption would occur.
"Valeria already spoke to me about it—creating a device capable of detecting energy fluctuations across the entire universe, right? That's no small task. Even with our spatial energy observation machine as a foundation, it's still a massive undertaking."
Reed Richards adjusted his glasses and stroked his chin as he continued, "These energies are chaotic. We have no precise way of determining where they will accumulate or mutate."
As soon as Reed finished speaking, the genius Valeria couldn't help but interject. "Is it really that hard? Isn't it just a matter of using the right tools?"
Her exclamation caught everyone's attention. Both Reed and Susan turned to her with surprised expressions, but Alex simply kept smiling.
He knew very well that Valeria was an underestimated genius, and her mind was filled with extraordinary ideas.
Sensing her parents' gazes, Valeria spoke up. "The Overseers can appear at any point in time and space within the Wasteland Universe, right? We don't need to predict where the energy will mutate. We just need to arrive the moment it happens."
"You're saying we should respond only after the mutation occurs? Isn't that too risky? No one can predict what chaotic magical energy might create," Reed said with a frown.
"That's why we need the Overseers—a professional organization—to handle these incidents. Besides, even if we face a crisis, we can always use the Ultimate Eraser to contain it. It's not really that big of a problem, is it?"
Valeria raised an eyebrow and continued, "It's just like monitoring timeline branches in the Wasteland Universe. If we can observe timeline divergences, why can't we also monitor magical energy anomalies?"
"Is that even possible?" Franklin blinked, asking the question. He wasn't very knowledgeable about the technology behind all of this, and to him, it all sounded like a foreign language.
"It is possible," Susan spoke up, tapping a few times on her tablet. "As long as we make some modifications to the Wasteland time monitors, we can achieve something similar. But…"
"But we don't have enough energy to sustain such a massive operation," Reed Richards interjected before Susan could finish.
In fact, the moment his daughter proposed this design, Reed had already started considering its feasibility. However, in his calculations, this was nearly an impossible task.
"The reason we're able to oversee the entire Wasteland Universe's timeline is entirely thanks to Alex. His timepad grants absolute control over the timeline, and the energy it provides is beyond comprehension. If we want to execute the plan you're suggesting, we'll need an immense amount of energy to support the device's overclocked computations."
"I can convert some energy. It should be enough to power your device," Alex stepped forward calmly and stated.
After all these years, he had never fought a battle with such an abundance of resources. The energy he now possessed was beyond anything a normal person could fathom.
But Valeria stopped Alex, smiling as she said, "No need to go through all that trouble. We just need an energy source for the device, right? Well, we already have a perfect one."
As she spoke, Valeria turned toward her brother, Franklin, with a knowing smile on her face.
.....
📢Advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: [email protected]/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
1. 30 advanced chapters of American Comics: Multiverse of Madness.
2. 30 advanced chapters of Warhammer, but Emperor's Chosen.
3. 20 advanced chapters of The Witcher: Wolf School's Hunting Notes.