Tony Stark rolled his eyes slightly, unfazed by his subordinate's sarcasm.
Although he did feel that ever since he debuted, Earth had become increasingly dangerous... He originally thought that being a superhero would at most involve fighting criminals and terrorists!
But what happened? Aliens, divine mages, and so on—Earth was practically a chaotic mess now!
Despite his Iron Man suits becoming more and more powerful and his combat strength growing, enemies still emerged endlessly, improving even faster than his Iron Man suits!
In just two short years, a world-ending crisis had struck again, making Tony Stark worry about his hair.
"No wonder Nick Fury is bald; dealing with so many messy problems every day, I won't turn bald too, will I? No way! After this is over, I might as well just resign."
...Kamar-Taj.
Doctor Strange was in the midst of vomiting, his face pale, spitting out a large amount of stomach acid. He looked disoriented, and the dark circles under his eyes, accumulated from prolonged insomnia, made one wonder if he had also pledged allegiance to Dormammu and absorbed dark magic.
"Master, it's time."
The plump Wong knocked on the door and spoke to Doctor Strange.
Wiping his face, Doctor Strange calculated the time he had spent paying the price for his spells, confirming that he wouldn't encounter any more problems due to magical repercussions in the remaining few days. Only then did he tidy himself up, making himself look a bit more energetic, at least not like someone on the verge of death.
Although every organ—his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—ached, and his brain felt like 3,000 tiny people were performing a dance party inside, at least he wasn't seeing everyone as jellyfish or mushrooms, and the world wasn't twisting like a kaleidoscope anymore.
"Alright, I'll be in the reception room immediately," Doctor Strange said, extending a hand, and the red Cloak of Levitation flew to his back. "Wong, prepare some tea for me in the reception room. Prepare five cups; guests will be arriving soon."
"Understood, Sorcerer Supreme."
The plump sorcerer Wong obediently went to prepare the tea. Although he was just a supporting sorcerer, being able to follow successive Sorcerer Supremes clearly meant Wong had some skills.
Of course... it wasn't that he had any great magical attainments. In fact, the more accomplished a sorcerer, the more likely they were to die young or suddenly. Wong's greatest ability as a sorcerer was his constant caution, never attempting anything beyond his capabilities.
This was truly rare among sorcerers, as magic could also affect one's emotions. Many sorcerers were like addicts or gamblers, knowing they might not be able to pay the price but still choosing to recklessly overdraw their magic.
Doctor Strange was the best example of this. In just two or three years of magical training, Doctor Strange could contend with old sorcerers who had practiced for decades, successfully maintaining his title as Sorcerer Supreme.
While this was partly due to Doctor Strange's exceptional talent, his quick grasp of everything, and his genuine genius in magic, a larger reason was that Doctor Strange had already sold everything he could and sought out every dimensional demon he could contract with. This allowed him to bridge the gap of decades, even centuries, in experience and magical power, becoming the true Sorcerer Supreme.
After preparing for a while, even casting a small spell to make himself look vibrant and radiant, Doctor Strange drew a portal and arrived in the reception room.
At this point, Shin, Iron Man, Doctor Doom, Professor X, and Magneto had already been in the reception room for a short while.
The five cups of tea had been prepared just before they arrived at Kamar-Taj. For Doctor Strange, who possessed the Time Stone, foreseeing their arrival was effortless... Hmm?! Doctor Strange looked at Shin, his mind in turmoil. Why hadn't he seen this person in his premonitions?
The Ancient One could perceive Shin's presence through the existence of others, but Doctor Strange, who had only just become Sorcerer Supreme, did not possess this ability.
Using the Time Stone to view the timeline, while convenient, was not without danger. Generally speaking, these sorcerers would take a quick peek upstream in the river of time and then immediately return to the normal timeline. Otherwise, some strange temporal afterimages or time worms might come looking for them.
A sorcerer like the Ancient One, with rich experience and powerful abilities, could naturally glean a lot of information from a single glance. But for Doctor Strange, his quick glance was truly just that—a glance.
Thus, an awkward situation arose: there were teacups in front of all the guests at the table, but Doctor Strange's spot was empty.
However, having been Sorcerer Supreme for over a year, Doctor Strange, putting aside his other abilities, had at least made some progress in appearing mysterious and unfazed. He simply ignored the issue, sat down in front of the others, and said, "Guests have arrived? Are you looking to go to Asgard?"
Before Tony Stark could speak, Shin waved his hand directly, looking at Doctor Strange with a strange expression: "Alright, stop trying to put on airs. Just tell us the coordinates for the spatial portal, and then you'll have time to get some proper rest!"
Doctor Strange's smile stiffened: "Uh, I don't know what this gentleman is talking about..."
"I'm a seasoned traditional Chinese medicine doctor," Shin stated directly. "Just by looking at you now, I can tell you have heart disease, gastric perforation, pneumonia, kidney stones, meningitis, and... erectile dysfunction."
"Wait, when did I get erectile dysfunction?!" Doctor Strange finally lost his calm demeanor and exclaimed loudly.
"So you're admitting to all the other diseases then?" Tony Stark quipped. "Aren't you a sorcerer? Can't you use magic to cure these illnesses, just like you healed your hands?"
With S.W.O.R.D. as his backing, Tony Stark had long since learned all about Doctor Strange's growth journey. Aside from what happened after he joined Kamar-Taj, S.W.O.R.D. could certainly uncover information about Doctor Strange's life before that.
He naturally knew why Doctor Strange came to study magic. Since he could heal such severe hand injuries, it should logically be easy to cure other illnesses.
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Now available - Chapter 671: New Drip