It was only to make Stephen Strange feel guilty that Blaine quickly left the room, deliberately shifting all responsibility onto Stephen Strange.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Stephen, you stole a forbidden magical artifact."
Stephen Strange, who was already at a loss after being threatened by Blaine, suddenly heard a familiar voice call him out and trembled even harder.
Turning around, wasn't that Wang, the librarian? Moreover, standing beside that stern, dark-skinned sorcerer were Blaine and Stephen Strange.
When Blaine saw him, he immediately pretended to be calm and unconcerned. With his hands clasped behind his back, he secretly tossed the Book of Cagliostro back onto the table. After all, Wang was talking about Stephen Strange, not him, so Blaine began thinking about how to slip away.
However, before Blaine could leave, Wang asked Stephen Strange to return the Eye of Agamotto hanging around his neck, then launched into a long lecture about what he had done wrong, how he should not have secretly learned time magic, and how he should not have taken the Eye of Agamotto without permission. In short, it was all kinds of principles, all meant to teach Stephen Strange a lesson.
Anyway, not only Blaine, but even Stephen Strange did not say a word. With gloomy faces, they silently let Wang lecture them.
As for Wang, seeing Stephen Strange's silence, it was obvious the man had not listened at all. He simply closed his mouth, then led Stephen Strange and Blaine into the dark chamber where the Eye of Agamotto was stored.
In fact, there was nothing particularly special about this dark chamber. If one had to describe it, apart from a rod-shaped object that resembled a pedestal or console for the Eye of Agamotto, only three gates remained.
These three gates were all made of wood. The slightly thick doors were tightly shut, and the two leaves of each gate joined together to form the shape of the Eye of Agamotto. The Eye of Agamotto pattern on each gate looked different, as though each represented some kind of mysterious ritual.
No one knew how Wang manipulated it, but a planet suddenly appeared above the console where the Eye of Agamotto had been placed moments ago. Of course, it was a smaller version, only about the size of two or three basketballs put together.
The planet had blue skies and white clouds, earthy-yellow continents, deep-blue oceans, and lush green regions. Wasn't it simply a shrunken version of Earth? Even the shapes of the various continents on it were exactly the same as the real Earth. The Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and others were all present, and even the cities of each country could be clearly distinguished. It was like a complete model 3D-printed from high-definition satellite imagery.
"Superheroes like the Avengers protect the Earth from physical harm,"
"that is, from material, physical attacks,"
"while we sorcerers defend the peace of the Earth,"
"and resist threats from magic."
As he manipulated the rod, the librarian turned to look at Stephen Strange while speaking.
"The Ancient One is the latest sorcerer to inherit the title of Sorcerer Supreme."
"They can be traced back to the ancestors of magic thousands of years ago,"
"the almighty Agamotto."
"Of course, it could also be tens of thousands of years, or even millions of years," he said.
"Who's to say that's right?"
In addition to Wang, the dark-skinned sorcerer standing upright beside him, arms crossed like a bodyguard, also added something from time to time.
"It was the sorcerer who created the magical artifact you recklessly stole."
"Agamotto established three Sanctums in places where magical energy was strong,"
Wang continued.
"These places are now major cities."
"The door behind you leads to the Hong Kong Sanctum."
"This door leads to the New York Sanctum in the United States."
"And the other one leads to the London Sanctum."
"The three Sanctums are connected,"
"forming a shield that protects the planet."
As he spoke, he manipulated the mechanism a few more times.
Following the movements of Wang's hands, a miniature version of the Earth appeared before Blaine and Stephen Strange. Three golden magic circles formed over the three cities corresponding to the three locations: Hong Kong, New York, and London. Moreover, the magic circles continued to spread outward, connecting together into a whole. Their shape really did look somewhat like a shield.
"The Sanctums protect the Earth,"
"and we sorcerers are responsible for protecting the Sanctums."
After finishing, Wang looked at Stephen Strange with a serious expression and glanced at Blaine as well. Perhaps because Stephen Strange was someone especially favored by the Ancient One, these people paid particular attention to him, wanting him to grow quickly and take over the Ancient One's position. As for Blaine, he was still an outsider, ignorant and uninformed, so these people simply ignored him, just as the Ancient One did.
"Protect them against what?"
Stephen Strange had only been secretly reading a book and practicing a bit of magic, but Wang and the dark-skinned sorcerer had taken turns lecturing him. After the lecture, they had suddenly begun telling him all this, whether it was useful or not.
"The existence of other dimensions threatens our universe."
Wang continued, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Stephen Strange expressionlessly.
"Uh, like… Dormammu?"
"Where did you learn that name?"
"Well, I just saw it in The Book of Cagliostro."
"What's wrong?"
Stephen Strange asked in return. Wang and the dark-skinned sorcerer looked at each other. Wang's hands seemed to move almost unconsciously, and just like that, the miniature Earth floating in midair suddenly changed its appearance again.
The shield formed by the three golden magic circles disappeared, replaced by patches of darkness. The entire world, the entire Earth, whether city or land, was being swallowed by black energy.
And Blaine was very familiar with this kind of dark energy. Although it was different from what he had seen in the dark space beneath the throne, it was exactly the same as the energy that existed in the Dark Dimension where Dormammu lived.
"Dormammu dwells in the Dark Dimension,"
"beyond time,"
"a conqueror of universes and destroyer of worlds,"
"possessing endless power and endless hunger."
"He wants to invade every universe,"
"and bring every world, all matter, into his Dark Dimension."
"What he desires most,"
"is Earth."
"The pages Kaecilius stole?"
Listening to Wang's monologue, Stephen Strange suddenly asked.
"They contain a ritual to contact Dormammu,"
"and draw power from the Dark Dimension."
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