The Emperor's exchange with Stephen Strange did not last long. More precisely, there had been no exchange at all. He did not repeat to the doctor what he had said to Sherlock Holmes. He merely glanced at Stephen Strange studying in the distance, then left without looking back.
Compared with Stephen Strange's troubles, there were far more important problems in this world that needed solving. The reason the two Praetorian Guard wardens had remained in the dungeon deep within the Himalayan Mountains was to guard dangerous objects capable of destroying an entire civilization.
A stone tablet carved with seals was buried deep in the lowest reaches of the dungeon. It had existed long before Kamar-Taj was founded, and a large part of the reason Kamar-Taj had been established was that the Sorcerer Supreme of that era, Agamotto, needed to guard it. Apart from the Praetorian Guard wardens, there were several other guards here whom even Mordo had never seen.
These people wrapped themselves tightly in heavy black robes, exposing not even their eyes. Outsiders had no way of knowing anything about the guards, such as their gender or age. Incense burners, amulets, and parchment prayer scrolls hung from them as they followed closely behind the Praetorian Guard wardens in black armor with golden eagle pauldrons. Since the Sorcerer Supreme had gradually handed over her authority, control of these guards had also been transferred to the Emperor. The Emperor then entrusted the dungeon's security to the Praetorian Guard wardens, bringing in vast quantities of technological equipment to establish a tighter surveillance system.
With Kamar-Taj's work over the years, the number of prisoners in the dungeon depths had steadily increased.
They included a silver cruciform key covered in Arabic vines; a stone spearhead stained with blood; a black hand covered in black