Lin Hai's Day Trip to Kamar-Taj

On Saturday morning, Bleecker Street in New York was still steeped in the laziness of the weekend. Lin Hai stood before Number 177, tightly clutching the golden card in his hand. To ordinary people, this might have been nothing more than a row of normal buildings, but in his eyes, the building gave off a faint magical glow.

When he lightly knocked on the door knocker, the lion-head carving upon it seemed to come alive, its golden eyes flickering faintly. A moment later, steady footsteps sounded from within, accompanied by the crisp turn of mechanical locks.

The door opened, revealing a one-armed elder standing behind it. He wore a dark blue sorcerer's robe, his graying beard neatly trimmed, and his sharp gaze still carried a gentle warmth.

Lin Hai's heart stirred. Based on the man's one-armed appearance, he recognized him as Master Hamil, one of Kamar-Taj's sorcerers and The Ancient One's loyal servant. In the comics, he was the father of Wong, Strange's assistant, though the films had never made that clear. Despite having lost an arm, Hamil still possessed formidable magical abilities. The Ancient One had once called him over to demonstrate the combined spellcasting abilities of one hand and no hands to the hand-trembling Strange, thoroughly showing up Strange, who had insisted that his shaky hands prevented him from casting spells steadily. When Strange had first arrived at Kamar-Taj, he had even mistaken Hamil for The Ancient One.

"Hello, Lin Hai, correct?" The elder's Chinese carried an ancient cadence. "The Sorcerer Supreme said you would come today. I've been waiting for you."

"That's right, it's me." Lin Hai bowed respectfully. "May I ask who you are?"

Lin Hai had guessed that he was Master Hamil, but he could not show that he knew, so he still had to