Mind Reading

Seeing the familiar dimensional portal, Meng Zu recognized it as the spell Kamar-Taj sorcerers often used in the Doctor Strange movies. That meant these two were most likely sorcerers from Kamar-Taj.

This was Meng Zu's first time seeing Kamar-Taj sorcerers. After recovering his memories, he had once fantasized about becoming a sorcerer himself. After all, sorcerers' moves came with their own special effects and looked incredibly cool when used.

Kamar-Taj in the Himalayas was too far away. Even if he ran there himself, he might not be able to find it. He certainly was not going to spend years searching for it, so Meng Zu came up with another plan.

He remembered that there was a Sanctum in New York in the movies, permanently staffed by Kamar-Taj sorcerers. He vaguely recalled its location being either 176A or 177A Bleecker Street in Manhattan, so he went looking for it. He found 176A, but it was just a restaurant, while 177A did not exist at all.

Meng Zu had even asked people nearby about 177A, but everyone told him there had never been a 177A there. Fine, that made him give up. Perhaps this world did not have a New York Sanctum like in the movies. He should just honestly stick to being a mercenary.

The buzz-cut, chubby sorcerer looked over Jason and the other two. "Master, they bear Mephisto's mark."

"Mm. It looks like they have existed for quite some time. Mephisto is always good at hiding. If these three evil spirits had not exposed themselves, they would have been difficult to discover," the white-bearded sorcerer said with a nod.

The moment Mrs. Voorhees and Mary Shaw saw the two sorcerers, their expressions turned panicked.

Dangerous. They would die!

That was the only feeling the two had when facing these sorcerers.

Naturally, Mary Shaw and Mrs. Voorhees would not sit around waiting to die. A book appeared in Mrs. Voorhees's hand, and she began chanting an obscure spell. A blood-red magic circle appeared on the ground. Mary Shaw took out a small box and opened it, whereupon wandering souls flew out one after another, circling around Mrs. Voorhees and Mary Shaw.

Then the magic circle shone with a blood-red light. Those wandering souls were sucked into the circle and vanished, while behind Mrs. Voorhees, a three-meter-tall red phantom emerged. It wore a cloak, had claws for hands, and two curved horns on its head.

At the sight of that phantom, the electric current buzzing in Meng Zu's mind suddenly grew louder, as loud as the humming he heard when standing beneath high-voltage power lines. It made his head ache.

This was the first time Meng Zu's Danger Sense had reacted so intensely. If the two sorcerers had not been here, he would have used Teleportation to flee without a second word.

As soon as the phantom appeared, the chubby sorcerer made his move. With a wave of both hands toward Mary Shaw and the others, a dark crimson chain appeared out of thin air. The chain split into three and instantly shot forward, wrapping around Mary Shaw, Mrs. Voorhees, and Jason beside them.

The black mist surrounding Mary Shaw and the other two tried to block the chains, but it scattered apart the instant it touched them. The three were immediately bound tightly by the chains.

At that moment, the phantom behind Mrs. Voorhees also noticed the disturbance, and its eyes lit up with a blood-red glow.

Who was it? Who dared obstruct the descent of the great Lord of Hell?

At that moment, a fragment of Mephisto's consciousness descended onto the red phantom behind Mrs. Voorhees through the souls sacrificed in the magic circle.

The instant Mephisto opened his eyes, he saw the white-bearded sorcerer not far ahead smiling at him.

Mephisto: Σ(☉▽☉"a

That brat Blackheart actually dared give me fake liquor. It made me hallucinate. I'll go beat him up right now.

Sensing Mephisto's arrival, delight appeared on Mrs. Voorhees's face. But in the next instant, Mephisto vanished again, freezing her expression. Could it be that the sacrifice had not been enough and the descent had failed?

A small magic circle appeared in each of the chubby sorcerer's hands. Two golden bolts of lightning shot out, instantly blasting Mary Shaw and the other two, along with the red phantom, into dust.

At the same time, Meng Zu's Danger Sense returned to calm. Seeing the two sorcerers turn to leave, he hurriedly shouted, "Wait!"

The two turned to look at Meng Zu. The white-bearded sorcerer asked with a smile, "Young man, what is it?"

Meng Zu stepped forward with a broad smile. "May I ask if the two of you are from Kamar-Taj?"

"You know of Kamar-Taj? Hmm! The energy in your body is quite special, though there is far too little of it," the white-bearded sorcerer said, looking at Meng Zu with surprise.

Meng Zu smiled as he explained, "My name is Meng Zu. I am a mercenary, and I have heard some things about Kamar-Taj. May I know your names?"

As the saying went, smiling boys were never too unlucky. This was his first time encountering sorcerers. If he could build a connection with them, he would strike it rich.

The chubby sorcerer introduced himself. "My name is Wong. This is my master, the Ancient One. He is also the great Sorcerer Supreme."

"The Sorcerer Supreme! You're the Ancient One?" Meng Zu was utterly shocked. He clearly remembered the Ancient One being a woman in the movies, yet here he was an old man. Wong was Asian, but he looked nothing like the Wong from the movies.

The Ancient One was already accustomed to Meng Zu's reaction. Almost everyone who met him for the first time reacted this way, so he said with a chuckle, "Sorcerer Supreme and such are merely empty titles. There is no need to care about them."

Learning that the white-bearded sorcerer before him was the Ancient One, Meng Zu's eyes immediately lit up. This was a powerful patron, and he had to seize the chance to cling to him. Especially regarding his energy problem—he had far too little of it. Even when dealing with Mary Shaw and the others today, he could only use it sparingly. If he could become the Ancient One's disciple, he could definitely solve the issue of having too little energy. He might even obtain magical equipment.

Meng Zu shamelessly said with a grin, "Sorcerer Supreme, I have admired magic for a long time. Ever since I was little, I dreamed of meeting a magician and learning magic. After growing up and learning that sorcerers truly existed, I even went searching for them. Being able to meet the Sorcerer Supreme here is truly a blessing earned over three lifetimes. May I learn magic?"

The Ancient One shook his head. "You are not suited for magic."

Meng Zu's heart instantly sank. Then the Ancient One continued with a cheerful smile, "Although we do not have the fate of master and disciple, your energy problem can be solved."

Mind reading! Meng Zu: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

"I do not know any mind-reading techniques," The Ancient One said, still wearing the same cheerful smile.

Meng Zu: (;￣д￣)

Fine, I believe you, Sorcerer Supreme. Meng Zu saw Wong beside him giving him meaningful looks and immediately decided to obey.

"Then—"

Before Meng Zu could ask how his energy problem could be solved, a business card appeared in the Ancient One's hand. He handed it to Meng Zu and said, "When the time comes, go to the New York Sanctum and find Sorcerer Daniel. He will help you solve your energy problem."

Meng Zu took the card and looked at it. It read: 177 Bleecker Street, Manhattan. That was not right. He had looked for it before and had never found 177 Bleecker Street in Manhattan.

Meng Zu raised his head, about to question the Ancient One, only to discover that the Ancient One and Wong had already vanished.

"They left pretty fast. I'll look again when I get back to New York." Meng Zu shrugged.

Meng Zu walked toward the car. Wong had already dealt with Mary Shaw and the other two. Now it was time to send Sam and the others home and complete his mercenary job.

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