"Ancient One, we meet again."
At the sight of the Ancient One, Xia Zuo made no attempt to hide. He slowly approached her, pressed his palms together, and spoke.
"Have a seat. I just brewed a pot of tea."
The Ancient One looked up and smiled at Xia Zuo. His arrival did not surprise her in the slightest; after all, this was the deeper meaning behind what she had said. She simply had not expected him to understand her meaning so quickly and come to Kamar-Taj so soon. That had caught her somewhat by surprise.
"It's been a long time since I last had tea. I rather miss it," Xia Zuo said with a light chuckle. Without standing on ceremony, he sat directly opposite the Ancient One and slowly savored the fragrant tea.
"This token is for you. It serves as a key, allowing you to enter and leave Kamar-Taj. Aside from certain dangerous areas, you may move freely wherever you like. I've also arranged a room for you. A monk will take you there shortly. I hope you'll find your stay here comfortable."
The Ancient One slowly took out a bracelet bearing a slanted hash-shaped symbol. It looked somewhat like the necklace Doctor Strange would wear in the future, and it was something she had prepared for Xia Zuo.
Although Kamar-Taj was a sacred place for sorcerers, it did not have many rules. However, some dangerous places existed here as well, because it was also an important point of entry for invasions from other worlds. Visitors from other worlds might sometimes appear.
Xia Zuo's current strength was not enough to withstand those dangers. She did not want him to be swallowed up by the dangers of Kamar-Taj, which was why she had restricted certain areas.
In truth, a key granting access to some areas and a room were Kamar-Taj's standard provisions for guests. This was also what the Ancient One had arranged. After all, she regarded Xia Zuo as a guest, rather than someone who had truly become part of this place. That had been her thinking before, too.
"Thank you, Ancient One."
Xia Zuo smiled faintly, accepted the key the Ancient One offered, and thanked her.
"I hope you gain something here," The Ancient One said mildly, hinting at something without making herself entirely clear.
While the two were savoring their tea, a commotion rose outside the hall. One rough voice stood out particularly clearly.
"Search carefully! A little thief snuck in here. We have to find him!"
Inside the hall, both Xia Zuo and the Ancient One heard this immediately. Upon hearing it, the Ancient One understood what had happened and could not help giving a wry smile.
For Xia Zuo to have reached Kamar-Taj so quickly, he must have used the portal in the New York Sanctum. Mordo was currently guarding the New York Sanctum, and given his temperament, after Xia Zuo had made such a fool of him last time, he would certainly have refused to help Xia Zuo. He might very well have tried to stop him instead. Xia Zuo's presence here proved that he had once again run circles around Mordo, which explained why Mordo was so irritable now.
In the blink of an eye, the Ancient One guessed the truth, and that was indeed what had happened. After waking up, Mordo had immediately realized what had occurred and rushed back to Kamar-Taj in a rage, intent on finding Xia Zuo.
"Sorry for the spectacle. This disciple of mine is somewhat slow-witted."
The Ancient One smiled helplessly. When she had spoken those words in front of Xia Zuo and Mordo, had Mordo been a little cleverer, he would naturally have understood her meaning and known that she had deliberately allowed Xia Zuo to come. Clearly, however, Mordo had failed to grasp her meaning.
"It's no trouble."
Xia Zuo smiled faintly. This was the Ancient One's domain, so naturally he would not say much. He also trusted that she would handle it.
"Mordo, come in!"
The Ancient One shook her head helplessly and called outside.
"Sorcerer Supreme, you summoned me... It's you! You actually dared to come here!"
Hearing the Ancient One's voice, Mordo and several monks hurried over to her. But the moment he stepped into the hall, Mordo spotted Xia Zuo sitting leisurely opposite the Sorcerer Supreme, savoring tea. Fury instantly blazed within him. Sparks appeared in his hands as he traced a magic circle, forming a whip of light between his hands and moving to lash Xia Zuo with it.
"Enough, Mordo."
The Ancient One frowned slightly and gave a quiet reprimand. A flick of her fingers sent out a streak of golden light, instantly extinguishing Mordo's magic.
"Sorcerer Supreme, why are you stopping me? That little thief ambushed me and snuck into Kamar-Taj! And you wouldn't even allow him into Kamar-Taj before!"
Seeing his magic extinguished by the Sorcerer Supreme, Mordo's face filled with disbelief and turned pale. He even felt as though he had suffered a heavy blow.
Why was the Ancient One protecting this brat? He was clearly the one who had been wronged, and he was the Sorcerer Supreme's disciple, while that brat was nothing. So why was she protecting that brat like this?
Mordo could not understand it and even felt deeply wronged. He could not understand why the Sorcerer Supreme, whom he respected above all others and regarded as the fairest and most impartial person, would show such favoritism. Mordo felt utterly aggrieved.
"I won't accept this, Sorcerer Supreme! Why are you protecting that brat?!"
At the thought of how he had been wronged, Mordo immediately spoke in agitation. He felt deeply resentful. Why had things turned out this way? He found this outcome difficult to accept.
To put it simply, Mordo felt he had completely lost his cool!
P.S. My heartfelt thanks to [Julius Kingsley] for the third tip!
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