Thank you, God-like Boss, for the King of Gifts!
This is killing me, I've been typing non-stop.
According to the previous rules, five extra chapters are required.
I was so busy I forgot to upload it...
The rest has been formatted and is currently being refined; it will be available shortly.
Strange stood on the training field for another morning.
Since crawling back from the Amazon snake pit yesterday, his ability to draw portals has been completely transformed, as if his meridians have been opened. Although the process is still a bit slow, at least he won't fail anymore.
Lynn leaned against the stone wall and watched for about twenty minutes, making sure he no longer needed Lynn's watchful eye. Then he raised his hand, drew a circle, and stepped into the portal without looking back.
"You practice first. I have something to do."
Before Strange could even reply, the portal closed behind him.
When Lynn returned to the penthouse, Natasha was curled up on the sofa, flipping through an electronic file.
Hearing the portal's movement, she merely lifted her eyelids slightly before continuing to look at her screen. "You're back really early today."
"Hmm. He doesn't need me to keep an eye on him today."
Lynn walked to the sofa, threw herself into the seat next to her, and glanced at the file in her hand.
It was a background check report for a newcomer. He didn't recognize the name, but he figured it was probably a potential candidate Coulson had recently identified.
He didn't intend to ask any more questions, but simply reached out and took the tablet from her hands, placing it on the coffee table. Then he pulled her closer, his arm around her waist. "I estimate I'll be staying in Kamar-Taj for a few days starting tomorrow. Something might happen there. Some innocent people will suffer. I want to keep an eye on things from there."
Natasha leaned against him in silence for a while, without asking what it was about. Having been with Lynn for so long, she was already used to it.
"Do you need any help?"
"No need, I can handle it."
Natasha gave a soft hum, not pressing for details. She simply buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes. "Be careful."
The next morning, Lynn did not go to see Strange first.
He walked through the quiet courtyard of Kamar-Taj, bypassed the novice sorcerers who were doing their morning exercises, and went straight to the Ancient One's meditation room.
The air on the snow-capped mountain was exceptionally crisp in the early morning. Prayer flags fluttered gently in the breeze, and the faint whispers of apprentices practicing basic runes drifted from afar. He stood before the half-open wooden door of the meditation room, took a deep breath, and then raised his hand to gently knock twice.
There was a moment of silence in the room, then the Ancient One's voice came through. "Come in."
Lynn pushed open the door and entered. The Ancient One was sitting in front of a low table, holding the ceramic teapot she had used for many years, and was about to pour tea into a cup. She looked up and saw Lynn's expression, paused slightly, and then continued to pour the tea at a leisurely pace.
"Is there something wrong? I sensed your progress was quite fast yesterday; there shouldn't be any problems at this point."
Lynn sat down on the futon opposite her, without first reaching for her teacup as usual, nor engaging in any casual conversation as usual.
He looked into the Ancient One's eyes, which seemed to have seen through the ways of the world and the passage of time, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.
" Master The Ancient One, you probably already know what's going to happen next." His voice lacked its usual casualness, and it was also devoid of the ease with which he had teased Strange on the training field. "I... want to get involved. I've been thinking about it for a while now, but my heart tells me I can't just sit back and wait for it to happen."
The Ancient One didn't speak. She just looked at him quietly.
Lynn raised his hand and drew a magic circle in the air. The magic circle was completely different from the orange sparks he usually used to open portals. Its patterns were more intricate and complex, and each rune seemed to have been drawn directly from the void by some deeper force. Soft five-colored light flowed slowly along the edge of the magic circle, forming a complete and closed energy circuit. The Ancient One looked at the magic circle, and her eyes changed slightly.
"You definitely recognize this magic circle." Lynn's voice was soft, and the smile on his lips finally returned. "Come on?"
The Ancient One. There was no helplessness or blame in that sigh.
It was just a very faint understanding, hidden deep within the years. She had seen this magic circle before—in the countless futures she had glimpsed with the Eye of Agamotto, in every branch in which she was still alive, Lynn would one day knock on her door and draw this magic circle before her. Without exception.
"After meeting you, I predicted my future many times, and you did it every single time."
Looking at Lynn's familiar silly grin, a faint, helpless smile finally appeared on her lips. "You're not giving me a chance to refuse."
"Borrowing from whom doesn't matter, I'm not going to chase after the debt."
Lynn's silly grin finally returned to his usual style, "When you've truly lived enough, then you can be released. At least you'll have time to travel around after retirement. After working so hard for so long, I can't let you return to the Vishanti's embrace right after retirement. That would be so boring. Let Dormammu get lost."
The Ancient One was silent for a moment, then gently shook her head. She put down the pottery pot in her hand and stood up from the futon.
Lynn stood up, raised her hand, and pointed to her left chest, where the imitation gems were embedded, their soft, five-colored light faintly reflecting through her clothes. "The magic circle is complete on my side; now we're just waiting for you."
The Ancient One closed her eyes, raised her right hand, and placed her palm against Lynn's left chest. A pale golden light shone from her palm—that light intertwined with the soft five-colored light on Lynn's body, and the patterns of the magic circle began to slowly rotate, building a stable and silent energy bridge between the two.
The entire process was quiet and brief. When the last rune was completed, Lynn could feel a deeper connection being established between them.
"Alright."
Lynn straightened his collar, reverting to his usual lazy demeanor. He took two steps toward the door, then turned back and added, "By the way, Master The Ancient One, if Dormammu makes any unusual moves, please let me know. Although I may not be able to defeat him, I can at least cheer you on from the sidelines."
The Ancient One watched him walk out of the meditation room. Sunlight streamed in through the crack in the door, gilding the outline of his dark gray coat with a pale gold edge. She chuckled softly, sat back on the futon, picked up the ceramic teapot she had used for many years, and poured herself a cup of tea.
"Silly boy. You've been through so many years, and you're still so naive." She took a sip of tea, the smile still faint on her lips, her tone devoid of any real reproach.
After Lynn left the meditation room, he found Strange in the courtyard.
After climbing back from the Amazon yesterday, his skills were noticeably smoother. He was leaning against a stone wall, a small rune floating in front of him, trying to control its rotation speed and direction. The rune's stability was a level higher than yesterday. Although it was still some distance from practical application, it was a significant leap forward for Strange.
"Wait a minute." Lynn walked over, his tone casual. "You've practiced the basic practical skills enough; it's time for you to learn somewhere else."
Strange retrieved the rune and followed him across the courtyard.
The two walked along the stone corridor to the library.
Wang Zheng sat behind the lending desk, with a thick, ancient book spread out in front of him that could be used as a weapon, and a cup of tea that had gone cold beside him.
Hearing footsteps, he raised his eyelids to glance at Lynn, then at Strange following behind Lynn, before lowering his eyes again to continue reading his book.
"My lord, please do me a favor."
Lynn walked to the lending desk, pointed to Strange behind him, and said, "He's almost done with the basic practical skills. I'd like to leave him here to supplement his theoretical knowledge. I'll keep him here for a few days."
Wang didn't even look up. "Ever since I found out you handed the sparring to Mordo, I knew this day would come."
"You need a babysitter, and I'm the easiest person in all of Kamar-Taj to persuade, probably because I cleaned up so many messes for you back in the Sanctum, it's become a kind of conditioned reflex. Let me guess, are you going to tell me next that in a few days, you'll ask me to bring him food regularly, and also find him a few introductory textbooks on magical structure, preferably with the ability to answer all his questions?"
Lynn opened his mouth. "... I haven't said that much yet."
You don't need to say anything.
Wang finally raised his eyelids and glanced at him. "You always have this expression before you dump any trouble on me. It was the same last time you asked me to take care of that bird."
"... The bird turned out fine afterward, didn't it? You even developed an attachment to it."
That's not the point.
Wang closed the book and placed it on top of the pile of books next to him. "The key point is that every time you say 'deposit for a few days,' the actual meaning of the time quantifier expands exponentially after you leave. So this time, just tell me how long you need. A week? Two weeks? Or wait until you've finished something you don't want to tell me right now before coming back?"
"... about a week."
"A week? Or about?"
Wang repeated the sentence, looking at Lin E with a "I despise you" expression.
He looked at Strange, who was standing behind Lynn, looking around the old library with a bewildered expression, and pointed to an empty wooden desk in the corner.
"You, sit over there. You can look at any of the books on the shelves, but you can't take them out of the library. No eating inside, no talking loudly, and don't fold the corners when turning pages. If you damage anything, you'll have to pay for it. Some of these books are older than New York City itself, and you might not be able to afford to pay for them."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Ask me if you have any questions."
Lynn patted Strange on the shoulder. "Study hard. I'll be gone for a few days. Once you've mastered these theories, you'll be much more adept at practical application."
He thought for a moment, then added, "If you encounter anything you don't understand, just ask that fat guy."
Strange nodded, and just as Lynn was about to turn and leave, he suddenly called out to him, " Lynn." His voice was much calmer than before, lacking the impatience he had when he first arrived in Kamar-Taj. "Thank you."
When Lynn came out of the library, Wong was already assigning Strange his first task.
He heard Wang's voice behind him, "See that bookshelf? Third shelf from the top, fourth shelf from the right. There's a book called 'Basic Magic Structure and Energy Flow Guidance.' Take it. Don't run, don't make any noise exceeding thirty decibels in the library, and don't try to move more than five books at a time."
Then came Strange's lowered but still somewhat bewildered response. "... What volume does thirty decibels roughly equate to?" Wang paused for a moment. "Your normal volume is thirty decibels. So from now on, your volume in the library should not exceed the volume you're using to talk to me right now. Understand?"
Lynn gently closed the library door and then grinned widely.
As they passed through the courtyard, several trainee mages were practicing basic spellcasting gestures under Mordo's supervision, their movements perfectly synchronized.
He didn't go over to disturb them, but instead walked along the stone corridor at the edge of the courtyard to the Ancient One's meditation room. The wooden door was still ajar, and the aroma of tea wafted out from the crack, mixed with the crisp, sweet scent unique to the snowy mountain air in the early morning. He raised his hand and gently knocked twice.
"Come in."
Lynn pushed open the door and went in, finally regaining his usual relaxed demeanor. He didn't stand at the doorway to gather his emotions, but went straight to the low table, picked up the ceramic pot, poured himself a cup of tea, and then sat cross-legged on the futon opposite the Ancient One. His movements were as familiar as if he were returning to his own home.
The Ancient One looked at him and asked, "Is the matter settled?"
"All done." Lynn picked up his teacup, took a sip, then leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
I left Strange with Wong so he can brush up on his theoretical knowledge. Mordo's keeping an eye on the interns at the training field, so I don't need to cause any trouble for now. That's why I came over for a cup of tea."
The Ancient One gently shook her head, picked up her cup, and didn't reply.
The two sat quietly for a while, prayer flags fluttering gently in the wind outside the window, and the occasional whispers of novice mages practicing runes drifting from afar. The crisp, cool air from the snow-capped mountains flowed slowly through the half-open door, carrying the scent of sandalwood and the steam of tea, which mingled gently in the afternoon light.
As Lynn watched the Ancient One holding her teacup and taking a sip with her eyes lowered, she suddenly felt that some things didn't need to be said.
He knew that the Ancient One had already accepted his help, so there was no need to ask any further questions.
From that moldy burger in the subway station to the first cup of tea at Kamar-Taj, from the Battle of New York to that magic circle just now.
She always believed in him. Not in his power, but in that he would make the right choices.
" Master The Ancient One."
He placed his teacup on the low table, his tone returning to its usual slightly naive casualness, "Where do you plan to go after you retire? Tony told me last time that he bought an island in the Maldives. It sounds nice; the water is clear and the beaches are white. If you're interested, you can go for a vacation anytime."
The Ancient One.
He really made me laugh, a smile tinged with helplessness and indulgence. "Me, someone who's lived for hundreds of years, going on vacation to the Maldives?"
Why not?
Lynn retorted confidently, "You've been protecting the Earth for centuries, can't you at least find a beach to relax on after you retire?"
The Ancient One gently shook her head, but the smile lingered on her lips. She refilled Lynn's teacup, then picked up her own cup again, her gaze falling on the quietly fluttering prayer flags outside the window.
Lynn didn't speak again. He leaned back in his chair, holding the cup of tea that the Ancient One had just refilled for him, and sat quietly beside her. The aroma of tea gently filled the air between them, mingling with the crisp, cool air of the snow-capped mountains outside the window, creating a tranquil and lingering atmosphere.