Capítulo 24: The Mystery of the Crimson Stone
"To be honest, even though I've always known about the existence of the multiverse, it's still hard to believe there's another Kamar-Taj and another Ancient One."
Wong struggled to speak while eating an enormous Hulk-Smash-Sweet Smile-flavored ice cream cone.
"Of course, it's not hard to understand. After all, the multiverse is full of mysteries no one can fully grasp."
Ned, barely able to watch Wong devour the gigantic ice cream, said, "Honestly, I can't comprehend why it's called 'Hulk-Smash-Sweet Smile.' Sure, it's massive, but I don't think the Hulk's smile is particularly sweet."
"I've fought alongside the Hulk in my universe too. Trust me, his smile is anything but sweet."
"Uh…"
Wong awkwardly wiped the leftover ice cream from his mouth and said, "Well, it's actually pretty delicious."
"Alright, let's stop talking about ice cream."
Dr. Strange, munching on a tuna sandwich, interrupted with a muffled voice, "Ned, didn't the Ancient One in your universe ever teach you not to mess with the multiverse?"
"You were only supposed to deal with Thanos, but because you warned Stark and Rogers, you ended up blowing up the Earth once. I got more gray hairs trying to reverse time because of that."
"Come on, Mr. Strange," Ned said smilingly. "Of all the Kamar-Taj sorcerers, you're the one who breaks the rules the most. Isn't it ironic for you to be giving a lecture on rules?"
Wong interrupted Strange while licking another Hulk-Smash-Sweet Smile ice cream and said, "Besides, everything turned out fine in the end. No one got hurt."
"Seriously, this ice cream is really delicious. Are you sure you don't want to try one?"
Wong offered the Hulk-flavored ice cream to Ned once again.
"Umm… Do you have burgers, soda, and fries here?" Ned asked tentatively.
"Where did you get this stone?!" Daniel shook his head heavily and demanded from the scrawny sorcerer.
"Master Daniel, are you alright? I just found it in that corner over there."
The scrawny sorcerer hadn't expected Daniel to react so strongly just by glancing at the strange stone and explained nervously.
"Master Daniel, what is this thing, anyway?"
"Well… I'm not sure. Let's quickly bring it to the Supreme Sorcerer for a look."
Daniel thought for a moment before speaking.
"Yes, sir."
Crunch, crunch.
Slurp, slurp.
Nom, nom.
Meanwhile, Strange, Wong, and Ned were still feasting. Despite finishing one ice cream, Wong felt it might be inappropriate for the three of them to be secretly snacking there, but Sorcerer Supreme Strange argued, "After a big battle, what's wrong with enjoying myself a little?"
So Wong pulled out yet another ice cream cone and started licking it.
"Strange!"
"Wong!"
Suddenly, Daniel's voice came shouting from outside the door.
"Master Daniel? What's going on?"
Hearing the urgency in Daniel's voice, Strange immediately put down his sandwich, wiped his mouth clean, and ran outside.
"Master Hani found a peculiar stone!" Daniel said as he motioned to present the stone.
"Just one glance at this strange stone made me dizzy and extremely violent. Luckily, I've practiced alongside the Ancient One before, so I managed to break free from its influence. But I've never heard of a stone with such malevolence, so I thought I'd bring it to you and Wong to see if there's any trace of dimensional demonic energy." Daniel explained.
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Dr. Strange didn't dare let his guard down. He carefully accepted the stone, examining it closely while asking the scrawny sorcerer, "How did you find it?"
"I suddenly heard a voice in my head asking me if I wanted power. Following the voice's guidance, I found it," Master Hani answered honestly.
"Hmm…"
Dr. Strange pondered for a moment before shouting back into the room, "Wong! Ned! Come out here and take a look!"
After studying the stone for a long time, he couldn't figure out anything unusual about it. To him, it just looked like an ordinary, rough red piece of glass with uneven surfaces.
But given what Hani and Daniel had described, this stone was definitely not ordinary. With no other options, Dr. Strange decided to call out Wong and Ned—perhaps they might recognize it.
Especially Wong, who, as a former librarian, was known for his vast knowledge. If anyone could figure it out, it'd be him.
"What's going on?" Wong and Ned stepped out together, looking spotless, as if they hadn't just devoured a ton of snacks.
"Take a look at this."
Strange handed the stone over and repeated what Daniel and Hani had told him. Finally, he asked, "Do you have any idea what this is?"
"No. If you hadn't told me the story, I'd have thought it was just a poorly made piece of glass."
Wong shook his head.
"I'm even less likely to know. I've only been learning at Kamar-Taj for a few months. I don't have much knowledge."
Ned also shook his head.
"Alright, then what do we do with this stone?" Strange shrugged when neither Wong nor Ned could identify it.
Wong's expression grew serious. "I recommend sealing it with dozens of spells and locking it in a pocket dimension. This thing doesn't seem to dare move now, so sealing it should be easy."
"I agree with Wong's suggestion." Ned nodded repeatedly. Truth be told, he was curious about what dozens of sealing spells being cast at once would look like.
'Nooo!!!'
The red demonic stone screamed internally. 'How can this big guy who looks so harmless have such a black heart?!'
Who could've guessed that its plan to do a good deed—tempting a bullied novice sorcerer—would end up with the attention of three senior sorcerers?
In the presence of Strange, Wong, and Ned, the red demonic stone didn't dare make a single move, terrified it would be discovered and pulverized into dust.
And that was still a good outcome. Rumor had it that during the reign of the Ancient One's predecessor, beings like it wouldn't just be crushed—they'd be fed to Dormammu in the Dark Dimension. Not even ashes would remain!
The thought alone made the demonic stone tremble in fear as it silently prayed to the Vishanti. Hopefully, these three would admire its unique beauty and just let it go. Though even the stone doubted that possibility.
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T/N:
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