Chương 3: Mordo and the Wong
"Alright, thank you. By the way, you can call me Ned," Ned said with a smile as he took a stack of books handed to him by Wong.
"Wong," Wong replied casually, then ignored Ned.
Not minding Wong's indifference, Ned left the library with the books in his arms.
Back at his cabin, Ned placed the books aside and stared at the Sling Ring on the table. A bold idea suddenly crossed his mind.
He picked up the Sling Ring and wore it on his left hand. Bending slightly forward, he extended his left hand in front and his right hand behind, mimicking Doctor Strange's posture when he practiced creating portals. As he focused on the image of his bedroom back home, his right hand moved in a slow, clockwise motion.
Sure enough, with a soft "zzzt" sound, a portal surrounded by fiery sparks opened up in front of him.
On the other side of the portal was Ned's bedroom. "Yes!!!" Ned pumped his fist in excitement.
Even though he had been confident about succeeding, the thrill of actually creating a portal was exhilarating.
"Uh…" After his excitement subsided, Ned realized he now faced the same problem as the Ned from No Way Home—he couldn't close the portal.
"Oh, sh*t!" Panicking, Ned opened the last book from the stack Wong had given him, which contained some basic spells.
Flipping to the final pages, he found the instructions for the portal spell. However, the closing method was written in Sanskrit.
"Sh*t!"
Quickly pulling out his phone, Ned connected to the Wi-Fi and used Google Translate. After mumbling the translated incantation a few times, he closed the book, stood in front of the portal, and assumed the same stance as before. This time, he moved his right hand counterclockwise.
As his hand moved, the portal slowly closed.
"Phew…"
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ned put the books down and started reading them.
It wasn't until evening that he finally set aside the books, having finished all of them. Strangely, he found that he could recall every word without any difficulty, as if he had suddenly developed a photographic memory.
Putting the books aside, Ned picked up the Sling Ring, headed to the cafeteria for dinner, and then went to bed. He had to admit, an entire day of magic study was mentally exhausting.
As he lay in bed, he couldn't help but think about the spell that allowed Strange to study while sleeping.
…
The next morning, after breakfast, Ned returned to his cabin, organized the books Wong had given him, and prepared to return them. He also planned to ask Wong for more advanced books and inquire with the Ancient One about learning astral projection so he could study day and night.
However, before he could leave, there was a loud knocking at the door.
Puzzled, Ned opened the door to find Mordo standing outside.
"Hey, Master Mordo, come in," Ned said.
Mordo stepped inside but didn't sit down. "Did you not go out to practice magic yesterday? I waited for you at the plaza all day! All day!"
Although Mordo didn't raise his voice, his frustration was evident.
"Ah, I'm sorry! I was reading all day. Oh, right, Wong gave me these books—he said the Ancient One assigned them to me." Ned gestured to the stack of books on the table.
Mordo, already aware of the books, said, "I know. The Ancient One mentioned it to me. But you should know an ancient Eastern saying: 'Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.'"
"You've been reading all day. Did you finish? Did you understand—"
Before Mordo could finish, Ned casually opened a portal to the library in front of him and said, "You're right, Master Mordo. I promise to practice at the plaza today. But first, I need to return these books and borrow some more."
With that, Ned stepped through the portal with the books.
"Oh, sh*t!" Mordo hurriedly followed Ned through the portal before it closed.
"Did you finish all those books?" Mordo asked incredulously.
"Yes, I did, and I memorized them," Ned replied while walking.
"Hey, Master Wong, I'm here to return these books. Do you have any other recommendations?" Ned placed the stack of books on Wong's desk.
"Wait!" Before Wong could respond, Mordo ran up to Ned and exclaimed, "What did you say? You memorized everything? How is that possible?"
"Well… even if you memorized them, how could you have learned to create portals in just one day?!" Mordo was practically incoherent.
"Mordo?" Wong interrupted, puzzled. "What are you talking about? He learned to create portals?"
"Yes! Tell me what else was in those books! I promise I won't be surprised by anything anymore!" Mordo replied, swallowing hard.
"Nothing else—just those two spells, I swear," Wong said, also looking skeptical.
"Mordo, stop being so dramatic," Ned interjected. "Wong, I've finished these books. Could you recommend some others?"
As he spoke, Ned dismissed the magic shields in his hands and stepped forward.
Wong and Mordo, still processing what they had seen, could only exchange stunned glances.
--------------
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