Chapter 172 : Strange and Mordo First Meeting

"I've been waiting so long I might as well have watched flowers wither and bloom again. Do you know how precious my time is?" Alex Ray heard Stephen Strange's irritated voice the moment he came downstairs.

"Don't get impatient. The best things should always be saved for last. Let me grab a bite to eat and then we'll head out." Alex replied casually, smiling as he picked up the breakfast laid out on the table.

Strange gave him an exasperated look. Anyone else would've been left behind long ago, but this was different. Alex Ray wasn't just an old college friend—he was someone Strange trusted.

More importantly, Alex was the only person who could grant him superpowers.

Strange knew that if anyone else had made such a claim, he would've laughed it off or dismissed them as an idiot. But with Alex, it was different. He believed him.

He had rescheduled multiple surgeries just to make time for this visit. God knows how many calls he'd fielded after taking two days off—everyone was asking him to return for procedures.

Alex finished his breakfast quickly, not even bothering to make tea. Strange had been staring at him the whole time, clearly eager to get moving.

"Alright, alright, let's go," Alex said with a resigned sigh, standing up.

Strange immediately rose and began walking toward the door.

Seeing this, Alex asked, "Where are you going?"

"My car. It's not outside," Strange said matter-of-factly.

His response made it clear: he expected they'd be driving. How else would they get there?

To him, Kamar-Taj sounded like it was halfway across Manhattan. Was it somehow hidden around the corner in Hell's Kitchen?

He still thought like a regular man—he couldn't imagine that driving was the wrong way to reach Kamar-Taj.

"Driving to Kamar-Taj? You've got quite the imagination," Alex thought to himself, amused.

Seeing Strange heading for his car, Alex quickly stopped him. "No need to drive. Just follow me."

He then swiftly moved his hands in a circular motion, tracing what looked like an invisible pattern in the air.

A golden portal formed in front of Strange, shimmering with mystical light like a gateway to another world.

Strange froze, stunned. He had no idea what he was looking at.

"Is this the technique you used to block that thing before?" he asked, pointing at the portal, his curiosity and excitement growing.

"Come on. I'll take you there myself—I still have a ton of things to deal with in Hell's Kitchen." Alex said and stepped through the portal.

Strange quickly followed.

This was Alex Ray's first time visiting Kamar-Taj too, the fabled sanctuary of mystical arts.

Towering and solemn, the ancient buildings stood proud and majestic.

Alex had mentally prepared himself for what he might see. Strange, on the other hand, was visibly in awe. The sheer mystery of the place filled him with confidence. If magic existed anywhere, it was here.

"Alex Ray is really something else," Strange thought.

"Where's the person you said I was supposed to meet?" he asked impatiently, hungry for power.

"How should I know? This is my first time in Kamar-Taj too. Why don't you just ask someone?" Alex shrugged nonchalantly.

Strange immediately reconsidered how much faith he should place in Alex's so-called reliability.

The two walked deeper into the compound and eventually reached an open martial arts courtyard.

There, a group of novice monks in plain robes were practicing horse stance in unison.

Strange watched with admiration glittering in his eyes.

"Whoa, this is amazing! Is this Chinese Kung Fu?" he exclaimed.

"You'll be one of them soon," Alex replied.

"Huh? Do I need to learn Kung Fu to get superpowers?" Strange asked, puzzled.

"Who said anything about superpowers? It's not that—it's a secret technique. Could be magic," Alex explained.

"Wait, what? So magic is real in this world, and magicians actually exist? Then why are they all dressed like monks?" Strange was bewildered. He had imagined telekinesis or perhaps energy beams—not ancient robes and martial arts.

These monks were nothing like the magicians he had imagined.

Just then, a monk with dark skin stepped forward from the crowd.

His gaze was piercing and intense, as if he could see straight into people's souls.

He approached Strange and asked coolly, "Do you think we should be wearing black robes and oversized leather hats while flying around on broomsticks?"

Strange felt immediately embarrassed. He waved his hands quickly, trying to explain, "No, no, that's not what I meant!"

The monk gave a slight nod, then turned toward Alex and Strange. "Who are you? Why have you come to Kamar-Taj?"

Alex replied at once, "We're here to see the Ancient One. I'm Alex Ray, and this is my friend Stephen Strange."

As he answered, Alex kept his eyes on the monk, studying his demeanor and expression carefully.

He was trying to figure out who this was. Judging by the man's posture, attitude, and the weight of his presence—it had to be Baron Mordo.

When the monk heard Alex's name, he gave a brief smile. "Ah, so you're Alex Ray. Greetings. I'm Mordo."

Alex nodded slightly, noting the subtle hostility that lurked behind Mordo's otherwise polite expression.

His senses immediately went on high alert. Was someone already planning to move against him the moment he set foot in Kamar-Taj?

Without hesitation, Alex tapped into the telepathic abilities he'd acquired from Professor X and read Mordo's thoughts.

"So this is Alex Ray. Why would the Ancient One entrust the balance of the multiverse to an outsider?"

"Give him the title of Sorcerer Supreme? I've trained for years! I'm more powerful, more qualified—why him and not me?"

Alex sighed inwardly. He was being resented for something he hadn't even asked for. Clearly, Mordo had the wrong guy. It was Strange—not him—who was the intended candidate for Sorcerer Supreme.

But it wasn't surprising. In the movies, Mordo was stoic and strict. But in the comics? He was a smiling predator, always eyeing the Sorcerer Supreme's mantle.

In some parallel realities, Mordo did become the Sorcerer Supreme. In others, he even joined the Illuminati.

At that moment, Strange stepped forward and addressed Mordo politely. "Master Mordo, could you please take us to see the Ancient One? We have important matters to discuss."

Strange's words—so direct and formal—carried an urgency that left no doubt: he was ready to embrace the unknown.

Even from Strange, he felt a sense of inexplicable crisis.

"Could this arrogant guy be my future competitor?" Mordo thought to himself.

After all, ordinary people are not qualified to meet Master Ancient One directly.

However, the Ancient One chose to meet both of them at the same time, which made Mordo begin to doubt his own status.

Mordo took a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm.

"The Supreme Sorcerer has been waiting for you for a long time, please follow me," Mordo said, then turned around and led the way for Alex and the others.

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As the plot unfolds, it dives deep into the Spider-Verse, Avengers War and the Marvel Multiverse, weaving in epic elements from Endgame, God of Stories Loki, Kang the Conqueror, the Council of Kangs, the Council of Reeds, and even Franklin Richards.

Expect mind-bending twists with Deadpool breaking the fourth wall, going on a rampage that includes killing everyone... even the authors themselves.

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