Buzz—
A mysterious magic circle suddenly appeared in front of 177A Bleecker Street in Manhattan, New York.
A soft blue light flashed.
Three figures appeared out of nowhere on the busy street.
But the people and cars on the streets of Manhattan didn't seem to notice, as if they couldn't see what had just happened.
And in fact, they really couldn't—this was the wonder of magic.
Among the three people who appeared, one was Josh, who just yesterday was still overseeing the work on the other side of the world.
The other two had long, pointed ears that clearly marked them as non-human.
They were two of the six high elves from the world of Azeroth—Orosania and Lina.
They were here to meet the Ancient One.
Whether it was about capturing dimensional gods or giving shelter to the elves, they had to greet the guardian of Earth. It was also a good opportunity for magical exchange between worlds.
Compared to that, little things like the European Coal and Steel Community didn't mean much to Josh anymore.
"So this is the sanctuary of Earth's sorcerers? It's pretty special. Looks like the magic here is worth studying, though it's still not as good as Silvermoon's defenses," Orosania said proudly after looking around the sanctuary.
…Have some shame.
Josh looked at the girl, old enough to be his grandmother, and was speechless.
Yes, Azeroth's arcane magic was indeed amazing, and most of their mages were stronger than Marvel's.
But to say that Silvermoon's defenses were better than the Sanctums of Marvel was just bragging.
Silvermoon's magical defenses only covered Quel'Thalas, and it's unclear how strong they really were.
Sure, it was easily destroyed in the original story, but that was mainly because of the traitor Dar'Khan. It wasn't because it was weak.
But compared to the Sanctums? Not even close.
The three Sanctums were designed by the Ancient One to block threats like Dormammu—a dimensional god of the highest order.
Dormammu might not look too impressive in the movies, but his real power was on par with the Celestials or the Titans of Azeroth.
Josh didn't think Silvermoon could defend itself against something that strong.
"Be more careful with your words, Orosania! Someone who can build this level of magical defense is not someone we should judge lightly," Lina warned.
Orosania realized that she had spoken carelessly and quickly fell silent.
Even though they were both archmages, Lina had a higher status and more power.
Orosania was better at support magic like teleportation and magic circles, while Lina was a true combat mage.
So between the two of them, Lina had much more authority.
"Alright, the host is here. We're guests—let's behave properly," Josh said as he sensed something.
Right after he spoke, the doors of the sanctum opened.
Two sorcerers from Kamar-Taj, wearing plain robes, stepped out.
"Welcome. The Sorcerer Supreme has been waiting for you," they said with a bow.
"Please, lead the way," Josh replied, bowing slightly in return.
Led by the two sorcerers, Josh and the two elves entered the New York Sanctum.
Although he had seen it many times in movies in his past life, this was Josh's first time entering this legendary place.
Hmm, this place looks great—I want it!
Those magical items look amazing—I want them too!
It wasn't just Josh—the two elven mages were wide-eyed, amazed by the magical energy emanating from the collections. They couldn't help but feel how deep and rich Kamar-Taj's magical foundation really was.
"Excuse me for being rude, but can I take a closer look at that cloak?" Josh asked suddenly as they passed a display case. Originally, they had planned to go straight through the showcase and into a portal to meet the Ancient One in Kamar-Taj.
Inside the case was a crimson magical cloak—the very one that belonged to Doctor Strange in the movies.
To Josh, this cloak was the real star of the movie—not Strange himself.
Such a powerful magical item in Strange's hands always felt like a waste.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kahn, but these are very important magical items. I can't—" the dark-skinned sorcerer started to refuse.
But before he could finish, someone interrupted him.
"Daniel, open it."
It was the Ancient One who was supposed to be waiting at Kamar-Taj.
Everyone was surprised to see her, and the two elves, Lina and Orosania, immediately became serious.
At first, they had looked down on the New York sorcerers.
To them, these two were so weak that it was laughable—barely stronger than beginners in their world.
But with the appearance of the Ancient One, that smug attitude vanished.
She was… unfathomable.
There was no better word for it.
The pressure she gave off was even stronger than what they felt from Sun King Anasterian Sunstrider—Kael'thas's father.
"But… Sorcerer Supreme…" Daniel hesitated.
"I said open it," the Ancient One repeated.
With no other choice, Daniel pulled out a key and opened the case.
"Mr. Kahn, are you interested in this cloak?" the Ancient One asked, standing next to Josh and looking at the item.
"Of course. The moment I saw it, I felt a strange connection. Like we were meant to meet," Josh lied smoothly, smiling as he stared at the cloak.
Come on, little guy. Come to me. I'll take good care of you.
Surprisingly, the cloak actually responded.
To the shock of the sorcerers nearby, it flew out of the case and rushed toward Josh.
Josh was very pleased.
This cloak clearly had good taste—wasn't following him much better than sticking with Strange?
But just as he was enjoying the moment, the cloak suddenly swerved mid-air and flew right past him—wrapping itself tightly around a stunned Lina instead.
When Josh looked over, the cloak even seemed to shy away and hide behind her, as if scared.
What the hell?!
Josh was not happy. Not happy at all.
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