Let me show you a new way Chapter 002

Inside the basement of the seaside villa.

The basement, once filled with countless experimental instruments, was now completely cleared. Most of the mechanical products had been removed, leaving a large empty space.

Lin Dong stood in the center of the basement, pacing slightly, as if searching for something.

Then he extended a hand, and a stream of fire appeared out of thin air on the ground, like a coiling snake, leaving trails of marks.

“What is this?” Tony Stark asked.

“A Merlin Circle. It can help you control your energy and master more knowledge,” Lin Dong replied.

Lin Dong didn’t play hard to get like the Ancient One did with Doctor Strange in the movie. Instead, he readily agreed to Tony Stark’s request and began teaching him magic.

He gave Stark many books on magic and languages to learn on his own, while he himself began preparing for the upcoming lessons.

This time, the world was the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before entering this world, Lin Dong made many preparations, spending a lot of Karma Points to ensure his legal identity in this world, preventing himself from being killed by the Ancient One as an interdimensional invader.

His current identity in this world was another apprentice branch of Merlin, possessing many spells different from mainstream magic.

However, this statement wasn’t a fabrication. In a way, he was indeed a grand-disciple of Merlin.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, another bad movie Nicholas Cage was in, basically told a cliché story of a chuunibyou boy defeating an evil witch and saving the world.

After Lin Dong entered that world, he became Balthazar’s disciple, and Balthazar was Merlin’s apprentice.

Lin Dong was now in Stark’s underground scientific laboratory, busy inscribing the Merlin Circle, a magic array from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, similar to the Spirit Gathering Array in cultivation novels, which could help people progress quickly.

“Mr. Stark? Are you there?” a female voice called out.

“No!!!” Tony Stark responded unceremoniously.

“Sir, it’s Miss Rashman. She says there are some legal clauses in certain documents that need your review,” Jarvis’s voice chimed in at the right time.

“Tell her to give them to Pepper. She’s the CEO,” Tony replied impatiently. It was quite rare for Stark to refuse a beautiful woman’s invitation.

But it wasn’t incomprehensible. A new world of knowledge was about to unfold before him. At this moment, the appeal of beautiful women had significantly diminished for him.

“Sir, she insists on your review and is approaching,” Jarvis reminded him again.

“Alright, alright!” Tony closed Vedic Language: From Beginner to Master in his hand, tucked it under his arm, and walked out of the basement with annoyance. “If she doesn’t have a good reason, I’m firing her.”

“Actually, she is Miss Potts’ secretary. You do not have the right to fire her,” Jarvis kindly reminded him.

“Shut up, Jarvis!”

“Yes, sir.”

Lin Dong, who was inscribing the magic array, looked up, as if he had thought of something.

“Miss Rashman? That should be Black Widow’s alias.” In the movie Iron Man 2, Black Widow had been undercover at Stark Industries for a period, using the alias Natalie Rushman.

“Mr. Stark, I didn’t know you were also interested in Sanskrit.” Black Widow said with a charming smile, pretending to casually glance at the book cover in his hand, her tone carrying a hint of surprise.

She had come prepared this time. As an employee in the legal department, it was easy to create some ambiguous issues in certain documents. She could also use this opportunity to gather intelligence.

However, from the moment she spoke, Black Widow could feel Stark’s impatience, as if she were one of those fat, greedy officials, rather than a sexy redhead. So when she saw the book Stark was holding, she took the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

“You even know Sanskrit?” Tony Stark raised an eyebrow, as if recalling the information he had looked up on his computer the last time he saw her. “I don’t quite understand. You know French, Italian, Russian, Latin, and even ancient Sanskrit, and you’re also a model, but you choose to work as a legal consultant in my company?”

“Because my major is law, Mr. Stark. Languages are just my hobby,” Black Widow Natasha still maintained her charming smile, appearing like a sweet and naive girl fresh out of college.

“Alright, alright! This has nothing to do with me. Don’t bother me with such minor issues in the future. If you bother me again, I’ll fire you.” Stark waved his hand, impatiently leaving.

Natasha watched Tony Stark leave, then turned and departed, transmitting the information to someone’s desk on her way.

A bald, one-eyed man read the information.

“His health seems to have improved? Learning Vedic language? Very impatient?”

Nick Fury frowned as he read the information, pondering what these changes in Stark meant.

“What’s wrong with this world? All sorts of messy things are popping up at once.” Nick Fury read another document, a progress report on the excavation of the Hydra plane, while the adjacent file contained clues about Bruce Banner.

——

Inside the basement of the seaside apartment.

“My esteemed mentor, is that Merlin Circle thing ready?” Stark asked with a somewhat flippant tone.

“Tony Stark!” Lin Dong stood up and clapped his hands.

“What?” Tony Stark looked up at the young man who had suddenly become serious.

“I hope you can show me some respect. I ask for nothing from you, Stark, but without me, you would never be able to learn this knowledge,” Lin Dong said with a serious expression. “So I hope you show some respect to me, and to the name Merlin. Don’t bring your old bad temper into the classroom.”

This was Lin Dong’s way of reining in Tony Stark. People like Tony Stark were incredibly cheeky, and Lin Dong came to this world to earn Karma Points, not to serve a spoiled brat.

Tony Stark was visibly stunned. In his memory, it seemed only his old man had ever spoken to him like that.

“Uh… alright, sorry. I understand.” Stark nodded. After all, he was Iron Man now, and having experienced setbacks and sacrifices, he had undergone some changes and understood how much of an asshole he had been before.

“Very good. Now, put on this ring. Don’t lose it, no matter what.” Lin Dong tossed a small object towards him.

“What is this? What does it do?” Stark caught the ring and fiddled with it in his hand. The ring was made of intertwined red metal, securing a unique golden gem, which looked very magical.

“You can wear it on any finger. The ring is a medium for a sorcerer’s spirit and matter to converge. Without the ring, there is no magic.”

In The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the ring was arguably the most important item for a sorcerer. No one, except the protagonist, who was the supreme Merlin, could cast magic without relying on a ring.

It was quite similar to wands in the Harry Potter world. However, rings couldn’t be directly snatched away by spells. If one could snatch someone’s ring, they could effectively kill them.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Sling Ring, formed by two fingers, was also a very important tool for sorcerers, primarily used to create portals and travel through space.

“So all our tricks… magic depends on this thing?” Stark pondered the ring in his hand with some disbelief. “What’s the principle behind this? How is it made? What if it breaks? I mean, does it need regular maintenance or something?”

Lin Dong didn’t get angry when he heard this; instead, he nodded. “I will tell you all of this in future lessons. The making of rings is also mentioned in alchemy. If you’re interested, we can discuss it further.”

“Alright! I understand.” Tony Stark nodded, not dwelling on it too much.

“Excellent. Then let’s begin! Stark, turn off any flame sensors or similar devices.” Lin Dong stood inside the Merlin Circle. The completed Merlin Circle looked quite complex, with various intricate symbols, lines, and incantations forming a beautiful circle.

Lin Dong didn’t choose to use magic like Balthazar did in the movie, completing the Merlin Circle in a few minutes. Because according to Balthazar, that method of inscription actually supported a relatively short duration.

Lin Dong looked at the Merlin Circle beneath his feet and nodded in satisfaction. Then he extended his hand, and a towering green flame instantly shot up over a meter high, enveloping Lin Dong, then slowly diminished, with every pattern flowing with fire.

“Come in, Stark,” Lin Dong called out to Tony Stark, who was looking bewildered beside him.

“Okay, okay!” He carefully stepped into the circle of fire, afraid of being ignited by the flames.

“I… Lin Dong, will be your guide on the path of magic. I am your mentor, and you are my apprentice.” Lin Dong solemnly spoke his oath, and as the oath was established, the flames beneath his feet slowly turned a light red.

Tony Stark, at this moment, became a sorcerer.