Let me show you a new way Chapter 010

Stark Tower, Manhattan, New York.

A small figure appeared on the translucent glass. He approached the glass step by step, his figure growing larger and larger. Dressed in a simple T-shirt and trousers, he slowly neared the mirror-like surface until his height became that of an ordinary person. The next moment, the glass shattered, but without a single sound. Amidst the scattering fragments, Lin Dong calmly walked out.

The glass fragments behind him reassembled. Lin Dong curiously surveyed the greatly changed laboratory. Compared to before, this lab had many things that seemed out of place: array plates inscribed with magic circles, glittering crystal diamonds, and potions emitting strange lights.

In the center of the laboratory, Tony Stark was buried in a pile of mechanical parts, not even looking up. A nascent gold and red battlesuit lay quietly before him. A soft cape had been added to the back of the suit, emblazoned with unactivated magic arrays. At the chest of the battlesuit, Tony Stark’s newly created triangular Arc Reactor glowed warmly, supplying the suit’s energy needs. Inside the suit, mechanical circuits intertwined with shimmering magic arrays, creating a wonderfully mysterious texture.

“How’s your new battlesuit coming along?” Lin Dong was very interested in it. After all, for men, whether it was a large combat mech or a close-fitting small exoskeleton, both were things that could make a man’s blood boil.

“Not very smoothly.” Tony Stark didn’t look up. When Lin Dong walked out of the mirror, he had already triggered the alarm arrays and surveillance system Tony had set up. However, after confirming who the visitor was, Tony chose to continue researching his new battlesuit.

He continuously adjusted the suit’s data, making minor changes to the embedded magic arrays, the transmission of magic power, and so on.

“I used a mechanical arm to carve a huge and complex magic channel inside the battlesuit, which can amplify the power of spells, reduce the casting time of some spells, and also draw magic power towards the target. With J.A.R.V.I.S.’s calculations, it can even maximize the accuracy of my spellcasting.”

Tony Stark roughly explained his battlesuit’s design. Using the high precision of machinery to carve those overly complex and intricate magic arrays was truly a genius idea. Traces of magic could be seen throughout the suit. If Lin Dong wasn’t mistaken, this should be the magic of folded matter. When the entire suit was completed and the arrays activated, it could reduce the suit’s mass to a very small degree. By simply inputting some clothing data, the battlesuit could transform into any piece of clothing.

“But there’s a bit of a problem with energy conversion. Magic and some of the suit’s weapon systems aren’t easily compatible. I’m currently working on debugging the data.”

“Actually, you could temporarily stop researching the battlesuit and go see something new.” Lin Dong pulled out a Sling Ring from his pocket… That’s right, he had actually gotten two Sling Rings from the New York Sanctum. The other one was originally for Tony, but it was now broken, so Lin Dong hadn’t mentioned it at all.

“See something new? I don’t quite understand.” Stark looked up, somewhat confused. “I’ve almost finished reading the magic books you gave me. I don’t understand what else could be new?”

As a smart person, a high-IQ genius with extraordinary talent since childhood, Tony Stark had almost nothing he couldn’t learn.

The feeling of “not enough brainpower” that ordinary people often experienced when facing books was something Tony had never felt.

But during his time learning magic, Tony Stark felt the difficulty of learning for the first time. Many concepts contradicted his common sense, he couldn’t understand the principles of many spells, many spells required tricks to cast, and the explanations of many incantations were different from what he had guessed.

Lin Dong had once told Tony Stark that he couldn’t teach him magic forever. One day, Lin Dong would leave to learn new magic and acquire new magical knowledge.

So, before Lin Dong left, Stark had best remember those magical theories and all of Lin Dong’s teachings as quickly as possible.

Lin Dong put the Sling Ring on his left index and middle fingers, then extended his right hand, drawing circles in the air and recalling his destination.

A stream of golden light blossomed in the air before him.

“I once told you that my magical lineage is a branch of Merlin’s magic, but now, we are going to the place with the most sorcerers in the world, to witness a completely different system of spells,” Lin Dong said loudly. Golden light particles fell to the ground, illuminating the entire laboratory. Tony Stark’s face showed surprise as he curiously looked towards the other end of the light circle.

The stream of light followed Lin Dong’s right hand, forming a small circle of light that gradually expanded. The light circle’s diameter grew to about two meters and then stopped expanding. Subsequently, the scene within the light circle slowly changed, revealing a small courtyard inside.

Lin Dong nodded, made an inviting gesture, and led Tony Stark through the spatial portal.

“Welcome to Kamar-Taj!” Lin Dong said with a smile.

Tony looked at the dim sky in surprise. He clearly remembered that it had been bright and sunny just moments ago…

He raised his wrist and glanced at the very futuristic-looking watch he was wearing.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., where am I now?”

“Nepal, sir, Kathmandu, Nepal,” J.A.R.V.I.S.’s calm voice replied.

“I see, is it a time difference? Nepal is about 10 hours ahead of New York.” Tony looked at the sky, then at his surroundings. Several sorcerers in robes and hoods stood silently, seemingly having waited for a long time.

“I came from New York to Nepal in a few seconds?” Tony Stark said in astonishment. This spatial transfer gave him a great shock. He turned to Lin Dong and asked, “When can I learn this magic?”

“Soon, I promise,” a sorcerer lifted her hood, smiling at Tony Stark. Her shining bald head was still so obvious in the dim light.

“Is this your magic? Kamar-Taj? How is it different from Merlin’s magic? Are your rings two-fingered? Wouldn’t that affect normal life?” Tony Stark felt like he had a million questions to ask. This new type of magic had reignited his interest in learning.

“Don’t rush. For the next few months, you’ll be here as a sort of exchange student. All the texts here are open, and you can learn new magic little by little according to your progress,” the bald female sorcerer said with a smile.

“Are you a teacher here?” Tony Stark asked curiously.

“Indeed, you can call me the Ancient One.” The bald sorcerer bowed slightly, expressing respect for the master and disciple. “However, I think Mr. Stark needs to adjust to the time difference.”

“Kaecilius①, take Mr. Stark to his room!” the Ancient One called out to someone. A man who looked to be in his thirties walked over to Stark and gestured for him to follow.

Tony Stark nodded to Lin Dong and left with Kaecilius.

“Mr. Lin seems very interested in Kaecilius?” the Ancient One asked curiously. Ever since Kaecilius appeared, Lin Dong had been staring into his eyes, as if he had seen something special.

“His heart is filled with sorrow, filled with anger, filled with reluctance for the deceased,” Lin Dong said slowly.

But in reality, this wasn’t something he saw in his eyes, but rather based on the prelude comic to the Doctor Strange movie, where Kaecilius fell into despair after his wife’s death, eventually entering Kamar-Taj to learn magic. But no matter how powerful the magic, it couldn’t dispel the unease in his heart, leading him to betray them and join Dormammu.

The Ancient One paused: “I didn’t know Mr. Lin also studied emotions and thoughts.”

“It’s easy to see. I imagine he hasn’t been here long, right?” Lin Dong shook his head and asked.

“He arrived half a month ago. His wife passed away, and his heart is filled with negative emotions, but his talent for magic is very high, so I wanted to try to guide him onto the right path.” The Ancient One’s tone still held hope for Kaecilius.

“Also, I always feel like his eyes seem to have some hidden ailment②. It would be best to find a good doctor to check them,” Lin Dong said, then nodded to the Ancient One and turned to the library. He needed to understand the magical system of this world in more detail to prepare for future lessons, as his magic required mutual exchange.

① Kaecilius: The antagonist in the Doctor Strange movie.

② Kaecilius’s eye ailment: