Chapter 201: Cosmic Demon God Totem Common Wealth Project (2)
Although it was already autumn, the afternoon in New York was still quite hot. The sound of opening a can was followed by a "pop," and Peter raised his head, taking a sip of cold Coke with a satisfied "ahh."
"Finished drinking? Then let's finish this part," said Dr. Connors.
"Oh, right," Peter replied.
He placed the Coke on the table in the preparation room, put on his lab coat, and walked over to the lab table. Looking around, he whispered to Dr. Connors, "Are we really going to do this? I don't think we can hide it from Mr. Stark. After all, this is the laboratory in Stark Tower."
Schiller, who was sitting in the preparation room, interrupted. "It seems like you didn't listen to any of the psychological theories I taught you before."
Peter scratched his head and asked, "I just didn't remember much...but how does that relate to us conducting experiments without Mr. Stark's knowledge?"
"I'm pretty sure that Stark won't use surveillance equipment to observe the situation in this laboratory. He's a very proud person, so even though he knows that Dr. Connors has several patents on biotechnology, he won't resort to methods that seem like spying."
"His pride prevents him from doing anything that is even remotely related to 'stealing knowledge.' Even if there's only a slight risk, he'll try to avoid it."
"Stark is like a proud bird, and his intelligence and wisdom are the beautiful feathers he's most proud of. He'll avoid any behavior that could dirty those feathers, even if it could bring him more food."
Connors added, "That's why he's more like a scientist than a businessman."
Peter nodded in agreement, then glanced at the clock in the room. "Sorry, Doctor. I have to leave in an hour. My friend is waiting for me."
Connors asked Schiller, "When is Strange coming?"
Schiller was about to call Strange on his mobile phone when a red crack suddenly appeared in the center of the laboratory room, quickly expanding into a red circle. Strange walked out of it, holding a crystal ball.
"Phew..." he breathed a sigh of relief. "You have no idea what I just went through. My goodness! I never thought that a sorcerer would have to do that kind of thing!"
"Tell us about your amazing experience," Schiller said, looking up at Strange, while the time was still early.
Peter looked at Strange with curiosity. Strange carefully placed the crystal ball on the table, took a deep breath, and began his story.
It all started with Kamar-Taj.
After becoming an apprentice sorcerer there, Strange began his long journey of learning magic.
Strange was talented and learned quickly, mastering some small spells in no time.
At the same time, he frequently interacted with the people at Kamar-Taj, gaining a deeper understanding of their relationships. In addition to the Supreme Sorcerer, the Ancient One, and the Grandmaster of Kamar-Taj, Wong, he also got to know the Ancient One's elder disciple, Baron Mordo.
Strange felt that he got along with Mordo the least out of everyone at Kamar-Taj. Mordo's behavior constantly reminded him that he was an outsider, a wild card who came in halfway through.
This was because Baron Mordo was too much like a sorcerer, even more so than the Ancient One.
He was silent, solemn, and mysterious. Every word he spoke carried a mysterious meaning that was difficult for ordinary people to understand. Not only was he powerful in magic, but the way he cast spells was exactly like a traditional sorcerer.
Whenever Mordo used magic, he floated in mid-air, his robe fluttering slightly, surrounded by mysterious lights. He would chant a series of mysterious spells, then move and act freely.
In contrast, Strange's use of magic was not as impressive. He would get tangled up in disobedient crimson sashes, his magic portals would disappear halfway through, and his spells would often go awry.
More importantly, Strange knew little about mysticism and philosophy. He couldn't speak like Mordo, who could eloquently talk about the true secrets of life, seeking peace, and the essence of power.
Strange stood in the middle of these demonic monsters, feeling like he had been taken for a ride.
But things had developed to this point, and it was not something Strange could avoid. He could only grit his teeth and speak out that despicable and shameless plan.
As Strange recounted this experience in the laboratory, he looked exhausted. "I had just started talking, and the demon walked down from the throne and appeared right in front of me. Can you believe it?"
"The whole sea of hellfire appeared in my overhead view, and I could even hear the screams of souls inside."
Strange said helplessly, "Then, the demon named Surtur directly stuck his head out of the vortex. Do you know how terrifying that sight was? His beard alone was bigger than my whole body!"
"I can't even describe to you what those things were." Strange covered his forehead and said, "I feel like with this experience, there's nothing in this world that I'm afraid of anymore."
"So, how did it go in the end?"
"After I finished speaking, I went back to my teacher's side, and the atmosphere was still quite scary as they started discussing it word for word."
"And then?" Conor asked curiously.
"Later..." Strange made a strange expression. "They started arguing, and it got more and more intense, so Odin had to step in and mediate."
"At first, they were still reasoning with each other, but then it turned into a shouting match, and finally a fight over who had the bigger fists."
"You mean, they had a fight?"
"God-king Odin was originally planning to mediate, but it seemed like a demon was being disrespectful to him, so he directly struck him with a bolt of lightning, and within a few seconds, the sky over Asgard turned into mush..."
"In the end, most of the demons either ran away or died, leaving only a few of the stronger ones to sit down and continue negotiating."
"They actually continued negotiating?"
"The Sorcerer Supreme told me that's how demons negotiate. Whenever they gather together, they always have to fight first. Only those who survive can stay and negotiate."
Strange sighed and continued, "After they sat down again, I realized that they didn't even understand one-tenth of what I had said before."
"They came up with a bunch of questions, and I did my best to answer them, but there were still a lot of questions, especially from Mephisto!"
Strange's tone became a bit angry. "He threw a bunch of nonsense questions at me, some of which I couldn't answer, and he actually called me ignorant! I'm a neurosurgeon, not a finance professional. How would I know how to calculate interest rates?"
"What was the result in the end?" Schiller asked.
"The remaining people agreed to participate and paid a deposit. This is it." Strange picked up a crystal ball on the table and said, "This is pure magical energy they provided, with no personal attributes, and can be used directly without repayment."
"But the condition is that we need to send some professional personnel to answer their many questions."
"That's easy. Tomorrow, I'll have Nick go to the prison to find some trustworthy finance professionals with moral standards."
"But we can't let these people go meet those cosmic demons, can we? They'll be scared to death."
Schiller asked Strange, "Do you know what a telephone is?"